best are not that cheap

[wakeboy]

after tax has been added and postage a yarga 13 complete is only 400 euro cheaper than the list price of a 13 metre kite from a other kite company (well known)

400 euro is not that much cheaper

860 euro for yarga to door inc vat

1200 for other brand to door
inc vat


so that is not half price .....

[Toby]

wow, you must be rich!

400 Euro for me is a lot!

whatever it is half price or not, but 400 would hurt my pocket big time!

[panchito]

for 100 € more i get a 13 fuel compl. door delivered in Spain.

But before I get any replys on this would like to say that I like Best, the kites look nice, have nice girls etc , but I just dont know how long lasting they are, so next year will read reports and if Best is good....why not ?
another option I am considering is Monkey kites ( wow ) as low $$ as and more than some mentioned brands out there.

[Toby]

for 100 € more i get a 13 fuel compl. door delivered in Spain.

that is a different story

[Foxi]

you should have contacted kiteproshop if you think 1.200€ complete is mandatory ..

[vietkiter]

for 100 € more i get a 13 fuel compl. door delivered in Spain.

that is a different story

Actually, it is the SAME story... SEARCH COST is one of the illness of this sport...

what model year, how many is available... if it is one kite... that's irrelevant... if it is only one place... well that shop is going to get a stearn letter for SS... so the point is...

UNIFORM PRICING HELPS BOTH CUSTOMERS AND RETAILERS. UNCERTAINTY IN PRICING IS A F_CKING PAIN FOR CUSTOMERS AND RETAILERS.

a) Customers need to measure their "time value" vs. money saved.
When searching for a best deal... search for the best deal... but that may be time consuming... haggling and haggling and haggling... and finding out the next week that there is a better deal... things that some of us rather not taint our kiting experience with.

So I rather shop at Best knowing I am getting a great kit at a great price... and if prices drop within 30 days... Best usually credit the difference... and I can always return the stuff within that time frame. Perhaps that is a luxury only in the US, but that is how typical department stores operate in the US... Best just brought this "American concept" to kiteboarding.

b) From a business perspespective... Have you ever wonder why retailers hold so little stock... they are RIGHTFULLY afraid of having distributers shove high priced BFKs up their gazoo and suffering year long constipation...

The game is INVENTORY TURN... that means how many annual sales can a retail shop generate from a given level of stocking... the industry generally is quite low... Best is quite high... why... lower AND uniform pricing facilitate customers purchases... Customers will not waste dealers' time by checking endlessly and not "pull the trigger"... dealers then do not have to worry about being undercut and is comfortable with higher stocking (holding more inventory)... which means more sales per day... but more important... more absolute profits per day.

Based on Best inventory shortages and stated 3-4 week ordering cycle from Asia... Best is targeting less than a month of inventory... and if you add in back orders... it was operating on NEGATIVE inventory! Those who tried to get Best kites from shops have similar experience.

Now compare that to the average inventory level of other brands collecting dust on retailers shelves... fully stocked is not a good thing if it just sit there all year long...

THE WORSE SCENARIO FOR RETAILERS ARE CUSTOMERS THAT THINK BIG BRANDS PRICES ARE TOO HIGH AND SOMEWHERE OUT THERE IS A BETTER DEAL.

CUSTOMERS GENERALLY HAVE A PERCEPTION THAT BEST OFFERS GREAT VALUE AND SERVICE... THIS MAKES IT A WHOLE LOT EASIER FOR THEM TO PULL THE TRIGGER AND FOR RETAILERS TO CLOSE THE DEAL!

[smokey]

Hello wake boy.. I think you need to learn to read best says" up to 50% off retail". Now they never said what products that are at those prices.

$400 I mean euro's thats about $650 canadian and I cant afford to pay that much extra for a kite when for another $100 I can by two kites. Price makes a big difference concidering that I haven had a kite last longer than 9 months yet(Naish,North, and my current Cabrinha's just making the mark with significant damage).

The fact of the mater is that I'would pay 2-3 times the price for a kite that will last me 3+ years but they don't so I won't.

I'm not a tech junky so I don't care to replace my gear when something new or better comes out...I just want to ride! All the major brands are aware that most people are happy just riding like me, so they all make a product that won't last. there for they make more money on a product if it has to be replace much sooner.

my 2 cents or pent's or what ever currency you use

Smokey

[wakeboy]

i was talking to a local shop owner and he said best kites are definately threatning the other kite manufactours, but, this i sbelieve, there are false economies, ok shoot me down for this one but if you drive 10 miles for a pint of milk that is cheaper by 10 pence than walking 2 minutes to the local store, then it is a false economy in time, wear on the car fuel etc.

Also many countries where they have not got a grip in yet, they will have anothe rproblem, people dont like to buy on the internet, bests web site is not translated, and none of there bosses seem to speak another language, and they cant see them ride on the beach, or ask them locally if they want to know something, i know its a forign concept but not everyone in the world speaks english!!! So i reckon there problem in europe for example is that american company doesnt understand the mentallity of local in habitants... yes price is important, but if they dont trust who they are buying from because they cant see tehm, 360 euro stops becomig a problem, also agian depending on the country i have never know anyone i know pay full price from a shop for a kite. Its fine but where i live 99 percent of people do not speak english. And 99 percent of best comminucation is in english and if i know anything about where i live any reps here will not be in it to give American level of customer service, but for cheap kites only!!!!!!!! SO the model doesnt always work everywhere.....
I still havent meet a best rep here yet ...... and it s a country of 60 million people, and when i asked best they couldnt find the phone number of one they said they had, and also the other one lived in the arse end of the country nowhere near anywhere where the kiting takes place!!!!! GreaT!

[panchito]

wakeboy.

I could not explain it better
You are right
I was working for an American Company in Germany for 12 years, and they allways thought " what works in the US " will work in Europe
Wrong !!!! Boys We are Europeans but also we are from France-Germany-Spain-Portugal and so on and we speak French-German-Spanish-Portugise and we think as a French-as a German- DO YOU GET IT ??

So to all Best-Wipikas-Windwing etc websales people over there: If you whant to sell your products in for example Spain, better you have a Spanish speaking-mentality webshop/representative or better dont even try it.

By the way the company I was working for is no longer in the market

[harakiri]

So, the bottom line: you want to pay extra for not beeng able to read english?