Any Comments on OUTDOORAMERICASTORE.COM (Zoso)?

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H2O,

I stand by my original post, either find a way to compete with the competition, find your own niche market, quit, or just quit whining.

The reason, I used to sell guns was because of the ever changing regulations of the BATF, not competition from other dealers, manufacturers or distributors. I love the challenge of strategy, selling, and finding a way to beat the competition. Glock, S&W, Colt all sell directly in competition with dealers and distributors. The distributors also sell in competition with their dealers. It's a business, compete, or get out. Life is not fair, and now that someone has rocked your world of artificially inflated high prices and protectionism, you have a wake up call. Times change, if you don't change with them, your just dust in the wind.

Zoso - Keep up the good work, Do not let these nay sayers hinder you from selling your wares, that's exactly what they want. Let them continue to whine. Eventually they will tire or just cry in their beer together.

sarge
 
Sarge,

Call me a whiner all you want. I do not have any false ideas about how the market works. I take place in it every day, and you are right on some points. The manufactures do sell direct to retail customers. The sell at retail prices though. The do not sell to any Tom, Dick or Harry, at the same prices that they sell to their dealers.

If my explanation of what is going on is too complicated for you, let me make it a little more elementry.

Guy A = Knife DEALER
Guy B = RETAIL CUSTOMER
Guy C = Knife DISTRIBUTOR
Guy D = BFC members who think that I am a Whiner

Guy A goes to Bladeforums.com and says, hey Guy B, I have a knife for sale. MSRP is $100, but I will sell to you for $75 (Guy B is not aware that dealer cost is 1/2 of MSRP, or that Guy A is making a $25 profit)

One day Guy C comes along and says to Guy A, I am a distributor and can help your business by selling you that knife at dealer cost - $50. Guy A suddenly has problems selling that knife to Guy B, because on another thread on BFC, Guy C is saying to Guy B, Hey I have a knife for sale. MSRP is $100, but I will sell to you for $50. (Guy B in not aware that he just bought a knife for dealer cost, only that he saved $25 off of what he would have paid to Guy A! A great deal for Guy B, but at the same time Guy A is getting the shaft from Guy C who approached him, and said "I can help you"

Guy D in the meantime, says that I am a whiner. So let me explain what will happen to Guy C. The manufactures will find out, and he will no longer be able to buy direct from them, and you will have to go back to buying from Guy A. This may not matter to you, because you saved a few dollars. Good for you. Problem is, Guy A had to go up on his prices because he know has to buy direct from factory, and they made him sign a "Dealer Contract". The few dollars that you saved are gone, and know that $100 knife that you bought for $50 will now cost you $95. Think it can't happen? A retail dealer in the town where I work, accused me of doing the same thing, because one of my customers sold cheaper than he did. I had nothing to do with it all, just selling to a dealer. What he chose to charge from there was his business. The dealer called the manufactures, and within 2 days I had heard from all of the manufactures I carry. The mess was easily straitened out, because I was not doing what he said I was. Zoso is, and to anyone with 1/2 a brain, it is plain to see that I am right!

Call me a whiner if you want. Tell people that I am just cryin' in my beer. I really do not care. My relationship with you only exists through the dealers, who are my customers. I do not care if you like me at all. But I promise, if it weren't for the dealers who you are so quick to abandon, this place, and all like it, would not be here.
 
Why is it when it comes time to do the scenario thing, we all go right back to Tom & Harry, Dick? :D Even in corporate meetings, they seem to pop up :)
 
Because,
Tom, Dick and Harry are the suckers that are paying the over-inflated markup that keep the food chain going for the middle men. H2O, look at the layers that you have described, all add to the cost and markup of the product. I have always bought direct to keep prices at their minimum. I'm not knocking your business or customers, but why knock Jed's. There are many times when I purchase something for more money, in a store front, one to get it now, instead of waiting, or customer service, Botach Tactical comes to mind. Offer fair prices, great service and you'll stay in business. I have no love for price inflation thru the consistent middle man markup for the sake of the good ole boy system, it is a new day. Micro Tech for example, OK knives, way too much money for what you get. Do they sell knives, yes but not as many as they would. To each his own, live and let live. Imports come into this country, clones of the American version, sometimes quality is good, they sell because of the price. I would rather sell 15 of something at a lower percentage than hope to sell one at a huge markup. Autos, come to mind, Dodge marks up a 15,000 Durango to 30,000 and we all suffer. When the last auto slump hit, instead of reducing car prices to sell more, they actually marked them up to lower there volume. Now, GM is discontinuing OLDS, Pontiac and Buick are not far behind, Chrysler is now German. Get the picture. Competition and volume are the answer. Why is Wal-Mart so successful, it's not by keeping the status quo, it's by rocking the world of the middle man.

Go get em Jed. I'll shop with you as long as you offer great prices and customer service.

sarge
 
In the infamous words of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along". Everyone carve out their niche and customers, provide a service and go about your business. Let's stop this trashing of an honest businessman trying to earn a living. Would you stop along the roadside to yell at the migrant workers or busboys, who work for less to make ends meet. Everyone is just trying to make it in this world, some just want to make more on the back's of others.

sarge
 
Sarge,
There is one thing that you need to know. When a distributor take on a product line, it is understood who his customers will be - dealers. It is sometimes even stated in an agreement signed by the distributor and the manufacturer. Breaking this agreement does not make you an honest person. It makes you a liar. Plain and simple.

You wanna buy direct Sarge? Don't forget that Jed is one of those middlemen. Call up Benchamade, or go to their website Benchmade , and buy there. This is as close to buying direct as you will get. Try here to keep your cost down. It won't happen. That is the point that I have been trying to make, and you have consistantly been missing. Thanks to the good ole boy system that you refer to, you can cut costs by shopping on the internet..... for now.

If you think that Wal-Mart is such a great store, perhaps you should shop there. The too, have cut out the middleman. Their prices also suck. Their selection sucks. They are also defendants in a class action law suit. The plaintiffs are about 900,000 women who have been discriminated against. What does this have to do with knives? Absolutely nothing. It only goes to show the kind of person you are, and the kind of people you support.
 
:mad: I can't believe what i am hearing from H20, why is he attacking this person for only trying to make money. I have yet to buy anthing yet, but I promise you I will never buy from anyone who is associated with this guy, he must have a lot of free time to sit here and type like four long ass rips againest this guy, let it go man, pay more attention to what your doing, and quit worring about this one person, he is not going to change the entire face of the knife business, by selling a few knives on bladforums.com!
 
H2O,
One good thing about America, I can still shop and spend my money where I like for the produts that I wish to purchase. I do not have to buy from salesmen like you or from the company that you represent. Are you by chance in the customer service department. Yes, I do make occasional purchases at Wal-Mart, just about like 100 million other Americans. If the few sales that Outdoor America have made here reduced your income, that is sad. Maybe you should find another line of work. Relax, sit back and pour a cold one. Things will be better another day.

sarge
 
I have been reading and have seen several good points on both sides. It is not the guy making money, or selling at cheap prices. I am sure Zoso and Jason at FBF like knives and know a lot about them and would be great to talk to about knives.
It is simply the point that if he is a distributor or the distributor owns the retail business that more ammunition is being provided to the manufacturers that can make them sell dealer direct only (in doing this, they can protect there pricing). John Q. Knifeman can buy direct from many manufacturers right now (at MSRP). I will agree that one person cannot change the face of the knife business but when he is adding "another" incident that the manufacturer's have a problem with, we are getting closer to a change. I think Benchmade will make the first jump to "dealer direct only" and with a pricing schedule that is "sell at our price or else". How good will that be for the consumer? Benchmade already "tries" to set the lowest advertised sale price at 10% off MSRP, imagine if they could actually control pricing!
I am looking down the road?????????
 
Like I said in my other post, I apologize for
making everyone angry, and pricing too low, we as
dealers do need to stick together, I never intended
to cause all this mess, and name calling, only tried
to sell some knives. To all my customers I thank you,
and to all the dealers, good luck with your business.
 
ROTFLMAO !

I lost it on the "Guy A, B, C and D" thing ! :confused: Then you guys had to bring "Tom, Dick and Harry" into the mix. lol

Keep up the good work Zoso ! :D

Dark Nemi, Rising Storm and Sarge ~ giv'em hell ! ;)
 
Originally posted by Zoso
Like I said in my other post, I apologize for
making everyone angry, and pricing too low, we as
dealers do need to stick together, I never intended
to cause all this mess, and name calling, only tried
to sell some knives. To all my customers I thank you,
and to all the dealers, good luck with your business.
Click to expand...

Jed,
I don't see what all the fuss is about. The net is a tough place to do business and it is not uncommon in any business for a dealer to sell some things at "cost." It can build repeat customers for those who do it. You seem like a great guy to deal with and I will definitely consider doing business with you on my next purchase!
Jason
 
:p Bought a Benchmade for Jed today, and he couldn't have
been more helpful, he told how he couldn't believe so many people
got mad at him, but I don't care, I will buy all my knives
from him in the future just because he such a hands on guy,
and a pleasure to do business with, if any of you guys want a
good deal from a guy who is honest, and fair call him
 
I love saving money but comeon you are ripping dealers for trying to stay alive against their own suppliers? Whatthe hell dude, if you are a distributor how is that cool to cut the knees out from your own customers by selling below their costs? i thoght the point of distributors was that they help dealers not **** them. :rolleyes:

I aint so dumb that i cant see that if distributors start screwing the dealers then we arent going to get bargains at all soon cause well have to buy direct from the factory at full retail! :mad: Thats why i dont buy from walmart, my local store gives me better service without trying to pull wool on me. hey sarge cut out the middleman and buy factory direct dumbass. that way next time you try to buy from good guys like patrick or knife outlet or knife center you can be proud you cut out the middleman.
 
KnifeFarker,
Wow! what a coincidence that most of this negative comment against Zoso is from brand new members with only a couple of posts. You don't think that it could be just sour grapes from competitors do you? Wal-Mart could care less if you don't shop there. Yes, I hate to see the demise of the local Mom and Pop store but without innovation there is no progress. I used to love to stop at my local gas station and 3 guys run out to fill er up, check the oil and tire pressure. Gee! that hasn't happened for awhile. But, if you had your way the knife industry would become stagnate and we would be using flint for hunting. Do you think that the Dinosaurs ran around complaining right before their demise. Get a Grip! Do your thing and let others do theirs, after all this is America. Price protection is no more than price fixing, reeks of socialization, hmm what happened to the Russian economy. This is getting old, if you spent as much time with positive inovative ideas for your business as you do on negative comments against other businessmen, maybe you too could become successful.
 
:rolleyes: Isn't it funny how the people doing all
the negative posting, and childish name calling hide
their email, where they live, and just feel free to pop
in and bash someone, all you nay sayers give it a rest
I've already tried saying I'm sorry, and quit advertisin
low prices, so get over it. All your doing by posting
on this topic is giving me even more free advertising,
for that I thank you.
By the way the original post on this topic was
Has any had any experience?, none of you people who are
downing me have had any experience, so why the hell did
you post on the topic in the first place.
 
That has to be the most twisted logic I've seen in a while.

This thread has stopped being about a specific dealer, and gone off track. I'm shutting it down.

Kevin
 
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