ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
I received a letter today: "Trade-in your classic Beolab 8000 for our newest icon, Beolab 18 - at an amazing price."
The letter is personalised and the sender is the owner of the dealer where I bought my BL8000 15 years ago! I am offered 10.000 DKK ~ 1.300 EUR if I buy a pair of BL18.
It looks like a mass mailing. Anyone else received an offer like this?
A footnote says, that the offer is valid for "BeoLab 8000/8002, Beolab 6000/6002 and Beolab 4000. And that the final trade-in value is based on the age and the condition of the speakers.
I am intrigued to be offered a 10.000 DKK discount on a 34.000 DKK pair of speakers. Not a bad deal at all in my opinon - given of course that the trade-in value on my speakers will actually be the full 10.000 DKK.
I replaced my BL8000s with BL5s a couple of years so I do not use them anymore. Only problem is that I have no available spot for the BL18s and other items are on my to-buy list.
However I appreciate the offer - something like this could definitely make me pay this dealer my first visit in 15 years. I have several items to trade in, so I hope to see offers like this coming...
Taking B&O perspective it might me a good strategy to make these offers directly to existing owners so you do not have to communicate discounts like this in the general market. At the same time you are off-loading the second hand market.
Looking at the second hand prices around the world on Beolab 8000's there are hundreds of BL8000 offers below 10.000 DKK: http://www.hifishark.com/search?q=beolab+8000 - In this perspective the offer seems great.
This sounds good
I know it's 'marketing' but the plethora of seemingly generous trade-in offers does not sit well with a premium brand and reinforces the perception that B&O is overpriced. Rather like supermarkets, if you pay full price for regularly discounted or BOGOF products you are paying over the odds.
BeoGreg:Just asked my dealer. For an old pair of beolab 8000 (2000/2001) you get 800 €, but (like the bv11 offer) you can keep your speakers or sell them for your own profit ! The black bl18 are 5000 €, so it´s a 16% (disguised) discount.
The black bl18 are 5000 €, so it´s a 16% (disguised) discount.
Well good that you can keep them, because 800e is a steal. I'd buy several pairs at that cost. They're usually twice the price.
Too long to list....
5:8:13: I know it's 'marketing' but the plethora of seemingly generous trade-in offers does not sit well with a premium brand and reinforces the perception that B&O is overpriced. Rather like supermarkets, if you pay full price for regularly discounted or BOGOF products you are paying over the odds.
I agree but it also implies to a customer that one should not buy a B&O product when it is first introduced. Wait 6 months for a price reduction. It's worse for the Beovision 11 which seems to have been on perpetual special offer. They seem to be operating like a big box store.
Living Room: Beosystem 4, Beolab 7-2 (Center), Beolab 9 (Fronts), Beolab 8000 (Rears), no Subwoofer. Screen: Sony KD-85XH9096Dining Room: Beosound Essence MK II with Beolab 4000 on stands, fed by Amazon Echo Show 8Home Cinema: Beosystem 4, Beolab 7-4 (Center), Beolab 1 (Fronts), Beolab 4000 (Rears). Projector: Sony VPL-HW55Home Office: Beosystem 3, Beolab 7-4, Beolab 5000, Screen: Sony KD-55XH9005 on Beovision 7-40 stand, ML to Beosound 9000 MK3 and Beosound 5/Beomaster 5 (1 TB SSD version)Bedroom: Sony KD-65XH9077, Beosound Essence MK II with Beolab 6002 and Beolab 11 (all white, wall-mounted)
In storage: Beolab 5000/Beomaster 5000 (1960s).
I must say this is a unique community where a special offer is actually viewed negatively by some. I just recall a number of negative comments when the BV11 promotion came out. Promotions drive demand, and get consumers like me off the sidelines. I think the speaker promotion is great.
BV11-55, BS9000, BL1, BL19, Transmitter 1, Beo4, Beocom 6000, BeoTalk1 200, Sennheiser HD600, McIntosh MHA100
rxcohen:I think the speaker promotion is great.
We do not talk the talk about the BL15 discount ... but ... there is no comparison with your BL5. Before talking about money and discounts, try to listen to those speakers, indeed, try to compare them with other speakers B & O. They are not worth much. To that amount better BL9.
BeoGreg: rxcohen: I think the speaker promotion is great. Fully agree ! I paid 18.500 francs (2.820 €) my beolab 8000 in 2000 and can get at least 1.600 € (800 € from dealer and 800 € from a private sale) out of it 14 years later.
rxcohen: I think the speaker promotion is great.
I think the speaker promotion is great.
Fully agree !
I paid 18.500 francs (2.820 €) my beolab 8000 in 2000 and can get at least 1.600 € (800 € from dealer and 800 € from a private sale) out of it 14 years later.
Put it for sale in Finland and you'll get well over 1000 euro for them.
BeoGreg:Fully agree !
+ 1
While it's nice to see these offers, they do not go well with a premium brand, and do amplify the general perception that the brand is overpriced.
rob08:I tend to agree. Especially since there's almost been a continual rebate for the bv11. Why not just lower the price a bit from the beginning?
Mostly to do with economies of scale. When you first release a brand new product, you tend to price it based on the research, development and the setup costs to get the product manufactured. Over time, after the initial R&D costs have been paid off, and especially when demand is reasonably strong and you can source components in bulk, this enables you to bring down the manufacturing costs.
But, you can't just suddenly reduce the price of a brand new product, as a result. Solution? Offer deals, trade-in pricing and so on, to pass on the cost-saving to the customer.
In other luxury markets, such as handbags, fine watches and champagne, these prices are never reduced. They only go one way: up.
Very difficult position from a sellers point...
Everybody wants a deal these days. If you reduced the prices people would still demand a discount. How many of us happily hand over our credit cards with a big smile on our face in return for absolutely no discount whatsoever? It just doesn't sit right in todays mindset of buyers.
We've found with our eBay sales lately that this is exactly the case. Case in point a pair of BeoLab 8000. They were from 1996, in average to good condition, and we priced them at £795. Cheapest on eBay at the time. As we pressed list we were chuckling to ourselves wondering if they would last longer than 10 minutes.
After three days we'd had seven emails asking what our very best price would be, if we'd offer free shipping, if we'd include some brand new powerlink cables - and if we'd swap them for a pair of BeoLab 6000. We eventually sold them for £700 with half price shipping.
The next pair, same age and condition, we put up at £995 with the "Make an Offer" facility. Within an hour someone had offered us £800 plus shipping and we accepted.
The buyer felt he'd "got a deal" and was happy. We got what we needed for the speakers.
I rest my case.
Lee
It's a marketing tool for many items such as kitchens where to price the goods realistically would cause the customer to question the quality !
hence the half price sales for these items you buy infrequently.
Beo Century ,Beoplay V1, Beocenter 6, Ex-Beolit 12, Beotime , A8. Beolit 15 , Form 2i , Beolab 2000, Beoplay A3.Beosound 1
Bought one post , got one free !
A very good sound upgrade in my opinion. Do it.
This deal will keep the shops alive.... (only when the shop shows one pair BL800 only as second life offer)
Buy some speakers from eBay for £50 , trade them in and get £800 off some super new ones!
Sounds. Too good to be true.
rxcohen: I must say this is a unique community where a special offer is actually viewed negatively by some. I just recall a number of negative comments when the BV11 promotion came out. Promotions drive demand, and get consumers like me off the sidelines. I think the speaker promotion is great.
Agree completely. Some of us would be glad if most B&O kit were only nose bleedingly expensive instead of eye bleedingly pricey. B&O I think really needs to stimulate sales volume and walk ins at the stores. You can play the premium no discount or sale ever pricing game but if no one bites you still go under.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.