How to save money when buying your CPAP equipment online
The manufacturer's of sleep apnea equipment, like CPAP machines, masks, and accessories, have established minimum advertising prices that online (e-commerce) web stores must follow in order to sell these products online. Much debate has been created since these "MAP" pricing policies were created.
The manufacturer's feel that the online companies are hurting the value of their products by selling them at very low prices. The brick and mortar small medical supply businesses find that they can buy this equipment cheaper online from other dealers, than from the manufacturer's sales reps. Naturally this is where the complaints originated. The sales reps began to complain about the loss in sales and commission. Instead of raising the prices of the products to the online retailers, the manufacturer's created policies that dictate how the online retailers must list their products online, and in other advertising campaigns. Volume sales does not affect the MAP prices, so all Internet companies have the same MAP pricing guidelines. If this were the case for all items customers buy, then there would be no need for Home Depot or Wal-Mart. If everyone had to sell the items at the same minimum price, then you would be able to walk into a mom and pop hardware store and get the same low price that you would get from Lowe's or Home Depot. Unfortunately, that is not how the free enterprise system works best, and it is not favorable to most shoppers. Most customers want the lowest possible price.
The online CPAP retailers, like YouNeedSleep (dot) com disagree with the MAP policy's effectiveness, and they feel that it only hurts the customer. There are dozens of manufacturer's that make CPAP equipment. Only the "big three" manufacturer's have come up with some sort of pricing guidelines. All that this has done is shifted the online sales over to the smaller manufacturer's products that do not have these pricing standards. Philips Respironics used to be the number one product sold at Express CPAP Supply, for example, but now it is one of the slowest sellers. What used to be about 85% of their business, now is probably only about 5%. So now it is the sales reps of the online stores that are getting hit with the lower commission and lack of sales. Customers who go online to buy their equipment, usually do not have insurance, and they usually want to pay the absolute lowest price. They often shop around to find the best price. The average shopper would prefer to buy a lesser known brand for half the price. Especially when both products offer similar features and the same exact warranty.
How can the customer get around these policies if they want to buy at the lowest possible price? The answer is simple, yet complicated. The reason most people shop online is so that they can make the purchase quickly, from the comfort of their own home, without having to "talk" to a real person. They usually want to shop around and then check out online, using a credit card. They scroll thru the items that they are interested in, looking for the lowest prices or the best deals. The MAP policy pricing keeps the customers away from looking at the higher priced machines, therefore, the customer usually decides between one of the lower priced options. Just about the only way to get the MAP products at lower prices is to look around at the website, find what you want, and either email the web-store and ask for the low price, or to get out your cell phone, use your minutes, get a recording, wait on hold, or if you are lucky, talk to a real person. Then you are faced with looking online at the same time you are speaking with a customer service person. That can be very confusing when you are looking at a MAP price online, and the person is offering you a lower price over the phone. Most of the time, you will need to complete the transaction over the phone to get these lower prices. That causes the customer to give their credit card numbers out over the phone, which some people are not comfortable with. The manufacturer's don't have a problem with the online retailers selling the items for less than the MAP price, they just cannot "advertise" the lower price. Basically, it just becomes an inconvenience for the customer.
Therefore, the best way to save money while buying your CPAP equipment online is to not actually buy it online. If you suspect that the item has MAP pricing (usually the product is listed 40-60% higher than the other products), then you should take the time to call and find out what the actual sales price is for that product. Most of the time, it is very close to the price of the lower end units... If you are buying a complete system (CPAP machine, Heated Humidifier, Mask & Headgear), you could save $100 or more by taking the time to make the phone call.
The manufacturer's feel that the online companies are hurting the value of their products by selling them at very low prices. The brick and mortar small medical supply businesses find that they can buy this equipment cheaper online from other dealers, than from the manufacturer's sales reps. Naturally this is where the complaints originated. The sales reps began to complain about the loss in sales and commission. Instead of raising the prices of the products to the online retailers, the manufacturer's created policies that dictate how the online retailers must list their products online, and in other advertising campaigns. Volume sales does not affect the MAP prices, so all Internet companies have the same MAP pricing guidelines. If this were the case for all items customers buy, then there would be no need for Home Depot or Wal-Mart. If everyone had to sell the items at the same minimum price, then you would be able to walk into a mom and pop hardware store and get the same low price that you would get from Lowe's or Home Depot. Unfortunately, that is not how the free enterprise system works best, and it is not favorable to most shoppers. Most customers want the lowest possible price.
The online CPAP retailers, like YouNeedSleep (dot) com disagree with the MAP policy's effectiveness, and they feel that it only hurts the customer. There are dozens of manufacturer's that make CPAP equipment. Only the "big three" manufacturer's have come up with some sort of pricing guidelines. All that this has done is shifted the online sales over to the smaller manufacturer's products that do not have these pricing standards. Philips Respironics used to be the number one product sold at Express CPAP Supply, for example, but now it is one of the slowest sellers. What used to be about 85% of their business, now is probably only about 5%. So now it is the sales reps of the online stores that are getting hit with the lower commission and lack of sales. Customers who go online to buy their equipment, usually do not have insurance, and they usually want to pay the absolute lowest price. They often shop around to find the best price. The average shopper would prefer to buy a lesser known brand for half the price. Especially when both products offer similar features and the same exact warranty.
How can the customer get around these policies if they want to buy at the lowest possible price? The answer is simple, yet complicated. The reason most people shop online is so that they can make the purchase quickly, from the comfort of their own home, without having to "talk" to a real person. They usually want to shop around and then check out online, using a credit card. They scroll thru the items that they are interested in, looking for the lowest prices or the best deals. The MAP policy pricing keeps the customers away from looking at the higher priced machines, therefore, the customer usually decides between one of the lower priced options. Just about the only way to get the MAP products at lower prices is to look around at the website, find what you want, and either email the web-store and ask for the low price, or to get out your cell phone, use your minutes, get a recording, wait on hold, or if you are lucky, talk to a real person. Then you are faced with looking online at the same time you are speaking with a customer service person. That can be very confusing when you are looking at a MAP price online, and the person is offering you a lower price over the phone. Most of the time, you will need to complete the transaction over the phone to get these lower prices. That causes the customer to give their credit card numbers out over the phone, which some people are not comfortable with. The manufacturer's don't have a problem with the online retailers selling the items for less than the MAP price, they just cannot "advertise" the lower price. Basically, it just becomes an inconvenience for the customer.
Therefore, the best way to save money while buying your CPAP equipment online is to not actually buy it online. If you suspect that the item has MAP pricing (usually the product is listed 40-60% higher than the other products), then you should take the time to call and find out what the actual sales price is for that product. Most of the time, it is very close to the price of the lower end units... If you are buying a complete system (CPAP machine, Heated Humidifier, Mask & Headgear), you could save $100 or more by taking the time to make the phone call.
