brocknroller
porromaniac
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Eagle Optics to stop carrying Nikon ? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter opticoholic
- Start date
There is the problem!
Nikon has too many different types of binoculars at different price levels. They are all sold world wide in great numbers when compared to Swarovski, Zeiss and Leica's sales. Imagine the logistics and staffing problems involved in setting up after sales service centers reasonably near where they are sold.
And, with this in mind, I've never seen the importance of being able to tell when their binoculars were made. Particularly the mid priced ones. I have a multi-millionaire friend who bought a Monarch when it first came out and he is still happy with it and doesn't give a damn whether the newer models have better coatings. Most people who buy binoculars are like this.
And on that note I also think it is unreasonable to expect Nikon's clerical staff and repair technicians to be able to tell any one who inquires when a binocular was manufactured and when it's coatings were changed. They are hired to perform specific jobs. Swarovski doesn't have to deal with that because of their SN set up.
I don't know how Zeiss or Leica track theirs. Do they have a method like Swarovski? If not, will a clerk or a technician be able to give you this information when you ask?
And there is no need, or should not be any need, to remind anyone here that Swarovski, Zeiss and Leica are not dealing with huge, diverse, world wide inventories of binoculars of different grades of quality like Nikon does.
Bob
oetzi
Well-known member
Over here, you find the Nikon binoculars mostly in camera shops, with the posh ones also stocking Leica and Zeiss. And in these shops, Nikon has a very good name because of their cameras and sells well.
And Steiner is everywhere, of course. When I was trying out several binoculars in a very up market store some days before, I overheard this conversation between another bino-shopper and the sales stuff: "What do you sell most, Leica or Zeiss?" Answer: "Steiner". The latter to be found, together with Eschenbach, in most outdoor shops and with opticians.
As of which brand to carry or not, my experiences from a past life behind the counter of a specialized outdoor/mountaineering store are these:
General approachability is very high on the list, difficulties in communications cost time, energy and money. This is a make-or-break subject.
Getting the goods is important, if the they cant deliver, the shop cant sell.
You want as few suppliers as possible.
If everything equal, the brand with the most diversified sortiment wins.
Warranty and similar services, if the brand makes live easy for you, thats a definite plus.
One example: underwear made from merino wool is the big hit since several years. Very expensive, but sells like hot cakes. One particular brand, not the very very best quality of wool but very nearly a household name in this segment, has made any warranty claim a no-brainer.
The costumer complains about something, no matter what, even if he f####d up the garment.
The shops simply hands out a new garment, sends a mail to the company and gets reimbursed.
The "defect" item, mostly with a very small hole somewhere, will be officially put in the bin and effectively be worn by the staff. After all, they are still serviceable. Everyone is happy.
And Steiner is everywhere, of course. When I was trying out several binoculars in a very up market store some days before, I overheard this conversation between another bino-shopper and the sales stuff: "What do you sell most, Leica or Zeiss?" Answer: "Steiner". The latter to be found, together with Eschenbach, in most outdoor shops and with opticians.
As of which brand to carry or not, my experiences from a past life behind the counter of a specialized outdoor/mountaineering store are these:
General approachability is very high on the list, difficulties in communications cost time, energy and money. This is a make-or-break subject.
Getting the goods is important, if the they cant deliver, the shop cant sell.
You want as few suppliers as possible.
If everything equal, the brand with the most diversified sortiment wins.
Warranty and similar services, if the brand makes live easy for you, thats a definite plus.
One example: underwear made from merino wool is the big hit since several years. Very expensive, but sells like hot cakes. One particular brand, not the very very best quality of wool but very nearly a household name in this segment, has made any warranty claim a no-brainer.
The costumer complains about something, no matter what, even if he f####d up the garment.
The shops simply hands out a new garment, sends a mail to the company and gets reimbursed.
The "defect" item, mostly with a very small hole somewhere, will be officially put in the bin and effectively be worn by the staff. After all, they are still serviceable. Everyone is happy.
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello all,
Folks in the US, including the retailers, are not dealing with Nikon, but with Nikon USA, which has developed its own practices for its market. This is one reason why warranties and service differ worldwide. Nikon USA's marketing also differs as the availability of certain models is different in the States than in other parts of the world shows.
At one time, Nikon licensed an American firm to be its sole importer, Ehrenreich, if I recall correctly. I don't know if Nikon USA is a Nikon subsidiary or an importer but the firm certainly sets the policy for the States.
I wonder if EO is dropping Nikon or is Nikon dropping EO?
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
Folks in the US, including the retailers, are not dealing with Nikon, but with Nikon USA, which has developed its own practices for its market. This is one reason why warranties and service differ worldwide. Nikon USA's marketing also differs as the availability of certain models is different in the States than in other parts of the world shows.
At one time, Nikon licensed an American firm to be its sole importer, Ehrenreich, if I recall correctly. I don't know if Nikon USA is a Nikon subsidiary or an importer but the firm certainly sets the policy for the States.
I wonder if EO is dropping Nikon or is Nikon dropping EO?
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
Jason Bugay Reyes
Well-known member
Yes I was told the same too by my friend who sell Nikon here. But from the success of Nikon USA, why Nikon Japan do not follow their marketing strategy for the rest of the world?
I was told, Japanese birdwatchers also preferred European brand for binocular and scope...
I've heard the bino counter guys at a very large and well known outdoorsman retailer here say the company is fed up with dealing with Nikon and isn't far from not offering them anymore, however this hasn't happened yet and that's been over a year ago. I think the store would lose a ton of sales between binos, scopes, and rangefinders... leave some open spaces in their display cases that would be hard to fill with other product... and make their store less appealing with less product selection. On another note, they have started offering/pushing an off name brand, but it hasn't caught on yet.
CG
I replaced objective lens covers on my EL's twice. Swarovski would only charge me full price plus the shipping!!!!!! You are very good at getting things for free.
On another note, when I indicated to customer service that my EL focus mechanism started making a very slight noise when rotated, they said don't bother sending it in, they are aware of it and there is nothing they can/will do about it.
The best... not hardly.
CG
brocknroller
porromaniac
Hi Everyone,
Here is the information I have regarding our account with Nikon. After 25 years as a Nikon Authorized Dealer they have decided that we no longer fit their plans moving forward. No reason was provided for this decision but it was firm and therefore we have decided to move on.
I'm not in a position to speculate about Nikon's reasoning so at this point I'm going to have to keep my input limited.
Best Regards,
Ben
Ben Lizdas
Sales Manager
Eagle Optics
www.eagleoptics.com
Here is the information I have regarding our account with Nikon. After 25 years as a Nikon Authorized Dealer they have decided that we no longer fit their plans moving forward. No reason was provided for this decision but it was firm and therefore we have decided to move on.
I'm not in a position to speculate about Nikon's reasoning so at this point I'm going to have to keep my input limited.
Best Regards,
Ben
Ben Lizdas
Sales Manager
Eagle Optics
www.eagleoptics.com
brocknroller
porromaniac
Thanks for chiming in, Ben.
I'm not sure what Nikon's policy is in terms of pricing, but Leica is strict with its rules about prices. We had an optics dealer post on the forums quite a while ago, who said that Leica dropped his store as an authorized dealer, because he was underselling other dealers. You have your rotating sales, but I've never seen Nikons at "give away" prices like I've seen at some stores that sell "gray market".
Some optics companies allow you to sell below their MSRP as long as you don't blatantly advertise the price on the site so it can be picked up in search engines. I noticed that EO does this. although I don't know if this is due to the manufacturer's restrictions or as a sales technique. You can only find out the price of some items on sale at EO by adding them to your "cart," which I just did yesterday for the 8x32 FL (still too pricey for me, I'll check again when Zeiss starts clearing its inventory for the 8x32 HT).
Its a shame that Nikon would dump a reputable dealer such as Eagle Optics and not tell you why. I guessed earlier that they weren't doing the kind of volume sales they would like and as they probably are doing at NYC dealers such as Adorama and B&H. I'm not sure how that affects their costs except perhaps shipping since they can pack more bins in one shipment to NYC stores or their warehouses, because of the greater turn over there.
Or perhaps because you are a Vortex dealer, and that company;s wide selection rivals or even bests Nikon's. It must have something to do with sales and/or costs. If a company is selling their bins and turning tidy profit, they wouldn't want to ruin a good thing.
Whatever the reason, we don't need to know, but I think they owe you an explanation.
Sorry to hear this.
Brock
Last edited:
>>> I guessed earlier that they weren't doing the kind of volume sales they would like and as they probably are doing at NYC dealers such as Adorama and B&H. I'm not sure how that affects their costs except perhaps shipping since they can pack more bins in one shipment to NYC stores or their warehouses, because of the greater turn over there.
Brock <<<
Just finished shopping for an SE - Adorama has none and no idea when they might get more, wouldn't even take my order. B&H had 2 8x32 SE's, I bought 1. They would not match Adorama's slightly lower price since they only have 2 left (now 1) and are not expecting any more stock of them (quote from sales manager). Both places have very limited or no stock on other Nikons costing over $300. So, go figure again.
John F
Brock <<<
Just finished shopping for an SE - Adorama has none and no idea when they might get more, wouldn't even take my order. B&H had 2 8x32 SE's, I bought 1. They would not match Adorama's slightly lower price since they only have 2 left (now 1) and are not expecting any more stock of them (quote from sales manager). Both places have very limited or no stock on other Nikons costing over $300. So, go figure again.
John F
brocknroller
porromaniac
John,
Forget when, but a few years back Nikon decided not to sell the EII in the US anymore and only to ship SEs on as special order basis. So as companies requested SEs from orders, when the count and the amount were right, Nikon shipped the SEs to select stores, Adorama and B&H among them. I think one of those stores supplies Amazon. Even EO had the SEs at one point.
The SE has become a "special order" item. You're fortunate to get one, although there are often some for sale second hand at some point or another because people buy them as reference standards, but then need the bucks for the "latest and greatest" roof and sell them, or they buy an 8x56 FL and suddenly notice how "mushy" the view through the 8x32 SE is by comparison.
I was reading Henry's review of the Monster FL yesterday and that stuck in my head today when I was out looking for a hawk that was waiting to feast at my backyard squirrel and bird buffet. I finally scared him after throwing snowballs and screaming like banshee, but only about a block away. We did a Mexican standoff for four hours until dusk a few weeks ago. I was thinking about the 8x56 today since the 32mm wasn't cutting it through the trees and clouds with the low sun hanging sun behind the clouds this afternoon.
But I bought the SEs for fair weather birding not for when I'm dressed like Nanook of the North. If I venture out again, I'll take my 10x50 porros.
Enjoy! the SE. I don't think Nikon is discontinuing them, but one of these days, those rumors will be true.
<B>
Many Vortex binoculars do compete directly with Nikon's mid and low priced Monarchs and ATBs.
Bob
jan van daalen
Well-known member
Let's turn your earlier story around, Brock.
When every dealer shut their doors for Nikon (like we did) how long would it take for Nikon to come to their senses!!
Jan
When every dealer shut their doors for Nikon (like we did) how long would it take for Nikon to come to their senses!!
Jan
Not forgetting also EO's own house brand and Atlas Optics.
All together, EO has three competing house brands that are competing in Nikon's territory.
That will depend on how many large and small diversified sporting goods stores, outlets, and mail order houses go along with the dealers who specialize only in optics and who are dumping them.
Bob
edwincjones
Well-known member
one dealer, one brand, more or less,
is not a big deal
we have a lot of options,
we can buy elsewhere,
we can buy another brand
we vote with our money by who we give it to
edj
is not a big deal
we have a lot of options,
we can buy elsewhere,
we can buy another brand
we vote with our money by who we give it to
edj
