MIA's business practices

[donkey87 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.

MIA's attraction is for custom gloves. CCM, Bauer and Easton sell stock colors. LHS can carry all the color options for Vapor XXX or Synergy gloves. With MIA selling direct, they only produce gloves that they will sell. So they don't have over runs and extra gloves sitting around. It is more efficent for MIA to sell direct.

[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.

MIA's attraction is for custom gloves. CCM, Bauer and Easton sell stock colors. LHS can carry all the color options for Vapor XXX or Synergy gloves. With MIA selling direct, they only produce gloves that they will sell. So they don't have over runs and extra gloves sitting around. It is more efficent for MIA to sell direct.

Ok, I understand. I know that usually a company will start to sell direct if it is not doing well. So say bauer was'nt selling well through the dealers they would try to sell direct because usually they can directly offer better prices. I know of a few non-hockey companys to do this....and they stayed in business. :D

[Chadd 916]

Instead of the shop and the manufacturer making a profit, the manufacturer doubles up. It doesn't benefit the customer in any way and is yet another way the local hockey shop takes it up the ass.

[Jim A 4]

imagine if it were like that across the board..

shops only carry stock Vapor XX but you can order custom for about the same price from NBH...wooooaahh...

[sdh 0]

here's an idea for you shop owners...

Offer to stock samples of MIA's gloves for a fee that is roughly equivalent to the margin you make on gloves that would otherwise occupy that rack space for the year. MIA will sell more products since consumers are more likely to buy gloves online that they have tried on. Shops will get some gauranteed revenue and MIA gets some needed marketing.

Win win.

[Chadd 916]

here's an idea for you shop owners...

Offer to stock samples of MIA's gloves for a fee that is roughly equivalent to the margin you make on gloves that would otherwise occupy that rack space for the year. MIA will sell more products since consumers are more likely to buy gloves online that they have tried on. Shops will get some gauranteed revenue and MIA gets some needed marketing.

Win win.

That sounds alot simpler than having every sale go through a dealer.

[MIASPORTS 0]

I have read many interesting reasons why MIA sells direct to end users and many reasons why we shouldn't.

Allow me to explain our concept.

As you all know MIA Produces Custom high end goods, we make these almost on a one-by-one basis. This is why production can be limited.

We offer a large variety of materials, colors and options. This can make things more complicated for some LHS.

We have made a decision to sell our goods to a select amount of LHS.

We call them Dealer Partners, they are few and far apart. They believe in the concept and they know that we are here to work with them and not against.

We sell direct to end-users as a complimentary service to these Dealer Partners. We don't compete with any of our dealers.

Our goal is to provide quality service to our end-users either at one of Service points (LHS) or via the internet if more convenient.

I hope this can clear up some misunderstandings,

Have a great day,

Michel Paul

MIA Sports

edit:typo sorry

[hurricane 0]

imagine if it were like that across the board..

shops only carry stock Vapor XX but you can order custom for about the same price from NBH...wooooaahh...

If the prices keep going up and up with quality and derability staying the same or going down shops will find themselves not able to sell those XX or XXX skates, gloves,ETC...they will stop ordering them in return bauer will notice sales and ordering going down the shop won't get as good of a deal and since it's a business NBH would do what they needed to do to stay in business. I tried 3 different local stores to order Bauer 8000 pants, stores that carry NBH and ended up ordering with Hockey Monkey...Who had hundreds in stock and you know NBH Loves them...So if you get mad at MIA you should also be Boycotting Online stores...Because as far as I am concerned the closest you can get to NBH,CCM,Easton,ETC... is an online store. Period.

[echi24 1]

I have an idea, may not work but its just an idea.

If MIA made a portable display for their gloves, maybe ship a pair of gloves from each of their models (they only have 2 or 3 i believe) along with a poster of all the customization offers and glove features. MIA will ship these three gloves free to the shop, and the shop will try to market the custom gloves for those willing to spend the cash. then the shop makes commission based on sales, and if they dont sell anything, they do not lose either. im not sure if MIA would be willing to implement such a plan however. I remember seeing bauer gloves that were displayed that shoewed the plastic inserts and the armour foam, so why not have gloves that a customer can try on for size and then order.

[donkey87 0]

I have an idea, may not work but its just an idea.

If MIA made a portable display for their gloves, maybe ship a pair of gloves from each of their models (they only have 2 or 3 i believe) along with a poster of all the customization offers and glove features. MIA will ship these three gloves free to the shop, and the shop will try to market the custom gloves for those willing to spend the cash. then the shop makes commission based on sales, and if they dont sell anything, they do not lose either. im not sure if MIA would be willing to implement such a plan however. I remember seeing bauer gloves that were displayed that shoewed the plastic inserts and the armour foam, so why not have gloves that a customer can try on for size and then order.

The only problem I see with that idea is that it would take away from the sale of gloves that the LHS already has in stock. I might go in to get a pair of Vapor XX gloves, see the MIA display and change my mind and order a pair. Then the LHS loses a sale and only recieves a small commissions. THe only way for that idea to work would be for MIA to make the commissions higher, which would cut into their profits, which would raise the price of the gloves. MIA's current set up seems to work, don't know why they would change it.

[echi24 1]

While their current setup seems to work, soon all stores will realize that MIA is doing nothing but fucking them up the ass by selling direct. Then if stores no longer decide to carry MIA products, customers cant try them on (unless they have teammates or an older pair), and sales will drop because no one will spend this much money on a small brand glove they have never heard of

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Heck, what are you doing when you order custom Eagle, you try them on in your LHS and then you order them with your LHS, it's the samething with MIA.

[Jim A 4]

hurricane you totally missed my point..

I equated the MIA setup with other facets..

ie. you can buy stock MIA in store but order custom through the factory..

ie. you can buy stock XX in the store but custom through NBH..

another point you forget is that most of the online shops have a retail front along with a warehouse...HG's 3 main stores are all 17000sft or larger..plus a 55,000 square foot warehouse and corporate setup in Carlsbad...its not some mom and pop out of a big garage...there's a lot of overhead..

but in the end the guys at HG who do the buy are bright for the most part on their buying, have a concept of how long each item should last in inventory ,etc..its not just "hey that looks cool" let's get some..

not all the companies love the online stores anyway..trust me..

[G.M. 0]

Heck, what are you doing when you order custom Eagle, you try them on in your LHS and then you order them with your LHS, it's the samething with MIA.

You are incorrect.

[Sid 3]

I think my point has been distorted. MIA makes their product here in "NORTH AMMERICA". I have seen bauer/Nike gloves going for $200 dollars and correct me if I am not wrong but these are made overseas. MIA gloves run about the same maybe a bit more. Yet this company strives on offering far wages and good labour practises while Nike has taken thousands of job away from North American people and violate simple human rights in the process. I still believe you have tom put food on the table but I also believe in moral values. I am a bit disturbed by the you must sell through a LHS or not at all mentallity. THis is a company that is trying to create a quality product with quality valus to its workers. Would this not make a LHS work in conjuction with it better the value of human life and labour laws to create better world. My best example is with Local LHS working wiith MIA to say we will stock you product on the basis that any sales within the local area are done through that loacl store as they did with mine. As I live in Toronto and can not speak but does not MIA also offer and option to people that do not have a LHS anywhere near them? Unfortunatley capatlism works on whatever creates profit the best yet MIA tries to strike a balance of Capatilism and human values. I am a little surprised that the values do not make people think this is a good product with good values therfore endorsing this product rather than boycotting a company like nike. Again I understand we all need to put food on the table but we all have to stand up for things that are righ in this world.

Thanks Sid

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Heck, what are you doing when you order custom Eagle, you try them on in your LHS and then you order them with your LHS, it's the samething with MIA.

You are incorrect.

why?

[Chadd 916]

I think my point has been distorted.  MIA makes their product here in "NORTH AMMERICA".

Quebec, not America as the name implies.

[Sid 3]

Not to harp on it but America is a continent not a country much like Africa. It has been coined America but it is the united states of america.

[JR Boucicaut 3791]

Heck, what are you doing when you order custom Eagle, you try them on in your LHS and then you order them with your LHS, it's the samething with MIA.

You are incorrect.

why?

Because you don't pay Eagle directly. It goes through your LHS.

[Sid 3]

Mia takes 3 weekes and from what I hear Eagle takea longer.

[Miike 1]

Eagle takes months and months... How long did Vapors take again?

[JR Boucicaut 3791]

Well, hello, Eagle makes more gloves than MIA...

[MissConduct 1]

Mia takes 3 weekes and from what I hear Eagle takea longer.

mine took 1 week :D

[Sid 3]

Well, hello, Eagle makes more gloves than MIA...

But that is what makes it appealing to the consumer shorter time better service same quality.

[JR Boucicaut 3791]

You can jock MIA all you want. I'm done on this thread. I know more about the situation than y'all do and I just won't comment anymore. We'll rehash this a year from now.