Axminster prices

[murphy]

Why are Axminster prices a lot more than others, like this for instance
https://www.axminstertools.com/bosc...1852?queryID=06876e659f2eb9eba18a9fb3ea38de57
https://its.co.uk/pd/GTS10XC1-Bosch-GTS-10-XC-255mmTable-Saw-with-Sliding-carriage-_BOSGTS10XC.htm

 

[Chris152]

After-sale customer support, stores where you can see the items and mostly get decent advice, that kind of thing?
I know nothing about that saw, but it looks not to be much more than most online retailers.

 

[murphy]

Well there is about £120 price difference between them, and that is a lot

 

[niall Y]

Some firms operate on a " pile it high and sell it cheap" policy. Though this can be a risky strategy. Axminster is obviously not one of these businesses.

For this particular model they are not too far removed from their rivals. To add to the confusion there seems to be a look-alike lower wattage model as well.

 

[Eshmiel]

Why are Axminster prices a lot more than others, like this for instance
https://www.axminstertools.com/bosc...1852?queryID=06876e659f2eb9eba18a9fb3ea38de57
https://its.co.uk/pd/GTS10XC1-Bosch-GTS-10-XC-255mmTable-Saw-with-Sliding-carriage-_BOSGTS10XC.htm

The short answer is: because some customers will still buy there out of various motives, from "loyalty" to use of the aforementioned after-sales service.

I've shopped with them for decades but wouldn't dream of excluding other retailers from me wallet if they seem to give a reasonable service and the prices are much lower, as they often are. Compare, for example, Flexcut prices at Axminster (and many other places, admittedly) with Flexcut prices at Cyclaire. Some things (like Flexcut doodads) are very unlikely to need after-sales service.

Axminster do have good bargains from time to time. I just bought and fettled their carving 12-chsiel set and at £55 it's pretty good & not to be found elsewhere (that I can find, anyway).

 

[ChaiLatte]

Axminster wil have numerous corporate account customers (including perhaps educational institutions). Many of those have an accounting mechanism where a one-stop supplier is preferred.

It costs the corporation more to administer five different supplier accounts than the £150 saving gained by shopping around.

Similarly, many commercial payment structures are on 60, 90 or 120 days terms, so a supplier's prices will reflect the cost of providing credit.

Like so many questions on this forum, the prices are being viewed from a specific armchair (that of a single consumer). When contemplating such questions, it is good to have some self-awareness of this issue (bias) and consider from what other armchairs the prices might be seen. Often, your armchair survey will provide a good answer to the original question.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Also, they all make money somewhere - for every real bargain you see, something else will be expensive.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

It will nearly always to be cheaper online from a business which buys in bulk, accepts low margins, and has a shed rather than a staffed and lit showroom.

It is no use bemoaning the loss of retail outlets which have inherently higher costs, allow kit to be assessed before purchase, possibly provide on had spares back up and informed advice.

A generalisation - it is our behaviours as buyers which drive business action - pay a premium and preserve that which is good about traditional suppliers, or chase low costs and accept lower quality.

The only question is the premium which we may each deem acceptable - personally I will happily add 10% to use a local supplier who can provide advice, spares back up, and a showroom so I can see what I am buying before I hand over a credit card.

 

[Eshmiel]

Axminster wil have numerous corporate account customers (including perhaps educational institutions). Many of those have an accounting mechanism where a one-stop supplier is preferred.

It costs the corporation more to administer five different supplier accounts than the £150 saving gained by shopping around.

Similarly, many commercial payment structures are on 60, 90 or 120 days terms, so a supplier's prices will reflect the cost of providing credit.

Like so many questions on this forum, the prices are being viewed from a specific armchair (that of a single consumer). When contemplating such questions, it is good to have some self-awareness of this issue (bias) and consider from what other armchairs the prices might be seen. Often, your armchair survey will provide a good answer to the original question.

Does this mean that we armchair-bound woodworkers should just pay the extra to, effectively, support the institutional buyers in some way? I suppose we might be feeling generous but ..... .

However, its simple really. If a thing can be bought for less elsewhere, with no loss of the added-value stuff such as after-sales service or a good guarantee, we can direct our (smaller) cash lumps elsewhere. I confess that I've always had something of an inability to grasp the sort of customer loyalty that segues into a kind of fanboy condition, where buyers ".... wouldn't ever go anywhere else".

A case can be made for supporting a local supplier that's convenient and often needful to us, on a "use it or lose it" basis (and I do that a lot), personally. But a big national supplier operating in an international market ....?

On the other hand, Axminster does offer a wide range and a good service - often worth paying for - in some cases but not in others where, effectively, they're just a middleman because the thing-sold is rarely in need of after-sales service and can be got anywhere.

 

[Spectric]

Why are Axminster prices a lot more than others, like this for instance

It is not that simple, just comparing a single item does not give the whole picture. Also there is a lot more to buying something from a retailer such as customer service and reputation which also has value. Then you might as a retailer get a better wholesale price if you are selling more, so perhaps ITS is shifting more into the builders market than Axminster is into the woodworking market. The prices also seem to fluctuate, what is cheapest here one day becomes much dearer on another so might be to do with stock levels. The thing to remember is that woodworking specific tools will have a smaller market than those tools used by chippies and other trades, drills etc are widespread but a smaller market for say a biscuit jointer.

 

[Spectric]

I confess that I've always had something of an inability to grasp the sort of customer loyalty that segues into a kind of fanboy condition, where buyers ".... wouldn't ever go anywhere else".

But these days that is reciprocated by many retailers, there is nothing gained from loyality to a single outlet and some do try by having reward points. At the same time you should try and show support for retailers that have really good customer focus and or innovative products which makes buying online less of a gamble because they will resolve any issues without hassle. The outlets I avoid are the ones that just seem to be a middleman who rebadges imported goods and resells under there own brand, many of these can be directly brought from the asian importers.

 

[robgul]

But these days that is reciprocated by many retailers, there is nothing gained from loyality to a single outlet and some do try by having reward points. At the same time you should try and show support for retailers that have really good customer focus and or innovative products which makes buying online less of a gamble because they will resolve any issues without hassle. The outlets I avoid are the ones that just seem to be a middleman who rebadges imported goods and resells under there own brand, many of these can be directly brought from the asian importers.

Your last sentence : Isn't that just what Axminster, Rutland, Charnwood, Evolution, Record et al are doing for many of the products they sell? What they are adding is a level of service + a warranty that is actually valid. Yes you can buy fairly expensive machines from Aliexpress, Bangood etc but even at the price differential it's a risk if there are any issues.

 

[Spectric]

Aliexpress, Bangood etc

Yes a higher risk from a faceless supplier.

just what Axminster, Rutland, Charnwood, Evolution, Record

All to different levels, are any of these an actual specifier of product or just buy what is on offer in there chosen livery ?

 

[robgul]

Yes a higher risk from a faceless supplier.


All to different levels, are any of these an actual specifier of product or just buy what is on offer in there chosen livery ?

On your second point : having been to Axminster's HQ and seen some of the products, I think there is some input on functionality/small changes to the manufacturers' original equipment - and then apply their paint job and name.

 

[Diver Fred]

I use a range of stores for tools and do have a tendency to go to what many people regard as the expensive shops - because I can inspect the tools before buying, take advice from the shop staff and have somewhere I return to if I have a problem.
In recent years I've bought a ('premium brand) No5 plane from a cut price retailer - bad move - to date I've spent in total a couple of days flattening the sole in effort to get it 'sing' rather than 'chattering' when using it to flatten off timber - the sole was around 0.5mm concave. Had it been one of tool shops I normally use I would have taken the plane for a refund.
Went to Axminster to buy a block plane they allowed me to check the sole for flatness I find their router bits to be good value (yes I know others do recommend various specialist dealers).
I really miss the Axminster store at Nuneaton.

 

[ajs]

As with everything else, you pays your money and you makes your choice.

If they are a bit rich for you go elsewhere, it's a free market. Axi do have a very good reputation but as you note, they are not cheap and never have been. They have earned a reputation for after sales support, put simply if you are not happy they will make you happy or take it back. It's up to you what that it worth: for my own view I would say for mass produced power tools - hand drills and the like - the premium is probably difficult to justify if you know what you are buying in the first place. For more precision orientated tools, either hand or power - could be a table saw or drill press, or a hand place or even a chisel - it's probably worth a little more in case you get a real lemon.

Most of their stuff is mid range, one step above the cheap tat and while it may not be super premium stuff they are good, honest, usable tools. If you want cheap go to Machine Mart. If you want crap go to the Amazon or the bay.

 

[Amplidyne]

Always found Axminster to be OK. OTOH I bought a Chinese Mini lathe a while back through Amazon, Branded "Creworks" I needed a part that was missing, one of the locking rings on the back of the main shaft, and they sent it me straight way after contacting them. Very sorry etc. Perhaps I've been lucky, but I've had to contact Chinese companies a couple of times over the years and have found them OK.

 

[mwinfrance]

I think of Bordet in France the same way ( BTW when one talks with Bordet, they have a good deal of respect for Axminster ) , good gear, priced higher than the cheapiest places , but when you pick up the phone , the person at the other end knows their stuff , and will do their very best to keep you a happy customer.*

Some Chinese companies are like that too, when you deal direct.I know one guy in the USA, bought 1000 slate blanks from them, when they arrived 200 were round instead of square.They apologised, and sent another 1000 square, free, including shipping and all taxes.I have used the same company, I mentioned this to them ( the woman that you deal with who speaks English is like many Chinese women, very "straight" speaker ) .She said .."it is normal, we screwed up, we fix it and some, we hope to keep customer happy and coming back".

I have nowhere nearer to me than Bordet, they have an agent ( a sharpening company..si si Jacob, ça existe ) , but they have no stock, and would cost me the same as buying direct from Bordet anyway.