Canadian Vs. Overseas businesses

[Schlyder]

hahahahaha the poll results..... ...
on another forum I participate in, all polls must contain the option of "carrots"
We should have a mandatory choice on all polls here on ASC ... where one choice must be "Fish Sticks"

[pancakedestroyer]

High demand for a product shouldn't equate to higher prices. Lower prices gives more people an opportunity to get into something they might otherwise not bother with.
Some might argue that if you aren't willing to invest then you shouldn't be playing the game, true to an extent but look at it from a different angle.

Guitars, they range from dirt cheap to stupidly expensive. It is a hobby that can be gotten into on the cheap and when you approach someone else with your cheap guitar they don't look down on you, they go "man, that'll get you started but wait till you get your hands on one of these (insert brand x guitar here).

Airsoft from an outsiders perspective comes off like this, you buy a kraken or broxa to get a feel for it and people will either ridicule you for having a pos gun or someone will say "hey, its a start, maybe not a great start but you can work your way towards this (insert x brand gun here). Sometimes all people can afford is the lower end of the spectrum and while it is nice to say "save for something better, sometimes something better isn't always an option for some"
If the option to enter into the game with a lower price point isn't there then you won't see an influx of players and I think the one thing most of us want is more people playing the game.

Where am I going with this?

While the argument that high demand equates high prices seems valid to some people, some people don't buy it.
You would think that higher demand would mean a slightly lower price since they would be able to move more product.

If you're able to get a quality gun that someone is selling elsewhere for $600 into the hands of someone for $500 you've just made a customer. That person will remember that they got a good deal and keep coming back, they'll recommend that retailer to their friends and they'll spread the word.
We luckily have a store here like that and someone running it that is trying to spread the word for the airsoft scene in our location so kudos to him.

I don't think anyone should hold it against a retailer for the prices they list their product at. They really are limited on what their able to and we should support them as best we can.
We can't even say how much product the distributors bring in, I suspect part of them charging what they do is because they don't bring a lot of stock into the country.
I wouldn't want to import product that wasn't going to sell quickly and if I'm not importing a lot of product then shipping and storage costs are going to hurt me.

Having a US distributor may not be a bad thing, closer product could mean lower costs in the long run but, I don't import guns so I can only speculate.
I do know we shouldn't be harping on the retailers for trying to supply us with the guns we want.

Although, this is a topic thats been beaten, debated and discussed so many times before its starting to look like a halloween pumpkin that was left outside over the winter.

[Stealthee]

I think one of the reasons why prices in Canada are so high may be because retailers don't order a lot of stock to get wholesale discounts, therefore they need to sell it at a high price to make profit. Some retailers that do imports or custom orders also have high prices probably for the same reason, because they're ordering just one item for you and although they do batch orders because of multiple individuals, I think discounts only applies to a large quantity of the same item. It also doesn't help if they get their guns from another retailer, instead of warehouses or direct.

How many retailers actually do large wholesale orders? If they don't, then maybe they should do really large orders, so that each unit they buy is very cheap and then when they sell it (us in Canada), they can sell it maybe just a little more than US prices to be comparable.

I agree with the statement about demand and the number of retailers. It's comparable like clothing retailers. Eg. Abercrombie and Fitch or Hollister vs Old Navy. There's like 1 Abercrombie & Fitch in Toronto, the next one is in Etobicoke, but that's it. The prices for these clothing is über high vs Old Navy, where there is many locations in Toronto and their clothing is pretty damn cheap. Some shop at A&F, but many shop at Old Navy due to easy access and inexpensive prices.

I'm just trying to analyze or understand the situation here, but I do really appreciate the retailers on here. If it weren't for you, many of us wouldn't have guns in the first place. Keep it up guys.

[TokyoSeven]

Originally Posted by VooDooPeteK

but sometimes any answer is better then none right????

Yes of course, sometimes being the keyword. When I was in visiting towns around Guangdong province back in China when I was on vacation I swear I ate things that were not chicken, beef or pork but the meals were delicious and I would much rather not know the truth about the origin of the meat.

I believe you already know the answer to your original question, its just a matter of how you wish to interpret it...or if yo wish to accept it that is...either or...fish sticks....onions....fish sticks...pie...fish stick and onion pie... nom nom nom.

[Flea-ish]

Did i forget to open the poll, or did somebody close it... What a waste of a good poll for faq sake

[Scarecrow]

The key to lower price is simply volume. And we don't have it in Canada. We're getting there, but you have to remember Canada's population and economy is commonly compared to that of the state of California. And with the restrictive gun laws and attitudes up here, the actual proportion of interest here versus south of the border is lower as well.

Jeff's explanation sums it up pretty good I think. Also, don't forget, most retailers are financing their 60 day shipments with 9 to 14% money - thats what secured business credit goes for these days. I'm lucky because I have a house and a secure line of credit I borrow against so its around 3%. That savings gets passed onto my customers. But without that I can tell you my prices would be higher, thats for sure.

[ripanu1]

i agree 100% on that line

[deep in the bush]

Originally Posted by Danke

The current wave has wiped out a lot of charisofters investment portfolios but what can you do.

Is that like investing in your childs education by buying Star Wars toys/pokemon?

[Danke]

Originally Posted by deep in the bush

Is that like investing in your childs education by buying Star Wars toys/pokemon?

Hey I'll let them play with them when they're ready! For now I'm just keeping them safe on the shelf.

[krap101]

Someone said earlier that supply and demand didn't answer it, but I think it does. If you import 10 guns a month (let's just say...) and you sell those 10 guns in the first day, you have nothing to sell for the rest of the month. That means that the price is too low. If you sell less than the 10 guns, then the price is too high. The equilibrium price is there the supply and demand curves meet. Ideally, the seller will sell 10 guns a month, sometimes all 10, sometimes less. Until he can increase the supply, he must keep prices higher. So if people keep buying, he will keep having to increase prices until he can afford to expand (lets say 15 guns a month). Then he will have 15 guns to sell, so he can lower prices to try to sell all 15. Guns sitting on the shelf are wasted money, no guns on the shelf are wasted money. (sorry to have to say that, but it's the truth) It's a consumer market.. I do agree that sometimes the markup is too high, and they could be making more money with a higher turnover rate, but things are the way they are. True, if one seller decided to mark up 20% and had a ridiculous turnover rate, prices would drop, but eventually, all of the smaller shops would close and there would only be a few big sellers. This is when they can control the market and charge whatever they want. Competition=lower prices. Collaboration=higher prices. Ever hear of a company who was doing very well, and after they expanded, they failed, become they overestimated demand? I have..

Un otro problema es el gobierno :P.

Btw, how are there 84 million votes?-

[Exhopek]

If only I could go out to a skirmish using canadian tire cheapsoft...

I have a feeling that if canadian prices drop as low as american prices (not even china or HK price) the sellers would see the volume that they need. In Hong Kong, Japan and other countries its not unheard of people having multiple AEGs, some people even buy just for the sake of collecting the model. Now just imagine if you get hong kong online price (actual price is lower when your buying there according to your ability to haggle)

Dream on....

[Crunchmeister]

I would make an attempt to support Canadian businesses when I can, as I do now with parts and other stuff I need. I still end up buying a bunch of stuff overseas because they come out much cheaper than buying the same item in Canada, and often with the same delivery time.

But dollar for dollar, if something is comparable in Canada, that's where my money will go. I don't even mind paying a small percentage more to keep it local. However, in many cases, that just won't happen. Things just cost more in Canada.

[Flea-ish]

I think Canadian business is fine and great, but really, if i can get something for significantly cheaper overseas, then my money is going overseas 9 times out of ten. I'll buy from a friend or an acquaintance if i feel their price is reasonable, and i'll pay a bit more for convenience if necessary, but really: the price of airsoft in canada is not reasonable.

I would love to have so much money that i could afford to pay a very large premium and put other people's kids through college so i can get warm fuzzies about 'supporting' canadian business. Unfortunately thats not reality for myself and (i would suggest the majority of) others.

The reality of business is compete or die, a price low enough to compete and high enough to make a profit. If some of the regulatory barriers were lowered, all the people who have been making shit tons of cash either retailing or distributing airsoft guns would have their profits instantly slashed and burned, because they would have to lower their prices to compete with the new guys entering the market, and the staggering profits would likely line up with US retailers (plus a bit, because canada just seems to get screwed a tad on pricing for whatever reason). I can only hope this happens. I have respect for everybody retailing airsoft, but honestly put: I hope the supply chain expands to stamp out this habitat for gouging that we have now.

Sorry to all you canadian retailers, but my money means more to me than your profits. that's just the nature of business, no hard feelings.

[TokyoSeven]

Originally Posted by Flea-ish

What a waste of a good poll for faq sake

Polls attract spam bots.

The poll was not wasted. 84,625,413 votes confirmed that people like fish sticks.

[Stealthee]

Originally Posted by TokyoSeven

Polls attract spam bots.

The poll was not wasted. 84,625,413 votes confirmed that people like fish sticks.

That's 1-2% of the world population.