The Backyard – When MAP Becomes a Battleground

Hey everyone, welcome to The Backyard!

ICYMI, last week Team Associated publicly called out Horizon Hobby for alleged “unauthorized price reductions” of their vehicles. These kinds of disputes usually stay behind closed doors, so it was eyebrow-raising to see Associated frustrated enough to air it publicly.

And funny enough, a big hobby shop near me is having a major in-store sale right now. Lots of rigs and kits are marked down big — but none of it is advertised online. Why? Because certain suppliers technically don’t allow discounts to be shown outside of approved channels.

The common thread in both cases isn’t MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price). MSRP is just a suggestion — the number printed on the box that no one really expects to pay. The real flashpoint is three different letters: MAP — Minimum Advertised Price.

Here’s how it works: MAP is the lowest price a retailer can publicly advertise a product for, as set by the manufacturer or distributor. It doesn’t always mean you can’t sell below it, but you can’t show that lower price on your website or ads. MAP is designed to keep the market from becoming a race to the bottom, where everyone undercuts each other until there’s no margin left.

From the consumer perspective? MAP feels like price fixing. If every website shows the same number, it doesn’t matter if it’s “minimum advertised” — it looks like collusion. And in a hobby where dollars don’t stretch as far as they used to, people understandably get frustrated when they can’t find a deal.

From the retailer side, it’s more complicated. Many hobby shops like MAP because it protects them. Without it, giant online retailers could slash prices so low that brick-and-mortar stores couldn’t even come close. But at the same time, MAP can feel like a shackle. When business is slow and you need to move stock, being forced to stick to a number can be frustrating.

Then there are the suppliers. Manufacturers and distributors use MAP to stabilize their pricing and protect their brand’s value. They want every shop to compete on service and experience, not just price. That makes sense in theory — but in practice, the internet is global, non-authorized sellers exist, and tariffs/shipping fees create loopholes that muddy the waters.

So is MAP good or bad? Honestly, both. In a perfect world, MAP gives retailers room to breathe, consumers confidence they’re not being gouged, and suppliers stability in their pricing. But in the real world, it often creates friction.

I don’t really know what is fair as a lot of this is above my pay grade. I do know what’s clearly unfair, though: punishing your local shop because of MAP-related issues. They’re usually just following rules handed down by suppliers, trying to stay alive in an increasingly tough market, and a lot of the time they are the one’s that get squeezed by it on all sides – consumer AND supplier.

Maybe the better way forward for the hobby isn’t clinging to MAP as a hard line (because it’s clearly always a moving target), but focusing on transparency. If shops can explain value, if manufacturers can justify costs, and if consumers understand why the price is what it is, the conversation gets a lot healthier. Because at the end of the day, MAP should be a guide for industry stability — not a battleground where everyone feels like they’re losing and getting hacked off at each other.

That’s it for me this week. Until next time, be kind to your fellow hobbyists and keep it on all 4’s!