last post AIRSOFT DISTRIBUTORS
DEMAND AND SUPPLY
SUPPLY OF AIRSOFT GUNS AND GEAR HAS BEEN A LITTLE “PROBLEMATIC” RECENTLY, WITH CONTAINER DELAYS FROM THE FAR EAST, AND MASSIVELY INCREASED COSTS! ALTHOUGH THINGS DO SEEM TO BE EASING, FRENCHIE LOOKS CLOSELY AT WHY THIS SITUATION MAY BE, IN SOME WAYS, HERE TO STAY.
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n the ‘traditional’ supply chain model goods go from producer to distributor and then to retailer. For a long time Airsoft bucked that trend with retailers importing directly, either from producers or from overseas distributors (Marui products are a good example of this). This led to an interesting situation where retailers could and did end up also acting as distributors, supplying goods to other retailers for resale. This model was not without its problems. The first was one of scale; producers wanted to sell as much product as they could and your average UK based retailer could seldom commit to purchasing in the sort of quantities that satisfied that requirement as it required a substantial investment in stock which had to be sold to recoup the investment and turn a profit. This was exacerbated by the fact that other retailers have proved reluctant to buy from what is literally their competition. There are many levels of distrust operating here but one of the principal ones was the fear that a “distributor” would take advantage of the actual cost of goods to them and undercut their own customers, other retailers. There was one individual who was notorious for doing just this, and those of us who have been involved in airsoft for long enough will know whom I am referring to. Suffice it to say that I suspect that many people’s experience of this practice has resulted in a lingering suspicion about the motives and morals
of other retailers engaged in distributing airsoft equipment. This aside, there was also a complete lack of dedicated wholesale outlets in the UK who could supply airsoft-related gear. There were a couple of businesses who dabbled in the cheaper reaches of the industry but they were first and foremost suppliers to the gun trade and their attitudes reflected that. That lack of stock that retailers actually wanted allied to a tendency to threaten legal action if the day had a ‘y’ in it did nothing to improve and advance relationships between them and the majority of retailers. This situation pretty much pertained up to the advent of cheap ‘ChinaSoft’ imports. It’s hard to explain to anyone who wasn’t into airsoft at the time what effect the influx of cheap airsoft guns from China had on the market. For those of you that missed it, we went from a situation where an AK47 would cost you around UK£200 without hi cap magazine or battery, to being able to buy one for around UK£70 that came with battery, charger and hi cap magazine as standard. I remember literally piling Chinese-made guns high in the shop and selling them hand over fist. While not solely responsible for a swathe of bedroom-sellers, the ability to buy airsoft guns for not very much, bang on a bit of profit and still sell them for less than bricks and mortar retailers changed the market substantially. This was very much a “caveat
“IN THE ‘TRADITIONAL’ SUPPLY CHAIN MODEL GOODS GO FROM PRODUCER TO DISTRIBUTOR AND THEN TO RETAILER. FOR A LONG TIME AIRSOFT BUCKED THAT TREND WITH RETAILERS IMPORTING DIRECTLY, EITHER FROM PRODUCERS OR FROM OVERSEAS DISTRIBUTORS (MARUI PRODUCTS ARE A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS). ” 102
MARCH 2022
