Parts fail

[jtopiso_imp]

My Dodge diesel truck needs new tie rods. The repair shop quoted $189 for the part. I knew they were sourcing it at the local auto parts store. They called while I was standing there.

The local store would sell them to me for $125.

The identical Moog Part is for sale on Amazon Prime for $60. And it is “in stock”.

So...do I “support” my local repair shop by paying them $380 for the parts I can install myself, or buy them from Amazon for $120?

Gee, let me think about that...

There is also another factor: sometimes, the same shop has different price for online and on-site.

If you are at their shop, you have already choosen them, so they will charge their cost plus their standard margin. When you are searching online, that marging has to compete with every other online-shop in the world, so price is usually quite less.

Go and check the price of a courier to send a parcel from a "DHL" shop, and then go online and check their price in a "courier compare" site: you will find huge differences!