Wine kit price wars.

[LoneStarLori]

I get emails from this company several times a week. They have become my favorite source for wine kits. Not only because they have a great selection, but the owner is one of the best customer service people I have come across in any line of business. (you may remember me singing the praises of this company before when I was looking for a LE 2013 Pacific Quartet kit).

This email I just received cracked me up. I'm sure many of you will know who the "competitor" is, but we are not allowed to mention the name. I believe I CAN mention the sender, Label peelers.

FYI, they are also doing up to 40% off kits that in their words; "Selling wine kits at a lower price than the lowest with no handling charge or inflated shipping is really going to put the crunch on us, but we are ready. We want to be your source for great wine kits, and if it takes us living on bologna sandwiches we will go there.


These new prices will continue for as long as we can afford to do it (which might not be that long), but we will always stand by our lowest price guarantee. We sell for a living, not a killing.

Better grab some before we sober up

 

[roger80465]

I am loving this 'war'. I have purchased from both and can assure you there is no competition. The guys in Ohio beat the pants off Florida. Customer service is top notch and prices to Colorado are far less. Florida isn't the low price leader. They are, however, the low class leader.

 

[LoneStarLori]

"low class leader" hah, spot on!

I attempted to buy from the east coast dealer back in January and never got my order, had trouble getting answers and when I did talk to them on the phone they were jerks. I finally gave up. Then I found Label Peelers and have been treated great ever since. Mr. Fedex just delivered a lovely Selection Brunello kit with grape skins and 2 different oaks. I'm excited to do my first real red.
He's got them for less than $100. right now.

 

[roger80465]

Made that kit last spring . It will take a long time to mature. I followed instructions completely and it still has a soapy take from the oak. May need another year or more to be Drinkable. I think it's worth the wait though

 

[LoneStarLori]

Soapy? I wonder what causes that.
This has 2 bags of Hungarian oak cubes and one bag of med oak chips. I'm not real fond of the Hungarian oak so I am considering not using them and adding some more med french oak. What do you think?

 

[roger80465]

I normally love Hungarian oak so I was bummed. I'm hoping it will age out. It does seem to be fading. French oak might be good. If you like French better, I say go for it. I'm sure you will be happy

 

[franki1926]

Thanks for the tip on this, I just ordered 4 kits. The prices are unbelievable

 

[richmke]

I find with shipping charges, the total cost is about what I can buy kits on sale locally. That said, if I have a reason to be traveling near Ohio, I will buy kits a couple of months in advance (when they have a sale) and they are happy to hold them until I pick them up.

BTW: When I received the original sale e-mails, I compared the delivered cost. So, when I received the latest e-mail, I knew what they were talking about. I wish I lived near one or the other, so I could avoid shipping charges.

 

[LoneStarLori]

Unfortunately I live in a po-dunk town in S. Texas and it is at least 2.5 hours to the nearest brew supply shop. My options are pretty much limited to paying for shipping or paying premium prices on kits in the stores in San Antonio or Houston. It doesn't seem like home wine making is very popular in TX. Even in the stores that carry kits, the word "sale" is not part of their business practice. Supply and demand.

 

[Rocky]

Wow, Lori, thanks for the heads up! You have to be their best sales person. I ordered 3 Amarone and one Stags Leap Merlot and my son-in-law ordered a Cab-Shiraz blend. I talked to Jim at the store and he was very polite and helpful. They are about 130 miles from me so shipping and handling for 3 kits was only $42. Maybe in the Fall we do a road trip!

BTW, if we are talking about the same outfit in Florida, I could tell you a story about their lack of customer service too.

Thanks, again.

 

[Elmer]

What is the company and where do I go to get in on this?

one company keeps sending me emails about their "greatly reduced" prices, however shipping is still $34. Which means I could get the same kit at my LHBS for only a few bucks more.

Now if only someone would sell a Nero d'Avola, cheaply!!!!

 

[Boatboy24]

Pulled the trigger on the Stags Leap Merlot this morning.

Elmer: This is the same vendor I posted about in the Classified forum yesterday.

 

[LoneStarLori]

Wow, Lori, thanks for the heads up! You have to be their best sales person. I ordered 3 Amarone and one Stags Leap Merlot and my son-in-law ordered a Cab-Shiraz blend. I talked to Jim at the store and he was very polite and helpful. They are about 130 miles from me so shipping and handling for 3 kits was only $42. Maybe in the Fall we do a road trip!

BTW, if we are talking about the same outfit in Florida, I could tell you a story about their lack of customer service too.

Thanks, again.

I'm SO jealous! I have to pay a minimum of $32 to get ONE kit here. I'm 1500 miles away so I guess thats the penalty. And yes, I am sure we are talking about the same place. Their customer service isn't something you easily forget.

They. Label Peelers, sent another email today that you may have seen since you are now on their email list. It addressed how unprofessional the above email was:

"Sorry About That

We sent out a couple emails that were not the most professional. We have been dealing with a certain retailer offhandedly mentioning us for over a year, waiting until we send out our newsletter, and then trumping our promotions with an email an hour later. We always chose to take the high road and not let them drag us down to their level, but we had enough and thought if we called them out we could get them to stop. In doing so we lowered ourselves. We promise never to do it again.

We wish well for everyone in this business.

Now, back to the cause at hand! Great service, great prices and making some great fermented beverages!

Did we mention we have amazing deals on wine kits right now?"


Why is it that other retailer seems to bring our the worst in everyone?

 

[richmke]

Somehow ebay gave me a $20 credit and had only a week to use it. I bought an IM kit from the FL store (they list on ebay), and got it at good delivered price (Ohio's sale price without the delivery fee). Since there were not any problems, I did not have to deal with their customer service.

 

[roger80465]

Somehow ebay gave me a $20 credit and had only a week to use it. I bought an IM kit from the FL store (they list on ebay), and got it at good delivered price (Ohio's sale price without the delivery fee). Since there were not any problems, I did not have to deal with their customer service.

Interestingly, they sell on eBay with 'free' shipping, which they claim is a ripoff when other vendors do it. They are a real piece of work. Hypocrisy at its best

 

[dangerdave]

I have dealt with the guys at Labelpeelers for several years, now. I sing their praises whenever possible. They have been great both in person and on-line. I have maybe half a dozen of their free (with $50 purchase) tee shirts. The last time I was in the store, I gave them a bottle of DB to enjoy. Recieved an e-mail some time later saying they liked it very much.

I also got the e-mails. Good sales on most of the time.

 

[tmmii]

So where in fl can you get decent pricing? Looking at a couple houses in jacksonville and surprisingly enough home brewing is something I've researched!


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[nucjd]

Thanks for the heads up with these guys. I just went there and they have some amazing prices and ordered a Lodi Cab kit for the cheapest I have seen with reasonable shipping.

 

[NoSnob]

It's always good to find a dealer that provides great service at the lowest prices. When you can.

Price. When comparison shopping for wine kits, I am interested in the total price I pay including shipping and state tax, if any. What is a good price for you in Canada may not be the best for us in the U.S., depending upon where we live relative to the dealer's location. After reading your comments, I compared prices for a WE Eclipse Barolo kit. I would pay about $16 more from the Ohio dealer than the Florida dealer ($144 vs. $128, including shipping). I have bought a lot of kits from the Florida dealer.

Service. I appreciate hearing the experience of our WMT members re the quality of a dealer's customer service. If you have problems with an order or find a dealer difficult to work with you may not want to do future business with them at any price. Each dealer decides how to handle their customers and their sales volume is affected accordingly. It's their business but if we don't like their attitude we can buy elsewhere.

The Ohio dealer noted that the Florida dealer is somehow informed of the Ohio dealer's sales and quickly sends emails out to match or beat their price. I have reason to believe that the Florida dealer also does that to the Texas dealer. It's a competitive business. We all get to decide if we buy based on price alone or take other things into account in making the purchasing decision. BTW, the Texas dealer says he WANTS to talk to us on the phone. They know good customer service.

If I had a negative customer service experience, I too would be inclined to not buy from a dealer offering the lowest delivered price. So far, that has not been a problem.

NS

 

[francois_du_nord]

I might be about to get flamed, but I'll take a swing at this.

I like a good price as much as the next gal/guy, but I think there is danger in always finding the best on-line deal. There is value in having a local shop for whatever hobby you partake in, whether it is browsing the bookshelves, finding a new bolt of cloth, buying lure components, or getting your latest wine kit.

The local shop is a great resource for the folks who are new (like me), or a source of last minute items for those who are more experienced who find themselves short of a needed ingredient at critical time. If you aren't shopping local, does your local shop close their doors?

It is a tough call. Heck, if I hadn't just purchased 3 Eclipse kits at my LHBS a week and a half ago, I'd probably be sending electronic payment bits to Ohio. I guess my point is, don't ignore your local shop to the point that they dry up and blow away. The loss may be your own.

As always, YMMV.

</soapbox>

Best, Fran