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Group Purchase - Nicro Day/Night solar vent fan

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JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/25/2011 : 18:09:15

OK, I don't want to step on anyone's toes, so if those in the Flag Line would be kind enough to tell me to buzz off, or that they'd rather take over, I'm more than happy to step aside. That giant caveat hanging out there, I'm trying to guage interest in a group purchase of the [url="http://bit.ly/vmgbGG"]"bees knees" of all solar vent fans, the Nicro Day/Night Plus[/URL]. Here's my plan of attack:
1) contact Marinco, the manufacturer, to see if they will offer the Association a standard discount that is only available to members of the Association, not just forum members (sorry, but in my experience with other online forums, vendors are much more likely to offer special pricing under those kinds of circumstances);
2) see if they will give us special pricing for a group purchase, what their minimum purchase would be, etc.;
3) contact Defender and see if they will give the association a special, members-only rate; and,
4) contact Defender and see if they will give us special pricing for a group purchase.

If we wind up with options 2 or 4, I'll come back and ask for firmer commitments (most likely including some form of deposit) so we can get a better guage, but for now, if you would be interested in participating in a group buy some time in the next 2-3 months (realistically, it will likely take that long to communicate with them, coordinate all the orders, etc.), please let me know below, including a number of vents you'd want to order. Again, it's not a firm commitment yet, but please don't tell me you want 10 of them and then only get 1. To make things a little easier, for argument's sake, let's assume that we wind up at $135/vent, instead of the standard $150 charge, not including shipping.

For now, I'm only going to open this up to people in the U.S. and Canada, although even Canada might be iffy if we can't find a good way of getting them to everyone at a reasonable price.

So, anyone interested? If not, I won't bother pestering Marinco and/or Defender!

- Jim
Formerly of 1984 C25 named Dragon Wing

NOTE: In my case, PLEASE don't confuse stars/number of posts with actual knowledge. On any topic.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9076 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2011 : 20:55:04

I live a few miles from Defender's warehouse... I suspect they think they're already doing this. (However, oddly enough, I bought my latest Nicro from West Marine for less than Defender's price at the time.) Marinco might not want to undercut their retailers.

Edited by - on

cshaw
Captain

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USA
460 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2011 : 21:00:49

JimGo,

Add me to the list of folks that are interested and want one (stainless, 4")

Thanks!

Chuck

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2011 : 21:04:33

Dave,
Yeah, I thought about that, too. I figured it couldn't hurt to ask! Especially if the Association were a closed-set of people (so we weren't directly competing with the resellers). That's part of why I was going to structure my inquiry the way I suggested above.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2011 : 22:52:27

I'm in, same as above, 4" stainless.

I've put together group buys before, it's pretty satisfying to work out a good deal with a vendor. They can also be very frustrating, especially when folks don't understand what's going on, or worse back out on a commitment. I don't think you'll see that here though.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3440 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2011 : 03:59:19

Similar to what Dave indicated, I don't know if West Marine or Defender will entertain a group buy but great that you are taking this on and see what transpires. I do know that West Marine does have sales now and then on the Nicro Solar vents and it's usually about $20-$30 less expensive than what is listed in their catalog. Also consider that if you are a West Marine or Boat US member, you get a rebate on purchases, so that also helps a bit.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2011 : 19:00:20

Before you order anything, please consider this. My boat had 2 stainless solar vents on it when I bought her, but both solar gizmos didn't work. I don't know if they were factory installed or put in by a PO. The Nicro Day/Night Plus solar vent I bought on Ebay, which turned out to be a drop in replacement (i.e. I didn't have to enlarge the hole in the deck), was a 3" vent, not 4". If you are replacing an existing vent, pay close attention to the hole diameter and make sure you match it to the proper size vent. I thought I needed a 4" vent and just got lucky that the 3" vent I bought actually worked well. Because of the trim rings, the 3" vent requires a hole that is 3 3/4" in diameter, hence my initial confusion. The 4" vent takes a 4 3/4" hole.

Edited by - dmpilc on 10/26/2011 19:08:09

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2011 : 09:18:33

Any progress? I would commit for one. edit: Will you be contacting WM also?

Edited by - Dave5041 on 11/01/2011 09:19:36

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2011 : 09:29:45

I reached out to Marinco, and their marketing person had an auto-reply that said that he would be out until January. I'll try another route through to them. If I don't hear from them soon, I'll turn to Defender and WM.

Sorry, we had some health-related issues in my family that kept me otherwise preoccupied.

Edited by - on

Arlington
Navigator

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USA
196 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2011 : 20:24:12

Jim if you can get a price based upon X number in an order, please pass it on. Once you have a firm price, you should generate more interest.
Thanks
Doug

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2011 : 20:51:08

I've got a friend who's in management at WM who I've spoken to about this. She's willing to work with us, so we need to come up with a number we want, and a SKU number so she can come up with a price for us.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2011 : 20:58:56

David,
Thanks! I believe this is the link to the WM page: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=11151&partNumber=10447100&langId=-1

I think just about everyone has said they want the 4" Stainless Steel model, and I'd be content with that, too. So it's WM's model no. 10447100, MFG part no. N20704S.

I'd love it if they can get us special pricing for this one time.

I think it would also be great if we could get a members-only discount to WM's catalog. For example, I'm on some other boards where a special URL is hidden behind a member sign-on page, and accessing it gets us 15% off a particular vendor's catalog. If they were willing to give the association that kind of blanket discount (the actual percentage discound would, of course, be up to them), I know I'd be a happy(er) camper!

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3440 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2011 : 03:29:51

You may want to check with WM if they can tell you of any pending sales coming up on the solar vents. I know they do go on sale occassionally but not sure when and if for all models. The sale pricve was at least $20 less than their normal WM price.

Edited by - on

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2011 : 05:24:28

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JimGo
 ...I think it would also be great if we could get a members-only discount to WM's catalog. For example, I'm on some other boards where a special URL is hidden behind a member sign-on page, and accessing it gets us 15% off a particular vendor's catalog. If they were willing to give the association that kind of blanket discount (the actual percentage discound would, of course, be up to them), I know I'd be a happy(er) camper!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
WM's version of this is https://www.portsupply.com . It's meant for brokers and resellers. You can browse the site for the same items as WM. They even use the same catalog numbers. But you need to log in with an account number to see prices. I believe that there are different discount levels applied to different account numbers, based (I assume) on purchasing volume.

I am not sure whether this site could be made available to a whole Association like us. There may be certain things that do not translate over very well - such as the capability to buy on on account. But maybe Dave can check this out with his WM management friend.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9076 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2011 : 07:01:08

Defender's regular price for the 4" SS Nicro is $10 less than WM's. But I caught a WM sale that was less than Defender's... I doubt that either company considers 10-20 units a volume deal, and they would probably have to be shipped to one place, and that person would have to di$tribute them.

We belonged to an all-Catalina association (all sizes on Long Island Sound) that arranged an annual all-store discount night with one local WM store--Sunday night after closing, usually in Milford, CT. You should have seen the lines of shopping carts crammed with stuff--we had a sign-up board for checking out. The discount on bottom paint alone probably covered our dues.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2011 : 09:18:10

Hmmmm...thanks Dave...maybe that's another approach to suggest.

Rick, if they are already set up for tiered pricing, that might be the best yet. I agree about not buying on account, but that seems like it should be a straightforward thing to prohibit.

I still haven't heard from Marinco. I'll call them a little later today.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2011 : 12:10:35

Anybody ever try one of these? Looks interesting:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-Steel-Low-Profile-Solar-Vent-Ventilator-24-24-sunvent-Day-and-Night-RV-/140613016044?pt=AU_Boat_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20bd3059ec

hole size 115mm ~ 4.52"

Edited by - dmpilc on 11/02/2011 12:19:23

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2011 : 13:11:03

David, did you check the shipping price on that? At $77 for the unit and $55+ to ship, you're talking over $125 for that one. At that point, I think the $25 difference to get the Nicro is more easily justified since you get easier access to customer service and are getting a product from a well-known brand. I'd rather go with [url="http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-Products-Smart-Solar-81300/dp/B000BYNGLU"]the $60 Sunforce[/url] at that point.

But, of course, that's just my take.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2011 : 13:52:11

Just heard back from Marinco. They need $10,000 of purchases a year for us to be a distributor, and won't sell directly to us. I told them that I thought our group could easily support that.

No, I didn't. I told them we'd go pester Defender and WM.

delliottg, since you've already initiated the discussions with your friend, do you want to see how/whether those play out before we talk to Defender? If not, I can start that process and we can work them in paralell.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2011 : 08:33:46

I missed the $55 shipping. Sorry, my bad!
Here's another one, much better, $70 plus $10 s/h:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-8-5-SS-Solar-Vent-w-Battery-Boat-RV-etc-/220812296363?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessories_Gear&vxp=mtr&hash=item33697040ab

Edited by - dmpilc on 11/03/2011 08:39:10

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2011 : 13:13:04

Yup. That looks to be almost a direct knock-off of the Nicro, if I'm reading it correctly. Do you want to buy one and torture test it for us? If it works, we can do a group buy on that!

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2011 : 13:49:12

Are we settled on the 4" stainless vent? Does anyone have a count going of the number we'd want? I'd assume more folks would jump on the bandwagon once we had a price, but it'd be nice to have the numbers so we can negotiate a lower price.

I will talk to my friend once we think we have a firm number and have settled on the SKU.

Edited by - on

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2011 : 14:31:46

FWIW, this does not seem like the kind of thing that I would buy a knockoff off of ebay. There are a lot of potential component failures in solar cells, and a marine environment is hostile. As I mentioned above, even Nicro has had some reliability problems. Better to spend a few bucks more to get the real deal from a company that will likely be around to stand behind their product.

I probably won't buy one, so I have no skin in the game. Just my 2 cents worth.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2011 : 14:49:50

I'm interested in the 4" stainless steel, and I think that's the one most have requested.

Rick mentioned a small dehumidifier in another thread. If the group buy doesn't pan out, I may go that route.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2011 : 15:19:49

We run a large (1' diameter?) dehumidifier in the boat pretty much year 'round. I'm not positive it's running right now (haven't been down to the boat in probably a month). I plan on going down there this weekend to check my lines, make sure the dehumidifier is running, and depending on the long range forecast, might take my sails off off the mast & out of the jib bag.

I'm in for a 4" stainless Nicro.

I agree with Rick about buying a knock off, I have a hard enough time with name brand equipment, don't don't want to add to the headache.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 11/22/2011 : 07:29:35

David (delliottg), did you have any luck with your friend at WM?

Edited by - on

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