ONLINE VS RETAIL

Such a dicey subject, This issue is a big one that gets talked about so often.
If your local shop doesn't have what you want, go elsewhere. Always try give them your business first, Because skate shops are the raddest thing.

Thanks everyone. It was just one of those days where effort to profit seemed blown out.
I'll keep working to expand by stocking product in "core" retailers. As well as online stores permitting they buy their product through oz dists and sell at rrp.


Respect to anyone trying to make a buck out of skateboarding that still makes time to give back to the skate community.
..except "the only legit Australian skateboard company"...they can go accept an osiris d3 up their rectum.

Should be illegal to buy overseas.
Australia is a very wealthy country and we pay more for goods and services, because we can and we will.
The reason why we pay $100 for a pair of vans authentics is the same reason why we pay $20 for a pack of smokes.

it shouldnt be illegal to do anything of the sort.

you pay 20 for smokes because they are a blight on the healthcare system and you need to be taxed a fuckload to pay for all the cancer treatments.

oops sorry, I jumped a bit hard on the wrong point.

I reckon that this shit evens itself out though, and that making excessive laws just entrenches future problems. The last thing you want are protected monopolies or weird unions.

'you pay 20 for smokes because they are a blight on the healthcare system and you need to be taxed a fuckload to pay for all the cancer treatments.'
Very true...
Was more trying to highlight the fact that our wages etc. are better and the prices we pay for goods are regulated to this.

yeah I realised what a spud I was just after I posted that.
My favourite way to highlight it us the 'bigmac index'

The economist is the spiritual deity of pragmatism. They get it right and have a knack for smacking down everyone else's bullshit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac_Index

I find this topic fascinating, every time it pops up in every new form or turn or point of view, but it is quite simple really.

Customer sees a product in an ad or in a vid or in a catalogue and then wants it, so will either ask and maybe order it in at their local, look online or
just wait and see if it does come in somewhere to buy at the time. The easiest option (and often cheapest) is to order it online as that is usually the first place to see it ready for purchase. If they have a good local shop, as well as a good local supplier of the brand, then to order it and wait is also an option, or if they are lazy or lacking in funds or initiative, only buy it when they see it in a shop window some time later.

As said by skate shop owner to customer "If the local supplier will not get it into the country for us to sell to you and you want it and can get it online, then do so..." along with a few other things which are not really relevant right now.

I was lucky enough to be in the Brisbane area this week for work and got a call about a Spitfire shirt I had ordered from I can't remember how long ago, but was super stoked to finally get it, along with a few other things from that and another Brisbane shop while I had time and was around.

Previously something like that would not have even made it into the shop, as I don't think either of them would order them in, but I have since seen it in the online shop here, so would have definitely bought it from here as soon as I saw it. There are also a few other things in the recent DLX drop which I am about to get from here as most other local shops I know haven't got them in.

Failing that, there are some other products which I can only get online from overseas, eg size 11.5 shoes or specific brand tees as the local versions of said brand are on such cheap crappy material that they fall apart quickly and I don't even want to get them if they are only licenced out.

I am very picky about who I buy from as well, so even if it is a good shop with a dickhead owner / behind the counter I will be less likely to buy from them and know a lot of guys who have issues with both local shops I bought from in Brisbane this week and will only go down to Darkside on the coast for their products or buy online.

I do know a lot of people don't care about the local scene at all and just want to get the cheapest deal with the most product they can for how much money they have to spend, which is always going to be hard for a shop which has higher prices or will not discount product for the sake of making a sale at a lower margin. I can definitely understand the point of view of some people who have minimal interest in supporting an industry which they don't understand either.

Customers shop with their feet (or fingers more commonly nowdays) which is why there are so many issues with no support for locals.

As many shop staff would know, I love being able to go into a shop and just look around at everything for an hour or so, touch it, feel it, see what it is like, talk to the shop people about whatever and then usually buy some things at the end, but I guess not everyone has the time or the cash to be able to do that. I would rather spend my money on skate product than beer, tattoos, drugs or almost any other thing there is, so I would probably have more cash on hand to do that than many other skaters I know too.

Probably another night with not enough sleep and too much coffee but putting in my perspective of how I see it. Like many others, having a "real job" that pays your way helps towards this end, and seeing so few survive in the skate industry on all levels with the future only getting harder makes me think I am happy I didn't go into running a skate shop or trying to do my own thing with a related brand, but for those who do, good luck on your adventure.

It could be a short and wild ride.

Maybe I've been out of the loop for a while, but it seems as though skate shops aren't throwing many events anymore? Maybe it's just my local.

i can account for that one. since ive been on skateboard.com.au front pages and on tv i blieve jedi has encouraged skate shops to renew interest in throwing skatecomps and demos. the tv article has been in circulation for nearly 3 months so the effect sofar is like a sale whereas if it snowball effects then itl b like a clearance sale , not just a sale. does that make sense?

This subject ive pondered so many times.. I get stuck in the predicament of whether to get a 'better' deal online or buy local and know my money is going to good blokes and the skate biz.
First of all with online, ive found myself at one point or another getting a board and it being a total disappointment either weird shape or shitty pop. At the end of the day you get what you pay for.. You go to a skateshop and (hopefully) you have a rad chat with the bloke in there and get recommendations and build a rapport and maybe even get a cheeky d-count off the price..
Skate shops for the most part give to the community, shoutout to Jimmys skate Hobart cuz they are dope.
Local is the way to go.. I would be devastated if when I had a kid and I wanted to get him a set up if I couldn't walk him into a local and have his eyes light up as he looked around the walls covered in shiny new skate decks.. I dont want local skate shops to be on the brink of extinction cuz cheap bastards dont pay up..
But in the same token, Drew was absolutely correct and often there isnt enough $$ to cough up for new gear at rrp.. So you gotta do what you gotta do.. But if you can, what ya gotta do is buy local.

grimwood


21:50 09/May/13 pretty sure it's cheaper to buy from here/your local than ccs or other american sites now that postage rates have gone through the roof anyway


i don't think so dude. maybe if you're buying one item, yeh, then it's true. but to buy a complete outright in Australia; hollow indys, bones swiss etc, none of that cheap shwag, you're up for nearly $400. Now obviously your shop dude would hook ya up a bit of a discount, but unless it's my 30% OG discount on this store right here, it still won't come close. You could get that complete delivered to your door for $250.

I can see why dudes would be buying completes and large piles of shit from overseas but for incidentals your local is the go...or this shop.

Fuck up Tim Franklin, people buy stuff from skateshops and have the exact same problem. The product is the same no matter where you get it from, the shops are getting it from the same place essentially. But skateboarding is a fun game, I'm glad that people are playing it

Before the online era my local skate shop was profiteering heavily from their monopoly, do you guys remember when those kalis dcs came out and they were 250 or when k3 would cost 230... i saw one of their order forms and they got both those shoes for under $80 each and they got cheaper emericas that retailed for 140 in store for $20 a pair... now the prices are much more competitive - good for skateboarding? in a roundabout way - yes

if everyone brought from overseas shops/online we wouldnt have a australian skate scene. when i buy form a skate shop it means my friend that works there has a job and it also means my other friend working at a distro has a job and it also helps australian skaters get sponsored and a way to make it as a pro if there good enough... with out this it means my friends dont have jobs and if you want to get sponsored you would have to compete against all the little kids in america that can skate 20 times better then you and are 10 years old.

i used to buy from a nice little local(ish) shop, but then it closed... since then we've just had SDS nearby, so i just get everything from sk8parx

shame on people who buy overseas... FOR SHAME!

Hey toothpaste for dinner, true man. Shitty pop can come outta nowhere, dont matter if its from a shop or online, but in real life you can see if the board you gonna get is like a freakin canoe or as flat as a 10 year old. Seeing a board can make a difference in your decision to get it or not, whereas pictures on the net dont generally give you all the finer details such as shape or concave.
But the main point is and I think everyone agrees buying local is generally best, not necessarily for us or our wallets, but when/if we can afford it local hands down.

bought my first set-up at hopkin Sydney in store. good recommendations and service. however, i work fulltime + family. I have no time to buy in-shop. I buy online only now.

I ordered via hopkin webpage 2x, but was not happy. got call back that the items is not in stock ... even tho webpage reads in stock and it went through the entire CC payment cycle etc. now i just browse a few shops, ebay and get what i want ;)

local 100% unless your local jips you (which mine dont) support em until death I say

Whilst the value of our Aussie Dollar stays where it is this is always going to be an issue unless the Government steps in and does something about it. It is a massive issue and affects A LOT of industry and not just skateboarding. Retail is the biggest employer in our country and there will be some massive repercussions if this continues and shops continue to close due to economic pressure.

At the end of the day if we don't support local we are not only hurting the local skate scene but we are ultimately hurting our economy. Pay a bit more and give back to your country guys!!

The only reason I have written this is because I talk to many shops around Australia daily and this is a massive issue. Secondly, I have been skateboarding for years and I would hate to see the opportunities for the young up and comers disappear due to us not supporting our own scene.

This isn't even an issue that should be debated. If you have a local shop, then get your shit there or you suck.

Sincerly,

An ex skate shop owner.

I think sk8parx has done it the best, adapted with the market, created a cool place to hang, members get healthy discounts and bargains, heaps of stock, and it's run out of a physical store.

^^ totally agree....but, not every store has the luxury of being financially backed by Hillsong....

Amen sk8parx.

oh Nick, why do you try to discredit me so.. kum boy ya