Gun Buyer Blues (retailer expectations )

[Brian McIlmoyle]

So as to not Sully gun sales threads.

Posted by McGuyver Earlier

I think everyone reading this and especially those dealing with these individual sellers on ASC need to be understanding, infact, way beyond understanding.

Two years ago, you could pick and chose what retailer you wanted, there were lots. Retailers could specialize in 1 brand of AEG and be rather successful at it. There were thousands of guns for sale in Canada. Hell, I remember retailers bringing in 700 guns at a time (I saw the skids). Now, retailers have been getting progressively smaller and smaller, each cycle being weeded out by the CBSA and the dollar, until you have a "retailer" bringing in what 5-10 guns at a time?

But yet, things are still good, no problems with getting airsoft guns in Canada, right?

People who have not dealt with the CBSA need to understand that things are not just cut and dried. Promises on timelines are unrealistic at best, despite best efforts and intentions. "Retailers" need to realize that timelines for product arrival and shipping are a waste of time and will only cause you grief, as evidenced by this and pretty much every other "retailer" thread I've read.

Buyers - allow retailers reasonable time (a week is not reasonable at all, not even 2).

"Retailers" - stop making promises on timelines on product arrival and shipping.

These aren't the "old days" where you could order a dozen in-stock guns on Tuesday and have them to play with on Saturday. And it isn't Sear's Catalog Services either. The normal rules and expectations of internet/mail ordering don't apply here. Lower your expectations or be prepared for these kinds of threads.

Sorry for jacking a sales thread, but goddammit, someone had to say this.


All I can say is this proliferation of small sellers is good for us.. and all it would take to get them to quit is dealing with "instant gratification" demands of purchasers.

All of the little sellers are doing this way on the side. after hours , during time they certainly could be doing something else like trying to maintain positive relationships with people they care about.

Be thankfull you can buy a NIB GBB or AEG and get it in a reasonable time, Be thankful that these guys are sticking their necks out FOR YOUR HOBBY.

Cut these guys a mile of slack... they deserve it and if you want them to continue to supply your needs I think that we should lay off the belly aching that your gun arrived on friday when you expected it to arrive on tuesday.

Some guys have legitimate beefs... but keep it between the buyer and seller. where it should be.


Sellers, stop making promises that you can't keep.

Say things like "shipped as soon as practical after payment received" and "I will inform you when your item is shipped and provide a tracking number then".

and "if you have not heard from me its because your item is not shipped yet, I do this part time and my job and family come first"

Sellers.. you know the demand is huge.. that you can sell every thing you bring in.. do it on your terms. terms that you can manage.

and finally KEEP EM COMING, I GOT A TAX REFUND ON THE WAY!!

[Bowers]

well said! i cry a single tear of joy at this post!

[Styrak]

Originally Posted by Brian McIlmoyle

Be thankfull you can buy a NIB GBB or AEG and get it in a reasonable time, Be thankful that these guys are sticking their necks out FOR YOUR HOBBY.

And tons of profit.

[skalnok]

woot woot. great thread and post lol

[mcguyver]

Originally Posted by Styrak

And tons of profit.

Not what you think. I'd venture to say nowhere near what you think.

Profit in airsoft only comes from volume, directly from a manufacturer or distributor. Guys buying small numbers 1s and 2s, don't get volume discounts, especially if they have to buy from a retailer in the U.S. or HK.

Most of these guys likely don't have a license themselves, and would have to cover brokerage, shipping, duty and exchange, then slide a little cash to the license-holder to keep the wheels greased and turning.

Everyone seems to think that the retailer makes scads of cash. Try dealing with the government on multiple levels with these guns (at least 3 different agencies ready and waiting to take a big wet bite out of your wallet).

Like Brian said, they are sticking their neck out, more for the love of the sport than for it's profit, I promise you that.

[surebet]

Signed.

Fuck, people are impatient nowadays.

Be thankfull of what you can get, and if you need something ASAP buy used.

[Ilya_7]

Originally Posted by Yuxi

Too many players who were too cheap to buy anything when prices were high, now they expect Ritz Carlton service at Motel 6 prices.

couldn't be more correct - quoted for truthiness.

[Wilson]

+1 to everything in this thread so far.

I would love to see some major retailers, though. Not for the convenience, but for the peace of mind. For some reason a major operation involved in airsoft seems to make me feel more comfortable about the survival of our sport. Probably (most definitely) just me.

[Firewalker]

I see this is addressed to the Google Generation. I remember when I was a kid, I ordered some stuff from a catalogue, it took 6-8 weeks, that wasn't even including the week or two it took for the order to get to the place by mail. I was happy when it arrived in 7 and a half.

Now people just expect everything handed to them immediately and expect instant results. I dunno, maybe some of us are more patient than others, or have had enough old school mail order experience to know that all things like this take a shit load of time.

I ordered my SR-25 and was told "a huge maybe" on getting it before Keystone (it was a month away when I ordered it). Well it came in three weeks after keystone and I only got it in my hands two more weeks after that. Two months and a week. That's 9 weeks.

And that was while stuff was still rather plentiful and easy to come by.

[aZn_triXta07]

Originally Posted by Wilson

+1 to everything in this thread so far.

I would love to see some major retailers, though. Not for the convenience, but for the peace of mind. For some reason a major operation involved in airsoft seems to make me feel more comfortable about the survival of our sport. Probably (most definitely) just me.

Large operations only raise flags and when that happens the government will shut it down.

Just be smart when you buy - check feedback, avoid pre-orders unless the seller has a good feedback or is known.

[BBS]

Originally Posted by aZn_triXta07

Large operations only raise flags and when that happens the government will shut it down.

Just be smart when you buy - check feedback, avoid pre-orders unless the seller has a good feedback or is known.

you can say that again. i'm not gonna step into the puddle for the 3rd time. Also, from the past to the present; we're still managing to get guns in country some way or another and the prices have hovered around the same price for the longest i can remember. I'm happy.

[Brian McIlmoyle]

Originally Posted by Styrak

And tons of profit.

I suppose it would be better if they paid us to take their extra guns off their hands..

I don't care how much profit they make ... they have something I want. I pay the price to get it.

If I think it is too much I don't buy.

Belly aching about how much it costs to invest in a hobby indicates that it is not a hobby that is affordable to the whiners.

[Tankdude]

All the cool hobbies are expensive.

1. Airsoft
2. Hookers and blow. (cheap compared to airsoft, but you still get the red dots afterwards)
3. Real guns
4. CNC machines (well, its fun for me)

[Azathoth]

Originally Posted by m102404

1. Guys were bitching and moaning about being over charged for a TM/CA AEG (e.g. $600-800), but don't blink and actually praise the $350-ish price point for clones. Clones cost $70 overseas, you're paying 5 times the price and loving it. The price for a TM/CA was 2-2.5-3 times the price. People will gladly pay 5x the price for a "crappier" AEG...weird.

+100000000 I gladly pay for the branded version. I should ask my cousin to take some pictures of prices in HK at the markets. JG's are selling for 100-200 HKD.

[aZn_triXta07]

Originally Posted by Azathoth

+100000000 I gladly pay for the branded version. I should ask my cousin to take some pictures of prices in HK at the markets. JG's are selling for 100-200 HKD.

That's for the even lower-end China manufactured goods.

Try at least 400HKD depending on the model for Jing Gong.