What's the best price on a MS361?

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mtgrs737

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I am thinking of buying a Stihl MS361 in the very near future and the best price I have found is $600 even. Most of the dealers quote me the sticker price of $610 and throw in a pair of gloves and a hat but that is all. One dealer at the state fair would sell me a case and extra chain for $35 if I bought the saw from him at the $610 price. Stihl dealers have seem to have a "No Hagel" pricing thing going on there, and I think they are plenty high. But they do have a good product that is well made and that is why they comand a good price. What have you guy experianced?
 
In this industry the profit margin on whole goods are small, if you think we make 30% mark up you're fooling yourself.
We have families to feed, bills to pay and employees to pay, god forbid we possibly want to make a PROFIT.
We realistically don't make enough on a saw to discount them.
I'd rather give you a couple extra chains, than take 25$ off a saw.
 
Don't leave Kansas Dorothy. In the real land of OZ I just paid AUD $1300 (= USD $1100) with free spare chain and hardcase. Could have saved $300 at the risk of warranty on ebay but my dealer is a top bloke and I know I'll be rewarded in the long run...
 
When i bought mine, I knew there wasn't really haggle room. So I didn't even bother. I did however ask if he could throw in an extra chain for that price. He looked around a bit and then cracked a smile and said OK with a bit of hesitation. I thought that was fair for him and I, so I bought a gallon of bar oil and and quart of two stroke as well. I'm well aware of the small guy trying to make a decent living and a local guy who I will run into regularly. I would rather pay full price to someone I know I can trust for future service than to save a couple bucks for future hassles. JMO
 
I'm not a haggler myself, (I've been in sales for 13 years) but I do ask if they can do any better on the price.

Ice, I kinda already figured that the profit margin is tight, too bad with such a nice product that the dealer is being short margined. No fun there!

Lakeside53, Thanks for the info, I find your posts very informative, thanks.


flimflam, I find your last statement offensive (but I'm a big boy and I'll get over it). But it speaks volumes about you.
 
I'm not a haggler myself, (I've been in sales for 13 years) but I do ask if they can do any better on the price.

flimflam, I find your last statement offensive (but I'm a big boy and I'll get over it). But it speaks volumes about you.

Most of the dealers quote me the sticker price of $610 and throw in a pair of gloves and a hat but that is all. One dealer at the state fair would sell me a case and extra chain for $35 if I bought the saw from him at the $610 price.

I kinda already figured that the profit margin is tight


You should be appreciative they offered anything at all, but what do you do? You baulk at it because it isn't good enough for you. You acknowledge that the margin is tight, but you still want to get a better deal. The nerve. If I were a dealer, I'd be in jail for throwing people like you over the roof.

You're not a haggler but you ask for a better price and make a thread about haggling... This thread speaks volumes about you.

I love the people who say "I know the vendor has to make some money too but..." ####. Pay the bill and move on. Panties are for women. I'd love to see these same clowns go to the gas station, the liquor store, their electrical, gas companies and ask them for a better price. "C'mon, can't you do better than that?"
 
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ughhhhhhhhhhhh

:dizzy:
want some cheeze with all of this wineing:confused:
take the price or not dealers have their over head like any buiness:monkey:
 
His prices don't even reflect what I've seen at dealers around here. Everything is MSRP.


lolol.. It's not like it's posted on a sign, or in ads... We sell our share of full priced units, but the realities of local competition (one very local dealer will give 10% off to anyone with an "associated" business licence...) drive us down (361 and MS200T examples) to $550 for most of our pro customers. Some would rather drive 100 miles to Masden's than pay list:dizzy:

You may be surprised.. but most of our customers don't even ask for a discount... and we sure don't offer it unless there's a good reason. And... some of our pro customers don't ask for or want a discount.. but they sure want good service (and they get it..). They recognise the saw is often paid for on the first job, and it keeps on earning; we get out "cut" once, at the sale.
 
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$589 with a 16" here.

I don't know what the margins are for Stihl products but I didn't even ask for a discount or anything free with mine. It was my first saw bought from the dealer. Just bought an extra chain, 6-pack of mix and a gallon of bar oil and put the $453 on the counter.
 
$589 with a 16" here.

I don't know what the margins are for Stihl products but I didn't even ask for a discount or anything free with mine. It was my first saw bought from the dealer. Just bought an extra chain, 6-pack of mix and a gallon of bar oil and put the $453 on the counter.

What did you do buy a chain, mix, bar oil and the dealer gave you a 361 and a hat.:)
 
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No one is forcing hagglers to buy at any price, and no one is forcing dealers to sell to hagglers. The O.P. only asked a question, and I.M.O. should be informed of the nature of Stihl's pricing structure (in lieu of brow-beating), and how low dealer profit margins are. You are lucky to get a chain and oil, much less a case or any Stihl at a lower price than M.S.R.P.

But let's not act like all products sell for M.S.R.P. exactly, so that it should be common knowledge that chainsaws (or Stihls specifically) do not. Think of where chainsaws fit within the continuum from automobiles, motorcycles, boats, tractors, firearms, power tools, to hand tools etc- some are negotiable and some are not. I now understand they are closer to the products you don't negotiate on, but I.M.O. it's the nature of the dealerships that throws people off (E.G. Huskies in department stores sell for about the same as in their dealerships, yet no one would go into Sears and offer less than the price tag, as they might in a dedicated Husqvarna dealership). O.T.O.H. some of these guys may very well be walking onto car dealerships and handing over the exact amount printed on the window sticker, and paying M.S.R.P. on handguns, etc.

So to the O.P. yes that has been my experience too. Paying M.S.R.P. seemed a little high at the time (especially comparing with other brands)... but now I'm trying to figure out how they give them away so cheap L.O.L. because if you want a quality C.S. go for it and don't look back. I couldn't be happier with mine and I.M.O. they are worth the price!

Good luck.
 
What did you do buy a chain, mix, bar oil and the dealer gave you a 361 and a hat.:)

No I bought a MS310, as is in my sig. I don't secretly have a MS361 sitting in the garage. The first part of my post was the going price of a MS361 at my dealer and the second is from when I bought a saw earlier this year, that I didn't ask for or expect a discount.
 

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