BPL pricing issue: Feedback Sports Hanging Alpine Digital Scale

Much of the not backpacking specific gear sold here is marked up in price.

Take the Rite in Rain notebooks . . . $2.08 each for members but on Rite in Rain's website they are $2.05 each. Of course here you can buy a single notebook and there you need to buy a dozen at a time.

It's all about paying for convince.

Searching on Froogle you may very well find a cheaper price than at BPL. We typically sell items at the MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price) and then we offer our members a discount below that. The items you find on Froogle (or Amazon, eBay, etc) may be cheaper due to someone selling the item below the MSRP.

>>The items you find on Froogle (or Amazon, eBay, etc) may be cheaper due to someone selling the item below the MSRP.

Does BPL plan on adopting a price matching policy? You know, to incentivise paying membership fees…

Price matching policies tend to only work in larger chain stores where the cost difference can be spread out through the network of stores. I think it would be rather difficult for BPL to do so and stay in business but who knows. . .

There's a local gear shop in town and the guy who runs it is very knowledgeable. Since I started backpacking I have gone in and asked him question after stupid question, he has given me all sorts of information from how to fit a backpack properly to even going as far as hunting down valves for my MYOG project. He provides so much insight that even though sometimes I pay a little more in his shop I am more willing to do so because of the free information I am able to garner there. Don't get me wrong, I shop elsewhere if I can find a much better deal, but if the price is going to be close I'll pay a little extra to support his shop. I look at BPL much the same way.

I completely agree!

In addition to providing great online advice BPL's 'shop' is a convent way to locate items in the correct quantity that are useful in lightweight backpacking.

Not surprisingly, I totally disagree that it's okay to over-pay for something just because you like the seller.

In fact, the notion makes me think of the old saying: "A fool and his money are easily parted."

>> I think it would be rather difficult for BPL to [pricematch] and stay in business but who knows. . .

To the best of my knowledge, BPL makes most of it's money from membership fees, right?

Therefore, it makes sense not to p!ss off the members by over-charging them.

Apparently they can't p!ss some of you guys off though.

Do you buy anything at REI ever? They only sell MSRP unless they have a sale. How is this different?

>>How is this different?

REI doesn't charge you membership fees for access to discounted prices.

REI doesn't charge you membership fees for access to discounted prices.

Sure they do, they just pay it out once a year and call it a dividend.

Rampo Wrote:
“Not surprisingly, I totally disagree that it's okay to over-pay for something just because you like the seller.

In fact, the notion makes me think of the old saying: "A fool and his money are easily parted."”

I think you’re confusing paying full retail price with a paying discounted (or sale) price. I for one wouldn’t pay above retail price just because I like the store owner. I would however pay full retail price at a local shop rather than order something online just to save a few bucks.

Rampo Wrote:
“To the best of my knowledge, BPL makes most of its money from membership fees, right?”

I have no idea how BPL makes most of their money or how profitable their business is, neither do you. As such you have no idea where their money comes from and shouldn't make assumptions.

I will say that BPL trying to match prices with various online discount stores is a fool’s errand. Like I said before the larger chain stores can do this because they have many stores to absorb any potential loss.

Rampo Wrote:
“Therefore, it makes sense not to p!ss off the members by over-charging them.Apparently they can't p!ss some of you guys off though.”

Apparently you get angry off rather easily. Might I suggest some type of anger management?

One question Rampo; If you’re not sure how BPL makes most of its money how are you able to base your assumptions about how BPL should price their online gear?

Buyer beware…here on BPL as else where.

I paid a subscription fee initially assuming I would get a discount on lots of stuff in the shop that I was interested in purchasing, in additiona to the great content. In the 15 months I've been a member some of the things I was interested in purchasing have never been in stock. Others so sporadically that they might as well not be available. Do I feel ripped off. Initially yes…now…not really because I still get a good value with all the other things I find here and have access to. Do I shop around before purchasing things here …you bet! But that's my responsibility. Do I think BPL could be doing a better service to it's member by clearly marking items that are out of stock up front and by keeping them in stock more often…YES.

When it comes to pricing I have mixed feelings. I think it's easier for BPL to offer discounts on its own items.
Do I think that fair pricing is always an option YES. Do I think its important for businesses to make money YES. If you look at the model pioneered by REI and perfected by MEC in Canada you see a steep departure from the typical high retail markups. The C does stand for Coop which typically is a collective that provides its members access to better purchasing and selling power and thus lower prices. BPL is not built on this model, so we shouldn't feel entitled to lower prices despite our "member" status. We have the choice to look and shop whrre prices are lower and/or items are available.

I thought you had to be a co-op REI member to get the yearly discount.

Publicly complaining about pricing in order to force a price match seems mean.

Rampo wrote:
“REI doesn't charge you membership fees for access to discounted prices.”

Yes they do. Just like with REI buying a BPL membership for discounted prices on gear only makes financial sense if you buy a certain amount of gear. It’s rather obvious after looking through the BPL online shop that a membership only get’s you about 10% off gear. Now if you where to spend over $250 a year shopping through BPL then buying a membership for the gear discount would makes sense.

REI’s one time membership fee pay’s around 8% back at the end of the year in addition to a once a year 20% off coupon on a single regularly priced item. Why can REI do this? Simple, they are a large chain store and get purchasing discounts from suppliers for buying large quantities of gear on a regular basis.

Oh and REI also does not price match on gear like you want BPL to do.

I'm honored that you all are comparing BPL to REI. We are similar in that BPL considers itself a form of a membership-based cooperative. If BPL was doing even just one tenth the business that REI does it would be amazing. We are but a small gear shop that – – just like all other gear shops out there – – wishes we could offer things like price matching and such, but those are things reserved for either the big guys (e.g. REI, backcountry.com).

>>One question Rampo; If you’re not sure how BPL makes most of its money how are you able to base your assumptions about how BPL should price their online gear?

Look, the bottom line is this: If part of the incentive in paying membership fees is getting a discounted price on gear in the BPL store, it would make sense for BPL to have prices that justify membership fees.

Otherwise, some BPL members (not you apparently) who join in order to receive discounts on gear will realize the membership fees are not saving them enough money to justify paying to join BPL.

I just bought the Hanging Scale from a bike shop for about $12 less than the BPL membership price for the same scale. I found this annoying and wanted an explanation.

Sam says that some places sell gear for less than BPL despite the fact that BPL members pay for a discount.

That's the explanation. If that's cool with you, fine.

I reserve the right to be dissatisfied though.

I'm not saying BPL as a whole is a rip off. I value certain aspects of it. But this particular aspect isn't working out for me.

It's so weird the way consumers rush to defend what they consume. God forbid you say something negative about BPL to the Cult of BPL.

No don't become like REI with all their fishable chic outdoor clothing and climbing walls. Wait a minute; I would like a climbing wall, could we have a climbing wall? Please Sam, please?

I'm paying for information, and the cost is very minimal, the discount is a bonus. Like I said, I wont pay MSRP for something when I know I can get it much cheaper somewhere else, I'll just go buy it there. A customer that doesn't do due diligence is the fool.

In the case of my local gear shop owner I just purchased a Clearview from him, because the price is pretty much the same wherever you get it. It is of no benefit to me to go elsewhere, and he gets to stay in business thereby offering me the chance to continue to pick his brain. I let others purchase the stuff I know I can get much cheaper elsewhere, as you should.

A sense of entitlement really gets you nowhere, and perhaps this shouldn't have been a public discussion to begin with. It's a lot easier to strike a deal in the shadows than if everyone else knows that the deal is in play. If I were running a store and there were a great deal of people in it, and someone asked for a deal on something, well then I have to give a deal for everyone in the store, who may have been willing to pay full price. Whereas if that same person would ask me quietly I may be willing to negotiate. This is the nature of business. BPL may be fixed on their prices they probably are, but it doesn't really help to make this a public matter.

If BPL discontinued their articles or their forums, then I would be upset, because that is why I joined. If you joined for a minimal discount on a minimal store then your money was probably poorly spent.

EDIT: As far as rushing to defend the "consumable" as you put it, you are the one that made this a public affair not us.

>>A sense of entitlement really gets you nowhere,

Did I come off as having a sense of entitlement because I wanted to know what my membership dues are paying for or because I wanted to know the BPL policy on pricing its gear.

Really?

We're down to that?

>>and perhaps this shouldn't have been a public discussion to begin with. It's a lot easier to strike a deal in the shadows than if everyone else knows that the deal is in play.

Hey Gary, do you work in finacne? I bet you work in finance. Do you even know what the word transparency means, you tool?

Dude take a chill pill.

Also, you posted this in the wrong forum.

Yeah, I'm with Chad on this one. I'd like a climbing wall please.

Rampo Wrote:
“Look, the bottom line is this: If part of the incentive in paying membership fees is getting a discounted price on gear in the BPL store, it would make sense for BPL to have prices that justify membership fees.”

Uh $25 a year for an online magazine that gives you a 10% discount on gear, it seems reasonable to me. I mean a subscription to Backpacking runs $17-$20 a year and gives you no discount on gear.

Rampo Wrote:
“Otherwise, some BPL members (not you apparently) who join in order to receive discounts on gear will realize the membership fees are not saving them enough money to justify paying to join BPL.”

I hate to break it to you buddy but if you joined just to get a discount on gear then you’re not the sharpest crayon in the drawer. From that standpoint you'd need to spend at least $250 on gear here to make your membership worthwile. Besides I didn’t join the site for a discount on gear, I joined to for articals and online information. Heck I’ve never even bought gear from BPL.

Rampo Wrote:
“I just bought the Hanging Scale from a bike shop for about $12 less than the BPL membership price for the same scale. I found this annoying and wanted an explanation.”

So did you buy the exact same scale as offered at BPL? Well I bought a good digital scale for $35 from Office Max. It’s a different scale than the one that BPL offers. That doesn't mean that I think BPL is ripping me off for my online magazine subscription.

Rampo Wrote:
“Sam says that some places sell gear for less than BPL despite the fact that BPL members pay for a discount.

That's the explanation. If that's cool with you, fine.

I reserve the right to be dissatisfied though.”

You can be dissatisfied, it’s your right.

However did you bother to find out how much the gear discounts where before you purchased your membership? Did you even bother to see what the website sold in terms of gear before buying a membership? If you bought a membership here to get discounts on gear I would assume you’d do a bit of research before giving up $25 of hard earned money.

Rampo Wrote:
“I'm not saying BPL as a whole is a rip off. I value certain aspects of it. But this particular aspect isn't working out for me.

It's so weird the way consumers rush to defend what they consume. God forbid you say something negative about BPL to the Cult of BPL.”

I'm not defending BPL, I just responded to you because you come off as an ingorant, immature, self entitled tool who doesn’t understand a thing about how the business of outdoor gear sales.

Oh and when BPL dose something I don’t particularly like I let them know.

>>I hate to break it to you buddy but if you joined just to get a discount on gear then you’re not the sharpest crayon in the drawer.

Maybe not, but I can spell.

>>you come off as an ingorant, immature, self entitled tool who doesn’t understand a thing about how the business of outdoor gear sales.

Are you coming on to me?

I agree with Martin. My biggest issue is the lack of gear in stock, not necessarily the pricing.

Sounds like some of us need to get out and hike….