win a ball from Bowling.com

Author Topic: It's not Ebonites fault!  (Read 3195 times)

chitown

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5876
It's not Ebonites fault!
« on: November 22, 2006, 02:11:53 AM »
Why are some of you guys blaming Ebonite for the price of the balls being sold on the internet?

If the pro shops can't buy balls cheaper from there destributor than consumers can buy from the internet, then why doesn't the PRO SHOP buy from the internet as well?

How is this Ebonites problem?  I read this long as# post and reply's about this and still don't understand how this is Ebonites problem?

I understand that it's hard for the pro shops to compete with the low prices the internet gives to consumers.  If the pro shop pays more for the ball than the internet charges consumers then why doesn't the pro shop buy from the internet?


To say that it's the ball company's fault is kind of ridiculous.  I think it's the distributors fault.

--------------------
GO BEARS!  Super Bowl bound!

 

Long Roller

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2289
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2006, 10:13:13 AM »
Amen!
--------------------
Shane Soule

jkiser01

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7124
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2006, 10:22:29 AM »
I agree 100% but there are some old school pro shop owners that want to blame the ball companies for everything.. Times have changed on everything in the world.. My company is outsourcing everything they can. Its just something all of us have to deal with... change..

I understand its frustrating for the pro shop owners but I really don't think its gonna get any better. The internet places are not going anywhere, so I think the pro shops need to just understand that and deal with it..

If the pro shops start chaging $100 to get a ball drilled, they will just put themselves out of business. My pro shop guy welcomes internet balls to drill. He knows its $40-$50 of easy money. He lets the person know there is NO warranty on the ball and he never has any issues.. You will have the people that want the peace of mind of the warranty and are willing to spend a little bit more and buy the ball from the pro shop and then you ahve the people that want to save some money and buy it online and get it drilled at their local shop..
--------------------
One day when I grow up I hope to be able to throw the ball AND carry as good as g_thing!!

Edited on 11/22/2006 11:18 AM
Radical Bowling Technologies ...Its more than just an Attitude!

CBowl

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 42
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2006, 03:24:22 PM »
With so many balls being sold through the internet, the best idea is for the pro shop to welcome the customers to drill their balls.  Make a quick $50+ and try to get their loyality to drill their next ball with them.  Internet business is here to stay so might as well try to have a business plan to use the internet business in your favor

nd300

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1917
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2006, 03:29:05 PM »
I've bought most of my arsenal off the Internet.But before I do,I talk with my pro shop operator about what I'd like to buy and whether or not it fills a hole in the arsenal.We then talk about a drilling on the ball,based on the specs.
 That way,he's involved in the decision making process and I still get good advice.And he still gets his money for the redrilling.Maybe $30 vs $50,but still money in his pocket.
--------------------
Chris
 Lane#1--nothing else hits like 'em.

SKIDSNAP

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 638
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2006, 03:41:03 PM »
WRONGO BADBACK!!!!

Most of the internet retailers are working hand in hand with the distributors.

As stated above it is the distributors that are to blame mostly....the distributors get to double dip.

It is also the whores at certain ball companies that will make "strategic" deals in an attempt to grab market share.  Each company has done it at one time or another.

It is also the manufacturers who have not yet committed to a strategy regarding internet purchases that have created this problem. Until they all agree to a strategy (like the golf industry)  companies will take turns being the "hottie of the year"  selling out their souls for market share and de-valuing their product.

It is also the pro shops who continue to devalue their services by constantly trying to underbid their competitors regarding drilling of internet purchased balls. When the drill only price get to the $60 - $70 I will rest.  Any shop drilling an internet purchase for under $40 in seriously devaluing their services and proves that they do not understand how to do business.

Rileybowler

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3461
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2006, 03:47:35 PM »
Never bought a ball off internet never will . I buy from my pro shop who also drills and helps with whatever I need . If there is a problem with the ball no problem the pro shop handles all of it only had 1 problem with 1 cracking got a new one right away no additional cost. I'm loyal to the businesses who have treated me the consumer fairly and with respect till that changes and it won't I,m a pro shop customer for life
--------------------
Carl
Carl
Bless the LORD o my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name

Djarum

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8662
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2006, 03:53:51 PM »
quote:
I agree 100% but there are some old school pro shop owners that want to blame the ball companies for everything.. Times have changed on everything in the world.. My company is outsourcing everything they can. Its just something all of us have to deal with... change..

I understand its frustrating for the pro shop owners but I really don't think its gonna get any better. The internet places are not going anywhere, so I think the pro shops need to just understand that and deal with it..

If the pro shops start chaging $100 to get a ball drilled, they will just put themselves out of business. My pro shop guy welcomes internet balls to drill. He knows its $40-$50 of easy money. He lets the person know there is NO warranty on the ball and he never has any issues.. You will have the people that want the peace of mind of the warranty and are willing to spend a little bit more and buy the ball from the pro shop and then you ahve the people that want to save some money and buy it online and get it drilled at their local shop..
--------------------
One day when I grow up I hope to be able to throw the ball AND carry as good as g_thing!!

Edited on 11/22/2006 11:18 AM


I agree with everything other than the shop charging the 100 bucks. If the shop charges 100 bucks, and thats what everyone else is charging, you really don't have much choice. What the shops should do is collectively charge more for drilling a ball from somewhere else.

Dj
--------------------
The views and opinions of Djarum expressed on BallReviews.com do not necessarily state or reflect those of the BallReviews.com.

No Open Tenths

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 608
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2006, 03:54:02 PM »
I have held my tongue on this topic but have a few points to make.
The proshop business in this day and age is a service industry. What I pay for when I go to the proshop is my ball drillers knowledge and the service he provides in drilling a ball correct and identically.
 The proshop is retail business only for the sake of convenience. It keeps balls there to add an extra service. My proshop stocks very few balls as it does not make sense to have large amounts of money tied up in inventory. Yes it is nice to make an extra 60-75$ on a ball sale in addition to what you charge for the service, but if you are counting on makeing substansial profit from ball sales I think you are deluding yourself.
 So stay busy with plug and redrills and drilling internet balls and make somewhere on the order of 100$ an hour that is close to pure profit from your knowledge and service and let the internet do what it is going to do anyway.

Just my 2 cents...
--------------------
Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't... you're probably right.

jkiser01

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7124
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #9 on: November 22, 2006, 04:06:52 PM »
Yes I will have a choice... I won't buy as many balls as I do now and if I do, I will drill it myself!!

No chance I would ever pay $100 to get a ball drilled, no way, no how.. I don't ever see that being the going rate, at least not in my area. Most places charge between $40-50. My pro shop guy charges $40 bucks to drill a blank ball regardless where you bought it from. He makes very good money drilling internet balls and has no problems making ends meet.. In fact, his sales are great right now.. He is also not fighting the internet sales as he knows its not going to stop but he will get a piece of the pie on the drilling and such..

He just makes sure people know the balls he drills that are bought elsewhere have no warranty from him and people accept that risk to save $30-$40 bucks or more.. He knows that if he treats people right, they will more than likely be a return customer and thats what he wants. He also gets alot of word of mouth business from people that are happy with his work..


quote:
quote:
I agree 100% but there are some old school pro shop owners that want to blame the ball companies for everything.. Times have changed on everything in the world.. My company is outsourcing everything they can. Its just something all of us have to deal with... change..

I understand its frustrating for the pro shop owners but I really don't think its gonna get any better. The internet places are not going anywhere, so I think the pro shops need to just understand that and deal with it..

If the pro shops start chaging $100 to get a ball drilled, they will just put themselves out of business. My pro shop guy welcomes internet balls to drill. He knows its $40-$50 of easy money. He lets the person know there is NO warranty on the ball and he never has any issues.. You will have the people that want the peace of mind of the warranty and are willing to spend a little bit more and buy the ball from the pro shop and then you ahve the people that want to save some money and buy it online and get it drilled at their local shop..
--------------------
One day when I grow up I hope to be able to throw the ball AND carry as good as g_thing!!

Edited on 11/22/2006 11:18 AM


I agree with everything other than the shop charging the 100 bucks. If the shop charges 100 bucks, and thats what everyone else is charging, you really don't have much choice. What the shops should do is collectively charge more for drilling a ball from somewhere else.

Dj
--------------------
The views and opinions of Djarum expressed on BallReviews.com do not necessarily state or reflect those of the BallReviews.com.

--------------------
One day when I grow up I hope to be able to throw the ball AND carry as good as g_thing!!



Edited on 11/22/2006 5:12 PM
Radical Bowling Technologies ...Its more than just an Attitude!

qstick777

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5188
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #10 on: November 22, 2006, 04:57:32 PM »
Ugh, dead horse.....again!

 
quote:
WRONGO BADBACK!!!!

Most of the internet retailers are working hand in hand with the distributors.

As stated above it is the distributors that are to blame mostly....the distributors get to double dip.

 


Tell your pro shop to order in the same quantities as the "e-tailers" and they will get the same pricing.  Be willing to stock the inventory and take the loss when you don't sell the product and have to drop the price to liquidate.

I have no problem walking into my pro shop to buy 1 ball and pay his price.  Now, you best believe if I walk in and want to buy 5 balls, I'm asking for a discount, and I'm getting it - it might only be $5 a ball, but it's still a discount.

None of this really matters to me as my pro shop doesn't stock a whole lot.  Whether I buy from him or on-line, I'm still waiting 2-3 days to get the ball.  It also helps that his prices are just about the same - by the time you add shipping, and if you decide to pay the "drilling protection" or "extra warranty" offered on-line, the prices are usually the same, some times my pro shop is cheaper!

Anybody that thinks pro shops are going to get rich off of ball mark-ups are fooling themselves.  The real price discrepency is on the products like bags and shoes.  I can get a 2-ball roller (KR Eliminator) on-line for around $60 shipped.  That same thing in the pro shop costs $80-90 + tax.
--------------------
Best post ever:http://www.ballreviews.com/Forum/Replies.asp?TopicID=74110&ForumID=16&CategoryID=5

Search Ballreviews entire database here: http://www.bowling-info.com/Search.html

Djarum

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8662
Re: It's not Ebonites fault!
« Reply #11 on: November 22, 2006, 09:44:39 PM »
quote:
Yes I will have a choice... I won't buy as many balls as I do now and if I do, I will drill it myself!!

No chance I would ever pay $100 to get a ball drilled, no way, no how.. I don't ever see that being the going rate, at least not in my area. Most places charge between $40-50. My pro shop guy charges $40 bucks to drill a blank ball regardless where you bought it from. He makes very good money drilling internet balls and has no problems making ends meet.. In fact, his sales are great right now.. He is also not fighting the internet sales as he knows its not going to stop but he will get a piece of the pie on the drilling and such..

He just makes sure people know the balls he drills that are bought elsewhere have no warranty from him and people accept that risk to save $30-$40 bucks or more.. He knows that if he treats people right, they will more than likely be a return customer and thats what he wants. He also gets alot of word of mouth business from people that are happy with his work..


quote:
quote:
I agree 100% but there are some old school pro shop owners that want to blame the ball companies for everything.. Times have changed on everything in the world.. My company is outsourcing everything they can. Its just something all of us have to deal with... change..

I understand its frustrating for the pro shop owners but I really don't think its gonna get any better. The internet places are not going anywhere, so I think the pro shops need to just understand that and deal with it..

If the pro shops start chaging $100 to get a ball drilled, they will just put themselves out of business. My pro shop guy welcomes internet balls to drill. He knows its $40-$50 of easy money. He lets the person know there is NO warranty on the ball and he never has any issues.. You will have the people that want the peace of mind of the warranty and are willing to spend a little bit more and buy the ball from the pro shop and then you ahve the people that want to save some money and buy it online and get it drilled at their local shop..
--------------------
One day when I grow up I hope to be able to throw the ball AND carry as good as g_thing!!

Edited on 11/22/2006 11:18 AM


I agree with everything other than the shop charging the 100 bucks. If the shop charges 100 bucks, and thats what everyone else is charging, you really don't have much choice. What the shops should do is collectively charge more for drilling a ball from somewhere else.

Dj
--------------------
The views and opinions of Djarum expressed on BallReviews.com do not necessarily state or reflect those of the BallReviews.com.

--------------------
One day when I grow up I hope to be able to throw the ball AND carry as good as g_thing!!



Edited on 11/22/2006 5:12 PM


Why not? Mechanics 10 years ago charged 35-40 bucks an hour. Now most mechanics are charging 60-75 bucks an hour. Its called inflation. My driller here has been charging 50 bucks for drilling an outside ball for the 7 years I've been here. Your saying that inflation does not apply to ball drillers? Give me a break. As the cost of manufacturing has stayed pretty stagnate over the years(for all industries) due to outsourcing, the cost of service for just about anything has either doubled or trippled in the last 10 years. Plumbers are more expensive, technicians are more expensive, you name it. No reason drilling a ball shouldn't be more expensive.

Dj
--------------------
The views and opinions of Djarum expressed on BallReviews.com do not necessarily state or reflect those of the BallReviews.com.