So last night I was talking with a buddy and customer, and he is pretty young, but a really nice guy...I try to help him out where I can, and he has come to respect it.

It came up that a lot of people in this little town are talking crap about my shop that have never even been in.  The biggest one is that I overcharge, so here is my response:

First off, I am NOT eBay...I run a shop, and therefore I have overhead.  Not only do I sell parts, but offer full installation and fabrication services.  Along with that comes overhead.  If I sell a product that costs me "X", then of course I am going to mark it up for a profit!  I am a business!  I am not in this to give away product and service and try to match eBay or warehouses that just ship parts out and think of a customer as a number rather than a name.  If the part you buy from me breaks, I warranty it.  I install the parts I sell.   Go buy a part for less online, and see what happens when you either can't install it properly, or it breaks and you have to deal with warranties.  good luck!

Secondly, I have NEVER charged full retail for anything I have sold.  I HAVE to make a profit to stay in business, naturally, but I am not in this business to take advantage of people or make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.  If I can pay my bills and put a bit aside each month, then I am satisfied.

Lastly, the products I carry are of higher end quality.  True, I started out carrying brands like Ractive, OBX, Bomz and the like, and quickly found that they are CRAP.  I got tired of selling cheap products as they break more often, ergo I have to waste time and money getting them replaced, so I started phasing them all out and now stick to reputable brands.  Along with that comes a higher price.  People come in, ask for an intake, and when I tell them a name-brand intake costs 260 (retail of 330), then they go online and see a no-name intake for 120, they think I am ripping them off.   That is like trying to compare a kia to a porsche. 

So next time you decide to talk crap, take everything into account.  Everyone may say that I charge a lot, but in reality, I don't.  I am a business, I need to make money to stay in business, and by NOT supporting your local import shop, you only hurt yourselves by losing access to knowledge, support, and a larger selection of parts than you can find by sitting on your computer surfing eBay.

Before you say anything, come on down and meet me personally!  I may not always get the absolutely lowest price, but I damn sure try to take care of my customers.

By the way, any of you all aware of our discounts?  If you are a part of a car club, in the military or government, or a student, you are missing out on taking advantage of a pretty severely reduced labor rate, but again, if you haven't come in or called, then you wouldn't know that.