| No. If you check at Giardinelli's, their website currently lists the base models of Schilke's Bb horns at $1,899. Many manufacturers (and not just instrument makers) will establish a "price list" from which they can work for a year or more. Their dealers will get (depending upon the volume of product they move, any current "promotional deals", "inventory stocking", etc.) different "discounts" from that list price. The manufacturer MAY (or may not) elect to also make a "RSP" or "recommended selling price".
The dealer is often free to decide what markup HE needs and establish his own actual selling price based upon that.
OR, the manufacturer might establish a "minimum selling price" (to which others have alluded already) below which their product may NOT be advertised for sale. This is obviously done to maintain a "product image level". Whether this is strictly legal or not is debatable... more and more car manufacturers are offering their product at "fixed price, no dickering"; Saturn being one example.
The bottom line is "don't be fooled by the LIST PRICE". Always ask what they'll actually sell it to you for with cash (if you can). |