Port Supply/West Marine Pro Discount Ranges

[Letterkenny]

The dealer for my new boat was saying they will give me a discount at West Marine for outfitting my new boat with required Saftey gear, etc. I believe this is through their Port Supply or West Marine pro discount as when I asked what the percentage is, they said it varies. Are there any general guidelines as to what the percentages are? Namely, I have been looking at sales such as the one going on now on some inflatable life jackets, boat hooks, lines, etc. and am debating if it will be better to get that now versus waiting to see what the discount is. Any feedback?

[sailorboy1]

I would say for that type of stuff the Port Supply discount will be around 5%. The discount works best for repair type items. If you can find a good sale that is probably better for things like you are looking for, but you need to factor time and shipping into it

[Sailmonkey]

There is no set percentage. Things like flares and other safety essentials have very little retail markup.

Wire/hose clamps/lugs/etc….this is where the port Supply really shines.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Letterkenny

...I have been looking at sales such as the one going on now on some inflatable life jackets, boat hooks, lines, etc. and am debating if it will be better to get that now versus waiting to see what the discount is. Any feedback?

Sorry to be so blunt, Letterkenny, but how much is your life worth?

Don't phaff about. Please ensure you have proper lifejackets onboard for everyone you love - including yourself - regardless of whether they're on sale or not.

**And wear them!

Just got rid of my old Crewsaver auto-inflate and replaced it with Spinlock 6D https://youtu.be/XwVAV4JWtgo
I love it. Wear it every moment I'm onboard and it doesn't interfere with movement or sailing. Just fantastic.

Betcher counting the days now until your new boat's arrival!
Fair, fair winds LK,
Warmly,
LittleWing77

[tamicatana]

WMPro have overall discount tiers, dependent on how much spent with them, and then within those tiers, item discounts vary

[Matt Johnson]

I just looked up the West Marine Costal Life jacket with my Port Supply account - I'm not sure if I'm suppose to talk pricing online - but it is way cheaper than the current sale. Typically, West Marine branded items are deeply discounted.

-Matt

[Allied39]

Originally Posted by Letterkenny

The dealer for my new boat was saying they will give me a discount at West Marine for outfitting my new boat with required Saftey gear, etc. I believe this is through their Port Supply or West Marine pro discount as when I asked what the percentage is, they said it varies. Are there any general guidelines as to what the percentages are? Namely, I have been looking at sales such as the one going on now on some inflatable life jackets, boat hooks, lines, etc. and am debating if it will be better to get that now versus waiting to see what the discount is. Any feedback?

As an actual answer to the OP's question(as opposed to preaching)....it depends.
Port supply is supposed to always be less than west...even on sales items. That was from my port supply rep many years back.
But items on sale next week may be cheaper than this week at port.....who knows?
And the other variable is how much the account spends with port supply...the more spent the deeper the discount.
My recent purchase of a chart book was $25 less from Landfall delivered than Port supply in store.
Therefore I only buy from west if I am desprerate...no other option.
That all being said you will likely be at an advantage....or at least no worse off if you take his offer if you are a regular customer at west.

This is a reply to the OP, not interested in argueing or dealing with the trolls

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by Matt Johnson

I just looked up the West Marine Costal Life jacket with my Port Supply account - I'm not sure if I'm suppose to talk pricing online - but it is way cheaper than the current sale. Typically, West Marine branded items are deeply discounted.

-Matt

That’s what I was hoping to learn. I’m going to hold off then, thanks!

[cottonsail]

In my many years of experience Port supply only once was cheaper than Defender. Of course West marine is on just about every street corner (relatively).

[Cpt Mark]

I've had port supply for over 20 years. The PS price varies. I've gotten better deals buying regular sale items on occasion Sometimes defender or another local chandlery will have a better price but not often.

Other chandlerys may carry brands, items west doesn't. As a new boat owner you can go into west marine and they will give you a discounted price for a set time as a new owner.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Letterkenny

The dealer for my new boat was saying they will give me a discount at West Marine for outfitting my new boat with required Saftey gear, etc. I believe this is through their Port Supply or West Marine pro discount as when I asked what the percentage is, they said it varies. Are there any general guidelines as to what the percentages are? Namely, I have been looking at sales such as the one going on now on some inflatable life jackets, boat hooks, lines, etc. and am debating if it will be better to get that now versus waiting to see what the discount is. Any feedback?

Nothing beats the tried and true practice of getting prices from numerous retailers and buying the cheapest with consideration given to shipping and sales tax.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[carioca]

Try defender.com and hodgesmarine.com. Both can offer great prices. Defender can be pricey on shipping. Try also stores in the UK & mainland Europe. At times it is less expensive to buy UK/European products from over there & have the items shipped to the states. cactusnav.com & oceanchandlery.com have both been good. No affiliation with any of the recommendations. Other than a satisfied customer.

[RigBig]

Currently there are three tiers to a Pro account. The first tier is a Pro plan and that means you spend less than $5,000 a year at WM. The second tier is a Pro Plus and that plan means you spend between $5,000 and $25,000. The third tier is the Pro Platinum which means you spend over $25,000 a year. The discount of each tier and each category of product is dependent on the WM Pro territory manager. You and I could be at the same tier and if your WM Pro manager likes you more than mine likes me, you may pay less for the identical item. So the manager sets or can adjust the discount. WM Pro sucks these days on Electronics. I have vendors that beat WM pro prices by hundreds and hundreds of of dollars. Plus, my WM Pro manager is just a ##@hole. Don't know how he keeps his job. Plus, when WM prices start out so high even a discount won't be as cheap if you just look around.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Letterkenny

The dealer for my new boat was saying they will give me a discount at West Marine for outfitting my new boat with required Saftey gear, etc. I believe this is through their Port Supply or West Marine pro discount as when I asked what the percentage is, they said it varies. Are there any general guidelines as to what the percentages are? Namely, I have been looking at sales such as the one going on now on some inflatable life jackets, boat hooks, lines, etc. and am debating if it will be better to get that now versus waiting to see what the discount is. Any feedback?

Before buying anything - yes I know you've got a hole burning in your pocket with the new boat and all You should make a list of all the cruising incidentals you need that aren't already on the boat (and there will be a lot of them) and do some price comparisons. West Marine is not known for having the best prices even with a discount, though they do run the occasional sale. They make their money by being convenient - the place you go when you don't have time to have something shipped in. Cross check the prices on your list with companies like Defender and others. Oddly enough even Walmart often has items you may be looking for at substantially lower prices than West Marine. This will be a good long run exercise for you as you'll get a good feel for where to get things in the future.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Sorry to be so blunt, Letterkenny, but how much is your life worth?

Don't phaff about. Please ensure you have proper lifejackets onboard for everyone you love - including yourself - regardless of whether they're on sale or not.

**And wear them!

Just got rid of my old Crewsaver auto-inflate and replaced it with Spinlock 6D https://youtu.be/XwVAV4JWtgo
I love it. Wear it every moment I'm onboard and it doesn't interfere with movement or sailing. Just fantastic.

Betcher counting the days now until your new boat's arrival!
Fair, fair winds LK,
Warmly,
LittleWing77

As an aside, I think you're supposed to have life jackets for everyone on board, whether you love them or not