I looked on the Wilson, Louisville Slugger, and Demarini websites. I was only able to find a dealer locater NOT anything that lists authorized Online retailers.
I've looked into it a little and don't see any way to pay less than full retail on current line bats IF you also don't want to risk it not being from an authorized dealer and therefore not eligible for a warranty replacement. So the only way it seems to save any money is find a previous year model that your DD likes and that is still in stock in size needed. Unfortunately, even previous year models of Demarini and L/S aren't discounted 'that much'. Easton bats are but most would agree they aren't as good as Demarini and L/S.
It's a tough situation for sure but it's reflective of the nature of retail business today. Wilson knows that across their line they have good and very popular bats. They know people of course would like to save 20-30% off retail on new stuff if they can but they also know it won't be a deal breaker for anywhere near enough people to matter to their sales.....given how often most people buy bats. If you buy 1 or 2 brand new bats every 12 months, the savings off full retail from an authorized dealer is probably around $70-90 for one bat and $140-180 for two bats. Saving $70-180 over a period of a year of course is a great option to have that pretty much anyone would jump on. However, it's not an amount of money that will stop many people from getting the necessary equipment for their kid over the course of a year. So while it's unfortunate for the consumer, I can understand the business rationale behind it
I've looked into it a little and don't see any way to pay less than full retail on current line bats IF you also don't want to risk it not being from an authorized dealer and therefore not eligible for a warranty replacement. So the only way it seems to save any money is find a previous year model that your DD likes and that is still in stock in size needed. Unfortunately, even previous year models of Demarini and L/S aren't discounted 'that much'. Easton bats are but most would agree they aren't as good as Demarini and L/S.
It's a tough situation for sure but it's reflective of the nature of retail business today. Wilson knows that across their line they have good and very popular bats. They know people of course would like to save 20-30% off retail on new stuff if they can but they also know it won't be a deal breaker for anywhere near enough people to matter to their sales.....given how often most people buy bats. If you buy 1 or 2 brand new bats every 12 months, the savings off full retail from an authorized dealer is probably around $70-90 for one bat and $140-180 for two bats. Saving $70-180 over a period of a year of course is a great option to have that pretty much anyone would jump on. However, it's not an amount of money that will stop many people from getting the necessary equipment for their kid over the course of a year. So while it's unfortunate for the consumer, I can understand the business rationale behind it
