New to the country as an Airsoft player.

[Owl]

One of the local fields is less than an hours drive from Spencerville, just east of Kemptville.
I would also register here as well:
www.ottawavalleyairsoft.com

[JT_Lord]

Originally Posted by HackD

Tourists from the US? Airsoft costs tend to be 25-50% less expensive once you are back upon US soil. Canadian airsoft guns do NOT require a blaze orange tip - so unless you can retrofit them back on the guns before you send them with your customers back over the US border, you are setting them up for a customs seizure and lots of grief.

Tourist traffic? They are coming for the 1000 Islands, historic Kingston and Cornwall, the Canal system and the Peterborough cottage life.. not airsoft.

The one thing about the internet - cheaper. Way cheaper - both as a business setting up and operating, and for customers to buy from, domestically. Brick and mortar stores have no hopes of really competing on the price front unless they have seriously significant volume, and purchasing deals behind that significant volume. There are only a few brick and mortar stores across Canada, that can compete on that level.. the rest are pretty much primarily internet based, and perhaps a small store-front to sell locally.

You'd actually be surprised what tourists would buy into for "something to do" in the USA, most Americans get bored easily and their children even more so... And a lot of them going to that area do actually have their passports. Also I wasn't just intending for selling, I was thinking of opening up some fields and allowing for rentals you see. Being in a slightly more rural area with some key population centers nearby, it does allow for some potential, but again, it'd take research on the market and if it'd be possible. Or even see if there could be a partnership setup with an existing store/ field.

As for blazer tips, those are very easy to fit onto a barrel for someone to take back to the USA or even paint one over, not that half of the US airsoft community even obeys that law to begin with. Most usually remove the blazer tip or even paint it over illegally just because it "looks cool". Then when someone finds out it hurts to be shot by a cop that thinks you have a real automatic weapon... well they only learn AFTER that.

As for internet based sales, believe me, I know that there is a nice competition with selling online. Being a child of the internet and managing websites myself, I know the advantages with buying online. I sell phones for Verizon Wireless online as it is, I know the flow for people who like to buy from home. It's quite a large market and if you can offer bundled deals along with even better in-store deals, that's where you can serve a boosted market for in-store sales. They get a better deal buying in-store and the ability to know that they're using a gun that works well. Also if I either have fields or know nearby local fields, I can give locations and point out good locations to play with their newfound weapons.

Again, this depends solely on the market as it exists or if it can be swayed towards it. I'm not really new to marketing, I'm already involved in sales and understanding numbers compared to estimated results and expected sales. When those numbers adjust you have to adjust your techniques to see if you can get a larger market and estimate based on the changes along with the previous numbers... etc.

One of the local fields is less than an hours drive from Spencerville, just east of Kemptville.
I would also register here as well:
www.ottawavalleyairsoft.com

And thanks Owl, that helps a bunch!

[HackD]

Originally Posted by JT_Lord

You'd actually be surprised what tourists would buy into for "something to do" in the USA, most Americans get bored easily and their children even more so... And a lot of them going to that area do actually have their passports. Also I wasn't just intending for selling, I was thinking of opening up some fields and allowing for rentals you see. Being in a slightly more rural area with some key population centers nearby, it does allow for some potential, but again, it'd take research on the market and if it'd be possible. Or even see if there could be a partnership setup with an existing store/ field.

As for blazer tips, those are very easy to fit onto a barrel for someone to take back to the USA or even paint one over, not that half of the US airsoft community even obeys that law to begin with. Most usually remove the blazer tip or even paint it over illegally just because it "looks cool". Then when someone finds out it hurts to be shot by a cop that thinks you have a real automatic weapon... well they only learn AFTER that.

As for internet based sales, believe me, I know that there is a nice competition with selling online. Being a child of the internet and managing websites myself, I know the advantages with buying online. I sell phones for Verizon Wireless online as it is, I know the flow for people who like to buy from home. It's quite a large market and if you can offer bundled deals along with even better in-store deals, that's where you can serve a boosted market for in-store sales. They get a better deal buying in-store and the ability to know that they're using a gun that works well. Also if I either have fields or know nearby local fields, I can give locations and point out good locations to play with their newfound weapons.

Again, this depends solely on the market as it exists or if it can be swayed towards it. I'm not really new to marketing, I'm already involved in sales and understanding numbers compared to estimated results and expected sales. When those numbers adjust you have to adjust your techniques to see if you can get a larger market and estimate based on the changes along with the previous numbers... etc.



And thanks Owl, that helps a bunch!

All i will say to the above, is that your expectations are fairly skewed by your to-date "US marketing" experiences. Canada is an entirely separate economic market from the US. There are differing economic realities, social differences (airsoft is very much a niche market - expensive, and not entirely socially acceptable to the general population due to the cultural anti-gun atmosphere), still shaky legal issues, and taxation realities that may make the difference between stop and go for a business such as this, in the proposed location of the business.

You will only be able to assess this for yourself, once you have landed on this side of the border, and established yourself.

Oh, and for the cell-phone biz.. forget about that.. it's already pretty much monopolized here.

[JT_Lord]

Monopolized... except now Verizon has it's eyes on Wind Mobile and Bell's, Roger's and Telus' stocks all fell simply because Verizon stated interest in buying... with International capability already existing with Verizon and Canada being largely at a disadvantage with out of country overages, that may change things... But that's besides the point really...

Again, not new to marketing. Monopolies can change simply because someone offers something different for a change compared to the typical or different from the standard.

[Cobrajr122]

(off topic)

Originally Posted by JT_Lord

Monopolized... except now Verizon has it's eyes on Wind Mobile and Bell's, Roger's and Telus' stocks all fell simply because Verizon stated interest in buying... with International capability already existing with Verizon and Canada being largely at a disadvantage with out of country overages, that may change things... But that's besides the point really...

Again, not new to marketing. Monopolies can change simply because someone offers something different for a change compared to the typical or different from the standard.

The government regulatory body for these businesses is made up of ex employees of them. Its corrupt and wont be changing any time soon. What we have for telecommunications is here to stay for a while.
There are also limitations in place to prevent companies not owned by a Canadian organization from operating in the industry. This is subject to change though, its been a talking point over the last 2 years.

If Verizon wants to set up in canada they will either need to get their hands on their own spectrum (likely to not happen) or rent from the big three. If they want to do anything on land they will need to rent or build their own infrastructure (Expensive as fuck for a relatively small market that is spread out over a LARGE area).