Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako Does Not Play Nice...

Just attempted to order a Sako Finnlight from Shirk's, for a poster here and was told they do not do that anymore... Sako went direct to dealers over a year ago and the minimum buy-in (from Sako) is 15k in inventory... I am not going there... This came about post-Beretta buy-out...

Cannot see how that will aid their marketing plan...
art

Yeah same thing a dealer told me here in OK. Said they quit carrying them altogether.

I addition, try to order parts for one of their products. Almost impossible. I'll keep the one I have but I won't be buying any more.

I hope Tikka does not go that route, too!

Sounds like a hassle, Art....I hope it's worth it! Heh...

It's the same OLD "story"... over and over again.

They make a good product... AND after a time, the public becomes of aware of the product's quality.

The product's popularity and acceptance goes up... and the manufacturer's sales take off.

The manufacturer gets a "big head" and begins to put unweldy restrictions on either the product or its distribution, the public gets "turned off " by the manufacturer's attitude, sales drop drastically... and, eventually, the manufacturer goes out of business.

We'll see how long Sako/Beretta can maintain their "exclusive attitude" which basically cuts out the "little guy" dealer who can't AFFORD to put $15K into "Sako-only" inventory... and how well Sako does in making their remaining dealers buy an initial $15,000 worth of Sako inventory.

If their idea turns their customer's "off ", then someone is going to get "stuck" with a lot of expensive inventory the public won't "pay-the-price" to buy!

Sako makes a fine, but EXPENSIVE rifle. And the market place is just plumb FULL of "fine, but expensive" rifles. Seems like some folks just "never learn", eh? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

I just don't think there's going to be a new Sako in my future..
But, I've had a passion for an older Vixen in triple duce, so if one comes along, I'll buy it. Also, the Sako single shot in 6mm PPC is a must buy too. However, NO new ones...
Don

Art, in '03 I was the Sako factory rep in the NW and had Ak in my territory. I knew at the end of '03 that Sako was going factory direct. I thought it the best and most profitable idea yet. In fact
I pushed for it in our quarterly meetings in MD.
It places Sako's into the publics hands so much easier. The retailer (end user) has more power to make sales happen. Now if your a FFL holder and work out of your house then it's obvious your SOL. But then it was that way as well when I was working for them. We had a minimum that everybody had to go by.
Also, Some wholesale warehouses went retail as well to get more
Sako's than they could normally get. They worked around it.

15K is a small amount of money for someone who is serious about selling firearms. If he buys right and has a good base already he wont have any problem moving his product in a very timely fashion. Any small gun store should be able to pull it off and believe me I've seen the smallest in po-dunk Jct. sell a lot to the local's.

btw, l left the rep biz as I was gone 5 and 6 days a week. I got sick of hotels and eating out and with a family with 4 children that got old.

If Sako wants to freeze out the kitchen table sellers, ( which the GCA '68 was written to protect, (not a lot of people know that)), then that's fine with me, it's their sales that will drop, and I personally could care less. There's plenty of other quality rifles out there, if Beretta/Sako/Tikka can survive that way, good for them. I own several Beretta shotguns, several Tikka rifles and had planned on another Sako rifle, but I'm through with them. What with the way they've handled the blowups and now this distribution nightmare, I'll stick with Winchester, Ruger, Remington, and others. I'll not miss a day at the range or a hunt. I'll get whatever I want at the gun shows.
You'd be surprised at what lack of comsumer dollars can do to a manufacturer, just the thought of it changed Leupold's mind about changing their warranty service.

SU35
Thanks for the insight... I still do not see how it will improve Sako's bottomline, but that is their concern, not mine. While they build a very respectable rifle it is far from being alone at the top of the heap of better-than-averages... and they weigh too much for most applications... My opinion anyway...
thanks
art

The Berreta influence and new pricing gig,surely cain't be good for business.

There's lotsa folks,that ain't much into such notions and I know a few. It's really too bad,as I've nothing but high esteem for most Sako offerings,though I can see that perception becoming altered.

Thoughts from the gallery?..................

Any company is free to set their business practices as they choose...

But (you knew there was at least one "but" involved here...)

They won't be selling any rifles in Ketchikan. There are three stores that sell rifles, and a handful of "kitchen table" dealers. Neither the sporting goods store nor the pawnshop are in a position to invest $15,000 in Sako rifles, and they would be stupid to do so. WalMart doesn't carry Sako. So...no one in Ketchikan will be able to buy one, unless they go to Los Anchorage or Seattle or somewhere. Somehow don't think that's gonna happen much. I suspect the situation is exactly the same in Sitka, Juneau, and everywhere else in Southeast. So basically, they just dumped on 75,000 people, many of whom might have an interest in buying several of their firearms.

But they're not the first merchandizer to tell us to go piss up a rope... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />.

I just don't understand their train of thought,as to how the new practice was gonna help them in either the short or the long run?

Will be curious to see how she pans out...............

"It places Sako's into the publics hands so much easier..."

Somehow, I'm skeptical.....

After I talked to a Beretta rep at the 01 shot show I thought it was going downhill. I'm glad I've got all I'll ever "need". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

My local Beretta dealer already stocks over $15K worth, so keeping Sako and Tikka on the shelf doesn't seem to be any problem for him since I see them sitting there.

I would rather see these companies adjust their business details to where they are making money, developing new products and beeing there when I decide I want one of their products.

I mean like dude, does Chevvy sell your neighbor one truck so he can sell it to you? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

jim

I'll say one thing, I'm sure glad I'm not a stockholder of Beretta. If I was I'd be mad as h#$5!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I've also thought of getting rid of some that I own anyway. The clips are OUTRAGEOUS ($85) and so are the parts. I needed an extractor for a Tikka 595 and it was THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS for what Ruger or Browning sells for $10, I don't need to be that eclectic. I can't imagine what it would cost if I were to break one of the many pieces of plastic on my riles, and that's if it can be had at all!!!

Sounds like the same minimum buy that Beretta insists on. Talked to my local dealer about Beretta a couple of years ago; they explained the 15K minimum was too much for them to mess with. Mind you, this isn't some hole-in-the-wall, but one of the larger gun dealers in the Des Moines, IA area. Carries Freedom Arms, CZ, Wilson Combat, and other high-end stuff. But no Beretta or Sako. How this sort of thing helps the sales of those companies is beyond me.
Mark

The business theory goes like this: a company's most important sales person is the gun store counter monkey. Most gun store counter monkeys like making money, which can be difficult if there are lots of people selling the same product.

Now, if a gun is expensive (like a Sako), the % margin tends to go down if there are lots of resellers. So, in order to keep your sales force (the gun shop owners) interested, you make sure they can make a little money.

Leupold did it with their "minimum advertized price". Sako is doing by limiting the number of resellers.

In my business, we tend to be rather selective in which distributors we work with, and I make darn sure there is enough business there so each one of them can make some money on my product, or sales will dwindle very quickly.

You can call it being caught between a rock and a hard place, but unless you have people recommending your product at the consumer level, you aren't going to be successful.

The third tool, the one I would have chosen in this case, would have been "two tier pricing", where larger dealers get substantial discounts. This works wonders to motivate a sales force, too. JMO, Dutch.

Whine, whine, whine, cackle, cackle cackle....(grin)

If I was a dealer I would order 15K of WSM's in the LW 75 They wont last long and are normally on back order.
I doubt you can find one on any dealer floor in the USA. They just dont hang around very long.

Also, Knowing Beretta, they will not let you get your hands on the
highly popular T-3 unless you lay out for the Sako 75's.
They get you on that one. Dealers cuse them, because as Art
has pointed out the 75 is a heavy rifle and can be a dog to sell.
I do believe though (outside of this year of blowups) The SAKO
75 is the very best factory rifle made. It has many custom features and a gurantee of 5 shots in an inch. That's pretty good.
Remington and Savage have nothing over them in the accuracy department.
The large wholesalers in the past ruled the roast in distribution, this will change now when dealers get used to the idea of the direct plan. It'll take a few years to get use to. But by then who knows what the Italians will think up next. They seem to change their minds a lot. But then, Beretta has been in the gun biz for 500 years and are stronger than all the other manufactures combined.