[Elecraft] Can I rent a K4?

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

Your numbers are entirely unrealistic for for a $4000 transceiver.

The discount for a "used" (rental stock) device would need to be
*at least* 20-25% (typical of "B Stock" in the professional AV
world).  A two to four week rental would need to be *at least*
$500, if not more, to cover the overhead, management, repair and
refurbishment (with every rental) costs of such an endeavor.

Given the constrained availability of the K4, the ability of the
factory to sell every unit they can ship for the next 18-24 months
at a minimum, limited repair capacity, and cost or repair parts,
Elecraft would be losing money with any rental operation.

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV


On 2021-02-03 3:31 PM, John Harper wrote:
> Let's throw some numbers in, just for S&G:
> 
> I pay $200 for 2 weeks of togetherness with a K4. Another $100 for 2-way
> shipping.
> 
> I'm out $300 if I decide not to keep the rig.
> 
> No one's going to go for this unless they're already thinking seriously of
> buying the thing. If they only like it marginally, they realize they now
> have a $300 dud to send back or (more likely) they realize that they're
> already 85 or 90% of the way (financially) toward ownership.
> 
> And...Elecraft only has 10 K4's slotted for this program. They'll prolly
> sell 8 or 9 of them and can continue to rent, or eventually sell as used
> (at 90% retail) the remaining two. They're ahead either way.
> 
> To top it off, they benefit from the social media buzz created by those 90%
> who like, decide to keep and rave about the rig online. A few may even name
> their firstborns Wayne and/or Eric. It's a win-win for all involved.
> 
> Few people who use/own one are dissatisfied with an E rig. This would
> potentially increase the number of people within that pool.
> 
> John AE5X
> https://ae5x.blogspot.com
> 
>> The real problem with rental returns ("B Stock") is that is can
>> no longer be sold as new resulting in a loss of value that is
>> often more than the rental proceeds.
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