Best place to buy a couple BK2's?

[GSO1962]

No killjoy at all, I dont like MAP, and see it as a form of price fixing. MAP sets a minimum but no max. Why is it ok to set a minimum but you can charge as much as you want over that? And I believe it was illegal til 2008 or some form of it, when the supreme court changed a ruling. Buy establishing a set price creates zero competition! You may see it as a level playing field, I don't. And competition it what drives the market, like it or not. Thats what built this country, people that were hungry for your business and not looking to make max dollar off every transaction. To me a business should be able to sell the good and products they have for what ever they want. I got an infraction for posting a deal recenlty on the BK16 that was around $30 cheaper than anyone else. To me that retailer wanted to move product or hand stagnant product because of MAP and were not worried about max profit. Why is that wrong? Im sure they made money, but you say it's wrong because it violated MAP. If you think MAP is good then make them put a cap on what they can charge. MAP has good intentions but does not work. And does not create competition or diversity.

I didn't recall that you had posted that deal, but do remember it. I actually had a couple in my shopping cart at that price since it was well below the distributor cost. A couple days later, when I actually thought about finishing the order, the price was above $80. I don't believe they intended to sell for that price, and am pretty sure they lost money on each one they sold. If it wasn't an accident when they entered the sale price, then it was just a gimmick to sell them at a loss hoping that purchasers would also fill their cart with overpriced stuff before checking out.

I honestly have mixed feelings about MAP. I'm a tightwad of German descent, so I always like paying the least amount possible. On the other hand, I do understand manufacturers wanting to avoid devaluing the brand, which can (not necessarily will) happen if there is no MAP. I'm all for less Government interference in the marketplace but, of course, MAP is set by manufacturers, not the government or retailers (which I believe would be price fixing according the government definition). Even with a MAP in place, I do see competition between retailers by them offering different specialty items, deals on shipping, and better customer service. For example, I placed an order from one supporting vendor for some of the ESEE kitchen knives, and received a tracking number by e-mail 49 minutes after placing the on-line order. Customer service doesn't get much better than that.

But it really doesn't matter what you or I think about MAP. It exists, and reputable dealers abide by the policy. The policy is a contract between manufacturers and retailers, sometimes with a distributor or wholesaler in the middle. Sure, there can be unadvertised specials or flash sales, but those businesses that routinely and egregiously violate MAP are either incompetent or dishonest. Both of these are good reasons for me to take my business elsewhere.

Finally, as C bear points out, you also agreed to abide by forum rules when you signed up here. You got the infraction because you unknowingly broke the rules. I might have done the same thing since I'm still a newb here. But now we both are aware of the rule here, and can either abide by it or find some other diversion. We can agree to disagree, but "rules is rules."