MIA's business practices

[willc7786 0]

wow didn't expect to start such a big thing...

well, regardless of whether the shop should stock them or not, does anyone know a shop on Long Island, NY or eastern Mass. where I could check out a pair?

[Chadd 916]

G.M. I think you taking it a little too far, if your gonna go out and tell companies to Boycott Mia, just because they sell direct, thats not fair, it should be their decision.

Too me I think Mia is a great thing. Custom Gloves, everything, I've always imagined to have my name embroidered on my gloves, just like the pros

I just think thats Bullsh!t if you go out and tell different shops to Boycott Mia just because you do.

P.S. MissConduct, those gloves are wicked nice....Beauty's

I'm with ya! I support Mia fully

Go MIA!!

Doug

I talk to many other shops everyday and they can do what they want. I will go ahead though and speak my mind. If they bring it in, good for them. I will continue to boycott them and hopefully, others will as well.

MIQ is not the only brand to sell direct, a lot of third tier brands do the same thing and all of them have problems getting shops to stock their products.

[G.M. 0]

Now that's funny!!!! MIQ! ROFLMAO!

[Jim A 4]

Classic!!

[QandA 0]

Hate to bring this up, but to prove a point, MIA is also short for MIAMI, on a scoreboard on television. Is that wrong as well?

[G.M. 0]

Hate to bring this up, but to prove a point, MIA is also short for MIAMI, on a scoreboard on television. Is that wrong as well?

No, because you know it is Miami.

Made in America is actually Made in Quebec, which is why we laughed at the MIQ comment.

Many of them (Quebecois) would prefer to not even consider themselves Canadian, which is why every so often they want to "separate" from Canada.

[echi24 1]

Many of them (Quebecois) would prefer to not even consider themselves Canadian, which is they always want to "separate" from Canada.

thats more like it :D

[Miike 1]

Like on McDonalds Monopoly, Quebec is excluded :P, Btw nice looking gloves everybody.

[Puddy 0]

As a consumer, when I'm buying custom gear I'd rather buy direct. No middleman, less room for error.

I think the best solution here is to set up kind of a "showroom" situation. You try the gloves (or whatever else) on in a LHS, you start the ordering process through the LHS so the LHS gets commission, but from that point on you deal directly with the manufacturer.

Honestly I would think you LHS guys would favor this. I know LHS owners who refuse to take custom orders because they have had to take the hit in the past if the order is screwed up.

[sdh 0]

G.M. I think you taking it a little too far, if your gonna go out and tell companies to Boycott Mia, just because they sell direct, thats not fair, it should be their decision.

Too me I think Mia is a great thing. Custom Gloves, everything, I've always imagined to have my name embroidered on my gloves, just like the pros

I just think thats Bullsh!t if you go out and tell different shops to Boycott Mia just because you do.

P.S. MissConduct, those gloves are wicked nice....Beauty's

I'm with ya! I support Mia fully

Go MIA!!

Doug

I talk to many other shops everyday and they can do what they want. I will go ahead though and speak my mind. If they bring it in, good for them. I will continue to boycott them and hopefully, others will as well.

MIQ is not the only brand to sell direct, a lot of third tier brands do the same thing and all of them have problems getting shops to stock their products.

"problems getting into shops" is probably the reason they chose to sell online. mia is a relatively unknown brand and most shops are not likely to take the chance on their product. it probably isn't worth it to them to spend the next 10 years building shop relationships.

when internet commerce first came about people would say that consumers would still buy products in stores for the superior customer service. uh yeah ... I think that has been sufficiently disproven. the internet economy is the fastest growing ever.

this board is an example of customer support that is superior to a local shop.

believe me, I hate taking my money online if there is a local shop I can support. I'm willing to pay more because I don't want those shops to disappear. Sadly, it is a losing battle and every year there are fewer and fewer retail shops that carry enough products to make them worth the drive.

however, my local hockey shops are not that helpful. seems like the only thing you can get in a hockey shop these days is lots and lots of attitude.

oh and those mia gloves look hot.

[wristshot19 0]

As a consumer, when I'm buying custom gear I'd rather buy direct. No middleman, less room for error.

Going directly to the source doesn't always mean they are going to get things 100% right. I got my MIAs and the number embroidery I ordered and paid for was missing. I have sent them (Stephane) two e-mails since I received the gloves and haven't heard a word back.

The gloves look and feel great but I am starting to question their followup service. That's where a LHS can really shine. My wife bought me these gloves for a specific reason or else I would have just bought a pair of gloves from my local shop.

[peter1978 0]

Just a quick question for everyone that is criticising the purchase of factory direct goods such as MIA gloves. Just out of curiousity, how many of you right now are reading this post on a Dell computer that you inevitable purchased directly from Dell over the internet. This is the future of cost efficient business. If a young compnay was to start out this way, modeling their business in such a manor would eliminate unnecessary costs, middle man mark-ups, unncessary shipping and stocking charges. MIA is providing a specialty service, and they must feel their advertising efforts are better spent on pro player on national t.v. rather than our LHS. Also lets not forget MIA specializes in custom gloves. Stocking the shelves with cookie cutter gloves defeats the purpose of what the company is trying to achieve.

Oh and by the way, once mine arrive in the next week or so i'll be sure to post some pictures for all of you to comment on.

[JR Boucicaut 3789]

Explain that to the dealers who stock their gloves.

[peter1978 0]

<_<

Im not sure of the point you're trying to make, are you agreeing or dissagreeing with me on this??

[JR Boucicaut 3789]

I'm disagreeing.

There are dealers who are stocking MIA gloves in their stores. Isn't it unfair to them that the mfgr is selling direct as well?

[donkey87 0]

I'm disagreeing.

There are dealers who are stocking MIA gloves in their stores. Isn't it unfair to them that the mfgr is selling direct as well?

It's not unfair to the LHS if MIA sells direct as long as the LHS was aware of that fact before they began to carry MIA's gloves. No one is forcing the LHS to carry MIA, but if that shop feels that there is enough demand for the product and wants to carry it, and feels that they can compete with MIA's direct sales, let them. The big attraction to MIA is the ability to order custom gloves, so it doesn't make much sense for a LHS to carry them. But I don't think that MIA really cares. As long as they are selling gloves, why would they care if a LHS doesn't want to carry their product? This whole argument is pointless, MIA's business plan is working for them, why change it?

[JR Boucicaut 3789]

We'll rehash this thread a year from now.

[peter1978 0]

Sorry, i now see the point you're making. I guess it would be a little frusturating for dealers selling MIA aswell. Would it not be safe to assume that dealers are buying larger quantites of these gloves at some sort of a wholesale price?? I would have to assume that my LHS can purchase these gloves for less than what i paid for mine directly from MIA. And given that, if the final price in stores is about the same as what i could pay directly from MIA, than logic would suggest that it would be more conviente to purchase from my LHS.

If this isn't the case, and my LHS is buying them for the same price I am, than i guess it begs the question, should my LHS be stocking them to begin with?

[JR Boucicaut 3789]

Okay, that last response tells me you aren't sure about how this business works. And that's okay.

[peter1978 0]

You know what, you're probably right, and i dont presume to know everything about this business. What is it that makes the purchase and sale of hockey equipment any different than any other type of business??

[zingbergeur 0]

Sorry, i now see the point you're making. I guess it would be a little frusturating for dealers selling MIA aswell. Would it not be safe to assume that dealers are buying larger quantites of these gloves at some sort of a wholesale price?? I would have to assume that my LHS can purchase these gloves for less than what i paid for mine directly from MIA. And given that, if the final price in stores is about the same as what i could pay directly from MIA, than logic would suggest that it would be more conviente to purchase from my LHS.

If this isn't the case, and my LHS is buying them for the same price I am, than i guess it begs the question, should my LHS be stocking them to begin with?

Your LHS certainly isn't paying the same price you paid online, but that isn't even applicable to the argument presented by the LHS guys. The problem is that MIA is selling gloves to the LHS and then turning around and selling them online themselves. How can a LHS possibly compete with the enterprise that manufactures the freakin product?! I think that in the long run, shop owners won't stock MIA products. So, eventually you won't be able to try on their gloves in a LHS, and you'll be ordering them blind from the MIA website (something many of us would be very hesitant to do). We'll just have to wait and see like JR said.

[peter1978 0]

I see the point you're making. You said that there would be no possible way the LHS could compete with the company it's self. However, if like you say people attach a certian value to such services as being able to try them on, than you're LHS has a clear advantage over buying them straight from MIA. Further more, if your LHS has some profit built into their products, as you say they must, than being competitive with price, and offering services not otherwise available will futher that advantage. Why pay more for something i cant touch and feel first?? I think as the company grows you'll likely see more of their gloves poping up in your LHS, and perhaps the custom feature will be left to on-line odering.

[echi24 1]

The problem is, the LHS will pay to stock the gloves. Customers will go in and try them on for fit and feel, and once they find out they can get these customized for a slightly higher price, they go home and order direct. The LHS is stuck with unsold gloves. Its similar to how alot of employees are furious when people waste your time trying on 5 pairs of skates only to buy them online.

[donkey87 0]

Mia's main attraction is the fact that you can custom order them. There is no way for a LHS to stock all the different possible options. For the service and product offered by MIA, direct sales is more effective than retailing through a LHS.

[hurricane 0]

I have a question? what benefit does MIA get from selling direct, If it pisses off dealers? there has to be a business reason for this. Because I truely beleive Bauer, CCM or Easton would do the same thing if they could profit better from it.