Do you think that the advertised price for a product is the price that you should pay? If you could save 5%, 10% or more, just by asking for a lower price, would you do it? With just a little effort on your part you can get similar savings on a regular basis for almost any "in-demand" product. Why is this possible? MAP Policies. If you see the same price for the same product, regardless of where you look, you are probably shopping for a product that has a MAP price.

MAP is an acronym for Minimum Advertised Price. In a nutshell, each manufacturer specifies the minimum price at which a certain product may be advertised within the dealer base. What does it mean for dealers? MAP policies provide larger profit margins through reduced price competition. What does it mean for consumers? Higher prices regardless of where you shop.

MAP policies are increasingly prevalent in every product-based industry. They are often found on high demand, high margin items. From my personal experience over the past few years, I have noticed that if, it is something that I really want, like a video game console for my kids, and then it is probably on a MAP policy. Do you think every dealer, including those places where you would normally get a discount, decided that the product was just so popular that they would all charge $199.95 for it? Competition just does not work that way. Without a MAP policy, you can ALWAYS find a dealer that is willing to offer any item at a discount.

To savvy consumers MAP really means that you should ask if a lower price is available. Why should you ask? Simple, MAP is a minimum ADVERTISED price and not a minimum SELLING price. Dealers are restricted from publishing a lower price, either in print or on-line, for MAP products but they are not necessarily restricted from selling those products at a lower price. In many cases, you can save quite a bit if you will just take a moment to inquire about whether the MAP price is actually the lowest selling price for a particular product. You will be surprised at what you can learn and just how much you can save.

There are several ways to ask about a selling price for a particular product. Keep in mind that you'll probably get farther with an independent on-line shop with owners that are closer to the action than you will with an established box retailer with levels of management that never actually meet their customers. For the purpose of this article, we will assume that you are looking for baseball widgets at independent on-line / catalog retailers.

To save money on MAP policy products just ask for a lower price. Most people are not comfortable haggling for a price. Manufacturers and retailers know this. If you want their product and there is forced solidarity in presenting it with a premium price you – consumers – will pay for it. And I mean actually pay for it. What started with blue jeans, video games and golf clubs has trickled its way into every product retail category. Nevertheless, you can beat the system if you are patient and willing to ask for a better price.

Methods for asking:

1) CALL - most reputable websites have a toll free order desk that is open for regular business hours. If you see a phone number use it. Just because you are shopping on-line does not mean you need to checkout on-line. Call and speak to a customer service representative. You will not get the hard sell if they are not on commission. Tell the person that you are on-line and that you have noticed that every website you have visited has the widget that you are looking at for the same price. Ask if it is a MAP price and if they can/will sell it to you for a lower price while you are on the phone.

If the answer is "no" but you are sure that it is a MAP product try calling another web dealer. If the answer is "yes" then you are in business. If you are saving 10% or more you probably have a pretty good deal already and any more effort might only be saving you a few dollars. If you have a sporting type looking for the best deal then shop around. If you are happy just to get a discount then make your purchase and tell everyone that you know!

If you do not see a phone number find another on-line retailer. With all of the on-line choices there is no reason to deal with a retailer that makes human to human contact difficult.

2) E-Mail - this takes a bit longer because you do not have any way of knowing when emails are checked. An "on the ball" company will get back to you with in just a few business hours (keep in mind that an email at 6 p.m. on Friday may not be responded to until 8 a.m. the following Monday). When sending an email make the subject extremely clear. Companies are bombarded with email and spam. Do not send a message with a subject line like "I have a question", which can be easily overlooked or considered spam. Be concise and use a subject like "Price quote for baseball widget". The nice thing about emails is that you can write one and copy it off to several different internet dealers at one time. You will get several responses quickly and you will be able to get a good idea of what website to log onto or phone number to call to buy your new widget. This also works in your favor because the dealer knows that he or she has one opportunity to convince you to buy from their company instead of the competitor's.

3) Live Chat – the perfect tool for price shopping because it is faceless for you even though you are dealing with a real person that has real answers in real time. Because it is faceless you can get right to the point without being rude and you can leave the conversation at any time. Since you are dealing with a person in real time you can press for the answer you want, which you cannot do with an email unless you are willing to wait several hours or days to complete a conversation thread. I believe that you have your best chances for achieving lower prices on a chat line because you are communicating with a real person who knows that you are just a mouse click away from their competitor's site.

It is up to consumers to stop MAP prices. Whether you are shopping for sporting goods, electronics, video games or even appliances it is your money that is being taken from you. You do have a choice about where to shop. Before you give up your hard-earned money, take a moment and ask, "Is that the best price?" You might be surprised at how easily you can save up to $50 on a $300 item.