Cheap Surf Products

Interesting site.
Nothing says 'slave labor' and 'quality' quite like $7.00 leashes & $ 13.00 'Quiksilver' board shorts & $ 69.00 3.8mil wetsuits. (3.8....?)
Corporates like Quiksilver & others must be just lovin' sites like these.

Not ripping on you, fupa; just making observations.

 

Everyone's a working man. No need to apologize for that.
Yep, that's correct about no difference in the products.
And I didn't state that there was a difference. Just making the observation.

 

fin: $23 per piece That's $46 for the set? http://www.aliexpress.com/item/M3-honey-surfboard-fin-with-FCS-base/647567130.html
shipping: $73

Where's the savings?

And... those fins are not true FCS fins, are they? Unless they're the manufacturer of FCS fins, without the FCS logo, they're knock-offs.

 

yea, screw the other working men who are trying to get by! screw the surfer shops that support the local surf communities, i need to have $20! saving MY $$$ is all that matters, f**k everyone else.

hope you have no issues buying your boards from china, b/c that's the logical end result of this. i've said it before, & i'll say it again: i'm happy to shell out a few extra $$ to support my local surf community, both the shops & the shapers.

 

While I agree with you in principle, I believe his logic on boardies and wetsuits is sound. We all wear Billabong, Oneil, etc suits and shorts, and all these are made in china. Either way, you are paying money to china, so this may cut out the middle man. Boards are a little different, as you can actually get those made locally.

 

unless you only go direct to the shaper, you still need to go through a shop to get boards. w/out clothing, wetsuit, & accessory sales, surf shops wouldn't exist. it's impossible to stay in business selling only surfboards. if that happens, eventually it won't be feasible for shapers to stay open, even selling directly to surfers b/c the vast majority of surfers don't get their boards that way. & if the surf shop route is removed, they'll go to places like costco which will sell only cheap made-in-china boards.

 

Um, I buy from my shapers directly. I didn't buy my wetsuit from a local shop anyways. I bought from wetsuitwarehouse, like many people on this forum. My local shops have a very limited selection, and prices that are higher than average. I only use my local shops for board accessories. Many of the shops in my area sell the chinese made popout boards, which means they are taking money away from the local shapers more than anyone.
I am all about buying local, but buying Chinese slave labor clothing from a local reseller is not helping anyone. If there were some local clothing companies selling goods in that shop, I would definitely opt for that. It doesn't matter anyways, because I won't be ordering from the site posted here. I am not comfortable with my CC number going to a random Chinese website.

 

dude, no. Are things in your life really so tight that you can't walk into your local surf shop to buy leashes and fins? Heck, you might even see a surfboard you like, or even crazier, meet other real life surfers. Like, a real life surf forum dude.

 

i'm glad to hear it, but surfers who do that are in the minority.

but i fail to see how "...buying...clothing from a local reseller is not helping anyone." is it not putting $$ into the pockets of the people who work at the shop & who run the shop? yes, a chunk of it goes to china, but another good chunk stays local & stimulates the local economy. again, w/out people buying boardshorts, t-shirts, fins, etc...at local shops, local shops won't exist.
& many local companies DO sell their wares in local shops. BUT...where do you think they get their cotton t-shirts? or their hoodies? the same place the big guys do.

 

Dude, you should totally get on those "Fashionable and Liberal Men Surf Board Shorts."

 

That's not your only option. There are other alternative domestic companies producing quality products out there...if your issue is the price point--cut a pair of your old jeans into a pair of shorts and surf in those; get some hand-me-downs...use that pair of "umbros" that you have in your closet--cost way less then purchasing a pair of $12 shorts if you get my point.

Other Options:

Need a leash...a board bag...want to support a domestic/local product click on the link: http://www.midnightproducts.net/index.html

Want to buy a pair of local/domestic trunks...http://www.katinsurf.com/boardshorts-c-20.html

 

Neither of these options are supporting local shops, as njsurfer is pointing to. Personally, I would not be sad if a couple of our local shops shut down. If they aren't focused on carrying any local shaper's boards, they are no good to me.

 

I support my local surfshops every chance I get. I buy my wetsuits over the counter, my board accessories over the counter... and about once every 3 years or so, a pair of boardshorts. (Yea... they're pretty tattered, faded, and wax impregnated by the time I buy a new pair.) The only thing I don't buy in a local surf shop are fins, because they never carry the kind I prefer. But if they did, I'd buy them there, too. I don't wear "surfwear" clothing unless it's a local brand, or somebody gave it to me. Most of that stuff is crap anyway. Yea... it might cost a few bucks more, but by supporting my local shops, I hope they're there when I need them... like that emergency pair of new 5mm gloves I bought for that last swell. If they were out of business, I'd be sitting on the beach waiting for my package from China.

 

You can inquire as to whom the local surfshops order from in your city and go through the wholesaler. I do that in my city and what do you know? The wholesaler is a local business. I often get fins, leashes, bags, traction etc. for up to 40% off and I'm still supporting good ol' Murican small businesses. The mark up on the **** we buy is crazy. Not faulting either position, just saying sometimes you can have your cake and eat it too!

 

the company I am talking about manufactures alot of their wares under their own label, and it's high quality stuff. I scored some nice fins for half of what my local boardshop was asking. http://surfsource.net/

 

iv been readin some interesting things on here.and i agree with both sides on helping out local shops,and screwin the middleman.i didt check out the site,but based on hearsay,i agree with both arguements.local boards,little things from local shop is cool.however payin 20 for something worth 100 is a fair gain but probly fake.its like knock off louis v bags on canal street.there are a few big surfshops in jersey i stay away from like the billabong store,ron jons.those are big corporations who profit on slave labor.but helping out a mom n pop shop is the better way.i dont wear the fancy surf gear,too much for me,but i do buy used boards locally,and the occasional dvd,wax,leashes.

 

ps farias surfshop,and the wavehog shop are great people.thats where i get all my goodies

 

I think you missed my point...at a national scale it's the same issue. however, to respond...both of these companies are in local shops in south Jersey. The additional advantage when purchasing their product is that rather then an international product being sold (with a questionable QC, labor force, etc.) you get the best of both worlds...supporting local and domestic.