 Poster: A snowHead
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Just browsing ebay looking at skis and came across this from a shop called sound skis based in the south west i think
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The binding we are selling with the Patrol is the very safe and lightweight Look NX10 which we will mount FOC if you can provide us with your boot size in mm and height, weight etc.These will be mounted by a technician at Sound Skis which on another note has joined the British retail initiative which is refusing to mount or adjust bindings bought over the internet from abroad.
The ebay auction is this one
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Scott-Patrol-All-Mountain-Skis-170-Look-Nx10-Binding_W0QQitemZ270119435420QQihZ017QQcategoryZ16062QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
How do they know where you have purchased them from??? and who else is in this "initiative" (if you can call it that)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Nice looking skis.
I suppose I can't blame them being cheesed off with Internet purchases and it is presumably up to them what work they take on. Still an interesting comment.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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carroz, if it's true, then they're biting their noses off to spite their faces. It won't stop people buying skis over the internet as the likes of Ski Bilek will mount bindings if you ask them to. It won't stop anyone else mounting the bindings. And there will be people other than ski shops over here who would be quite happy to take a few quid off you for the job - like the ski tech in the shop who's not getting paid enough money. what's to stop him doing the job "on the side"?
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I bought my Missions from Telemark Pyrenees, since they were not available at the time in the UK. Gave them boot details, and they mounted the bindings for me. Very good service.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I bought hubby's Missions from the same place. As hubby's boots were in France, I didn't get the bindings mounted, but a local ski shop did it for a few eurso.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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carroz, I bought skis and bindings for my daughter over the Internet and had the bindings fitted by Blues Ski Shop in Glasgow - they were happy to take my money. As for Sound Skis, looks like they don't want business with a statement like that.
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admin, I bought in the UK because of reccomendation's on snowHeads. The ski's were cheaper than the Germans and Lockwoods reputation for service and after service is, I now know, very well deserved 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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boredsurfin, exactly and I know a great many snowHeads have purchased from Ellis Brigham as a result of the Ski Tests we have organised together. There has easily been as much traffic about, "Snow and Rock sale just started" as there has been about, "See how cheaply I got my skis from Germany".
I did point out to the guy that snowHeads is just an open channel of communication and we aren't particularly promoting anything.
That's what I meant by, "Short-sighted". Much of the industry has had a crap season, both here and abroad, and some of them want someone to blame: so it must be the fault of the Internet, oh and Johnny Foreigner would have had a hand in it too of course 
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admin, Interesting. IMHO he is at least short sighted...daft idea. It's not that hard to fit many bindings yourself anyway. It's hardly difficult to find out what binding setting you need either is it?
More interesting almost is that someone can have that sort of perception about SHs. A bit like suggesting that a given pub promotes this, that or the other based on the conversations in the bar. Weird, eh?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I really despair when I hear of retailers with this attitude (former retailer myself) - why do they go into it in the first place. Rule number 1 - customer satisfaction! Rule number 2 - enjoy the profits generated by obeying Rule number 1 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| David Murdoch wrote: |
| admin, Interesting. IMHO he is at least short sighted...daft idea. It's not that hard to fit many bindings yourself anyway. It's hardly difficult to find out what binding setting you need either is it? |
Many skis now come with a rail and fitting the bindings is child's play. Not even worth paying ski bilek the €8 they want to fit them!
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What's to stop Sound Skis being the sport conrad of the UK?
Don't have a good enough relationship with the ski cos? Not entrepeneurial enough? Still believing that skiing is a premium marketplace? Nice initiative to stop footfall in your shops - I don't think a punter is going to hang around and buy a nice high margin jacket if you've waited until he arrives in your shop to tell him to piddle off with his internet bought skis.
There have always been shops with this sort of attitude in the past e.g. I have encountered ones that refuse to mount "old" bindings (still covered by the manufacturer) on new skis primarily because they wanted to sell a new pair of bindings.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Sat 12-05-07 14:16; edited 2 times in total
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Would they mount bindings on skis bought from a shop overseas I wonder?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| fatbob wrote: |
| What's to stop Sound Skis being the sport conrad of the UK? |
A simple one that - the distributors.
I'm pretty sure the distributors have a strong controlling influence as to the prices their retailers sell their skis. In theory this is illegal but other companies seem to have the same policy, ie Oakley & Rolex. If a retailer bins the price then they'll find it hard to get a supply next season.
I know a UK Atomic retailer who's cost price for a pair of M:EX's was £40 more than I paid for them from Sport Conrad. The UK ski market is unusual in that the distributors/wholesalers are probably making equal margin to the retailers but without the associated retail overheads, which means that UK retailers are buying the same products as European retailers but at a higher cost price.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Can he refuse to be the warranty agent for skis or bindings purchased elsewhere?
If he cannot, would it not be far preferable for him to have quality control over the initial setup?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| fatbob wrote: |
| What's to stop Sound Skis being the sport conrad of the UK? |
A simple one that - the distributors.
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I wonder what would happen if a number of the retailers stopped taking the major brands and switched to some of the niche market manufacturers (the brands that Kiwi1 distributes, for example)? Would the majority of punters still want the Salomons and Rossis, or would they be brave enough to go with something they might not have heard of?
Anyway, I don't think that Sound Skis has helped develop its reputation here on snowHeads
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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There's also seems to be a tiny bit of hypocrisy here. They don't like internet retailers yet they are flogging their (presumably surplus) stock on ebay - at this time of year I'd have thought it highly unlikely they'll get near retail for it.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| GrahamN wrote: |
| comprex wrote: |
| Can he refuse to be the warranty agent for skis or bindings purchased elsewhere? |
Talking to a retailer (who is also a ) the other day, he said that Fischer (IIRC) UK will not warrant any skis bought abroad, as the warranty cost is borne by the distributor(?) - you have to send them back to where you got them from. |
I thought that might be the case; it certainly is here. That is -precisely- what this retailer needs to make customers aware of.
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Interesting comment by a retailer here on my snow sports forum.
Also suggesting that budget airlines are not helping UK sales in an already 'bad' season by charging carriage per pair of ski's 
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This is interesting, i have no problems with people buying where or what they wan't, but as a retailer, i can't buy the skis at the price some of these sites sell them at, it's hard. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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There is a shop where I live that won't fit bindings to skis bought abroad, or something like that, wasn't really listening what with it affecting skiers.
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I can't buy Stella Artois wholesale as cheaply as the supermarkets can sell it!
But as Holidayloverkisskiss says above it's the positive customer experience that makes the profit
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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FWIW, I actually thought I should buy my Missions for Ellis Brigham, because they had been so helpful with the ski tests - only to find that the skis simply were not available from them. That said, of course if there is a major discrepancy in price between the UK and overseas (allowing for import costs and any duty/taxes) then of course people will buy from overseas. It is up to the distributor/retail chain to ensure that prices are competitive here.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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There was a period when it was considerably cheaper to buy a car abroad than it was here in the UK. I bought a Peugeot from a Spanish dealer, full UK specification with certificate of conformity, several thousands of £££s cheaper than I could have bought it from a local dealer even after I paid VAT. The ironic thing is that the car was made in Coventry! As far as I know the price of cars in the UK has reduced so that there is much less of a differential between the UK and other European countries - why did that happen?
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They don't call us Treasure Island for nothing..
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You know it makes sense.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| fatbob wrote: |
| What's to stop Sound Skis being the sport conrad of the UK? |
A simple one that - the distributors.
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Then distributors need to get real, and the UK retailers need to take it out on them, not the customer.
This is exactly the same as the situation with games for things like the Nintendo DS. I have started buying these on ebay from the US and HK and am saving 50% off the UK price. The games from the US clearly say on the packaging "only for sale in the US, Canada and Mexico". And I guess what I'm doing is actually buying it from a shop in the US from a distance!
I bought my skis from Filarinskis though because I was so happy with their customer service, and the free first service, and all the advice they gave me. I felt that was worth something. They weren't that much more expensive than Ski Bilek. I almost bought from Sound Skis, and emailed them for prices but what I wanted wasn't available. If I hadn't phoned Filarinskis and had such a nice chat on the phone then I may well have bought from Ski Bilek.
The internet has had a profound effect on retail, and it isn't going to go away, so companies need to think of way of attracting customers, not alienating them.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
| This is interesting, i have no problems with people buying where or what they wan't, but as a retailer, i can't buy the skis at the price some of these sites sell them at, it's hard. |
I don't understand how Ski Bilek and Conrad can get stuff so cheaply that they can sell at the prices they do. It's like the boots I got from Bilek cost me half of what they cost if I bought from a mail order place here! How do they do it? I know you've been thinking about this for yonks - have you managed to find anything out? Are they possible buying bankrupt stock? How can they sell the latest Salomon Crossmax V12s with bindings for not much more than £200?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| petemillis wrote: |
| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
| This is interesting, i have no problems with people buying where or what they wan't, but as a retailer, i can't buy the skis at the price some of these sites sell them at, it's hard. |
I don't understand how Ski Bilek and Conrad can get stuff so cheaply that they can sell at the prices they do. It's like the boots I got from Bilek cost me half of what they cost if I bought from a mail order place here! How do they do it? I know you've been thinking about this for yonks - have you managed to find anything out? Are they possible buying bankrupt stock? How can they sell the latest Salomon Crossmax V12s with bindings for not much more than £200? |
Do they do dicounted retail supply?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mr Lizzard, that's retail - if they can discount stuff that much then how cheap are they buying in?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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petemillis, And how cheap is the stuff to make?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| There was a period when it was considerably cheaper to buy a car abroad than it was here in the UK. I bought a Peugeot from a Spanish dealer, full UK specification with certificate of conformity, several thousands of £££s cheaper than I could have bought it from a local dealer even after I paid VAT. The ironic thing is that the car was made in Coventry! As far as I know the price of cars in the UK has reduced so that there is much less of a differential between the UK and other European countries - why did that happen? |
I can't remember the exact details but the Government stepped in.....having just paid our for a brand new car that then plunged to an unbelievably low part exchange value as a result I was more than a little miffed!!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| spyderjon wrote: |
| fatbob wrote: |
| What's to stop Sound Skis being the sport conrad of the UK? |
A simple one that - the distributors.
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I wonder what would happen if a number of the retailers stopped taking the major brands and switched to some of the niche market manufacturers (the brands that Kiwi1 distributes, for example)? Would the majority of punters still want the Salomons and Rossis, or would they be brave enough to go with something they might not have heard of?
Anyway, I don't think that Sound Skis has helped develop its reputation here on snowHeads |
Really interesting point Rob. The reatailers I supply to are the sorts of reatailers that are trying to do different things and stand out from the crowd.
The skis and snowboards that I distribute are ALL hand made and as such you'll never find them as cheap as something thats mass produced in China and all the skis that are cheap are mass produced skis.
Also interesting that the RRP on a pair of Icelantic skis in France is about £100 more expencive than the UK price and if French customers want to by from the UK retailers we can't stop them. Part of being in the EU eh.
I feel the problem is with the big manufactures. Stock dumping happens but it's not the fault of the UK consumers to hunt down the best deal they can get.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
I feel the problem is with the big manufactures. Stock dumping happens but it's not the fault of the UK consumers to hunt down the best deal they can get.
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And word is that some of the biggest manufacturers have more surplus stock from this past season than ever before...
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
| petemillis, And how cheap is the stuff to make? |
 knows! For Bilek to sell V12s at £200 they've got to be pretty cheap for both manufacturer and Bilek to make money! I'm sure volume of sales must come into the prices that they pay from the manufacturer.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thing is, is the difference in functionality enough to pay for handmade skis? Lots of these cheap skis are pretty good. I just bought 06-07 RX8 with FS12 for about £150 + deliv. As an aside, I'm also thinking of buying 07-08 Neox (maybe from SZK?) when it becomes available.
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i don't know many shops that will sign up to this one if they want to keep customers, normal policy [when i was involed in this side of business] was to not charge if you bought skis / bindings from the store or if you bought bindings, if you turned up with a ski & bainding but were buying boots then fitting was either free or £10 [prices change subject to customer attitude] if no kit was bought from the store then the price was £25 which is a price that the UK ski industry agreed some 10-12 years ago, the reason for this is that by fitting the binding to the ski you assume the risk if there is a problem with the ski / boot / binding interface at any time in the warranty period of the binding [whether you sold the binding or not]
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Mon 14-05-07 13:37; edited 1 time in total
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