M.A.P. stands for "Minimum Advertised Price" and is a price set by the manufacturer below which the manufacturer will not allow the product to be advertised by their authorized dealers or distributors.

M.A.P. pricing has been around for decades before the Internet but has become more prevalent since. It is perfectly legal as long as it applies only to advertised or displayed prices and does not dictate the final sale price.

M.A.P. policies and price levels vary greatly from one manufacturer to the next. In the following sections we will try to explain some of them.

When it comes to pricing, some manufacturers set the prices unrealistically high. When that happens, you will see nearly everyone at the same price. In that case, you might want to inquire if a better price is available.

If the M.A.P. price is set too low, below the point that a dealer can expect to realize a profit after the sale, you will see a spread of prices with a group at the low point typically all the same. When this is the case, you are not likely to get a better price unless you are talking about some quantity.

Policies regarding the Internet vary widely too. The majority simply say the advertised price can not be lower than M.A.P. and do not preclude a shopping cart discount. In other cases, the policies do not allow us to display a price below M.A.P. at ANY time prior to the purchase commitment. By this they mean you would have to enter your credit card info and buy the product before we could show your net price.