HELP!

User Friendly Pricing

The epoxies we sell are of the highest quality and generally are much better than those sold by our competitors. Our prices are less than you might expect to pay for these quality products because our pricing structure favors you, the end user, rather than a group of middlemen distributors.

Our customers are often disappointed to learn that there is no extensive network of distributors and suppliers for these epoxies. Ordering direct takes additional time and shipping charges, but the reality is that even with the delays and shipping costs, you save a great deal of money in return for that inconvenience. The more distributors and outlets a vendor has, the more likely that the product is priced to attract more distributors, rather than give end users the best product at the best price.

Manufacturers generally offer distributors huge discounts off the retail price (a $80 per gallon epoxy has a wholesale - distributor price of about $40 per gallon - plus or minus a few dollars). Distributors then mark-up the product 80-150%, and there could be more than one distributor in the chain from manufacturer to end user. The manufacturer, who also needs to make a profit and pay his bills, probably makes the product for a lot less then the + or - $40 he sells it for. Advertising, direct mail, professional web sites, slick multi-color brochures and labels, trade show exhibits, etc. all cost big bucks and are in addition to manufacturing costs. That $75-$100 you spent at that local outlet/distributor is several times more than what the product costs to make. Our BASIC NO-BLUSH, is sold to you at wholesale/distributor prices (or even slightly below - so that we can get an edge on the competition). See below.

We don't have lots of distributors or dealers selling our products because our prices don't allow for anything close to the discounts most distributors rightfully need and require to stay in business. Our mark-ups don't allow for many trade shows, slick brochures, folks just sitting around waiting for the telephone to ring (please use email for support/help), 800 numbers (these would probably add $15 to the price of every gallon of epoxy). As a result, the price you pay with us, even with shipping, is much closer to the actual raw material price of the product. That's why we can offer you a better quality product at prices near or below what you would pay for a lesser quality, competitor's highly distributed product. Unfortunately we cannot do anything about the high price of packing peanuts, bubble wrap, cardboard boxes and rising shipping costs.

4/07 - update/rantings - My competitors prices still shock me. No doubt our manufacturing/purchasing prices for our resins/epoxies are much higher than our competitors', yet we still have a good markup (profit). When I see their prices, I could faint. You would not want them selling you plywood during storm season! I drive a 1994 Ranger Pickup truck that I bought used. My only other car (family car) is a 2002 mini van. My competitors must be driving new BMWs or new Hummers. Our prices aren't marked up enough that we can discount them down for distributors and resellers to be interested in our products, so you will always have to buy direct from us. The difference between our reasonable profit and our competitors' prices is what you save with our products.

BASIC NO-BLUSH (this product is listed only in our marine catalog) example

At about about $79 per 1.5 gal gallon unit - resin and hardener - (less $$ in 15 or 30 gal units) our BASIC NO-BLUSH marine epoxy for boat owners/builders takes this 'friendly pricing' to a new level. We wanted to offer end users the least expensive marine epoxy available. It is even less expensive than our competitors' least expensive blushing marine epoxies. To do it we cut our margins so thin there are no volume discounts, no distributor pricing, etc. This is as close to raw material costs as end users will ever get (better even than most wholesale prices).

We wanted to 'shake up the marine epoxy industry' and with this product, we've 'changed the playing field', or so we thought. We figured all the large volume builders and boat kit companies would make a beeline for our door. It hasn't happened and we've discovered why. It seems that our price per gallon price is about mid-range of what these large users/distributors pay for the big name brand epoxies. At our prices we aren't 'knocking the socks off the competition' - we're only selling at wholesale prices. We therefore know/learned/figured out three things:

1) our non blushing raw materials cost more than the blushing raw materials used by the competition

2) because they manufacture in huge amounts, the competitions raw material costs and manufacturing costs are much less than ours

3) their wholesale prices are around our base price. THUS -- it seems to us that they must be making a $ killing even when they sell at wholesale prices in this range. By the time it gets to you, you're paying about $75 per gallon for the same epoxy! We think that our Basic No-Blush epoxy, in the hands of our large competitors, would probably wholesale for about $45 per gallon and retail for about $85 per gallon.

Basic No-Blush is available to companies and individuals wishing to resell this epoxy (at 'regular prices') under their own private label.

WHAT SEPARATES US FROM THE MOST OF THE OTHER LOW COST EPOXY VENDORS

One of our competitors proudly explained that his prices are low because:

He buys "epoxy resins and hardeners from manufacturers such as Shell Oil, Dow Chemical, and Vantico (formerly Ciba- Geigy). I buy in drums and repackage into smaller containers."

Not good! Yes, folks like AAA, BBB and our formulators do purchase their raw resins from the above companies - there are only a few chemical companies worldwide that make the resins. But we all then reformulate, blend, create, our marine epoxies to create properties and characteristics that we want our epoxies to have. We don't simply repackage or resell the bulk raw resins in smaller cans. It is sort of like gasoline. Gasoline starts off as a refinery product from crude oil, but all the Oil Companies then add things to it before they sell it to you to put into your car. They could sell it cheaper (and have a much bigger market share) if they sold the raw gasoline, but they feel (as do epoxy formulators) that the things they add to the gasoline/epoxy are important and provide added value to the product.

What continues to shock me is the price of shipping (and the cost of boxes, etc. to pack the epoxies). UPS and the motor freight folks certainly get their money (plus all sorts of hidden surcharges they sneak on to the monthly bill). There is nothing we or anyone can do about shipping charges - but boy do they add to the cost! I have to admit, I've stopped many personal purchases due to shipping charge shock! Of course, I try not to think about the cost of gasoline (always going up), car fees, and my time when I drive to the store... Luck for my, New Hampshire has no sales tax! (but HUGE property taxes to make up for it!).

COMPARING EPOXY VENDORS/PRODUCTS - CLICK HERE

Knowledge is Power - We like informed consumers!

Learn the basics of epoxy at our educational EPOXY 101 page - Click Here.

Finally, email us back with your questions or comments before you buy - EMAIL HERE

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