Best time to buy a portable?

ive had my eye on a new portable for a while now, specifically the otter lodge 1200. its a steep price to pay but i have my heart set on it and i think it will meet all my needs for many years to come. my question is do these ever go on sale or when is the best time to buy? ive heard some guys get deals at the ice show, is the last day of the show the best day to go to get deals? im also assumming that toward the end of ice season you may be able to get a better deal but ive rarely seen the big ticket items (auger, ice houses, flashers) go on sale for any significant amount. any ideas on when/where to get a good discount would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Retail risk=rewards. I don’t know if otter participates in MAPS agreements, but that generally will apply to advertised pricing. As for the shows and end of year, it comes down to the retailer. If they have the room and ability to carry the cost in inventory, they’ll transport them back to they’re store. Many retailers don’t want to carry the inventory for out of season goods and will discount the price to avoid carry over. If you wait on that…they often will sell out fast. There is a lot of competition for end of season sales.

I would say the ice show.

If you live near Grand Rapids the l and m I beleive they had a resort or lodge for 799 full thermal

Buy it now so you can mod it and be ready for ice.

Saving money is overrated add long as your happy with the new toy.

Don’t pay full retail for one. I think I bought my otter wild cabin from fleet farm around christmas a couple years ago when they had them on sale for $100 off.

I would look to see if anybody is selling a lightly used one on craigslist. Obviously you’ll need to check for fabric burns and rips, but you’ll save a ton of $$ and it’s already put together…

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Buy it now so you can mod it and be ready for ice.

Saving money is overrated add long as your happy with the new toy.

Well said.

How far should you travel to save a few bucks? How much do you really save at ice show? $200, $300? Admission, parking, gas, food, coffee. Think about it.

I never wait for sales, use coupons, rebates, etc…If i want it, i just go get it; before i change my mind

One thing i’ve learned….Don’t go telling your friends what you just bought…On more than a few occassions; they look at me and go – that just went on sale yesterday $100 off…Then you feel dumb

Ignorance is bliss in that case.

Obviously the “OFF SEASON” is the lowest cost time to buy ANYTHING. WHen demand is the least. Also the hardest time to find something.

I have one buddy who never buys sporting goods stuff at full price…But that means he waits and waits and waits for the right deal…Meanwhile, i have whatever he wants to use; so i can properly rub that in. Sideimaging was a great example. I bought it full price years ago; he waited until the X98’s were obsolete. To each their own.

The bad thing about waiting for Portables to clearance, is that most places order a set amount of fish houses early in the year and the manufacturers are typically sold out by mid winter… so when they are gone, you’re waiting until next year….I would look for a good used portable that somebody wants to sell so they can upgrade to a larger size (happens alot) This way you’ll get a better price, pay no tax and it’s already put together, plus you’ll most likely get some accessories already installed as well…