Miller Welder prices (MSP)

[smalltown]

When I look around at different sites the prices for a given MIG welder (specifically a Millermatic 211) all seem to be fairly close. Yes some have free shipping, and there is rebate program going on, maybe some might throw in some small items, but I am talking about the machine itself. It appears to this novice that Miller might dictate at what price their welder can be sold for. Is that a fair assumption? The two LWS in my area currently don't have any prices stated on line.

I wanted to get my ducks in a row before I visit the LWS. Do they have any wiggle room or is the price pretty much fixed.
I'm getting that sinking feeling that I get when I think about visiting a car dealership :thumbsdown:

I don't mind buying online, however something like a MIG welder purchase is something I want to do face to face with a nod, and a handshake, and especially if I need service.

Appreciate any thoughts.

P.S. Been checking Craigslist etc., but people want quite a bit for used MIGs, some are posted for more than a new unit.
I do have one lead on a Millermatic 212 auction, that I am hoping is not to big to weld on small metal. If I can get it for a low price ok, but past experience with my first and only auction, and the crazy bidding left me shaking my head.

 

[Ed of all trades]

That is the machine I wanted but I got a deal on a 130 Forney and took it. It was to small and the forney rep gave me new price on it for a trade on a 180 and I got my welder used, used very little but used. So I got a great price on the 180 and am happy. If I had the $$$$$ I would have gotten the Miller but $$$ were tight.

 

[ishiboo]

The cheapest pricing I found was waiting for a 30% sale from Zoro Tools, and using that. Paid 1,780.07 shipped for a 252.

I'm not sure about LWS, but when I visited an Airgas to look at a Hypertherm, I showed them the price from a nearby welding supplier and they were able to match it.

 

[dragoneggs]

I bought the 211 from Weldersupply.com a year ago. Free shipping and there was a great rebate if you bought supplies (I bought a spool gun) with it. I think they are pretty competitive.

Millermatic 211 Mig Welder #907422 | Miller Welder | Millermatic 211 | MIG Welder | Miller 211 | Welding Machine | Welder | Welders Supply Company Beloit-Big Bend-Burlington Wisconsin and Rockford, Illinois

 

[smalltown]

Thanks. Looks like ishiboo got a great deal that welder is listed at Miller for $2,459 minus $100 rebate. That was a great sale. The Miller 211 is listed for $1,159 minus $200 rebate.

Started out looking at smaller welders by Lincoln and Miller, but the price differences weren't that much so "welder model creep" started to set in. I'll bet that's common!

Miller is sweetening the pot on the 211 by offering the $200 machine rebate or a $400 rebate on Miller or Hobart items.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Throwing this out there but have you checked out the lincoln 210mp? I bought one a couple months ago and love it!

Brett

 

[smalltown]

rustyshakelford Yes I have looked at the 210MP as I recall it sells for $999, and also I heard it's quite hard to find and people are on waiting lists. They are apparently selling faster than anticipated.
I don't know enough about welders to compare the Lincoln 210 MP verses the Millermatic 211. I did read that the Lincoln was a MIG, TIG, and Stick welder. The down side as I recall was the duty cycle was reduced? Personally I wonder if that's the reason for the enhanced rebate on the Miller 211 to compete with the Lincoln 210 MP?

 

[Arc weld]

Probably. I think the Multi-Matic 200 has an even bigger discount as it's quite a bit more than the Lincoln. As far as prices, LWS's can give better pricing if they want to. Sometimes it depends on who you're talking to. Most machines have about a 10% margin so there isn't a lot of markup on machines. If you're buying a bunch of other stuff try and get a package deal.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Your LWS carries the machines as a convenience to you. It's not what makes their business plan viable. They make their money off of consumables and accessories. And if you develop a relationship with them you will find their prices fair.

Of course fair is in the eyes of the beholder, like the little lady who called me the other day because she heard I was the best gate installer in North Texas, she thought I wasn't fair. Of course I figure that anyone that knows me or about me understands that asking me to install a gate they bought online is an insult.

The best example of fair is the geek who calls me from geekville and asks me if I do portable welding on gates. When I say I do and then he gets his skirt all in a knot when I tell him that I charge $225.00 to come to his house and weld that little finger looking thingy gate latch back on his gate.

"I didn't pay that for the gate!!!!"

I just smile because that is obvious. I charge $75.00 an hour and it's an hour each way and there is a one hour minimum on site. After I explain that he invariably asks if I can do it while I'm in the area sometime. Again, I smile, cold day in ****.

 

[Arc weld]

The big welding supplies like Air Liquide and Praxair just carry machines as a convenience to their gas customers. Compressed gases can have up to 600% mark up! The reason more places aren't in the gas business is because of the costs involved to set up an air separation facility and then the distribution and packaging of the gases. I toured a $150,000,000 Air Liquide cogeneration air separation/electrical generating plant. Quite impressive! In the long run they make a killing. They said they make enough money just off argon to pay for the operation of the plant! Everything else is pure profit! Argon is less than 1% of the atmosphere!

 

[smalltown]

Good points all. Just trying to get a feel for the way these LWS operate with regards to pricing/selling the Welders.

 

[Shield Arc]

I've been dealing with LWS for well over 30-years. when I bought my Lincoln V350-Pro, they couldn't get with in $500.00 of the online price.

 

[CNC Dan]

Good points all. Just trying to get a feel for the way these LWS operate with regards to pricing/selling the Welders.

My small mom/pop LWS told me he makes only $50.00 on machines.

 

[xryan]

Your LWS makes money on bottle rental, gas and consumable sales, that's about it. In the end it probably costs them money to sell you a machine between the used up floor space and the money use to keep an expensive item in stock with very little turnover.

 

[bdog]

I have a friend who is a manager of a large LWS. I have bought machines from him at prices slightly below cyberweld which seems to be the cheapest online. I completely believe him when he tells me he is selling me the machine at his cost plus 5%. For what it's worth on a $2500 machine his "cost plus 5%" is within $100 of cyberweld. Bottom line is cyberweld is about as cheap as it gets.


A few years ago before I had the hookup at the LWS I bought a bobcat from another LWS and they sold it to me for about $150 more than cyber weld. They were asking a lot more than that and I printed out the page from cyber weld and showed them and they said the best they could do was $150 over that price but that they could load it in my truck then and I could be welding that afternoon. I was kind of in a bind for another machine to speed up a project so I bought it.

 

[smalltown]

Well as a side note today the auction finally occurred. We arrived early for inspections. The Miller 212 looked to be in good shape no outward signs of abuse. It was a standard machine with regulator.
When the time came for bids they opened with $500, that was followed rapidly by $900 then $1,000 and jumped to $1,300. The auction house added their customary 10% fee to raise the price to $1,430. If you add our sales tax the real final price is $1,508.65. To rich for my blood for a used "as is where is machine".

Just for giggles I priced it on Cyberweld, and it could be delivered to the door for a final of $1,726 after the Miller rebate. I just shook my head thinking they could have had a brand new in warranty machine for an additional $217.35
I guess for me auctions haven't changed that much, at least my luck hasn't!

Yesterday I did visit the LWS and asked for their price on the Miller 211. A firm $1,159 minus any ongoing Miler rebate. An 80cf bottle purchase was $149, and refill of 75/25 was if I remember correctly was $54.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Wait for a 30% off Zoro sale. Lots of guys are making out like bandits when you add in the miller rebates. If I was a betting man I'd say they will have a Memorial Day or fathers day sale

Brett

 

[ThomasH]

Hi - I noticed today that eBay has the Millermatic 211s on sale for $1160. That price point must be the current Miller sale...

 

[Big Barn]

Hi - I noticed today that eBay has the Millermatic 211s on sale for $1160. That price point must be the current Miller sale...

And looks like with a spool gun.

Terry

 

[smalltown]

Miller has a number of rebate offers of your choice until Dec 31, 2015. The Millermatic 211 in particular has either $200 of the machine alone, or pay the $1,159 for the 211, and get up to a $400 rebate when you spend $400 on Miller or Hobart branded items. The free spool gun for the 211 is only until July 31, 2015. Very tempting.