The Schwacke is a business management tool. Dealers use the Schwacke-Händlereinkaufspreis (Dealer Purchase Price) – a significantly lower figure than the retail Reference Price – to determine how much they can offer for a trade-in or a car at auction while preserving a profitable margin after reconditioning, warranty, and advertising costs. It also provides legal cover; a dealer who can justify a price “in line with Schwacke” has a strong defense against accusations of price gouging.
Let us walk through a hypothetical example to demystify the jargon. schwacke katalog