No personal shots from me here, but CappyCore is providing some great admissions to take apart.
CaptainCore wrote: ↑Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:53 pm
Obviously not a very accurate thread then.
Then enlighten us with some "accuracy". You could even play "The Price Is Right" gameshow with us. If $200 is not an accurate price of a finished kite sitting in Sri Lanka, than what is? And does that not change based on your order quantity? So Slingshot would pay "per kite" less for their initial order, and then Core would have no discount for the same build?
CaptainCore wrote: ↑Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:53 pm
Customer service really is the province of the dealer in a structured retail market, fantasy land folk who think the internet is everything and it can deliver customer service of the sort you get hands on in store on the ground in my view are deluded.
So, from other posts here, would the retailer be the last stop for customer service from Core (and a few other brands)? That why I posit you are pretty much in the same boat with direct ordering vs. paying lots of markups as a retail customer - YOU GET THE SAME CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR ABOUT $1200 LESS!
But here is the key. From what james and CappyCore have dropped, each 100%markup taker in the long chain has a specific set of responsibilities. The retailer is responsible for just customer service and warranty claims. The local distributor is only responsible for approximating local consumption (some say for 2months, and that same person would say for the whole year in another case -strange). Then the regional distributor does ????? for what? Then the brand name redesigns last years perfect kite to make it less than perfect so that kiters will buy the following years kite in hopes they made it into the same shape as 3 years ago???? Then they also have some riders that they send around to kite and pimp the new kite that is not as good as last years. But these team riders rarely demo or help out around the local beach.
I am not saying that this situation is not "the best they can do", especially if you want to provide a modest living for people in that chain. Your $1600 (CappyCore please correct for accuracy of production cost (12m kite) to retail difference) that goes to provide a long chain of people is doing good right?
But there is another market model that should take off in the near future. Not because it has been tried before, but because innovation is stagnant and cost increases for those looking to buy new gear is definitely an issue. And just like the Liquid Force "Lil Phatty Kite Pump", making things more expensive by combining an on demand product build (2month order cycle with air freight) with a long supply chain, does not seem as wise as a direct to market model.
So not to straddle both sides of the fence, like Toby has alluded to, barriers to entry in the sport can be good for those of us already here. Less crowded beaches, less chance for accidents from kooks not willing invest in new gear or lessons, and inherent support for lesson providers in that new entrants want to "try kiteboarding" instead of buying in - these can all be seen as good things!
But don't get uneasy when the service you provide - making my purchases more expensive - is not looked upon with admiration and awe.