The Benefit Of Companies Selling Detectors At Sporting Goods Stores

[Norvic]

For me I`ll stick with my dealer, I just order/pay online and I`ve got the item in my remote location no drama in a few days. He uses and knows gold detectors, stocks the coils etc. that are the go. Good old fashioned reliable service still exists and is highly valued.

[phrunt]

Minelab have talked a lot about future plans to sell direct and even set up website in Asia as a trial to do so.  They're also making the push into big box stores and sporting goods stores.  Far bigger exposure in those stores, people see detectors that aren't out looking for them like at dealers and may decide they're interested.

The big box stores may start negotiations with Minelab, and Minelab may demand exclusivity of their detectors.  The big box store would look at their existing detector sales, do some research, see which brands are most popular and accept Minelab's conditions.  They could end up pushing out the original big box store brands and the Go-Finds, X-Terra and Vanquish are perfect for the job.

Nokta are creating models ideal for big box stores at great prices but haven't yet made the push to try and get their detectors sold in these stores which is a surprise to me.  Why sell your product though a little shop in a back street or someone's garage when you could be in the big mall in the city centre and get high traffic seeing it.

Only the biggest and best dealers will be around in a few years.  Our only good dealer retired and sold his business, we now just have order takers.  An example, I contacted the new owner and requested they keep me on the list for the Sadie for the GPX 6000 that the old dealer had me on, just verifying they knew I wanted one, in turn they said we have the Sadie in stock for the GPX, you can buy this one instead and pointed me to the GPX 4500/5000 Sadie.

[Norvic]

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

Our only good dealer retired and sold his business, we now just have order takers. 

That`s sad but reality of the future. Up here in FNQ we were very fortunate, when our old ML dealer retired a few years back the fellow that took it over from him is a gold prospector and like our original gives top customer service. Of interest perhaps, our old dealer was recognised by ML as the then longest continual dealership of ML products, he started way back before the MLs first GS15000.

[phrunt]

1 minute ago, Norvic said:

That`s sad but reality of the future. Up here in FNQ we were very fortunate, when our old ML dealer retired a few years back the fellow that took it over from him is a gold prospector and like our original gives top customer service. M

The people that took over our best store are dredgers, I'm sure if I required dredge stuff, they'd be great to talk to, they just have no idea about the toys called metal detectors.