AOA and Kalibgrun

I agree that having more dealers, big and small, carry a product is better for the consumer. Sometimes the big guys have extra volume of high demand items because they are shipped more from the distributor and sometimes the little guys have high demand items when the big guys don't. Generally, I like the service that little guys provide, and I prefer to pay a little more and support them.

That said, I recently purchased a gun from AOA, the customer service was great, shipping was great, and I paid less than I could find it anywhere else. So, my experience with AOA is on par with the best I've received.

I have talked with Charlie and he is a really good guy. It does suck to see a little guy get pinched but life sucks for a lot of us.

Kalibgun will get more exposure from AOA. AOA has a storefront. I believe Charlie sells guns out of his garage. I could be wrong about this. 

Charlie does not take credit cards or Paypal. Charlie is stuck in the 80's. 

Charlie is a retired firefighter with a GREAT pension. He is going to be ok. 

I’m not taking sides or injecting any judgements into this conversation, but I feel it necessary to say that every time I’ve dealt with AOA I’ve been very well satisfied. They do indeed go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.

@dens228 and @long_gun_dallas Yes, I have no direct hand experience with AOA, however, I don't see how a big dealer has the staff to give the personal touch of the small guy. I seriously doubt that before AOA ships a gun they will make sure it is fully operational to the level I am told Charlie did. And from what I saw AOA is charging the same or higher prices than Charlie did, which is kind of ridiculous if you don't put in the same level of detail for the same price.

End of the day I don't like monopolies on anything, exclusive rights to sell something only benefits the supplier and seller, not the customer.

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Fair enough, I can mostly agree

I've had dealings with both Charlie (Georgia AirGuns) and Airguns of Arizona. Two Kalibrgun's from Charlie.

While Airguns of Arizona have been nice, or polite might be a better word to me, they in NO WAY have been what Charlie has been. Charlie doesn't push to get you off the phone like Ariguns of Arizona, though they do, do it politely..! Charlie cares, it's in his voice.

In the guns from Airguns of Arizona, they provide an, as shot target. I've always thought that they were a a BIT "posed" as every one has been an as shot, "one hole" target. I'm in serious doubt about that. While Charlies targets appear MUCH more realistically shot, as in, tight, but NOT, a one hole target ! And...annoyingly, because they "don't have enough power"...they don't sell the Argus 45, only the Argus 60. Really !?

I'd like to see Charlie (Georgia Airguns) add RTI and FX to his lineup. I know that FX would probably never happen, but he should look into RTI.

And yeah, despite posts to the contrary, I agree what Blackpaw said in his original post, by what I know of having dealings with both companies, his comments fit.



Mike

Nation. 


I understand the concern for the smaller sellers. My company started from a corner of a tire store. With blessings, opportunity, and a lot of hard work we grew. Thanks to all of you. Georgia airguns as well as other smaller dealers will of course be a part of the distribution chain. We plan for the benefits of quick supply to be a positive for our dealer base. 


Rob 

yes you gotta be able to take a credit card and have pricing and a good website thats up to date to make it theses days aoa has always done me good and why cant charlie still sell them as they both sold them anyways i dont like to see the small mom and pop shops go under but i do see the bigger shops getting more stuff faster than the smaller guys and thats just not right, i lke few small shops i see that are out of pellets while others got them makes me wonder 

Hey Peter, how are you? Well I hope. I too am very sorry to see Charlie getting pushed aside, if that is what’s going on here. I don’t know the details, I’m just hoping it’s not as bad as it sounds. I have talked to him many times about air guns and life in general. I have bought from him on several occasions, had him do his “special tune” on the air guns purchased and the customer service is absolutely top notch. He’s a great guy, a valued member of our community and know’s how to take care of his customers.

With that being said, I have talked to Lauren, Shane, Jared, Robert and many others over at Airguns of Arizona many, many times too. All knowledgeable, great people that left me with a good “vibe”. I’ve purchased air guns, optics and many other accessories from them and the customer service has been absolutely top notch every time. I can say the exact same thing about Justin, Austin, Mike, Ryan and the crew over at Utah Airguns. Great people, awesome products and stellar customer service over there at Utah Airguns too. Right or wrong, this seems to be Kalibrgun’s decision.

It’s sad when the small guys gets pushed aside and the big guy takes over but it’s the world we live in. It happens every day in every industry around the world. It doesn’t make anybody “bad or evil”, it’s just business. Yes, it definitely sucks for Charlie, monopolies shouldn’t exist here in the USA but I don’t know any of the details of this situation, if it is a monopoly or what has really transpired…Other than what I’ve read here, just now. I guess we’ll see.

Stoti





I see that Robert replied while I was writing my post. It looks like there isn’t a monopoly after all and that AOA is just going to be the importer and distributor to the dealers here in the United States. Hopefully everything works out and it’s no big deal at all.

"I see that Robert replied while I was writing my post. It looks like there isn’t a monopoly after all and that AOA is just going to be the importer and distributor to the dealers here in the United States. Hopefully everything works out and it’s no big deal at all."

As long as they stay an importer/distributor and don't sell the guns to end users that just might have a prayer. I just don't see AOA only handling distribution and maybe service while not selling to end users. Would you want your direct competitor to be in control of your stock and a level above you in regards to the manufacturer? Basically a middleman who adds debatable value for the dealers and who can sell against them as a competitor possibly while controlling stock. Very few, if any, business decisions like this benefit "the little guy" being small dealers and buyers.

Oh they always tell you it will benefit the little guy until they can sweep it under the carpet as old news. It depends how the contract was written up but why would AOA be interested unless it gave them significant advantages? They certainly are not in the "being nice to their competitors" business. 

Well, AOA is not an importer/distributor. Precision Airgun is. AOA is a retailer.

This is really no different than Brococks and Daystates. Precision Airgun imports them and distributes them to dealers/shops in the U.S.. AOA sells them. Baker Airguns (for example) sells them. And I've purchased them from both AOA and Baker.

Probably the same with Weihrauch.

And what about Benjamin and Crosman guns. Crosman sells them. So do a bunch of other dealers who buy them at wholesale from Crosman.

I haven't seen any evidence that Georgia Airguns won't be able to sell Kalibrguns in the future. On the contrary, I see someone speaking for the new chosen importer/distributor saying that they will supply guns to smaller dealers.

So is it or isn't it an "exclusive" in the USA deal? If not I think you owe AoA an apology.

Well, AOA is not an importer/distributor. Precision Airgun is. AOA is a retailer.

This is really no different than Brococks and Daystates. Precision Airgun imports them and distributes them to dealers/shops in the U.S.. AOA sells them. Baker Airguns (for example) sells them. And I've purchased them from both AOA and Baker.

Probably the same with Weihrauch.

And what about Benjamin and Crosman guns. Crosman sells them. So do a bunch of other dealers who buy them at wholesale from Crosman.

I haven't seen any evidence that Georgia Airguns won't be able to sell Kalibrguns in the future. On the contrary, I see someone speaking for the new chosen importer/distributor saying that they will supply guns to smaller dealers.

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+1

It's all about money, period.

Once you accept that, then you can get on with life without worrying about things that you never will have control over. Money talks, BS walks. In the business world, only money counts, nothing else. I hearken back to the mid 70s when I was a Captain in the 5th Special Forces Group and was ranting about something morally similar in importance to this event. An old Sergeant Major with two stars on his CIB took me aside and said "Di Wee, one morning you wake up and discover that Olive Oil was a prostitute, Popeye was transgender, and Sweat Pea was a bastard (I modernized what he said). After you accept that, life will become much easier."

It's all about money, period.

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Top was right. Cap.

I've got nothing against Georgia Airguns. They seem to have a good reputation but operate a very small personalized service. If Kalibrgun wants a larger share of the US market they need a local distributor. Just having a handful of small retailers placing small inconsistent orders is not a good model for growth. If I were Kalibrgun seeking to expand my presence in the USA I would secure a large US based distributor that already has a network of retailers. Wait that sounds like what they just did!

PK

Well, AOA is not an importer/distributor. Precision Airgun is. AOA is a retailer.

This is really no different than Brococks and Daystates. Precision Airgun imports them and distributes them to dealers/shops in the U.S.. AOA sells them. Baker Airguns (for example) sells them. And I've purchased them from both AOA and Baker.

Probably the same with Weihrauch.

And what about Benjamin and Crosman guns. Crosman sells them. So do a bunch of other dealers who buy them at wholesale from Crosman.

I haven't seen any evidence that Georgia Airguns won't be able to sell Kalibrguns in the future. On the contrary, I see someone speaking for the new chosen importer/distributor saying that they will supply guns to smaller dealers.

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From Robert at AOA... Georgia airguns as well as other smaller dealers will of course be a part of the distribution chain. We plan for the benefits of quick supply to be a positive for our dealer base." They state "our dealer base" as in ownership of said dealer base. This infers they are a distributor. Georgia can sell the guns but has to procure them from their largest competitor. Not a good situation.

As far as Crossman and