agd!!!

[Treefall25]

"There is hardly anything in the world that some man can't make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey."
-- John Ruskin (1819-1900)


paintchuker thats why i have a mag

[Exodius]

Treefall, I AGREE with you.

I do think that it is a lot of money for a body. But, I think that what you pay for is not only a great product, but great customer service. Like, for instance, do you buy a car from a manufacturer that has horrible customer service? No, I doubt it. Just the same with the current topic at hand. Now, a body is a body. But, the body is for two entirely different units. AGD is not a multi million dollar company in Asia, where labor is insanely cheap(a horrible thing for people, a great thing for Kingman.)We must pay for operating costs, the design fees, the programming fees, the aluminum, the anodizing, AGD's taxes(somebody has to, it is after all, a business), and probably a hundred other fees.

Now, Kingman is somewhere in Asia. They produce millions of each of their products. Plus, they literally have slaves for employees. By mass producing the bodies, they are able to purchase the materials at a much more discounted price. They also probably annodize inhouse, being such a large company.

Kingman has more operating costs, but they are covered due to their size, and being located in Asia. Now, because their labor is so much less money being invested in wages, the can sale at a much lower cost, and yet, still have a decent profit margin. When we think about it, if you were to sit down and budget all of Kingman's figures, and get a brain cramp from all of those numbers(trust me, I would), you would see that they spend maybe 15-20 DOLLARS per each of their 80-100 dollar markers. Now, while Kingman would NEVER admit that, it is most likely true.

What makes McDonalds the most money? DRINKS DRINKS DRINKS! They cost pennies(including cups, lids, and straws)yet they charge a buck. Sure, they advertise burgers, not drinks, but drinks is the true money maker when you consider profit margins.

Now, you are indeed correct in your theory. However, the price difference is in operating fees, not in materials(though materials plays a part)

So Treefall, you were wrong. But guess what? I WAS TOO!
Ironic, isn't it?

Kingman is the McDonalds. AGD is the better tasting mom and pop restaurant across the street. This, my friend, is what the paintball industry really is.

A long highway with nothing but fast food businesses(they represent the industry)competing for your patronship.

So, through both of our posts, we have proven each other wrong, yet right at the same time....

[FooTemps]

treefall are you a moron? read my previous post, it gives all the reasons why agd bodies are more expensive.

[Treefall25]

exodius i haven t owned a spyder in years but i remember on the box it said made in the usa but i never knew they were produced in asia then i guess thats why they re so cheap.

[Exodius]

dude, I have respect for the Spyder. I always did. It DID get me started. 'Nuff said.

[WARPED1]

Spyder/Kingman produces with the policy "quantity over quality".

[Exodius]

BINGO!

Quantity over Quality

Now, AGD is
Quality over Quantity

Read my last big post about drinks, and McDonalds, and the highway of paintball.

Then, maybe you can see some other expenses and such which play into the game.

Did you know a Big Mac contains approximately $0.55 in raw materials? Air Jordans are made from $10.45 in materials and cost another $2 in labor to have made.

[Treefall25]

darn u beat me to it i was just about to say that before then i got sidetracked

[Konigballer]

Jeez, by the way you guys slam on spyder quality I must be the only guy ever to have a perfectly functioning Spider for four years now.

I agree with the comparisons to the car industry concerning the matter of "pay more for quality". I love my ULE. However, I do think individual parts for the mag line, like bodies, are overpriced for what they are. A paintball gun body houses the internals of the gun, they are'nt ultra complicated peices of equipment, I'm sorry. We're not talkin about a friggin' formula 1 engine. No matter what quality aluminum/ steel your using, all paintball gun bodies are gonna' take some dings and scratches. It doesnt matter what company makes them, so dont full yourself thinking your little milled out piece of alluminum is so radically more advanced than the other guys' gun.

I doubt anyone would say that a MUCH cheaper tippman marker body is any less tough than a mag body, and its quality is also at least equal to that of a mags. We are talking bodies, Not internals!
If you dont agree with me on that point then I guess your right...what does tippman know anyways...they only make guns just as reliable/ tough as mags and sell the crap out of 'em at a fraction of the cost for years.

However, you have to understand when you buy AGD markers that your entering into a "upper level brand" and your paying for a reputation. Even though, in the case of buying a classic mag body, the classic mag your buying it for has'nt been at the forefront of the industry for YEARS, its part of a "upper level brand" and you will have to pay extra to own a piece of that brand. No matter how simple the part, this is how things work in most industries.

My stepdad buys sparkplugs for his Jag and has to pay fifty a pop' for 'em cause their made by JAGUAR...There almost the exact same as the ones for my chevy, but he pays up the azz for the brand. Thats why I laughed so hard when he dropped one putting 'em in:)

[speeddemon]

Originally posted by Exodius
That's like comparing a Ford to a Aston Martin or a Porsche

Ok, nobody pointed this out and its bugging me, so I have to. Ford owns Aston Martin, so when you buy an Aston Martin, you are buying a Ford. The V-12 engine in the Vanquish was actually based off of 2 Ford taurus V-6 engines stuck end to end.

Not that it has anything to do with this thread at all.

[FooTemps]

does no one read my posts anymore? sheesh, I posted up a perfect reason why AGD products are more expensive and the argument goes on.

REASONS WHY AGD HAS MORE EXPENSIVE STUFF:

AGD has all products made by other companies
AGD is a smaller company
AGD spends more time on their designs
AGD has more strict QC numbers
AGD makes a lot less, less means more money per unit
AGD's target audience is a lot smaller, if they can't sell a lot, they'll have to sell for more

REASONS WHY KING MAS CHEAPER STUFF:
Kingman is BIG
Kingman makes everything in house
Kingman makes BIG runs of products, more items is less moeny per unit
Kingman has looser QC
Kingman bangs out designs fast, less cost on r&d and design processes
Kingman appeals more to beginners, there will always be beginners

[Smoke]

My head hurts from trying to decipher Treefall's hieroglyphics. @_@

[Marek]

Originally posted by speeddemon
Ok, nobody pointed this out and its bugging me, so I have to. Ford owns Aston Martin, so when you buy an Aston Martin, you are buying a Ford. The V-12 engine in the Vanquish was actually based off of 2 Ford taurus V-6 engines stuck end to end.

Not that it has anything to do with this thread at all.

I was thinking the same thing. I wasn't a big fan of the car analogies used in the thread though.

"There is hardly anything in the world that some man can't make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey."

Paintchucker hit the nail on the head with that quote.

Oh, and Footemps, I read your posts. :) Good job man.

[Albinonewt]

Re: agd!!!

Originally posted by Treefall25
i think agd needs to expand they re products and sell more bc they re prices are pretty high. i don t know how spyder does it but u can buy a brand new electronic spyder for the price of a automag body. i think bc spyder sells so many markers they re prices become low. agd ur a great company but a $150 for a body when u can buy a brand new gun come on! not complaining just wondering why

Dude, that's like saying Ruth Chris steak house needs to lower their prices because TGI Fridays has a steak for half the cost.

You get what you pay for.

[1stdeadeye]

Originally posted by Exodius
What makes McDonalds the most money? DRINKS DRINKS DRINKS! They cost pennies(including cups, lids, and straws)yet they charge a buck. Sure, they advertise burgers, not drinks, but drinks is the true money maker when you consider profit margins.

Actually their biggest money maker by percentage is cheese. They charge an extra $0.10 for cheese on a burger yet they buy it by the pound. With their bulk purchasing, they a paying nothing for it litteraly. You know how many slices come from a 5 pound block?

Courtesy of Trivial Pursuit!