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Vans Part Prices - Caveat Emptor

Mark Dickens

Mark Dickens

Well Known Member
Patron
So, I decided to add the steps to my -14 and looked up the parts on the store (F-00018L/R)...hmmm, $417.25 EACH...no way I'm spending that much, so then a buddy tells me I can buy the RV-14 TD STEP KIT which includes both steps and hardware for a single price of 483.30...wth?? I doubt this is the single case of this on vans site. I would bet that if I had bought the steps and paid the higher prices, Vans would have just charged the extra money and either never noticed it or just enjoyed their extra profit...it really, really pays to research and shop what you're buying! There are cases of irrational pricing on Spruce as well if you dig at it. There are just so many parts in the inventory they apparently can't keep up with it.
 
I have the opposite experience with the RV-3 canopy, where they told me the individual pieces were going to be more expensive and recommended that I get the whole kit to save instead of piecing it out. Could be who you are talking to and if they have some tenure there at Van's.
 
Aden Rich said:
I have the opposite experience with the RV-3 canopy, where they told me the individual pieces were going to be more expensive and recommended that I get the whole kit to save instead of piecing it out. Could be who you are talking to and if they have some tenure there at Van's.
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I'm doing this via their website
 
Aden Rich said:
I have the opposite experience with the RV-3 canopy, where they told me the individual pieces were going to be more expensive and recommended that I get the whole kit to save instead of piecing it out. Could be who you are talking to and if they have some tenure there at Van's.
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This is the SAME experience. Bundling parts together in a ‘kit’ is less expensive than the sum of the individual parts.
 
I found the same with the firewall forward kit. A couple of bags were $80 but had only $20 of parts in them.
 
Don't get me started on the FWF kit. If you delete any part from the kit, you only get about 50% of the list price, on average. I created a spreadsheet and compared the deductions to the list prices on their store and it came out to almost 50% exactly. So you don't want that POS Planepower alternator? Fine, you get an $821.91 credit...but, but you list it for 1691.55! Yes, heads we win, tails you lose! ;)
 
Mark Dickens said:
Don't get me started on the FWF kit. If you delete any part from the kit, you only get about 50% of the list price, on average. I created a spreadsheet and compared the deductions to the list prices on their store and it came out to almost 50% exactly. So you don't want that POS Planepower alternator? Fine, you get an $821.91 credit...but, but you list it for 1691.55! Yes, heads we win, tails you lose! ;)
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I saved about 5k but just directly ordering the things I needed instead of getting the kits. I found the percentages varied on the discounts per part with external vendor parts being the worst.
 
TASEsq said:
I saved about 5k but just directly ordering the things I needed instead of getting the kits. I found the percentages varied on the discounts per part with external vendor parts being the worst.
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^^^^ This. It used to be a convenience to order the FWF kit and just not use some parts. Not anymore, even paying retail, especially if you have some bits and pieces laying around or find some deals on unused parts on VAF. Baffle kits, airbox kits, steps, etc. are just stupid expensive. Heck, the little transducer manifold is like $45 now (used to be about $20). That was sufficient encouragement for me to spend an hour milling a couple myself. I wish some of our favorite vendors would kit up some competition.
 
fl-mike said:
^^^^ This. It used to be a convenience to order the FWF kit and just not use some parts. Not anymore, even paying retail, especially if you have some bits and pieces laying around or find some deals on unused parts on VAF. Baffle kits, airbox kits, steps, etc. are just stupid expensive. Heck, the little transducer manifold is like $45 now (used to be about $20). That was sufficient encouragement for me to spend an hour milling a couple myself. I wish some of our favorite vendors would kit up some competition.
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Yeah, I remember during the bankruptcy it appeared they just simply doubled or tripled the price of everything. I read threads like this and really miss the old vans.
 
lr172 said:
I read threads like this and really miss the old vans.
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Agreed- but perhaps it will encourage builders to go back to basics a bit and do more ourselves, as Fl-Mike says with regards to the manifold. I would imagine a step would be an attainable project for most, and even paying a professional welder would probably still wind up cheaper than the Vans one. I've made all sorts of stuff with a well equipped shop and fairly basic machining skills, and most of it from "scrap" metal. Propeller crush plate (I did buy the metal for that one), static ports, prop balancer, oil cooler air butterfly, rod end clevises, some little inspection ports in my wheel pants, just to name a few.

Home powder coating is easy and economical. Even anodizing at home isnt rocket science.

Alex
 
Here's a list of the deletions I took when I ordered my FWF kit...

Deletions.png

I particularly love the price for the relay protection diodes and the 7" piece of ground strap.
 
Do you get any discount when removing the anchovies from a deluxe pizza?
Is a deluxe pizza cheaper than buy a cheese pizza and adding all the ingredients separately?
Special orders add cost whether it is adding or subtracting.
 
plehrke said:
Do you get any discount when removing the anchovies from a deluxe pizza?
Is a deluxe pizza cheaper than buy a cheese pizza and adding all the ingredients separately?
Special orders add cost whether it is adding or subtracting.
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In some cases that might be true where the "kit" is already created and the act of removing items adds cost, but in Vans case, I am very sure that this isn't the case. In their case, they print a picking list and someone picks the order, so the added cost argument does not hold up. Hey, everyone can do what they want. For someone who doesn't want to hassle with anything and has more dollars than sense, they can order the kit, not worry about it, and end up getting ripped off, but never know it. Each to their own!
 
It is true there are multipliers and divisors when adding to or subracting from an order. The supplier needs to make a profit, otherwise the supplier will go bankrupt! Nobody wants that to happen.
 
rv6builder said:
Agreed- but perhaps it will encourage builders to go back to basics a bit and do more ourselves, as Fl-Mike says with regards to the manifold. I would imagine a step would be an attainable project for most, and even paying a professional welder would probably still wind up cheaper than the Vans one. I've made all sorts of stuff with a well equipped shop and fairly basic machining skills, and most of it from "scrap" metal. Propeller crush plate (I did buy the metal for that one), static ports, prop balancer, oil cooler air butterfly, rod end clevises, some little inspection ports in my wheel pants, just to name a few.

Home powder coating is easy and economical. Even anodizing at home isnt rocket science.

Alex
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Yes. Even back when their prices were reasonable, I made a LOT of my own parts. I even upholstered the seats on both planes. I fully agree that making a lot of parts is a good way to curb cost increases and build additional skills.
 
Mark Dickens said:
Here's a list of the deletions I took when I ordered my FWF kit...
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Thanks for sharing this spreadsheet Mark! Very helpful seeing the actual credit amounts that Vans gives. I plan to delete many of the same parts (although I'm deleting the oil cooler as well).

Do you know if Vans gives a credit for the removed parts from the $12,571 kit price? I hope so because if Vans considers removing a bunch of parts as basically just ordering the parts you want individually, there isn't any savings over the kit price because all the parts individually add up to around $16,000. Hope that makes sense.
 
Mark Dickens said:
In some cases that might be true where the "kit" is already created and the act of removing items adds cost, but in Vans case, I am very sure that this isn't the case. In their case, they print a picking list and someone picks the order, so the added cost argument does not hold up. Hey, everyone can do what they want. For someone who doesn't want to hassle with anything and has more dollars than sense, they can order the kit, not worry about it, and end up getting ripped off, but never know it. Each to their own!
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There is efficiency even if picking parts at time of order (non kitted) in not having to adjust the picking to be nonstandard.
I think Van reputation indicates they do not gouge.
 
bertschb said:
Thanks for sharing this spreadsheet Mark! Very helpful seeing the actual credit amounts that Vans gives. I plan to delete many of the same parts (although I'm deleting the oil cooler as well).

Do you know if Vans gives a credit for the removed parts from the $12,571 kit price? I hope so because if Vans considers removing a bunch of parts as basically just ordering the parts you want individually, there isn't any savings over the kit price because all the parts individually add up to around $16,000. Hope that makes sense.
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Yes, my total was equal to the published kit price less the total of the credits. If you bought each part from Vans using their store, yes, it adds up to more than the kit price by quite a bit. As I pointed out in the initial post, their list prices for parts are inflated and it makes no sense to buy anything from them that they don't manufacture themselves. For example, the red cube lists for 304.48...you can get it from ACS for 235.00. Anyone buying individual parts from Vans through their parts store would be grossly overpaying. On that kind of thing, which isn't made by vans, you are paying through the nose for convenience If you can generously call it that...
 
Mark Dickens said:
Anyone buying individual parts from Vans through their parts store would be grossly overpaying.
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Wasnt always the case. Vans would consistently beat ACS on most regular parts. Maybe now part of 'managing their business in a competent manner'.
 
Not always the case. Their tank sealant, rivets, and some other small items I’ve found to be cheaper esp if you batch them up for free shipping.
 
I just spent time on the Van’s store looking at the FAB kit ($704.81).

The kit contents separately add up to ~$600 (but some parts maybe unneeded for your application). If you are rebuilding a FAB the cost should be less than $200.

Carl
 
Mark Dickens said:
Yes, my total was equal to the published kit price less the total of the credits. If you bought each part from Vans using their store, yes, it adds up to more than the kit price by quite a bit. As I pointed out in the initial post, their list prices for parts are inflated and it makes no sense to buy anything from them that they don't manufacture themselves. For example, the red cube lists for 304.48...you can get it from ACS for 235.00. Anyone buying individual parts from Vans through their parts store would be grossly overpaying. On that kind of thing, which isn't made by vans, you are paying through the nose for convenience If you can generously call it that...
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The Red Cube Retail is $388.00 on the EI website. I just checked their website. Now what? The longer we wait , the higher the price.
 
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