Predator overseas shipping policy wtf??
- Thread starter worriedbeef
- Start date
There is a easy solution ... buy other shafts/cues ;-)
I like the quality of my LEXI (I know it was made by Mezz), but not the quality of the shafts (wood material). I also love my 4k2 (With inlays from Eurowest). But a lot of the normal Predator cues are to expensive for what you get.
I like the quality of my LEXI (I know it was made by Mezz), but not the quality of the shafts (wood material). I also love my 4k2 (With inlays from Eurowest). But a lot of the normal Predator cues are to expensive for what you get.
This will definitely cut down on Predator sales in the short term. One big reason is that people can now buy a Predator from their computer without having to travel to a dealer's physical location. They can shop around for the best deal on price/shipping. That will pretty much end when Predator begins enforcing this policy.
I remember when I got to Germany in 1989. McDermotts and Meuccis were selling there for double the American retail. This opened up the market for Tims Scruggs and other custom cuemakers. My friend really wanted a McDermott and I told him that he could have a nice Scruggs for the price he was going to pay and he then became a Scruggs dealer.
The Japanese used to pay me full price for Instrokes at the US Open without batting an eye. I found out when I went to Japan that they were selling them for double the US retail.
Historically whenever someone gains a monopoly on the supply of a product they raise prices to suit them. I wonder if Predator will impose a world wide maximum selling price on their products to insure that each cue is the same price (adjusted for the exchange rate) no matter where you go in the world. I would think that this is probably illegal in some countries.
Well I am sure that the US dealers can't be happy with this. I am equally sure that there will be work-a-rounds found for those who want to get their Predator shafts from the USA.
For the consumer there is a lot of competition in the market so that is a good thing. OB1, Tiger Ultra, McDermott's I-Shafts, and now Fury's Extreme shafts. Lots of space for competitiors to come in with new products that might be better and cheaper and easier to obtain.
Restricting competition is a very dicey proposition. It works for some and puts others out of business.
I remember when I got to Germany in 1989. McDermotts and Meuccis were selling there for double the American retail. This opened up the market for Tims Scruggs and other custom cuemakers. My friend really wanted a McDermott and I told him that he could have a nice Scruggs for the price he was going to pay and he then became a Scruggs dealer.
The Japanese used to pay me full price for Instrokes at the US Open without batting an eye. I found out when I went to Japan that they were selling them for double the US retail.
Historically whenever someone gains a monopoly on the supply of a product they raise prices to suit them. I wonder if Predator will impose a world wide maximum selling price on their products to insure that each cue is the same price (adjusted for the exchange rate) no matter where you go in the world. I would think that this is probably illegal in some countries.
Well I am sure that the US dealers can't be happy with this. I am equally sure that there will be work-a-rounds found for those who want to get their Predator shafts from the USA.
For the consumer there is a lot of competition in the market so that is a good thing. OB1, Tiger Ultra, McDermott's I-Shafts, and now Fury's Extreme shafts. Lots of space for competitiors to come in with new products that might be better and cheaper and easier to obtain.
Restricting competition is a very dicey proposition. It works for some and puts others out of business.
The article says it's only on Uni-Loc shafts and cues (anything with a serial no.), replacement shafts will not be affected from what I read. But yes it will hurt them and their dealers for a while, some big International dealer must have made a big stink in order for this to happen.
Monto P2 said:
The new policy applies to all Predator Dealers. Predator will still be exporting their products to the countires on that list, but only to the exclusive dealer in each of those countries. Pool players that live in one of those countries that want to buy a Predator Product will have to buy from the company in that country that has the exclusive.
Fart sniffer said:
Whats up Mr Sniffer!
It is our understanding that the new policy applies to all Predator Group products with or without a serial number. No Predator Dealer in the USA is permitted to export any Predator Product to one of the countries on the list starting July 1st 2008
weeseng said:
Something is wrong in their pricing policy if "parallel imports" are economically feasible. If they charged a logical price nobody would be buying in the US. In my country most prices are so high that it would be worth it to fly to the US, grab the shafts and get back just for a few shafts!! What they are doing is monopoly and taking advantage to charge ridiculous prices.
Every country has import duties and taxes so we should be allowed to import anything we see fit. Bad for us, bad for the US.And now rises the question... what about custom cuemakers that custom fit a predator blank to their cues, is that forbidden too?
I don't use predator, but I was thinking of trying some shafts now... and this makes me just want to try a tiger ultra and ob-1 avoiding the predators to be honest.
This is pretty stupid, Predator must think ppl actually care about warranties....
The product and markets are so small overseas, I don't see the point... The market hasn't even come close to maturity yet...
Also, a lot of the dealers abroad suck compared to Nielsens....
The product and markets are so small overseas, I don't see the point... The market hasn't even come close to maturity yet...
Also, a lot of the dealers abroad suck compared to Nielsens....
shanesinnott said:
Maybe the article online was wrong, can't believe everything you read on the internet and I imagine you know the policy inside and out by now. Are they doing it by the honor system? How else would they the police a policy like this one?
I know too well how much it's going to affect the Top 10 Predator dealers, especially since probably 4 of them are US based. Do you think the rest of the world is going to make up the lost sales that this is going to create?