Cheap Imports.

[kitesurfer]

I see this made national news again yesterday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7542151.stm

Lets hope we never see the day when all you can buy is a cheap asian import because they will never be able to make you a custom board and making your own will also become harder as if all the blank suppliers go out of buisness where will we get blanks from.

KS

[surferdude_scarborough]

This is very sad news.

*important*: NOBODY BUY CHEAP CHINESE IMPORTS!!!!!!!!

[justloafing]

As long as everyone keeps pushing the cheap popouts (IE this forum and others) they will stay popular and devastate local shapers and take quality boards away from us.

[Johno]

Kity sin Gixers new board on saterday it was very nice, Think my next board will defo come from you

keep the shaping alive

[kitesurfer]

Kity sin Gixers new board on saterday it was very nice, Think my next board will defo come from you

keep the shaping alive

Cheers.

KS

[kitesurfer]

As long as everyone keeps pushing the cheap popouts (IE this forum and others) they will stay popular and devastate local shapers and take quality boards away from us.

I don't think its the cheap pop outs that are the biggest problem. Some of those have been around for years. Its the cheap glassed surf boards that look like custom boards but are in fact mass produced items. O'shea springs to mind.

KS

[Sillysausage]

yea sad to see bad the bad news. although can't wait to get out later on my board KS (4-5ft)! still only been out twice as i only got home a couple of days ago after 4 months no surfing...wonder how i'll do

[Milo]

My sympathy with the surf industry, but this is the same across the board no matter what industry you are in. We are slowly hanging our own country buy the neck. This has been going on slowly since the late 80`s when Maggie and her crony's privatised the large industries and sold them off to foreign companies, who then made there money then pissed off. We are in a xxxxx state.
People buy British PLEASE.

[tomcat360]

I don't think its the cheap pop outs that are the biggest problem. Some of those have been around for years. Its the cheap glassed surf boards that look like custom boards but are in fact mass produced items. O'shea springs to mind.

KS

Bingo.

Milo I don't know squat about British politics, but here in America it's not only gov't but the minds of the people. I think Walmart is the single most evil corporation on the face of the planet. They push people into buying cheap, bad quality stuff, which will break in three months.

"A microwave for 19 dollars?!?! Well my old one is fine, but this one is just so inexpensive!"

They throw out the good old one, replace it with the new, three months later it breaks, and they get another. So at this rate they are now spending 76 dollars annually on microwaves which is probably the cost of a good one that would last them 5 years. Plus they are using more fuel manufacturing it, more petroleum in the materials, more fuel shipping it from China to the coast, then from the coast to the shore. Then the same people wave their damn China made American flags and sing the national anthem and think they're helping out. Get real.


Sorry I'm incredibly angry. My true life desire is to build furniture but the industry which could once very well support a family now won't at all. I was recently told "It's a great job. If you don't like eating. But other than that you gotta do something else"

[O_Danny_Boy]

i actually own a board from matt barrow and i also own a cheap epoxy shortbaord from china, there really is no comparison between the 2

loads of shops are at it over here tho, flooding the market just so they can make an even bigger profit margin

heard that the import comes in for close to 50 or 60 euros and is sold on for 300-400 euros. at the end of the day it basically comes down to greed. bit sickening really

[justloafing]

i actually own a board from matt barrow and i also own a cheap epoxy shortbaord from china, there really is no comparison between the 2

loads of shops are at it over here tho, flooding the market just so they can make an even bigger profit margin

heard that the import comes in for close to 50 or 60 euros and is sold on for 300-400 euros. at the end of the day it basically comes down to greed. bit sickening really

Well it's ones own damn fault if they don't research and come away with a good board.

I can actually see buying a China popout. If you get to the beach once a a year for a week. But for someone that really wants to get into the sport, NO WAY. For about $200 - $300 more you can come away with a good starter board that can always work for you. If a surf shop is worth anything they will steer people away from the popouts if the person is going to be surfing a lot.

Lets face it. Surfing is a fairly cheap sport to get into. For less than a thousand U.S. dollars you can have good quality equipment (board, wetsuit, boots, gloves, hood, leach and a board bag).

[joem]

since most surf shops are independant carnt the surf industry just blank pop-outs out even a lot of the websites are surfer owned

[gixer]

having your own custom board is a very special thing,id like kitesurfer to make me another one,problem is id feel like i was being unfaithfull to my fish still the autumn swells are coming and im gonna need something stable...........

[justloafing]

since most surf shops are independant carnt the surf industry just blank pop-outs out even a lot of the websites are surfer owned

I agree. I can see a surf shop carrying a cheap popout or two for the reason I said above ( a person that is not serious about surfing all the time). What I think happens is a lot of surf shops will not steer people away from the cheap popouts because the surf shop needs the money and some people just wont buy a more expensive board even though that is exactly what they need.

I see people that come here looking for board advise and they are quickly steered towards the NSP's and others. When all they are good for is just the very basics and you can go no further with them. That is why I always recommend a very good second hand board that they can learn on and progress on until they get fairly good and can step up to a more high performance board. I think a cheap popout is a waste of money if your gonna surf a fair amount.

A cheap popout is going to get you to be able to stand and maybe make a turn then it is worthless to the person that bought it. But they are not ready to move up to a higher performance board. Nope then they really need to go out and get the board they needed to start out with. JMHO

[isaluteyou]

I don't think its the cheap pop outs that are the biggest problem. Some of those have been around for years. Its the cheap glassed surf boards that look like custom boards but are in fact mass produced items. O'shea springs to mind.

KS

Bingo.

Milo I don't know squat about British politics, but here in America it's not only gov't but the minds of the people. I think Walmart is the single most evil corporation on the face of the planet. They push people into buying cheap, bad quality stuff, which will break in three months.

"A microwave for 19 dollars?!?! Well my old one is fine, but this one is just so inexpensive!"

They throw out the good old one, replace it with the new, three months later it breaks, and they get another. So at this rate they are now spending 76 dollars annually on microwaves which is probably the cost of a good one that would last them 5 years. Plus they are using more fuel manufacturing it, more petroleum in the materials, more fuel shipping it from China to the coast, then from the coast to the shore. Then the same people wave their damn China made American flags and sing the national anthem and think they're helping out. Get real.

Sorry I'm incredibly angry. My true life desire is to build furniture but the industry which could once very well support a family now won't at all. I was recently told "It's a great job. If you don't like eating. But other than that you gotta do something else"

Actually this is the tip of the iceberg as surfers we feel this a lot because we surf but most industries are facing simular things. Its all related to the global failing economy. When the true artisans start feeling the pinch its really really bad news.

Unfortunatly this is an issue that is not gonna run away or be able to be swept under the carpet as its linked to in a larger role to the failing economy you can expect to see this getting a lot worse not better

[the.ronin]

Allow me to be the resident a-hole ala devils advocate here. Two aspects I want to float out there ...

One – crowds.

Availability of cheap boards is going to increase the population of surfers which otherwise would not be surfing since they can’t afford a board. This is one of the practical reasons why I can’t stand to see beginners learning on these huge longboards. The thrill of wave riding should be something you earn over time. Not something you buy on a lazy afternoon because you happened across a surfing magazine and thought it looked cool. But let’s put that aside and move on to what I consider a more critical aspect ....

Two – price competition

While I would never discount the ingenuity of the Chinese, you are telling me they are able to ship surfboards half way across the world and still manage to *significantly* under price local shapers??? I don’t care if these boards last 3 months but the Adam Smith in me says that is as comparative as comparative advantage gets!!

As an aside, and for the non-economists among us, allow me to digress on the cost of logistics which I presume is a nightmare for surfboard makers. Imagine shipping rice. For each cubic inch you pay for, you make use of practically all of it. Now imagine shipping a friggin surfboard. Not only do you have to address the fragile nature of the product, but it’s not like you can flatten it and re-inflate it upon delivery. There is a lot of dead space there.

Back on topic, this phenomenon tells me one thing – non-Chinese shapers are ridiculously inefficient. Sure many of them are operations and need to spread the cost through high prices but perhaps they shouldn’t be in business??

[the.ronin]

Actually this is the tip of the iceberg as surfers we feel this a lot because we surf but most industries are facing simular things. Its all related to the global failing economy. When the true artisans start feeling the pinch its really really bad news.

Unfortunatly this is an issue that is not gonna run away or be able to be swept under the carpet as its linked to in a larger role to the failing economy you can expect to see this getting a lot worse not better

Much respsect, isaluteyou, but I have got to disagree with you here. I cringed when I read this.

Failing?? On the contrary, this is an indication of an increasingly global economy seeping into the surfing industry. By all measures, this is an indication of a succesful economy!

In regards “true artisans” feeling the pinch ... there is a difference between art and business. The former is driven by subjectivities and the latter is driven by economic truths. By definition, the surfing *industry*, is a business.

[joem]

before we get too gloomy while pros still ride hand shaped models and the hand shaped boards ride so much better, shapers will still have a market. i carnt wait until i have saved up enought for me first custom board

[Sillysausage]

by the way KS. might be needing a new board off you soon. will pm you when i get back from holiday.

[isaluteyou]

Failing?? On the contrary, this is an indication of an increasingly global economy seeping into the surfing industry. By all measures, this is an indication of a succesful economy!

ill grant you it does have the apperance of that but when you figure in world trends and the ever so prominent term "what goes up must come down" then its just an illusion or a temp thing. Time will tell which one of is right