Any Comments on OUTDOORAMERICASTORE.COM (Zoso)?

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I have ordered on knife from www.outdooramericastore.com The website software worked fine and I received my knife promptly. Since they are in the middle of the country, I can get a knife from them in 2 days instead of the 5 days it takes from the East Coast.

Their online catalog has problems, like none of links for most of manufacturer's other than Spyderco seem to work.

All direct emails have been replied to promptly and courteously.
 
As many people here know, I usually keep my mouth shut when it comes to recommendations. However Jed and Outdoor America Store deserve the highest of compliments and recommendations from me. I placed my first order with them when their post total was only 7. Having never heard of them before, I figured it couldn't hurt to give them a chance. IT WAS THE BEST THING I EVER DID, honestly. I am on my third purchase now, and I'm absolutely thrilled with them.

One of the knives I inquired about took Jed several days to locate, and not only did he locate it, but the price was just about 50% less than anyone else (this was no cheap purchase). My second purchase was the SOG S2 that he has listed, and my third purchase is going to be a Cold Steel Gunsite later tonight.

When it came time to setup my account, I called for assistance to make sure it was done correctly, they took the time to walk me through ever screen. Like I posted in the Dealers section, they are a first rate bunch with great prices and outstanding customer service.

You even receive emails from Fedex confirming that your packages are shipped right on schedule. Personally I think thats really cool :)..

Give them the opportunity to show you how good they are, you won't regret it.
 
Is there a particular reason everyone is attacking OutdoorAmericaStore.com? Is there any chance that the posted attacks and the fact that all dealers now have to pay to post are related? Oh yes, I do think so.....This place has really changed since 1999, does anyone think we were more friendly to newcomers (individual or dealer) back in the day?


 
My opinion on Spark's decision to charge people to post is another story, which most people would get tired of reading well before they reached the end.

My comments about Outdooramericastore.com are pretty self explanatory. He is a distributor selling to the same people that his customers sell for. On top of that, he is selling to the general public at, or in some cases below dealer cost.

I work for a distributor, so what he, or anybody else for that matter, does as a "dealer" doesn't affect me directly. It does eventually affect everone involved though. The dealers who have been, and will continue to foot the bills that keeps this place running will loose their business, and without them, you would have to find someone else to ridicule. Smaller distributors, such as the one I work for, would suffer, because their customers orders decline.

Eventually, this all leads to the manufactures selling directly to the dealers only, which will greatly reduce your ability to purchase knives at 20 - 40% below retail.

While all of this is probably over dramatized, it could happen. If people like Zoso continue to work both sides of the fence, eventually, everyone will suffer from it.

If for no other reason than it just plain ain't ethical, it needs to stop before the problems start.
 
No matter if y'all think this is sour grapes or not, H20 is on the money about the dealer/distributor relationship. Without naming names, the BO 2065 costs me(dealer cost) almost 150.00....there is a "dealer" selling them here for 128.99. Now, if I were a distributor I would receive up to 25% off dealer(as low as 112.50)..Hello, I could crush the real dealers and corner the market on BF..if that happened, then I could sell the same knife for 189.99. Maybe retail buyers do not see this or do not care, since the immediate result they see is a lighter hit to their pocketbook. WalMart has lost predatory pricing suits doing basically the same tactics...move into a town, lowball prices for year or two or three...drive out the competition, then stock what you like and sell at whatever price you want. Now, don't misunderstand me, it is a free capitalistic society and if someone wants to sell below cost that is their business, but, if you sign up as a distributor and obtain distributor pricing, you are ethically (and maybe legally) bound to only sell to dealers. I have lodged complaints with Spyderco and Case about companies (not the one mentioned in this thread) that are set up as distributors with these companies and are activally competing with me on the internet. Read this as whine and sniffle if you like, but I have been retailing knives since the mid '70's and have never seen this until the last 30 days or so. If one can not be ethical in their business can they really be trusted? I wonder if these caliber salesmen can tell the difference between a stockman and a whittler without looking it up somewhere...Oh well, I am out of tears and I am sure all out there are very misty eyed in support of real stocking dealers. Yesterday I was planning to pay the 850.00 for dealer privilages, will have to wait and see if these sharks continue their feeding.
PS...if you look at some of my posts on the "dealer for sale" you will see at least two instances of a "shark" posting directly behind me(within an hour) listing a lower price...that is just plain poor taste. "whine whine sniffle sniffle" Regards, Mike
 
I can see that some people are upset by what I'm doing
even people who have taken advantage of my good prices are
complaining. For one thing, I AM NOT SELLING ANYTHING
BELOW COST! Whoever that h20 person is needs to get
their facts strait, Its obvious to me that alot
of dealers were getting rich off this site by selling
to people who didn't know any better, all I can say
is I don't need this site to sell knives, and my posting
days are over in the for sale columns, I don't have time
to sit at home all day and monitor people's posts, and
jump on them the minute they post a knife wanted.
So have fun, and all my customers I have given a good
deal, I thank you, you know the number. I mean
calling the factories to complain, when I 've seen these
same people sell stuff as cheap as me, how petty.
 
Zoso,

If you read my posts, you realize that I work for a knife distributor. This being the case, I think that my facts about what dealer cost is, and how it compares to your prices, is right on the money. I do not think that it would be appropriate for me to start listing dealer cost for all of the items which you have advertised here in the last few months, but I am sure that all of the dealers here know basic math. There was one particular knife you listed in the past week, that was $15 below dealer cost - exactly 10% off of the manufactures published dealer cost.

I wouldn't imagine that anyone has called the factories about your unethical behavior, but, if you would like, I can call them all today.
 
Your behavior is just embarrasing, I've already
talked to the factories, and believe me I'll be
okay, like I said before I'm done selling so let's
try not to kick each other in the nuts. Thanks!
 
This is a free market economy. If Zoso wants to sell his wares for a better price, so be it. Read Spark's comment to the dealers, Get Big, or Go Home!!! I just want to be able to buy knives for the best price. Protecting your profit margin by selling high mught be fine for a walk in store, but this is the wild west of the internet. I sold firearms for years and know the business of factory and dealer inflated markup.

Good Luck Zoso - Keep up the good work!!!
 
I will speak out in favor of H20!
Internet mark up for the most part is Minimal, especially the Bladeforum's dealers. The dealers that advertise and sell here are very competitive and in many cases sell some products for nearly the same price so good service, good feedback and yes, even good ethics can make a difference in who you choose to buy from. Even though everyone likes a great deal on a knife, basing purchases on price alone is not always the best idea. I think a little research is in order especially when prices seem too good to be true! I think H2O has said things and asked questions that many Dealers wanted to ask but just wouldn't. Now about Ethics! I would like to compliment All the other Bladeforum's dealers for showing good ethics and also Tolerance. They are to be commended for not "flaming" Zoso and posting their feelings way before now. Dealers that feel strongly about this should be able to post about it without the threat of being called a "whiner" and end up losing more business. I think H20 is on target and I think many others agree but for those of you who are dead set a saving a few bucks, by all means, save your Bucks then.
I have been a member here since its inception and I don't post too much but I could not keep my mouth shut on this one.
woody
 
I spoke with Jed a few days ago and he was extremely helpful and honest about his feelings on a few particular blades. Whether or not he's a distributor doesn't really matter to me. He's a genuine knife nut and he's not shy about talking knives. :)

I'll be talking to him again.
 
Brain_T:

Same here, I've called him a couple times and we end up talking for a good bit. Got my first delivery from him today and it is in perfect order. Even if his prices go up, his customer service and professionalism have won me over and I'll will continue to be buying from him.

Did the low prices originally draw me to outdooramericastore.com ? yeah. However I'm not an idiot and know that they will not last forever. Jed knows how to treat customers, and that's what counts in the long run......
 
I really amazes me everytime I log on to the forums for some reading. On every other thread, there is always someone who misses the entire point.

Sarge, you said that you used to be a dealer and understand how it all works. How would you have liked it if your distributors cut your throat by selling to YOUR customers, for the same price that he sold to YOU? I am guessing that you would not have cared too much for those sort of things then. If you think that this is a perfectly acceptable business practice, then I think it is plain to see why you USED to sell firearms.

As far as profit margin goes, I really could care less how much profit anyone wants to make. My only point about him selling below dealer cost was that being that he is a distributor, he can sell any knife you want below dealer cost and still make a nice profit. In many cases, he will make a better profit that a REAL dealer would have on the internet. If he chooses to be a distributor, then that is what he needs to do. The problem is that he wants to do both. It is obvious that many people do not care, because they can save a dollar or two. What happens next? When the manufactures catch up with him, he gets dropped like a bad habit. Your saving disappear, for good. Then all of you people who saved a few buck will be bitchin' and whinin' about having to pay what a knife is worth!

I really hope that all of you people will stop to realize that I am not just complaining for the sake of complaining. I am not a dealer, and have never posted a thing for sale on these or any other forums. Zoso is not taking business away from me. He is taking business away from the HONEST dealers on this forum, who choose to use honest, and ethical business practices in order to provide you with the products that you want. They also, since day 1, have paid to be here, thus making it possible for this place that you all love so much to exist. Zoso, Fbfknives, and any other name he has been registered under, has paid nothing! Not a dime! Yet in the last few months, he and the few of you who are too damn cheap to spend a few bucks extra, are the only ones who have benefited from this great place!

Brian, I have never doubted Zoso's love for, or knowledge of blades. You have no problems supporting such activities? If you are intereted then, I can tell you how to save even more money. I am sure that your town, like everyother town in USA, has got a really bad part. A place where you would not be caught alone, at night, unarmed. Go down there and talk to some people. I am sure if you look hard enough, you can find someone who is willing to steal a knife and sell it to you for pennies on the dollar. Maybe if you are lucky, you can find someone who has used one in a crime! You can probably get that on real cheap! Laws aside in this idea, ethics is ethics. People with them support others with them. People without......
 
I am new to this site, but someone told me to look here for good
people to buy things from, it seem like H20 is really upset about something, and he say he's not losing any business, so if he's not losing any business why does he care what the other guy is selling his stuff for? I am not trying to step on anyones toes, just wanting to pop in my meaningless two sense worth.
 
Rising Storm:

hi :) Welcome to the forums, and yes this is a great place to gather information and dealer contacts. Remember, everyone wants to see each other's replies, no matter what, and its not meaningless.

You do bring up a good point, and I do understand where H20 is coming from I really do. Infact, H20, if you do see this reply, please don't misunderstand my stance. I've read all of your posts several times and I do see what you are bringing to the open, honestly I do.

Rising Storm, the GB&U is a great place to gather compliments and complaints about dealers, and if you ever want more up to date information feel free to make a post and request more information. Hope to see you around.
 
:) Thanks for the advice dark, I was referred to this site by a friend, and look forward to doing business with some people, hope
these guys can settle their differences, because we should be on each other's side, since knives are something that we all love.
 
I ripped on www.outdooramericastore.com in an earlier post about his lowest prices on Cold Steel knives because I found another online retailer with lower prices. I want to apologize to www.outdooramericastore.com for flying off the handle because he is trying to give the board members the best price.

I really appreciate knife retailers like Zoso who offer great prices and service. I am going to shop at www.outdooramericastore.com and I am going to tell my buddies about this place.
 
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