Why is the Price of Kwik Shine so High?

Skipper July 15, 2008 Ask The Skipper

Jason Kamitz asked:

Is this price for real, $21.99 US per bottle??????? I love the product but that cannot be the real price. I was expecting around $9 – 11 per bottle.

I have used the product in the past and recently re-discovered my love for it while digging through my cleaning supplies. I have had the same bottle for 4 years because I never really took the time to appreciate how well it really works. Just a couple days ago I took out the old bottle, that had about 1/3 of the product remaining, and I used it on the outside surfaces of my boat. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it not only cleaned the dirt, marks, and contaminants from my gel coat, but also gave a layer of protection that felt like a fresh “wax” coating. (without the wax, of course.)

The cost issue, for me, is a result of my closer examination of costs across the board, and a way to reduce my ever increasing expenses. As you know, fuel costs are at an absurd level right now………manufacturers of all products have increased prices to cover their additional expense.

As for me personally, I have adopted a new philosophy: “Don’t cut out the goods you normally use because they are more expensive, just find a way to buy them cheaper.” Which is why I have been searching for a retailer that sells your Kwik Shine product cheaper. (And actually I am interested in trying a couple of your inflatable boat products as well.)

Answer:
For your convenience, I’ve highlighted the hyperlinks. Click on the hyperlink to get more information about the selected product.

Unfortunately $21.99 is the price and if costs of raw goods and transportation keep going up, it could get more expensive. Kwik Shine is not a cheap product. It uses the latest polymer technology, the best ingredients, plus a lot of money was invested in R&D to develop this product. The idea was to create a product that would use chemistry to do the grunt work instead of the boat owner, and work it does.

Kwik Shine is much more than a simple spray wax. There is no carnauba or other natural waxes in Kwik Shine It can convert salt into polish, it’s an amazing cleaner and can clean bird droppings, bug splatter, grease, oil, soot, neutralize fuel overspill on the side of your boat and much more. It will give you the greatest depth of image of any polish on the market (fantastic mirror like finish). It gives you anti-static dirt repelling protection and functions as a combination sealer and UV protective polish. It has great spread-ability so a little goes a long way. It removes light oxidation. It’s a great metal and plastic cleaner and polish as well. It’s one of the few polishes that can be used on LP boat paints such as Awlgrip and Imron without causing blistering of the paint like waxes can, and a great deal more.

Simply put, we just can’t do all of this for $9 or $11 per bottle. To get the same results you would need to buy 3 or 4 different cleaners plus a sealer, plus one or two different UV protective polishes. Then you would have the labor of cleaning your boat with the different cleaners, applying the sealer and then polishing the different surfaces to get the same results as Spray and Wipe with Kwik Shine.

Some of the more progressive marine dealers use it in their service departments to clean up after the mechanics are done and to detail their customer’s boats to show appreciation for their business. Kwik Shine is much more expensive than some of the cleaners that they could use, yet they think it’s a bargain due to its versatility, labor saving and customer appreciation.

Kwik Shine is one of those amazing but under appreciated products because there are no directly competitive products that it can be compared to. People that try it like it a lot. A few marine dealers have even proclaimed that Kwik Shine is the best product that we make.

It would be great if we could sell Kwik Shine for half price as we would sell much more. If we cheapened the product however, we would not have happy customers and certainly no repeat customers. If we diluted it so you needed to use twice as much, the purchase price would be less but that would only be a false economy and the additional packaging and cost of shipping twice as much would only burden the environment.

I’m happy that you re-discovered Kwik Shine and you love how it makes your boat look. I’m sure you will be equally pleased with the appearance and protection you get from the Aurora Inflatable Products. Remember that saving money on maintenance is not a saving at all. When you use the best products possible, you will get your money back many times over when you trade or sell your boat and you’ll enjoy your boat so much more when it looks great and you get compliments all the time.

About saving money by buying cheaper, we have weekly promotions and sales all the time. You can save up to 25% and get free freight. Check our Website once a week to see what’s being promoted or on sale or sign up for Free Membership in the Aurora Marine Club and we’ll send you an email when something comes on sale so you can take advantage and not miss it.

Thanks for your question,

Captain Aurora
Richard Kittar