No discounts on 2014 gear?

How exactly would they be able to stop your local store from giving you a few bucks off?????

Purty sure no kite company is going to care how much a retailer takes a hit on their margin, the more kites they have on the water the better. Good way to set customer expectation on negotiation though. And as plummet says if all the kite companies/retailers have agreed to no discounting the ACCC will be doing nightlies with Tracey on a current affair!

Do a search and you will find huge fines have been made on companies and Directors for this very specific type of price fixing.

Um, 2013 still
I want 2014 discounts?
Be happy with what you've got I reckon
If your good enough you'll get it for zip

Get a grip guys and gals
Do you all give a discount because its a new year on your income
it is what it is, if you don't like it wait for the end of year sales
P.s. anyone want any plastering done in 2020 ? i'm charging 2019 pricers

Why haven't any of the retailers commented on this topic?

If you go to the right shop u will always get a discount. Maybe you are referring to the fact that all kite manufacturers have put up their prices or RRP this year by at least ten percent?

I can see it both ways I guess. If you've been buying from the same store for years, and get no discount I can see how you are going to be disappointed.

On the other hand, new release gear usually sells at full price to most as its the 1st of. Its kind of the only time retailers can sell gear at full price if you are not a newbi. I thought that was pretty standard. If you wait a couple months you are sure to get a discount, or shop around and demo a few kites. You might find you like something better, and can get a good deal on.

Hi Peeps,

There is no collusion of brand reps, shops or brands conspiring or dictating prices. All kites come with recommended Retail Prices (RRP). When a new model comes out, it is when it is most in demand, so it is the best opportunity for a retailer to get a good price or the recommended price.

When a new car is released, you will not get a discount. Discounts usually start later in the life of that particular model or just before it is superceded by a newer model. If you are after a better price, wait for the gear to go on sale at the end of the season. It's still a new kite with excellent performance, you just get it a bit cheaper.

If you want discounts on gear, form a relationship with your favourite retailer. Almost all of us offer discounts to customers who stick with us, it's simple, we support those who support us. We have customers who get regular deals on everything they buy after we know them and see that they continue buying from us. The more a customer spends with us over the years, we want to repay the loyalty and they are the first customers who come to mind when we have special offers, special events, giveaways, or we hook them with special stuff like film or TV opportunities etc or whatever else may come along. Often these customers become "shop riders" and eventually stop paying for gear.

We stay back after hours to help customers running late, give them preference when it comes to repairs, bar tuning and will even open up the shop on days off if they are in emergency situations. On warranty issues, we often loan boards and kites to keep our best customers on the water. We sometimes loan kites specialist kites or boards for customers going away to destinations where their normal gear isn't ideal. This happens more often than most of you know in our shop.

Our best customers get bits and pieces for free and at cost from time to time. It's all about relationships. Generally, the person always looking for the cheapest price has no loyalty to anyone as they go from shop to shop looking for the cheapest deal. We are not interested in rewarding this type of customer as they will go elsewhere to save a dollar to anyone who drops their price a little further. How far out of our way do you think a retailer will go when a customer comes in with a warranty issue with a board or kite they bought online?

Kite retailers are no different to any other retailer. We are small businesses with overheads and fixed costs. I don't know a single kite retailer driving an expensive car or living in a posh suburb. The lowest paid mine worker earns more than most retailers, without the headaches and stress. No one goes in and asks coles or Woolies to give them a discount. On pay day would you give your boss a discount on your wage? Think about it...

Try supporting your retailer and you'll see that they in turn will support you. It ain't rocket science!

DM

Discounting in kite industry exists for a few reasons, mostly because it is a difficult industry to start with, plus it is oversupplied with very similar products. Love it when I see such huge fines for price fixing in paper.