Here is a list of Winston on-line authorized dealers. Also links to retail (brick n mortar) shops:
Winston rods at Costco..whodda thunk
- Thread starter SurfnFish
- Start date
Here is a list of Winston on-line authorized dealers. Also links to retail (brick n mortar) shops:
STP buys up overstock/previous year model/discontinued stuff that dealers typically don't want, at least in my experience.
Also from what I can tell from the brief experiment in working with them/selling to them: They are able to offer such good pricing because they don't pay their vendor bills.
Hmmm, diversion purchasing is legal. So Costco doesn't violate any law apparently. But diversion purchasing is not ethical. Whoa; wait a second; according to whom? In my real world experience I've learned that not everyone shares the same standard of ethics. Seems like relying on ethics is about as reliable as relying on a handshake for a binding contract, meaning that there is risk involved.
It's pretty clear that a business policy of selling only through "authorized dealers" is about protecting a brand name, generally a name that implies high quality. I think it's equally true that it also implies as well as ensures selling at the highest possible retail price, protecting both the manufacturer and the retail dealer. The logical question is what is being "protected?" The equally logical question is that it is protection from discount sales and essentially protection from free market enterprise. Everyone is free to apply their own value judgement about that. I just find it a bit ironic that at nearly every turn, capitalists employ any measure they can to avoid being adversely affected by free market economics. It's a curious thing that the over-riding principle of the free market business model is to maximize profits even though doing so means reducing one's competition and the amount of freedom of the marketplace in order to achieve those maximum profits.
It's pretty clear that a business policy of selling only through "authorized dealers" is about protecting a brand name, generally a name that implies high quality. I think it's equally true that it also implies as well as ensures selling at the highest possible retail price, protecting both the manufacturer and the retail dealer. The logical question is what is being "protected?" The equally logical question is that it is protection from discount sales and essentially protection from free market enterprise. Everyone is free to apply their own value judgement about that. I just find it a bit ironic that at nearly every turn, capitalists employ any measure they can to avoid being adversely affected by free market economics. It's a curious thing that the over-riding principle of the free market business model is to maximize profits even though doing so means reducing one's competition and the amount of freedom of the marketplace in order to achieve those maximum profits.
Yard Sale
Life of the Party
Product gets lost in transit all the time. A dock worker puts a pallet in the wrong spot and it basically vanishes. Insurance is paid, product written off. Eventually somebody says hey, whats with this pallet. All of the sudden a freight company owns a pallet of said product.
As for STP, I don't know if they do gray marketed buying but most of what they sell is old inventory. Once something is out of season, especially apparel, it becomes a liability so companies just need to get rid of it. Some sell to places like STP but that is bad for brand rep. Why buy a new jacket when you can get last years colors half off? The scary part is how much perfectly good, brand new product companies pay to have destroyed. Not sold at discount, not donated, just chewed up and thrown away. Financially that is usually the most effective way to get out of it.
And if you bought a $700 fly rod at Costco you either have a bunch of extra money or you knew it was somewhat shady. When you break it take it back to Costco. Be mad at them when they don't warranty it, not Winston.
I see it both ways: If Winston or other boutique brands want their brand to be what it is: A high end, expensive, "experience purchasing" type deal, then let them. We as consumers are also in the free market and can support that or look elsewhere. I think a brand should have some say in how/where their product is sold. And if it ends up selling out of their controlled network, then they shouldn't be liable to hold up any coverage of said product. Again, we can choose to send dollars their way or not based on that.
I subbed at a fly shop a few times. I came to understand barely enough about the business to claim knowledge of the ins and outs but the shop was visited by "reps" (not influencers) and those reps were part of the decision making process on what the store had to offer customers. What I don't know anything about is the contractual relationship between the reps and the manufacturers. I find it odd that Winston wouldn't know who they were selling the rods to.
Your insider information might explain it, but at this point what I've observed is as fly fishers, in this thread, we as a group can't agree on much of anything so it's no wonder our fishing seasons on rivers keeps sliding downstream.
Many times, I have seen STP selling last year's and sometimes this years model at a far more discounted price than fly shops trying to get rid of the same inventory. I'm guessing they paid allot less than the fly shops did for it as well. (or didn't pay at all!!!!) Doesn't seem like the authorized dealer thing is all that important.
Are warranty's covered when a company sells them to a non-authorized dealer? It is not advertised that way.
The best way I can explain it without going in to too much detail (I just don't know what's ok to get out there yet) - an insider set up to have 100 rods shipped out and disguised who they were shipping/selling to in a way that wouldn't send any red flags. It wasn't known at Winston until someone told them their rods were on display at Costco.
No, actually. It was the commissioned sales dude who went and bought the entire Costco inventory back up.
So on Sierra Trading, they buy old stock at a steep discount, but also don't pay promptly or....possibly at all it sounds like...or at a negotiated time/payment schedule ?
Is the manufacturers warranty also void on those items, or as old stock is it valid ?
Wondering how that pencils for a manufacturer.
Is the manufacturers warranty also void on those items, or as old stock is it valid ?
Wondering how that pencils for a manufacturer.
Probably depends on brand to brand. If you're unsure and are making a purchase, then probably wouldn't hurt to ask.
I used to buy a lot from STP. I won't anymore. I do still buy things at Costco. Hell, even my friend I mentioned a few pages back who's very connected to this stopped at Costco this morning for some provisions on his way out to our fishing rendezvous.
charles sullivan
Life of the Party
Can someone explain what a freight forwarder is?
I am having a hard time understanding how it is unethical to buy a bunch of a product from someone and re-sell it? I mean, the producer, Sage etc. sold the product to someone. They had to have gotten the price that they wanted. They made the sale.
Retailers buy products and re-sell them, or stock products on their shelves, sell them and then pay for them after the sale. That seems to be the game. Once you sell a product, you sort of lose the right to dictate whomever else can sell it. Am I missing something?
I am having a hard time understanding how it is unethical to buy a bunch of a product from someone and re-sell it? I mean, the producer, Sage etc. sold the product to someone. They had to have gotten the price that they wanted. They made the sale.
Retailers buy products and re-sell them, or stock products on their shelves, sell them and then pay for them after the sale. That seems to be the game. Once you sell a product, you sort of lose the right to dictate whomever else can sell it. Am I missing something?
Is that experience from pre or post TJX buying Sierra?
I still buy a fair amount from Sierra when deals come up, but the old Sierra Trading Post pre TJX had even better deals with the coupons they used to always send out.
That isn't the issue - they can absolutely sell it. The controversy is more about whether Winston should be responsible for honoring the warranty on something outside of their dealer network, which is a guideline in their policy.
It'd be the same as buying a rod second hand at that point. Most people realize that buying a second hand rod doesn't come with warranty coverage.
Back in the old STP days (out of Reno & Cheyanne) I bought a lot of "last year's hot products" from them, subscribed to their promotional emails and waited until Tuesday or Thursday when they offered coupons and free shipping. With the no WA sales tax and a very gracious returns policy to lower the risk of mail order buying there were many deals with great products at outstanding values for consumers. When TJX bought them I saw a big drop in high value deals for consumers.
STP also used to be a lot better and more outdoors focused before they were purchased by the TJMAXX parent company.
EDIT: yeah, just what @Brian Miller said 1 minute before me
when I've bought reels and rods from STP, the warranty cards were always in the box.
Knowing zero about retail, would think if the warranty card is included, it's under warranty.
btw, about bringing the Winston at Costo up and the company 'reclaiming' their rods, do I get a reward...say a 6 wt Winston?
Last edited:
A
Anonymous member 148
Guest
Can't wait till Costco buys some back channel Toyotas.