Wanted: Distributor and or Sales (for chinese board factory)

Industry Talk
81

Hi Dean

So your suggesting I pack up my factory and bring everything to America , Go outback somewhere for cheap land, build a shed and start building boards over there ? (Or australia or NZ for that matter) JUST so I could say MADE IN THE USA ? (or wherever)

Now thats different

I know enough chinese language to hire local chinese people, they are everywhere, every country has a chinatown, So to hire labour cheaply isnt a problem anywhere in the world, It would save on shipping, and I would prbably get more customer because they could visit the factory more easily to see production…

I like your train of though there, and the way the world is going, with the AU and NZ dropping so much, and the current unemlpoyment rate , perhaps it would be better.

As I started to write this, I was thinking, Location doesnt mean a thing to the quality of workmanship, You get good and bad manufactures of everything in any country…

But then I realize the selling power of that little sticker that says MADE IN USA , , NZ, , AU…etc

So by the end of it, I realized your idea holds more merrit that I originaly thought ,

and for the moment, I cant see an immediate drawback.

Thanks for your suggestion.

It may come to fruition in the somewhere near future.

82

HEY MITCH

** COME ON DOWN , KEVS JUST WAITING FOR YA AH HAAAAA
**

83

:open_mouth:

84

hey DS is it alex alea or something like that? i met i shaper in cabo last year he was very friendly, he seemed to have the market cornered in the area. i hope you guys can work something out

85

Hey mitchfromoz, are all your boards clearly and permanently marked regarding country of origin?

86

Notice the silence?

When the boards get to the retail level, they’re never marked (I thought there were laws about this stuff). The highly trained and surely ethical salespeople are the only ones that might mention where the board was made. You know they always do the right thing.

87

"Notice the silence?

When the boards get to the retail level,
they’re never marked (I thought there were laws about this stuff). The
highly trained and surely ethical salespeople are the only ones that
might mention where the board was made. You know they always do the
right thing."

This has been one of my complaints for a long time. Any smuck with some extra money can buy his way into the surf biz, take his cheap made imported boards to any shop around and undercut every other board in the shop. Shop owners see the possibility of “larger margins”. No cash outlay because they are always on consignment. I have NEVER seen any of these boards labeled “Made in China”. The shop owners do not want their employees to know where the boards are from.

After getting these cheaper made boards shop owners than demand that local builders follow the same conditions, cheaper prices, consignment and longer terms. It is a great system.

One of the reasons I got into the surfboard business years ago was because I did not have to lie to make a sale, just had to make the right board. Now it is just more “smoke and mirrors”.

88

It’s usually marked on the packaging that the boards are shipped in. When the boards get to the retailers the packaging is removed and the boards are racked for display. That’s how they get around it.

89

‘‘how they get around it’’

Does that satisfy the law?

It would cost them about 2 cents to put laminates in each board marking the origin. It’s not a cost or hardship issue. It would seem there is a deliberate intent to avoid the consumer knowing where the board was made. Says a lot about the people involved. But I should give them the benefit of tthe doubt; maybe they ‘‘forgot’’ or think ‘‘it doesn’t matter’’.

I want to be very clear about this. I own plenty of products made ‘over there’'. I understand you’re free to source your boards wherever you like. But deception is another thing entirely.

90

We do not decieve our customers, they know the exact origin of manufacture.

91
Deception? Unless you sell retail, your customer is the deceiver, as soon as the marking is removed. (Like you don't know that.)
Sickdog
92

Your ‘‘customer’’ is the importer. The question was are the BOARDS clearly and permanently marked as to country of origin?

93

Hi Mike

What would you like ?

and how would you like it marked?

PM me if your interested in selling for me.

94

LOL. Excellent evasion of the question.

We mark all our boards with a small laminate. It’s not hard. It’s permanent and clear. When I export I mark the packaging ‘‘made in USA’’, as required by both jurisdictions in the transaction. But when the end customer gets the board it is marked also. Are yours?

That’s a yes or no question, doesn’t get any simpler than that.

95

Sorry Mike,

I wrote that just as a bite back at someone who really doesnt care for

“becoming a distributer or saleman for a chinese board factory”

But would rather hit me up with questions that you dont need an answer too

If this is not the case, , I apologise.

Basically, I will glass in any logo or cloth inlay a customer requests.

I dont make stock, you can choose anything you like on how the board is made.

So It is up to you – what you have glassed into your boards.

Seriously.

please PM me if you would like to order or sell for me,

you ideas sound good,

**but we should research it more **

if your thinking of doing -** w****hat I think - your thinking of doing.**

(you should not post such questions in a public forum)

.

96

Mike,

I can guess your reply, we are all real people, probaly real nice people at that.

You have talent, nice writing and a sense of humor

So I should not snipe / evade / counter your questions, you asked nicely, I should reply

the hard line is this,

Each country has its rules and regulations on how an imported or exported product is sold

With a little research , you can find out yours.

My factory fully abides by the customers instructions.

They are the one who requests exactly what they want,

no more, no less

I cannot answer yes or no, its not that simple

As much as if I asked you,

would you sleep with a fat chick ?

— There are situations where you could say YES… or more than likely … NO …

97

Exactly.

It’s your ‘‘customers’’ who order the boards with no markings (or stickers that are peeled off). But you sure make it possible for them to hide the origin. I appreciate the civil tone of this discussion but don’t have much tolerance for the type of ethics you and your customers are showing.

I fully accept that there are boards made in low-wage countries in the global market. I’m not trying to stop you from building boards. I just want everything labelled as the laws are intended, not in ways that allow the circumvention of said laws. This is taking surfing, and surfboard building, bending it over, and…

You are watching the door while your friends do the deed.

Why did you take down your $125 price from your previous post?

98

IMG_2960.jpg picture by easternpacific

99

I am an importer of products from China, but it is a product that has never been made in America, and was invented in Japan, so I am familiar with the laws. All of the products I import are marked with the Country of Origin.

In the USA it is the law that Country of Origin is marked on the product until it reaches the “ultimate consumer”, that is, the last person who buys the product.

The problem is that the the government only checks to make sure that this law is followed at Customs, and they only check a small percentage. After that there is no government agent that checks this stuff out (and there shouldn’t be). Furthermore, there are usually multiple parties involved in the transaction between manufacturer and ‘ultimate consumer’, so there are lots of links in the chain with opportunity to remove the markings.

If I was a USA manufacturer of surfboards I would get a bunch of my industry buddies together, along with other like-mined organizations like The Surfing Heritage Museum, The Surfers Journal, The Surfrider Foundation etc. and I would create the non-profit “USA Surfboard Manufacturers Guild” (USASMG), or something like that. I would build a sweet website, hire a lawyer, and create a system by wich the industry regulates its self. The USASMG’s first goal would be to make sure that retailers follow the laws and mark their products with the Country of Origin. I would also try and get it’s members (I imagine most local builders would line up at the door to be part of this group) to mark “Made in USA” on their boards. I would create an easy method for “in the know” consumers, and industry insiders to report (toll free number, web form, facebook update, etc) suspected violators of this law.

100

…I read a Surfding comment in general dis and after several months without passing for this section I decided to know what the buzz is all about

so I just read all the comments…all…jeezz

very polite thread and excellent point of views

also, Mitchfromoz has been debating pretty good

-my first questions is:

who SIGN (the name) the shapes? I bet that is not with a Chinese name…

2- I entered the site and I cannot see any special or even quality and if you dont see nothing good on pict, live is even worst…

also, pretty common draws and sprays, bad color choices, etc

very STD and very poor in the concept (read $ only)

3-thinking in what DS wrote about the Chinese learning surfing, etc

that is the key; I mean, China has around 40 millions of middle up class that are very open to “new” stuff and they re consuming sophisticated products. Imagine how many boards, surf schools, shops, transport, etc you Mitch, and others can sell and or locate

I bet that is more money, no matter if you sell boards for not so big bucks, but you ll sell bulks

that market is not even started yet!

so no hassle for anybody and all happy

I think this is realistic and not an utopic theme

4-the “problem”, I got (and may be others) with the Asia production (in this case with surfboards) is that whoever who have the money think that can make a buck, or be a shaper, builder, craftman, etc in few weeks and its all for only the money

I really dont want more people in the water, I dont like surf schools (¿?!!)

keep it simple, to the basics

surfing is a personal growing experience

we need to be a bit more anarchics

no more stupid surfers that dont even know how to look the sea, surf, tides but blahbling in the parking lot about if tomorrow will be waves because on x internet site the machine say…

and Im not talking about peace and love and hippie crap here

Im talking more of an avid surfer but NOT DUMB or ignorant

I really like surfers or persons in general like DS, with roots, fine taste, something to say, etc

so we surfers dont need more generic corporative crap

some talked about wsuits…ALL the wsuits are CRAP

the same expensive crap, no matter the brand or model with the same super low cost material and cheapo construction

but spotted like the ultimate stuff

85% made for couple of big factories in Asian countries

I wrote about leashes, last year in other thread,

almost all are WRONG, bad designed

“designed by surfers” you can read…dumb ones I can add

most ding tail rails because some corpo thought that a hard plastic is cheaper in the “assembling” line so no more rubber to cover the hardware, etc

many things to rumble, but I cut for here to not hijack the thread