Niwalker have just said that they don’t want to allow group buys from unauthorized dealers/members. There are good reasons for this, some may want to quickly move a few lights at a lower price and pocket the quick cash with no intention of providing after-sales service/handling warranty claims if there are any issues. Niwalker (and other brands) have a responsibility to ensure that customers are supported after the purchase, and so wish to only sell via their authorized distributors.
I am not saying that cellguy/e2fieldgear fall into that bracket, but it may have appeared that way to Niwalker. They may not even be aware that cellguy is already a registered dealer for any brands, so it could be a simple misunderstanding. If so then the situation could be sorted by cellguy explaining to them that he is already a registered dealer for certain brands, and that he intends to become so for Niwalker products, along with providing appropriate after-sales support. Once that is agreed then he should be allowed to conduct a group buy on this forum, as an authorized dealer.
Telling people to f*ck off, instead of actually trying to reasonably resolve a situation that you’re frustrated with, isn’t generally the best way to deal with it.
Except when the manufacturer in question uses unwritten policies to play favorites.
cellguy/e2fieldgear is an authorized dealer.
MAP policy cannot be violated when a price is not shown. This is a very common issue, and it is absolutely accepted practice to have special In Cart pricing.
What happened here is very straightforward... some Niwalker dealer complained to Niwalker about this Group Buy. Niwalker used MAP policy as an excuse to terminate the relationship.
As such I stand by my very sincere sentiments toward both Niwalker, and the other dealer in question.
Cellguy - being a good guy, and a business man, cannot come out and say as much. I do not have the same restriction in expressing my desires on how I wish for the manufacturer in question to proceed.
Edit: I would perhaps be less inflammatory in my response, but given that Niwalker has A LOT of competitors, what point is there in handling them with kid gloves?
They don't have to sell to us. We don't have to buy from them. They have to sell to stay in business, we do not have to buy from them to get flashlights.
You raise fair points. This would have been my second order with NiWalker. I have previously provided them with my business profile and they are fully aware I am operating a legitimate ongoing business. This was not a quick cash grab as they hoped to imply.
OK, well if that’s the case then I think Niwalker need to provide a specific explanation for why e2fieldgear, as an authorized dealer, would not be allowed to conduct a group buy.
The post by AmandaLee (who is a legitimate representative of Niwalker not just a ‘shill’) certainly implies that they were not informed about a potential group buy and didn’t consider it to be organized by an authorized dealer. As that second point is incorrect then they will have to either provide another explanation or accept that they made a mistake and let it proceed.
I have had a few discussions with representatives from Niwalker about current and future products and have found them to be very polite and informative, with better communication than many other companies, so I trust that they will be able to resolve the issue.
Its not about effectiveness. It’s about what you believe to be right or wrong irrespective of the potential outcome and that you do what you feel is right.
My communications with NiWalker were also quite pleasant. I did not inform them of the GB. They previously communicated they only work with stocking dealers and a GB in the typical format of the Manufacturer fulfilling orders would not be possible. The structure of this GB was a simple pre-order sale. I saw no need to seek approval to offer a sale on a new line of lights I would be stocking. This is a common business practice that happens everyday. Niwalker and or its dealers were dissatisfied with the final sale price. I operated this sale within structure that is employed and accepted world wide with a “See Price in Cart” strategy. I requested a written MAP policy and stated I would immediately follow those rules. No policy was provided. I do not feel any ethical guidelines were crossed but I cannot force Niwalker to fulfill a purchase order and decided it was a battle I could not win and ended the sale.
You have no responsibility whatsoever to seek approval or inform them of what you intend to do with items you purchase from them...
Your responsibility ends with making a payment to them. Of course they have the right to refuse any order, but clearly MAP was used here only as an excuse.
Crelant and Fenix also kind of belong on that list. Lucky for them, they have more niche products. (Although Solarstorm is taking a great crack and Fenix :))
Solarforceflashlight-sales.com is still selling the S2200 at the DISCOUNTED price of $135.99, marked down from $239.99. 2200 lumens that can easily be bumped to 2700+ with 5 simple 1ohm resistors. $2 shipping. As little as 6 day delivery. Any day. All day. No secret decoder ring necessary.
So, to Niwalker, I salute you for making the choice easy!
What a joke this is,Niwalker really screwed themselves this time.It's a shame because these seem like great lights but I will never know that because they chose to have none rather than some.It makes no sense to me to mess this up and sell these to flashlight enthusiasts who will buy them, good luck selling these to Joe homeowner.Cellguy-thanks for your efforts to get this buy together.
You know, all these MF (you know I mean Manufacturing Companies right?), companies with their MAP CRAP can go directly to Hell, do not pass go and do not give them any money for any reason... Ever.
What a load of... just wait a week or two and the clone will come out and probably be as good as the original.
I’d happily take an ultrafire clone over most of these “big brand” lights, their all as bad as each other, and when you get down to it, even these need to be modded to impress, whats the point?
better to just get a cheapish host and just build your own, lets be honest, there are precious few outside these forums that will even look at these lights, sooner these manufacturers realise this, the better.
(you know I mean Manufacturing Companies right?
), companies with their MAP CRAP