Scott Kay Setting - Pricing Help

[killerb]

Hey everyone, I am getting ready to buy a Scott Kay setting for a 2 carat stone and wanted to see if anyone has any idea on how much I should be able to get off list price. List price is $5300 for platinum. Here is the setting:

STYLE #M1214RD10

Also, is it better to get from a place with lower price or a place that provides extra services like checkups, polishing, etc. Just unsure on how much more to pay for the extra services.

Thanks!

 

[mrssalvo]

designers usually require their retails to keep pricing exact so you will probably find little difference in pricing. There might be a little more room to negotiate if you get the diamond and setting from the same vendor b/c they may be able to discount the diamond a bit more to offset the setting. I believe Pearlmans is the only pricescope vendor who carries scott kay. they do offer some discounts for pricescopers so it would be worth calling them for a quote and letting them know you found them through this forum. I have purchased long distance from them several times and it was an easy process. you can always find a local store to check and polish the ring at a later date. it never hurts to shop around and see who will give you the best price though.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 6/8/2009 11:09:22 AM
Author:killerb
Also, is it better to get from a place with lower price or a place that provides extra services like checkups, polishing, etc. Just unsure on how much more to pay for the extra services.

As stated by Mrs. Salvo, most designer lines set a Minimum Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for their production and prohibit retailers from selling below that price... Retailers may sell for higher than MSRP, but may not sell below MSRP. If your brain is screaming "but that is price fixing" it works like this in my experience, the designer tells the jeweler that this is the MSRP and dealers must adhere to the MSRP if they want to continue being able to order product and service the line, retailers caught discounting the line find that they can no longer place orders - thus the designer has not violated FTC regulations pertaining to price, but rather extorted the retailer into compliance for fear of losing the line. Hmmm, apparently this is a sore subject with me

Your best scenario is probably to purchase the setting from an online retailer, the price will be the same as offered by a traditional brick & mortar retailer, but the odds are that you'll get a better price on the diamond from an online retailer and thus you'll save a little coin. Then you can have the ring serviced by an authorized Scott Kay retailer in your area - they're not going to refuse to service the ring because you didn't buy it from them, if they do, just drop an email to Scott Kay and ask where you can have the ring serviced and no doubt they will refer you back to the retailer in your area who will suddenly be more than happy to provide you with the Scott Kay level of service...

 

[killerb]

Thanks for the responses. I actually am seeing retailers come off the MSRP - just not sure what their mark-up is to know how low they will go...

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 6/8/2009 2:41:26 PM
Author: killerb
Thanks for the responses. I actually am seeing retailers come off the MSRP - just not sure what their mark-up is to know how low they will go...

Very interesting indeed. The best approach is probably to take your lowest bid to another competitive dealer and then see if that dealer will beat that price. Keep in mind however that unless that bid is in writing that the other dealer is not likely to believe it because we''re kind of used to consumers saying "I can get it for less" but then not being able to back it up. I can tell you that with Tacori, the only time I''ve been authorized to discount below MSRP is when I can PROVE that the lower price was actually offered by another dealer.