Will Airsoft prices drop, our doller is on Par?

[The Saint]

Originally Posted by onem

You can get your guns cheap from america, shipping is cheap in bulk. You will have to try and get the putty guns that shouldent be to hard. And the hole tax and duties, well when have you ever had to pay $100 dollers in duties for a few cartines of smokes? Comon my mom goes to florida all the time and duties arent that mutch. Taxes should be the same, I know added together ther allot more then on there own. But like I said when Have you ever had to pay $100 dollers in Duties on a few cartines of smokes?

I don't suppose you remember that business out in BC back around 2005 that did exactly just that? BC Airsoft Supply or something, ran by a guy named Sam. They lost a lot of money when the import restriction tightened and an entire order was apparently seized, so they don't do business in Canada anymore. Yeah, importing in bulk always make things cheaper, but that's if it's legally feasible.

There is a masive market for airsoft. Just look at other places in the world were airsoft is sold, you see a growing market. In canada look at how many gun owners there are. Im pretty shure some of them wouldent mind
playing airsoft on there time off of work. Hobbies PRovide a large amoount of revenue in the world. So the market is there the only thing that would stop it or slow it down is restriction on ammount perchased and in most cases if its that restricted you get a few partners to get licenses and have them ship in the rest of your stock for a cut or less of a cut if you pay for there licenses.

That's an unsafe generalization. Canadian society doesn't automatically equate to other societies and vice-versa, there is much more involved when comparing societies. Also, we might have a fair number of real steel owners among us, but there are also real steel owners who consider us silly. Hell, there are paintballers who think we're silly, and we play a game that is pretty similar.

There is a market there, but I wouldn't off-handedly suggest it to be a huge market.

You missed the point. In the four years ive beeen privy to Airsoft, The price has gone up not down. And our doller has gone up not down. In Four years The PRice of an older gun usually drops. In Japan the price droped, but in canada the price rose. How do you explaing that? Even our tax has been lowered and the price has risen.

If you only consider the strength of the Canadian dollar and taxes, yes, the rise is price is rather counter-intuitive. If you think about how hard it's gotten to import airsoft guns reliably and the dramatically decline in number of retailers, it really isn't that surprising that the price has risen as much as it has.

[Farmboy]

Do the math bucko. $120000 for a basic inventory. No special orders.

And before you say that is exaggerated, talk to some Mfg. Lets just say I could buy a couple houses a year with what I spend on Distributor level pricing.

And before you tell me to "just go get a loan", you show me first the business plan that shows the 5 year projections that allow you to not only sell all those guns, but also maintain inventories, pay rent/mortage, storeage, taxes, that proves to the financer that selling guns is a feasible business here in Canada.

Oh and don't forget you have to be in business for two years before applying for a business loan/line of credit.

[Farmboy]

Dude you sell gear and equipment, I can walk down my street and get gear and equipment, I dont need to buy it online. ( No disrespect intended )

Well your more than welcome to walk into your local store and buy Tactical Assault Gear, Blue Force Gear, Tactical Intervention, Otis, Alta, High Speed Gear.

You won't find it though.

Similar to saying I sell Aston Martins and having someone say that they can go down the street and buy a car. Yes you can buy gear at the local store but not the gear I carry.

Dude I said most not all, But most. A HArware store that opens within 10 minutes of a home depot is going to close verry fast.

Not if they do it right.

1) Provide better service

2) Carry products HD doesn't

3) Charge more than HD -WHAT? Yes, charge more

4) Provide better service !!!!

5) Do custom orders


With large "box" stores they rely on volume items that they can provide cheaper than the next guy. You can beat them with ways I just listed above.

You already have the customers on the way to buy something, just be able to provide it and the service.

Realising that there are more lower class residents then middle to upperclass. And that it is vertually untapped revinue. Poor people Want hobbies too.

You forget that high end clients always have money to buy. Poor people don't. The very thing your bitching about.


I'm sure the guys on the board here are looking forward to you opening your own Airsoft store, making millions and providing guns at half the price as other retailers. You seem to know what your talking about

[ILLusion]

Originally Posted by Farmboy

Most business people base their knowledge off of experience in business and training. Not watching. Same goes for anything, your not special forces because you watched "Tears of the Sun".

LOL! Quoted for truth.

onem, Farmboy and Arnisador is spot-on... just because you drop prices by acquiring greater volume, it doesn't mean you'll instantly sell tons more. You'll actually make an exponentially lesser amount. Profit margins on an actual consumer good can't be calculated in a linear fashion.

Case-in-point: This past september, I offered a 20% discount on ALL stuff I had in stock. That left me making either -5% loss or at most a 5% margin on the ORIGINAL cost of the items. That net loss/gain does not take in to account the time I've had to sit on the equity as well as the maintenance fees I've had to pay for the storage space those goods take up. That was fine with me, as all I wanted to do was just liquidate some of my capital - or at least use the month as an experiment to see what the outcome would be.

So what was the outcome? How did the sales volume compare to previous months? It didn't change. I didn't sell more. I sold the same volume. And ultimately, I lost money, rather than made money.

You can't claim to or speak like you know how the business works when you're not in it. You can't just drop prices and expect things to work just fine.

Another big reason why retail products don't have consistently fluctuating prices to follow dollar values is that although it's nice to enjoy the profits now, you must also realize that businesses must pocket that money to hold them through the tougher times.
We're not selling oil here - the price doesn't fluctuate daily as the cost of oil per barrel rises and falls. When the Canadian dollar was at $1.55 per American dollar, do you know how much guns costed back then? Approximately the same as what they cost now, and in many cases, the guns costed WAY more than what they costed now (anybody remember $700 MP5s?) This was also back when airsoft was completely legal to import. Yes, we had a period with much cheaper guns - but this was when there was big supply to fill the demand. Now we're in what could be considered a drought and supply is far from demand, and hence, the supply and demand model dictates that prices must rise.

Anyways, back to my original point in my first post: there are MANY factors involved in running an airsoft retail business that goes beyond what the current dollar value is and "bulk orders".

fyi: retailers typically get no more than an additional 5% on "uber-bulk" orders on top of their wholesale prices. 5% on a $250 (wholesale cost) product is less than $13. For the 3 -12 months that I'd potentially have to sit on that item to sell, I could've made an 18% (or more) profit by investing that capital with a qualified investment broker in some funds or stock market. THAT is what I meant by loss of potential profit. Even worse, is if you don't have the huge amount of capital to invest on a huge order - if you were lucky enough to have access to a BIG line of unsecured credit, you're still paying around 8.25% on rotating daily interest on that loan - JUST so you can make that huge bulk order to save that 5%. Even if you got that line of credit secured, you're paying what... 5.25% or whatever prime is right now? And guess what you're securing it against? YOUR HOUSE.

Something with that math just seems totally flawed to me, but you seem to have it figured out because you've seen how we do it.

Originally Posted by onem

You can get your guns cheap from america, shipping is cheap in bulk. You will have to try and get the putty guns that shouldent be to hard. And the hole tax and duties, well when have you ever had to pay $100 dollers in duties for a few cartines of smokes? Comon my mom goes to florida all the time and duties arent that mutch. Taxes should be the same, I know added together ther allot more then on there own. But like I said when Have you ever had to pay $100 dollers in Duties on a few cartines of smokes?

Apparently, in Ontario, all it takes is less than 3 cartons (on top of your 1 carton exclusion) to pay over $100 in federal and provincial taxes and duties:
http://www.smoke-free.ca/factsheets/...ax%20Rates.pdf

That's... assuming you're declaring the cigarettes like you should be.

[SINN]

onem, please use the force and correct spelling lol

[TokyoSeven]

I never claim all my smokes, maybe one carton out of 3 or 4 gets claimed. Usually if they ask to open a bag or suit case to look I say sure go nuts , pop it open they see my clothes and a bunch of sex toys, they ask me to remove the sex toys, they lift up the top layer of clothes and find more sex toys and the agent usually stops after that. But if it helps if you have a suite case with a fautly bottom, or a accoutisc guitar that you can open up that back of the body. Im not promoting smuggling, I just like cheap cigarettes.

[ILLusion]

I dunno, man... I got busted once for not declaring cigarettes. Needless to say, smuggling is one thing I won't ever be doing ever again. It doesn't help that I'm red flagged for 7 years after I got busted - I get hit by customs every time I cross the border now.

[Skruface]

Originally Posted by ILLusion

When the Canadian dollar was at $1.55 per American dollar, do you know how much guns costed back then? Approximately the same as what they cost now, and in many cases, the guns costed WAY more than what they costed now (anybody remember $700 MP5s?) This was also back when airsoft was completely legal to import.

When I first started playing nearly a decade ago, Regiment Airsoft was selling Tokyo Marui M4's for $700, and it was over $800 for an SR16. That didn't include tax or shipping. Getting an M4 shipped to your house with a battery, charger, and a couple of hicaps was a $1000 investment.

And you know what? People still bought them at that price. Myself included. This is why I laugh at all the people complaining nowadays about the cost of a $500 airsoft gun.

If you can't afford prices now (some of the lowest they've ever been) you still have a couple of options:

1) take your chances and break the law and smuggle them in
2) quit your paper route and get a better job so you can earn more expendible income to spend on toys
3) find a different hobby that you can afford

[TokyoSeven]

Its a scary thing and all for what? to save a couple a hundred dollars a year on something thats slowly killing us. Deep down I know its not worth it but Im such whore when it comes to the alure of 2 dollar smokes!

[redmond]

Originally Posted by Skruface

3) find a different hobby that you can afford

That's what it boils down to. No one is forcing you to spend your hard earned cash on airsoft guns/equipment.

So if you don't like it the way it is, go find something else.

[Brian McIlmoyle]

Originally Posted by redmond

That's what it boils down to. No one is forcing you to spend your hard earned cash on airsoft guns/equipment.

So if you don't like it the way it is, go find something else.

But wait! I waaant to play airsoft... so the world owes me the right to buy stuff a prices that I want to pay. Its not faaiiir if someone makes money off of me... I waant it.. so i'm entitled to get what I want.. on my terms...

I don't understand!!! this is how its always been I yell and someone sticks a milk swollen tit in my face.... this is how the world works right?

[redmond]

Thanks, after 2 years on these boards, i finally have a good signature.

[amano999]

On that note I could use a new free gun Brian. Tit me if you please

Originally Posted by Brian McIlmoyle

But wait! I waaant to play airsoft... so the world owes me the right to buy stuff a prices that I want to pay. Its not faaiiir if someone makes money off of me... I waant it.. so i'm entitled to get what I want.. on my terms...

I don't understand!!! this is how its always been I yell and someone sticks a milk swollen tit in my face.... this is how the world works right?

[Griffin]

Hmmm currently I complain to my wife that I want my two toys back. Her reply is " There the babies now". So the yelling and screaming part does not always work.

[TokyoSeven]

Originally Posted by Brian McIlmoyle

But wait! I waaant to play airsoft... so the world owes me the right to buy stuff a prices that I want to pay. Its not faaiiir if someone makes money off of me... I waant it.. so i'm entitled to get what I want.. on my terms...

I don't understand!!! this is how its always been I yell and someone sticks a milk swollen tit in my face.... this is how the world works right?

That is absolutly fantastic. I love it. I nominated for all time quote of the year.