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<blockquote data-quote="Silas Pradetto" data-source="post: 48008" data-attributes="member: 34">Re: Becoming an equipment dealerI become a dealer for any product line that I buy enough of to warrant going direct. Usually, this needs to be several thousand dollars a year or more. Other lines that I don&#039;t buy as much of, I buy from other dealers on SFN that give me good deals. Most vendors give better discounts to bigger orders, so sometimes I&#039;ll wait until a few friends want gear from the same supplier I need things from, and then we&#039;ll place a big order at a good price.I sell pretty much zero product to anyone other than local friends and people on SFN. No one calls me out of the blue asking for speakers, etc.I&#039;ve never been dropped as a dealer for not maintaining an annual minimum, but for just about all the lines I sell I dramatically exceed the quotas.A major reason for becoming a dealer is the relationship with the manufacturer - service and support are key. If I buy product XYZ from Guitar Center or some random online store, and it breaks at a show, who do I call? Guitar Center? Let&#039;s assume it was a non-stock product. Am I really going to wait for them to order it, or take mine and have it switched or fixed? Absolutely not. If I&#039;m a dealer, I&#039;m one call away from the manufacturer or rep. In most cases I have a cell phone number for emergencies. I can have a new piece of gear in hours or a day if I need it. Also, getting parts is easy if I can just call the manufacturer. Places like Guitar Center are going to have a hard time ordering non-stock and non-SKU parts for gear.Also, if I&#039;m doing an install, I will only install gear that I&#039;m a dealer for, so the customer gets full factory warranty as they bought the system from an authorized dealer.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Silas Pradetto, post: 48008, member: 34"] Re: Becoming an equipment dealer I become a dealer for any product line that I buy enough of to warrant going direct. Usually, this needs to be several thousand dollars a year or more. Other lines that I don't buy as much of, I buy from other dealers on SFN that give me good deals. Most vendors give better discounts to bigger orders, so sometimes I'll wait until a few friends want gear from the same supplier I need things from, and then we'll place a big order at a good price. I sell pretty much zero product to anyone other than local friends and people on SFN. No one calls me out of the blue asking for speakers, etc. I've never been dropped as a dealer for not maintaining an annual minimum, but for just about all the lines I sell I dramatically exceed the quotas. A major reason for becoming a dealer is the relationship with the manufacturer - service and support are key. If I buy product XYZ from Guitar Center or some random online store, and it breaks at a show, who do I call? Guitar Center? Let's assume it was a non-stock product. Am I really going to wait for them to order it, or take mine and have it switched or fixed? Absolutely not. If I'm a dealer, I'm one call away from the manufacturer or rep. In most cases I have a cell phone number for emergencies. I can have a new piece of gear in hours or a day if I need it. Also, getting parts is easy if I can just call the manufacturer. Places like Guitar Center are going to have a hard time ordering non-stock and non-SKU parts for gear. Also, if I'm doing an install, I will only install gear that I'm a dealer for, so the customer gets full factory warranty as they bought the system from an authorized dealer. [/QUOTE]

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