Richard Knoppow wrote:
----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Christensen" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 7:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Collins, Drake etc.
So, truth be told, while Collins gear was clearly the high priced spread, even Drakes were still
out of reach for us average joes who made do with Heathkits...
Toward the end of its life, the R-4B + T-4XB was right at $1K. I can't imagine spending that
during my teenage years in the mid 1970s. To me, it was like a car purchase. By 1975, what was
the street price of the S-Line combo? I imagine Collins offered little in the way of discounts.
I make this assumption based on the back pages of QSTs I've been reading from the late '50s. For
example, every single dealer who supplied the KWM-1 advertised it for exactly $820 in 1958. It
sure seems like Collins had strict terms and conditions on just how much a dealer could discount,
if any at all -- much the same way other high-end products are sold today in order to retain an
elite branding image. I imagine this was less of an issue with Drake.
Paul, W9AC
Its hard to know what actual discounts might have been offered. At the time strict "fair trade"
price control by manufacturers was still legal, dealers had to abide by their agreements, at leas
for advertised prices. What is not clear is how much effective discounting went on in the form of
trade-ins or extras supplied "free" when equipment was bought. I suspect a lot of price
competition went on under the table. OTOH, I don't know how much mark up there was on ham gear,
maybe not a lot. Most commercial electronics had enough so that a 40% discount over "list" price
could be offered. There may have been more on consumer gear. Ham gear may not have had enough
volume to allow this.
Richard -
I worked part time for a Ham distributor in the 60s. At that time, the distributor paid 75% of list
price. Several of the manufacturers had a program where a salesperson could purchase ONE of any or
all items at 50%, for their own use. This is how I got my first 4-Line. There was little
discounting over 10%, usually in the form of 'increased' trade-in value. Most Collins gear that I
sold was at list price, I suppose those who could afford it didn't care what it cost! :-)
73, Garey - K4OAH
Glen Allen, VA
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