Exclusive Deals

If I were you I'd let this company know why you refuse to buy from their UK dealer and if they still will only sell to you through this dealer then I'd refuse to buy their products and find another way of achieving the same end product and advising others to do the same.

There may well be laws against this sort of thing, you'd need to consult a real lawyer to know for certain, but companies only really listen when they're likely to lose sales.

Chris

Will you please tell us all which manufacturer, so that we can all vote with our feet?

No - their customer base will not go up, although they can put their prices up.

No - prices are fixed based on old (bad) exchange rates, and customer can't make use of current good exchange rates by cutting out the middleman.

You're joking right?

You forgot D - The manufacturer:

No - they are shutting out the whole of their market via other vendors. If a manufacturer insists on limiting their potential market, then that is their problem. I hope they all go bust.

Everyone in the UK knows my position. If there is an exclusive deal, I will not buy it from ANY vendor. I know that I am not alone. If I cannot buy anything from my preferred manufacturers/vendors due to exclusive deals, then watch this space for the ebay links for my entire rocketry collection.

Why not just get someone in the States to act on your behalf. Of course, you get hit for a bit more postage, but maybe its worth it.

Generally the whole point is to save on shipping costs.

Rocketry is such a tiny niche market, the benefits of such agreements are minimal.

Ah! That takes all the fun out of it :)

Last year I tried buying some kits from a manufacturer in the States, and was told that I had to buy from his 'Exclusive European Dealer'.

Whilst theres nothing wrong, as such, with exclusive deals. It sucks like a Dyson when all these deals are with one vendor, and is no good to anyone except the one holding all the cards.

I'm somehow reminded of a game where you play an old shoe or a hat, and go around a board collecting money everytime you pass go. ;-)

Dan

I find such deals work best when the manufacturer refers business to the dealer for "in stock" goods and the consumer is free to buy direct all they want albiet at a high shipping cost.

Jerry

I think in a small market such as the UK, it's probably a backward step to have exclusives where one vendor, and one vendor only sells a company's product.

I would buy and have bought from US rocketry dealers when the dealers in the UK I would use (Rockets and Things, Pete's Rockets, Apo11o) would not have what I want in stock. If I came across a company saying that they would refuse to sell to me because I'm in the UK, and I would have to go through a dealer in the UK that they have an exclusive with (i.e. restricting trade), then that company will lose my business, and I would ensure I would not deal with them in the future. After all, if they won't deal with me, I won't deal with them, I'd take my money elsewhere. Given the amount of money I have spent with some US rocketry companies previously, anybody new I would try and deal with who would do that to me, could lose some fairly large orders from me.

As you say, getting good deals is fine, it's not a problem, but restricting trade's a different ballgame entirely, and one of the benefits of our current system in the West, is at least we can vote with out wallets, and take our custom elsewhere! :-)

All the best,

Richard MARS Flight Crew,

Its a crazy idea. You're putting all your UK sales in the hands of someone whom you have no control over. They mess up the customer relations and you have no buyers. Dumb might be a better word.

Name and shame so we can all write to the supplier and tell them (I'm guessing here) what a crap UK dealer they've picked.

often the manufacture has to get into such deals to get a dealer overseas to carry their entire line.

Unless the dealer is guaranteed to be protected from market predators, then the vendor has no real investment reason to purchase stock from the manufacture.

Some manufactures have contracts for built in protection from dealers they sell to as well, to prevent the dealer from price cutting. Common in many markets other then rocketry are "call for price" or Minimum advertised price allowances.

everyone must remember that dealers are trying to make an investment and manufactures are in the business of paying their stock holders dividends, even when they are companies of fewer then 2 employees.

I assume since it was not stated and since everybody seems to care that it is a motor vendor: Aerotech.

And totally common practice in the "closely held, regulated and controlled consumer rocketry field.

No Jerry. As we can't legally import motors from the US into the UK it's safe to say Aerotech is not being discussed here. The discussion reltates to sales of standard rocketry components and kits that can be bought and shipped legally and relativly cheaply from the US.

Damian

You mean like model airplane parts? lol sorry, couldnt resist.

You didn't take the bait and say who!

:)

Absolutely.

Chris

Thats all very well, but over here we used to have a really good team of guys supplying us our kit and they all got on well and helped each other out and understood when you went to the US for components. Unfortunately times change and in this case in my opinion the change isn't good and is detrimental to UK rocketry, and if US manufacturers don't let us buy direct they will lose out as many of us are prepared to vote with our wallets and not deal with companies that don't put the customer first.

U.S. Rockets certainly will.

But UK dealers should still be contacted first if possible, and more to the point, encouraged to carry inventory by having steady LOCAL sales.

Jerry

So buy it from the local dealer. What's the problem?

restricted

Just as you are free to buy from anyone willing to sell you something, manufacturers and dealers are also free to decide how they will market their goods -- including restrictions on sales, if they feel that is in their best interest.

Would you buy from someone who seeks to control a market? I wouldn't.

Chris

What if the 'local dealer' happens to appear intent on denigrating the UK rocketry scene - calling RSO's 'bully boys' then refusing to either substantiate the comment or apologise for it? What if the 'local dealer' appears intent on putting the other UK dealers out of business rather than cooperate? What if the 'local dealer' makes publicly disparaging comments about the organisation whose insurance backs the UKRA? What if the 'local dealer' has deliberately alienated himself and his company from a large number of HPR fliers in the UK?

Whose fault is it then that a large number of UK HPR fliers wish to cut out this link in their trade?

It's a pity that the majority of UK fliers are so 'reserved' in what's posted on UTR & RMR, otherwise the full story behind what's going on might become clear. Unfortunately, it would appear that anyone who happens to provide an alternative, reality-based version of events where said vendor has been involved is immediately threatened (via a third party) with legal action by said vendor. Long live freedom of speech and trade, huh?

G.