What do you want in a vendor?

[VTECnical]

The Civic market has generated a ton of aftermarket business. The spectrum of providers runs wide and deep; from authentic Mugen parts from King Mortorsports to shady Ebayers selling electric turbo chargers. I wanted to start a thread that allows the 8thCivic crowd to share information with vendors and sponsors. Share your ideas. You can list the parts that you would like but also think about how a vendor should serve you. A tracking number after you place an order or detailed instructions for your install.

I have had great and not so great purchasing experiences. I hope this thread can start a dialogue where we can share our thoughts with vendors and create new ideas for the cars and hobby we love.

[GETxERxDONE]

timely customer service. if you have questions, it shouldnt be 2 days later you get a reply.

[aki]

Customer service is key. Timely emails (within 24 hrs), and in a friendly tone mean so much. One example, to get my rims from Japan they were delayed an extra month. The rep (201motorsports) was always on the ball with replying, very courteous which was very reassuring. Hence I recommend them 100%.

In general, I'd want parts that are classy, for lack of a better term. Gaudy lip kits, ghetto filter-on-a-stick products already flood the market. High-quality USDM parts are severely lacking, especially for coupes. Whereas it's easy to rattle off a bunch of high-end JDM makers (Mugen, J's Racing, Spoon, etc), there are very very few reputable high-end USDM makers. The only one that comes to mind is Hytech, and that's only internals. Comptech is another one but has been trying to recover from financial hardships--and is also focused only on internals.

Admittedly, if you go higher end you'll probably see less sales with a higher price tag. But I think it's a niche that hasn't quite been filled completely. Run of the mill SRI's (Fujita, Injen, AEM, etc) and catbacks are a dime a dozen. Custom intakes, quality lip/splitters, grills however aren't.

I mentioned in another thread, but FG2's grill offerings are horrid. Crappy ebay grills or ugly grillcraft are all we get.

[VTECnical]

Originally Posted by GETxERxDONE

timely customer service. if you have questions, it shouldnt be 2 days later you get a reply.

What about cell phones or text access to support for paying clients? That would be cool.

[GETxERxDONE]

that would be sweet, when my friend was getting his retro bjorn from customlightz was calling him with updates!

now i do understand that it does get harder to do that when you have alot of customers

[Celcius]

Quality products.

[I Vtec, do you?]

Fair prices. It upsets me slightly when vendors say they can't do any lower of a price or they'll be losing money, yet you look on ebay and there are people selling the same exact product cheaper than the vendor's sale prices. Skunk2 exhaust comes to mind

[GETxERxDONE]

well..i agree with you i vtec. but sometimes some companies cant get it for cheaper, just depends on what kinda deal they get from the factory

[IceWindius]

Originally Posted by GETxERxDONE

timely customer service. if you have questions, it shouldnt be 2 days later you get a reply.

[I Vtec, do you?]

Originally Posted by GETxERxDONE

well..i agree with you i vtec. but sometimes some companies cant get it for cheaper, just depends on what kinda deal they get from the factory

True. But I'd hope a big vendor on here could get it for a similiar price as an ebayer. Certainly not paying so much more that their $50 off sale prices are stil more than the ebay price.

[boost1320]

hmmmmm.......maybe free parts for the long island crew????

j/k..... definately need to keep in contact with your customers from the time they purchase till the time they install the parts in their car. during that time, you should basically be the customers bitch(in laymans terms).

[FastTimesAtFGHigh]

Originally Posted by Celcius

Quality products.

[sh33t_0f_p4p3r]

give aways.....

[I Vtec, do you?]

I'd say the most helpful thing to do is be QUICK to make things right if something goes wrong. For example, if someone purchases something from you and then it turns out it's out of stock, give them a $10 credit towards their next purchase, throw in a free goodie, etc. Doing things like this will ensure repeat customers.

I remember a long time ago my mom bought something from Hostess (think it was some kind of cake thingy that she set out for a party). Anyways, it was stale as crap and she let them know through their customer satisfaction thingy. Like two weeks later, some rep from the company showed up at our house with tonnnns of free shit from them to make it right. That was like 12 years ago and my mom still buys crap from them, even though no one really eats it lol. Just a lil something to think about.

Remember, people love free shit. Even if it's crap, people love it. Nothing would make me want to shop at one place over another more than someone who was quick to give me free things if something goes wrong

[Mok_speed]

Customer server along the lines of clearing up any questions or misunderstandings quickly. Also a decent shipping time would be nice. The most important thing for me in a vendor though is competitive pricing. Sure you may guaranty quality products, but if it's expensive then why shouldn't I just purchase elsewhere?

[20strong]

What happened to the other thread????

[VTECnical]

Originally Posted by 20strong

What happened to the other thread????

The other thread was killed because it discussed a specific business. The MODS thought the OP of the other thread had set up deals through private messaging and was cheating my advertising without pay 8thCivic. The other thread contained great ideas and information and was also open to any vendor or member to post. It has been taken offline until the OP paid sponsorship fees. I asked for permissions to start this thread as it opens the floor to all vendors….

What products do you want?

How should the business run?

What specify characteristics will warn you loyalty?



Would a dedicated page containing product information and installation instructions be beneficial?

What about information that is more general? Like a section dedicated to explaining the carbon fiber used in your new product?

Would you be interested in a forum section that is only accessible my staff and paid clients that outline new products under development?

A daily update with photos showing an experimental unit in testing?

An area where clients can show their own ideas and revive discounts for test-mule service?

Most importantly, will the Civic aftermarket support a United States Domestic Market Manufacturer with build quality superior to JDM Manufacturers but at lower price pint due to competitive advantages of lower shipping cost a zero currency depreciation? A USA Mugen shop?

[Celcius]

Originally Posted by I Vtec, do you?

Fair prices. It upsets me slightly when vendors say they can't do any lower of a price or they'll be losing money, yet you look on ebay and there are people selling the same exact product cheaper than the vendor's sale prices. Skunk2 exhaust comes to mind

I agree that it's unfortunate, but many times it's true because they do things in volume. Many shops I know can't stay in business because they have to offer their products at such a lower cost it doesn't even offset their efforts.

eBay power sellers can sometime sell cheaper for several reasons. The main reason being that most manufacturers set a price limit and to be a vendor for their product, you must agree not to sell below that price. eBay vendors will often dip below this price because they can get away with it for a period of time before being shut down, and then they re-open under a different name.

A second reasoning may be that they sell in higher quantities. Most after market companies will sell their products in pricing tiers to vendors. The higher the volume, the cheaper the vendor pricing.

Anyways...


One thing I like in Vendors is approachability. The more shows and events they attend, the easier it is to get answers and information on their products.

[wing_gundam]

1. Communication
2. Quality products
3. Fast processing
4. Updates
5. Customer support including returns and repairs etc.

[Highrev1]

If anyone buys anything from us..PM me and I will give you my personal cell number To ensure ANYTHING could get taken care of.

I have been burned by a couple of other shops...It was not fun. Some just wouldn't give support for their product. Above all I want quality, price would be second to me