25% are 25%... of whatever, in this case 34€ for one, 44€ for the other... 25% difference between different suppliers (no online trade, no hardware store) is steep! In my opinion.
Actually it's around 30% more, but whatever...
...the numbers are now rounded... I just don't like to exaggerate
We were also at a tile studio favored by our construction company.
We also visited another tile studio and had the feeling that it was generally somewhat cheaper there.
Since we didn’t have identical tiles in both studios, I can’t say by how many percent it differed.
But I suspect that we wouldn't have noticed up to about a 10% difference. So I also assume a bigger markup.
We then agreed with our construction company that we could choose samples at the cheaper studio.
Also, I had the feeling that there was still room for negotiation there. I'm just not sure whether I should negotiate myself or if the tiler should, or both.
These are the peculiarities and lack of transparency of the 3-tier distribution system. The end customer is not supposed to figure it out but pay.
To get a low final price, you will have to tender or obtain quotes for the SAME service. So tile type x, fully installed in your bathroom with floor plan y and special requests z. You must not compare that with prices from the tile studio without installation, cutting waste, other materials, travel expenses etc.
We build turnkey. We don’t tender anything. We only choose samples and pay any surcharge if applicable.
I only know it like this: wholesale or retail trade have end customer prices, and the tiler sometimes gets a discount on that.
Our tiler (an acquaintance) gets about 3% discount from a wholesaler and possibly quantity discount. He can pass this on to us or not.
I can well imagine that tiles in Hamburg (or here in Munich) have different prices than in the middle of nowhere. Simply because of different rents and personnel costs.
Whether that makes 25%, I don’t know...
If anything, it’s a 30% surcharge. But in this case, it’s about 10€. I don’t find that extreme.
For sure your tiler has a "relationship" with them, why else would he recommend them? Give and take.
But I still don’t understand the background of the question! Do you want to negotiate because he gets money/discount? Why don’t you simply buy where it’s cheaper?
The thing about the 3% for example, I meant... I once renovated a bathroom myself (years ago), and a friend gave me his "personal discount" on sanitary items of about 30%!!! At that time I knew that the end customer price was totally different from what the craftsman actually paid... The higher the end price, the higher the profit margin for both, which remains hidden from the builder of course. But that was ages ago, when things were different in many ways.
I don’t want to negotiate. I’m happy for him to make a "profit" if that’s standard practice.
Ultimately, the price/performance ratio of our tiles must be right for me. And with the cheaper ones it is.
At over 40€ I would start to bite my lip...
Only if the construction company in Hanover names 2-3 showrooms will I sample there.
The cheaper tile comes from an apparent family business (small and solid).
The tiler only took our construction/living location into account, that we can also sample here... at least I hope so, not that he takes tiles from the expensive seller, then I could have also sampled a more expensive tile in the cheaper store.
I just wanted to have that confirmed, whether the craftsman gets different conditions.
Most likely in my example the situation is that Hamburg has different rents and these are passed on to the product price!