WHAT DO YA STICK YA HOOFS INTO????
Even though Canada is right next door to the US with it’s cheap prices, it’s really hard to buy from the states for canadians. The customs fees are really high and, for me, discourage buying abroad.
That’s exactly the type of thing that needs to be done here, in order to save our retail side of the industry!!!!!
We do it with other sectors, so there is no reason as to why we can’t do it with the snow industry!!!!!
Maybe nobody can be bothered to do anything???? The $50 boot fittin fee will not save the retailer in the long run!!!!!
From Trusnow.com:
The following brands can only ship to the States (orders that are shipping to FORWARDING COMPANIES are not able to be processed with restricted items, please submit your order with an address that is from a Family Member or Friend that is within the US):
32, Adidas, Analog, Anon, Arbor, Bonfire, Burton, Capita, Cappel, Coal, Dakine, DC, Dynastar, Electric, Emerica, ES, Etnies, Fischer, Forum, Foursquare, Fox, Full Tilt, Giro, GNU, Gravis, Jeenyus, K2, Lib Tech, Liberty, Line, Marker, Merrell, Morrow, Nike, Nixon, North Face, O’Neill, Oakley, Pro Tec, Quiksilver, Rayban, Red, Reef, Ride, Rossignol, Roxy, Salomon, Special Blend, Tecnica, Union, Vans, Volcom, Volkl, Von Zipper
No more shopping around for Burton, DC, K2, Ride, Roxy, Salomon, Vans boots etc….oh well, might go try on all the Nitro boots at OTM this arvo.
(joking)
im assuming you mean trusnow.com?
ther are other online stores that ship most of those brands.
i bought 90% of my snow gear from them. would i prefer to keep my money here and support local retailers? sure
am i willing to lose $1000+ to do it? not a chance in the world.
the only thing i bought from here was my boots(only cause they were on sale) and goggles(once again on sale)
In regards to prices here being more expensive and boot fitting fee’s etc, i will make a few comments. This is not a rant, its just a fact.
The guy’s who are getting screwed by all the online, international purchasing is the retailers. heres why and i am just going to use Burton as my example and this applies to all wholesalers.
It costs me more money to buy a Burton boot wholesale from Burton Australia than it would to buy retail in the u.s.a. If i could buy Burton directly from Burton u.s.a i would, but i am not allowed and the pricing structure could be passed onto the consumer. Now Burton Australia is owned by BUrton U.S.A/ Worldwide. Our dollar is stronger, the product is shipped directly from China here Exactly the same as it done for the States. So in thoery our prices should be cheaper than in the US.A. But for some reason they are not. They should be and if they were the prices would be passed onto the consumer and everyone would be happier. Quite simply, the prices here in Australia are too expensive for the retailers to buy wholesale.
The consumer is more than likely to spend less than $1000 so he will pay no taxes etc. If i buy from a 3rd party in the States, because the costs will be more than a grand, its not worth it by the time shipping and import taxes are added on. Some one is making alot of money somewhere, but its not the retailers.
In reagrds to fittings fees you have to remember that i pay my staff to sell product in my store. I dont pay my staff so someone 5000 miles away profits from my time and money.
Its plain wrong to walk into a store and purposely waste someones time and money if you have no intention of buying.
Even more of a reason why the Brands should be assistin the retailers to put an end to it????
If they helped their loyal customers, ie The Retailers, then there would be no need for the retailers to charge the fitting fee in the first place yeah????
Do they charge a fee OS???? I can safely say NOT!!!!!
Have you put pressure on the brands to help out with the dilemma that ya face???? YOU are THEIR CUSTOMER and should be treated no differently to how ya would treat YOURS!!!!! Or be treated no differently than the Brands treat their customers that are OS!!!!!
Its plain wrong to walk into a store and purposely waste someones time and money if you have no intention of buying.
people window-shop everyday so I think saying it’s plain wrong is a bit strong.
As a shop you can use the one on one time with a customer as an opportunity. In Japan, where prices are rip-off too, there is (but is slowly eroding) strong shop loyalty. When meeting a fellow snowboarder, one of the first questions asked is ‘what’s your shop?’ along with your home mountain and what board you ride. Everbody proudly sports shop stickers on their board. Everybody goes on the shop ‘tour’ once or twice a winter. This is when the shop organizes a bus trip to a resort, along with the shop-sponsored riders. Everybody hangs out and becomes friends. They get riding tips from the pros. It’s usually a 2 day thing with a party on the first night where there are bingo giveaway games. One time, the shop made long keychain straps with the shop name on it. Everybody rode with that all season.
At the very least the customer might purchase a smaller item.
I think getting angry at all your potential customers and suspecting them of online purchasing is similar to record companies suing music fans for downloading music.
Lastly, you guys should be getting together and complaining to Burton etc and demanding lower prices and 2012 product.
Gamblor…wasting an hour of a bootfitter’s time is not the same as window shopping.
You want the service, you pay…simple as that. Most these stores do refund the bootfitting charge if you buy the boot from them. As far as I understand it, there is no obligation to buy. There’s no reason you can’t pay for the fitting and then buy online if you can find the product cheaper.
I’m with Snownut on this one. Going to the store with the sole intention of getting a fitting just so you can buy online is just plain wrong.
Deanobruce….these brands can NOT be shipped outside the US by any site. It violates the dealer agreements they have with their retailers. Any online store shipping these brands to Oz should not be.
Gamblor…wasting an hour of a bootfitter’s time is not the same as window shopping.
I am with Gamblor on this one, think about shopping for perfume, testing all the different brands. Or a shoe shop, trying on different brands etc. Exactly the same.
For me recently, wedding/bridesmaids dresses. Of course you are going to shop around. If the service is right then that is where you’d prefer to go.
I disagree with the fee… my fiance has a very wide foot and it took a while to find something good. When a shop refused to let him try on one boot we walked away and took our business elsewhere. He had every intention of buying, just not that exact minute, because he wasnt sure how much $ he was going to need to save.
Blizzard…With all due respect, trying on shoes and getting a professional ski or snowboard boot fitting with a guarantee of satisfaction from a certified, trained boot fitter is not the same thing. Not even close.
If your fiancee was unsure about price he could have asked the staff about the price range of the boots they sell. If the price of boots in that store was more than he was willing to spend, he would have known not to enter in to a bootfitting at that store.
If he has a wide foot, and had paid for bootfitting, the store might have been prepared to order a more suitable boot for him if they didn’t have the right thing in stock.
Why did he want to try on boots if he didn’t have any money saved?
I might be wrong but until the boot is moulded/adjusted, then the boot fitter has virtually done the same as what a shoe salesperson has done????
And then, and only once the agreement of purchase had been made, is it that the boot fitters job will be completed!!!! Heat Moulding etc etc!!!!!
This is how the process works as I have seen it!!!! Am I wrong???? I have only been through it a couple of times!!!! And NO, I haven’t bought boots online!!!!
just want to clarify something…what exactly is a bootfitting? Is there such a thing as a certified bootfitter?
I know there is for skiing, but for snowboarding? Heat molding and shaving the inner boot would come after the purchase.
Isn’t it just getting the customer to try on a bunch of boots and making sure there’s no heel lift and no bits that hurt?
snap!
snap!
I had to get in before ya on this one!!!!! Hahahahahaha!!!!!
I must say I doubt some of these ‘trained’ boot fitters. I have had two pairs of boots bought through a shop, the first pair was too small (I was told they were perfect when I voiced my concerns) and the second pair I had an issue of having my toes crushed. One of the most annoying things I had to deal with! I hate half of my foot being numb, I don’t spend a shiteload of $ to deal with that.
Having done my own research I was able to find a better boot for my needs. With absolutely no help from anyone in stores.
And powrider1, my fiance didn’t have the money then and there, because not everyone had a spare $300-$500 when they are walking past and store and thinking ‘oh ski season is coming up, might need to start looking at boots’
Why should we be forced to settle with one store?
Boy have I had some Catch-up reading to do!
Boot fitting charge?! Like speaking Chinese to an Inuit.
Perhaps I am the perfect customer? I go to buy a pair of shoes, I ask for a pair in my size- I lace them, try them on, do the walk- Exactly the same for a pair of Boots. Maybe I’ve never encountered this because I do it myself? If I like a pair I’m still going home to google the feedback on them before I buy, so I guess no chance of hidden costs? . . tho I have seen salespeople deal with complete NOBS that what to know everything and so totally waste their time in the end.. probably why I end up getting a discount whenever possible 