Select to expand quotebardunyah said...Hucksley said..
Ragzilla said..
support your local stores!!
surely I'm not the only one out there who believes in paying a bit more for gear, so that our local stores and kiting community can grow. I'm on a tight budget like the next guy, but every time you buy your stuff on ebay etc , your local store struggles to pay the bills. i just can understand why people are buying from OS. did Greta Menardo show you her tits or something?
I would have thought a company like switch, offering world class quality kites, at cheap prices, delivered to your door within a few days, with cheap spares, lifetime warranties, and fantastic support is doing more for the sport than anything else has in a long time. It has helped hundred if not thousands of people access an utherwise unavailable market. They deserve a pat on the back if anything. I am a realist...People may not like the new methods of business that are popping up around the world, but its a new world we live in people, so get used to it....
Everyone struggles to pay the bills, so why should the consumer have to spend more money on essentially the same product now that we have a global store available on our desktop? I would simply be helping the store owner pay his bills, whilst depleting my ability to pay my bills even further! This is the same argument Harvey Norman made pleading poor because people were getting much cheaper products online than from his rip off merchant stores.
People are always going to want the best product for the best price, in their price range. People are time strickened these days. Most people don't want to shop around excessively then have to haggle with a shop owner to get a decent price. Its simply not worth the time it takes, especially considering you KNOW someone like switch has fantastic prices to start with. If someone like switch is going to offer a fantastic price from the start, with no need to haggle, etc, its an obvious choice! Maybe shop owners should look at adjusting their profit margins to a more competitive model. Remember, your the customer, its your choice, so make the best choice for you, not for who your buying from :>
Happy riding.
From recent Hucksley posts:
Monday: "Hi all, done a few lessons with the boys at zu, and looking to buy some gear of my own"
Tuesday: "I just ordered two kites from switch"
Thursday: "switch are <fan boy>, <fan boy>, <fan boy>..."
In three days you've gone from newbie to buying overseas and now sharing valuable insights on how the Aussie kiting industry sucks.
You're a 100% newbie - you wouldn't even be able to tell an awesome kite from a crap kite.
How about you steady on and get some experience under your belt before telling us all that we're all idiots for buying quality kites from local shops.
My comments have been around the competitive nature of world economies at work, and the challenges local stores face because of it. Believe it or not, the kite industry is not special, and is going down the same path many other retail industries have gone....I have never compared switch to another brand, nor recommended it over and above anything else. I have mearly let people know what experience I've personally had with them. Newbie or not there us no point denying that they offer extremely good value. I assume were done comparing the size of our d1ck$ now?
Even knowing I've purchased my gear overseas, the guys at my local store are more than happy to support me, and are excited to test the kites themselves. That's what makes a store, not having to spend more money just to get good service...
Select to expand quoteHucksley said
Even knowing I've purchased my gear overseas, the guys at my local store are more than happy to support me, and are excited to test the kites themselves. That's what makes a store, not having to spend more money just to get good service...
So even though you have slapped them in the face, they are still keen to try kites that the cannot stock due to the marketing model and piss off their current suppliers? I call shenanigans.
lol. You say "I've never recommended XX above anything else" ... me thinks you should re-read your post! Quite a recommendation in there.
Select to expand quoteHucksley said..
People may not like the new methods of business that are popping up around the world, but its a new world we live in people, so get used to it....
Can't agree, sorry.
Online kite sales have been around for over TEN YEARS, one of the first players was BEST kiteboarding with a "two for one" offer.
And during that time, they had all their "beach salesmen" and brand evangelists who got free product for "spreading the gospel" and being part of "something special", lifetime warranties, moneyback guarantees etc etc, same story, same prices etc etc.
Now they sell through shops! Go figure.
The reality is that buying kites online has been going on for over TEN years now, it's not new at all. It's old.
Most people prefer local shops & local support, else quite simply, online sales would have wiped the shops out years ago.
Hope you get your kites wet soon, and enjoy the thrill that is kiting. No better feeling like when you first start! 
Select to expand quotewestozwind said...Hucksley said
Even knowing I've purchased my gear overseas, the guys at my local store are more than happy to support me, and are excited to test the kites themselves. That's what makes a store, not having to spend more money just to get good service...
So even though you have slapped them in the face, they are still keen to try kites that the cannot stock due to the marketing model and piss off their current suppliers? I call shenanigans.
Spending hundreds of dollars on lessons and bringing them more business for lessons is hardly slapping them in the face..
Select to expand quotebardunyah said...
lol. You say "I've never recommended XX above anything else" ... me thinks you should re-read your post! Quite a recommendation in there.
Hucksley said..
People may not like the new methods of business that are popping up around the world, but its a new world we live in people, so get used to it....
Can't agree, sorry.
Online kite sales have been around for over TEN YEARS, one of the first players was BEST kiteboarding with a "two for one" offer.
And during that time, they had all their "beach salesmen" and brand evangelists who got free product for "spreading the gospel" and being part of "something special", lifetime warranties, moneyback guarantees etc etc, same story, same prices etc etc.
Now they sell through shops! Go figure.
The reality is that buying kites online has been going on for over TEN years now, it's not new at all. It's old.
Most people prefer local shops & local support, else quite simply, online sales would have wiped the shops out years ago.
Hope you get your kites wet soon, and enjoy the thrill that is kiting. No better feeling like when you first start!
I can't agree more that local support accounts for a lot. I guess there needs to be a happy medium reached however if the community and sport is to grow. I mean online kite sales are not going anywhere and are only going to become more popular I would think, so what's the solution? I don't think discouraging the purchase of online stuff helps the situation to be honest.
Is this another case of self preservation or self destruction.. Yeh, best offering two for one to get their kites out there worked for someone who was kitting for someone else's brand but decided to give it a crack with his own stuff.. Just a pity that Shannon used to ride for liquidforce who had fairly cheap wakeboards when they started, that's why there's so many seats made from their boards. Was funny to see mate's go out on a new board n come in with a blank bottom on the board. Just like waketech.. Although byerly rode them, they were rubbish.. Bfa! Now best are around minimum 2k.. From your local dealer. Considering that Shannon hasn't been back to Queensland with his gear to promote it and show how passionate he is for the sport.. Well why would you go for his stuff now? So now there's another new player trying to get some market share and.. Hello.. Everyone ****cans them when they don't fill up the pockets of the shops.. Most guys promote only their bottom line, not the sport.
Select to expand quotewestozwind said..Hucksley said
Even knowing I've purchased my gear overseas, the guys at my local store are more than happy to support me, and are excited to test the kites themselves. That's what makes a store, not having to spend more money just to get good service...
So even though you have slapped them in the face, they are still keen to try kites that the cannot stock due to the marketing model and piss off their current suppliers? I call shenanigans.
I would think its a smart move for any shop to encourage customers back regardless.
I've probably bought 80% of my gear locally between 2 shops and the other 20% online. If either shop held it against me for buying some gear online I would question whether it's worth supporting them (not that's happened to me but neither do I rub it in their face where all my gears come from)
Ulimately I think it's just a fact of life that online sales are here to stay and it up to the consumer what level of support they are prepared to pay for, support local shops when you can but you shouldnt be made to feel like a traitor buying online, sometimes you just can't get the right size or it's at a price online you just can't pass.
At the end of the day its all down to enjoying time on the water it doesnt matter if your on brand X or brand Y (they're all made overseas anyway arent they?)
Select to expand quoteRagzilla said..
support your local stores!!
surely I'm not the only one out there who believes in paying a bit more for gear, so that our local stores and kiting community can grow. I'm on a tight budget like the next guy, but every time you buy your stuff on ebay etc , your local store struggles to pay the bills. i just can understand why people are buying from OS. did Greta Menardo show you her tits or something?
if its only 50 - 150 dollars maybe... when its 500 + then no.
Select to expand quoteHucksley said..Ragzilla said..
support your local stores!!
surely I'm not the only one out there who believes in paying a bit more for gear, so that our local stores and kiting community can grow. I'm on a tight budget like the next guy, but every time you buy your stuff on ebay etc , your local store struggles to pay the bills. i just can understand why people are buying from OS. did Greta Menardo show you her tits or something?
I would have thought a company like switch, offering world class quality kites, at cheap prices, delivered to your door within a few days, with cheap spares, lifetime warranties, and fantastic support is doing more for the sport than anything else has in a long time. It has helped hundred if not thousands of people access an utherwise unavailable market. They deserve a pat on the back if anything. I am a realist...People may not like the new methods of business that are popping up around the world, but its a new world we live in people, so get used to it....
Everyone struggles to pay the bills, so why should the consumer have to spend more money on essentially the same product now that we have a global store available on our desktop? I would simply be helping the store owner pay his bills, whilst depleting my ability to pay my bills even further! This is the same argument Harvey Norman made pleading poor because people were getting much cheaper products online than from his rip off merchant stores.
People are always going to want the best product for the best price, in their price range. People are time strickened these days. Most people don't want to shop around excessively then have to haggle with a shop owner to get a decent price. Its simply not worth the time it takes, especially considering you KNOW someone like switch has fantastic prices to start with. If someone like switch is going to offer a fantastic price from the start, with no need to haggle, etc, its an obvious choice! Maybe shop owners should look at adjusting their profit margins to a more competitive model. Remember, your the customer, its your choice, so make the best choice for you, not for who your buying from :>
Happy riding.
Until Greta Menardo gets her tits out, they haven't got a proper business plan.
Personally, I like to touch, see, feel , cuddle, caress , and talk dirty to my kite gear before I buy it. I find it treats me well when I do.
Peach to there own I say, but if someone buys from overseas, they cant yell 'armed robbery prices' when they snap a line and go to a local store for replacement, and get whacked 'full price' for it, rather then being given some under the counter gratus.
My opinion anyway!
Good winds!!
And does anybody else think those 'twitches'...... Sorry.....switch's..... Look ugly???
Does that c- kite have batten wing tips , because they defy don't look inflatable??
Have a close look at the bar..... I could swear that it has a pot-rivet holding the bar ends!!
Kites might be cheap, but that bar Is $300+ and looks straight nasty! Couldn't be worth more then $50 with lines.
I checked out their website recently because I was curious about their 'lifetime warranty'........ Conditions apply of course.
NO SWITCH BAR = NO WARRANTY
But mostly...... I won't buy one because it seems like they have spent a ****load on marketing and advertising, because I'm constantly getting pop ups on my computer advertising Twitch kites. When I'm watching YouTube, I don't want to be interupted and convinced to buy your cheap kites!!
Rant over!
hi
must say the guys at kite power in sydney have always looked after me with price on 2 kites now so really happy.
sure I have saved when dollar was really good buying OS, but as was said ,ask for great price
and Im sure you will be happy.
Don't forget there demos which all cost time and money and for us there is nothing like trying a kite or board first.
Select to expand quoteRagzilla said..
And does anybody else think those 'twitches'...... Sorry.....switch's..... Look ugly???
Does that c- kite have batten wing tips , because they defy don't look inflatable??
Have a close look at the bar..... I could swear that it has a pot-rivet holding the bar ends!!
Kites might be cheap, but that bar Is $300+ and looks straight nasty! Couldn't be worth more then $50 with lines.
I checked out their website recently because I was curious about their 'lifetime warranty'........ Conditions apply of course.
NO SWITCH BAR = NO WARRANTY
But mostly...... I won't buy one because it seems like they have spent a ****load on marketing and advertising, because I'm constantly getting pop ups on my computer advertising Twitch kites. When I'm watching YouTube, I don't want to be interupted and convinced to buy your cheap kites!!
Rant over!
Read the privacy (or lack of) policy? You give it to us, we share with anyone!
Select to expand quotewestozwind said..Ragzilla said..
But mostly...... I won't buy one because it seems like they have spent a ****load on marketing and advertising, because I'm constantly getting pop ups on my computer advertising Twitch kites. When I'm watching YouTube, I don't want to be interupted and convinced to buy your cheap kites!!
Rant over!
Read the privacy (or lack of) policy? You give it to us, we share with anyone!
It's called re-marketing. Clear your cookies & it all goes away. 
So you work in Australia, earn a living from selling yourself or goods or services to other Australians so you can buy some kites and pay the bills, yet you complain about other ozi's setting up a business to also make some money and sell goods and services to other Ozi's so they can pay the bills and maybe buy some of what ever you do 
We are a tough bunch to please 
