At 02:47 PM 3/25/2007, Joe Giacobello wrote:
>During the installation, we damaged the seven pin rotor plug and had to
>buy a replacement from Yaesu for $48!!!! I was really appalled at such
>blatant gouging. I have since done a search for the plug's Japanese
>manufacturer (Nanaboshi) and found a posting from some equally incensed
>hams who apparently identified a US distributor where they could be
>obtained for about $7/ea. in lots of 50. If anyone knows of a source
>for these plugs or an equivalent at a reasonable price, please let me know.
I think gouging is too strong a term.
If the only distributor requires a minimum order of 50, at $7 each,
then Yaesu is doing you a favor by zapping you for $50.. it could
have cost you $350.<grin>
I don't think it's so much Yaesu charging too much (their "per order"
handling and stocking costs could easily be $30, and a part that
sells for $7 in qty 50 could easily sell for $15 in qty 1), but that
they happened to select a part that isn't readily available at low
cost. But then, that might not be on their list of design
objectives, either.. (things like manufacturing availability,
compatibility with existing fixturing, etc. would be higher on the list)
It's a truism that building a car from retail replacement parts would
cost 10 times as much as buying the car already assembled, and you'd
supply the labor. Same applies to most anything else.
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