Equipment like beer/cola wars?

[jimmy 194]

It all comes down to a company's business strategy.  If you're small, why are you in business?  What I mean is, why should a customer choose your product and reject the others?  To get someone to buy a niche brand, they basically have to reject other brands first which get the shelf space and marketing support.  If your company can't answer that question you're doomed to become irrelevant eventually.  And if you don't plan on trying to grow the business by taking on some higher risk such as laying out the $ for a marketing campaign or trying some very unique viral marketing to build word of mouth, again you'll eventually become irrelevant.  The big guys are just going to keep raising the cost to do business and compete in the market by investing money in R&D, marketing, securing channels, etc.

I think the response to this is "The best laid plans....."

I think most small manufacturers believe there is something better about their product or company -- functionality, looks, price, service, etc -- and probably become shocked and dismayed when the product isn't instantly accepted. And the question quickly becomes whether the money will last.

I can only give you my example. I've done four tradeshows and picked up two retailers so far. I've advertised in the Hockey Business News for the past five issues and haven't received one phone call. I've visited a shop where I know the manager and owner well. The manager tells me, "Wow, I really like this stick......Man, this is nice... But we better ask The Man." And The Man says it's a great stick, but he doesn't want to carry a new brand.

So the projections on the business plan aren't skewing with reality and one has to ask why keep trying? Partially because of being in too deep. But more importantly, it's all the times of hearing, "Wow, I really like this stick......Man, this is nice... " I can't speak for other companies, but as long as the money doesn't run out, there's always the hope that the common refrain can finally become a groundswell that can sustain the business.

So, again, the best laid business plans don't always bear out.

Glad to see you are still plugging. Salming sticks have been accepted by a lot of my customers and so far I've been happy with the results. Jason, as you know this is a cut-throat business and there are forces out there trying to sink you. I'm sure a few stores have gotten the call from a "Moose" or "Rocco", and were told in so many words that if you carry Salming stuff, we'll cut you off. Don't think it happens, it does. When I opened I was threatened. This business is so corupt it's unbelievable.

I had a dad in my store the other day who told me a story of his kid's coach who worked for a major manufacturer who is located in my area. The coach said, what are you doing wearing a CCM helmet, here kid, wear OUR helmet. Here you go, we are a great company, you can have it for free. Then, we get their stooges on these boards saying, they saw a whole team wearing XX brand equipment, therefor XX brand has to be the best. What a bunch of BS!

[Jason Harris 31]

Jason, as you know this is a cut-throat business and there are forces out there trying to sink you. I'm sure a few stores have gotten the call from a "Moose" or "Rocco", and were told in so many words that if you carry Salming stuff, we'll cut you off. Don't think it happens, it does. When I opened I was threatened. This business is so corupt it's unbelievable.

Wow, I've heard of retailers telling the manufacturer that if they sell to the new store opening down the street, they'll kick out the products, but I hadn't heard of it coming down from the reps.

The way I look at it is a bad week for Easton will be a good year for me. It makes it easier to be optimistic. :)

[DarkStar50 679]

Sometimes its about location, location, location. Not my shop's location but the vendor. If Acme Hockey is out on the West Coast and I'm here on the East Coast, then I think about freight costs these days as well. That shipping cost will eat into your profit very quickly. So its not just about the product, its also got other factors to consider with Acme Hockey. Puckskin has a great product, no doubt. However, that UPS tariff expense sure was a shocker! I'll leave it at that. Just more food for thought about the business of the business of running a LHS.

[jimmy 194]

Sometimes its about location, location, location. Not my shop's location but the vendor. If Acme Hockey is out on the West Coast and I'm here on the East Coast, then I think about freight costs these days as well. That shipping cost will eat into your profit very quickly. So its not just about the product, its also got other factors to consider with Acme Hockey. Puckskin has a great product, no doubt. However, that UPS tariff expense sure was a shocker! I'll leave it at that. Just more food for thought about the business of the business of running a LHS.

Concur, freight is a huge factor. It sucks away profits big time.

BTW, I paid no tariff on my first two Puckskin orders, but the third was huge. Thankfully Puckskin agreed to pay the bill. I think they are trying to get a US based distributor location.

[Jason Harris 31]

That's interesting, because Greg said the warehouse/shipping company he uses straddles the border by BC and Washington, so US shipments were supposed to come out of the US side. It's possible the warehouse company made a mistake.

Regarding freight in general, I always check UPS, Fed Ex and USPS to find the lowest price before I ship products, because there can be large differences.

[jimmy 194]

That's interesting, because Greg said the warehouse/shipping company he uses straddles the border by BC and Washington, so US shipments were supposed to come out of the US side. It's possible the warehouse company made a mistake.

Regarding freight in general, I always check UPS, Fed Ex and USPS to find the lowest price before I ship products, because there can be large differences.

All my shipments from him came out of Vancouver. If he has a warehouse over the border now, that's much better. Those Broker fees are enough to suck profits, nevermind the tarrifs. I got tagged for 27% fee, plus the $30 processing fee. Seems while the stuff is made in Canada, the material comes from the orient and it's considered a NAFTA tarrifable (is that a word) item.

IMO shipping to retailers should be free. That would keep the manufacturers honest and they would pay attention to how an item is shiped. No kidding, I once got two boxes from a supplier, one was half full and filled with the air bags to take up space. The items from the second box would have easily fit into the first box. But because I was paying shipping, they just didn't care, screw me I'm sure they said. So I paid an extra $13 I didn't have to, and that was $13 I had to pass on to my customers in form of a price increase.

[Jason Harris 31]

That's interesting, because Greg said the warehouse/shipping company he uses straddles the border by BC and Washington, so US shipments were supposed to come out of the US side. It's possible the warehouse company made a mistake.

All my shipments from him came out of Vancouver. If he has a warehouse over the border now, that's much better. Those Broker fees are enough to suck profits, nevermind the tarrifs. I got tagged for 27% fee, plus the $30 processing fee. Seems while the stuff is made in Canada, the material comes from the orient and it's considered a NAFTA tarrifable (is that a word) item.

That's interesting, because earlier today I thought, "Wait a second, this stuff is made in Canada. How come there's a tariff?"

IMO shipping to retailers should be free.

Well, we all know gravity causes....stuff...to roll downhill. ;)

As I said, it's my duty to minimize shipping for my customers. If that means separately, combined, create a custom box, faster, slower, I'll do it. I'm not making profit on the shipping portion, so the less their overall order costs, the greater the likelihood they'll buy again.

[jimmy 194]

Well, we all know gravity causes....stuff...to roll downhill. ;)

As I said, it's my duty to minimize shipping for my customers. If that means separately, combined, create a custom box, faster, slower, I'll do it. I'm not making profit on the shipping portion, so the less their overall order costs, the greater the likelihood they'll buy again.

I realize the cost of shipping would be passed on to the buyer, however the manf would be forced to control shipping to control costs (because the wholesale priced is fixed), something they dont do now.

You are a rare one. Your boxes come packed well and full of stuff. You also don't overcharge, like if a box is $8 to ship, you don't round it up to $10 and make $2 in your pocket. Now don't get any ideas!

[Knuckles 0]

I replaced ALL my gear this year. cost me an arm and a leg, but well worth what I paid.

I tried alot of different brands, but always came back to Bauer. I felt most comfortable with Bauer gear. loved the lightweight and comfort Bauer offered me.

Vapour XXX skates: loved them from the start. light, comfortable. best skate I ever owned

shoulder, elbow and shin pads: all Bauer 8000. again, light and comfortable. offered me the best feel for movements

gloves: Vapour XX very light and comfortable. has a "snug" feel to them, which I love

[Jason Harris 31]

You are a rare one. Your boxes come packed well and full of stuff. You also don't overcharge, like if a box is $8 to ship, you don't round it up to $10 and make $2 in your pocket. Now don't get any ideas!

I look at it as though certain parts of the business are meant to be profit centers, while others are just pass throughs. At best, one could make a few bucks off shipping but, at worst, one could lose a fed up customer.