STUPID PEOPLE, AKA TROPHY QUEEN

So just when I think I've somehow managed to run into every dumbass in this world another one pops up. The newest dumbass I've encountered owns Trophy Queen, her name is Jenny Tanner. Some may know this company, most probably not. She makes purses, wallets, etc., mostly a woman's apparel type line. Her stuff has some retro style to it and as many know I tend to like that type of styling, i.e. the Retro Rockitt, Bob Job, etc. So after checking out her stuff I thought I'd look into offering her line to our customers. I swapped e-mail with her and she said there was a minimum stocking order, not uncommon amongst smaller suppliers. The size of the order wasn't unreasonable and she seemed nice enough to deal with. She faxed me her contract and application. Her only rule was we couldn't sell at shows she planned to sell at. Now let me say right here that she would be the only supplier I'd be buying from that is in direct competition with me, something I'm not a fan of. But since she did mostly car shows and we do mostly bike shows it seemed reasonable. We sent the contract back and placed our order. I then set up pages on my web site to offer her stuff to our web customers. I also was going to offer the items at a lower price than she charges. Makes sense to lower the price and move more volume to me, sort of Business 101. I thought her prices were too high to start with and she allowed plenty of margin so why not offer better pricing to my clients? Part of my credo is offer the best price possible to our clients. Well she wasn't at all happy that I was going to sell her stuff for less than she was or that I'd be under cutting her established dealers. This rings of communism to me. It's price fixing to say the least. The whole free enterprise system is based on moving more inventory and making more sales. I do this with our S&S motors. I sell them for much lower prices than my competition which makes me sell more motors, again, Business 101. And amazingly S&S couldn't give a rat's ass how much I charge for these motors. So after I get her stuff in stock I think she should hear how things are done in the business world. Obviously she's not too bright to start with. I mean if I had a dealer and by the way we have had dealers in the past, I really don't care what he sells the product to the end user for. As long as I'm getting paid and he's moving product I'm happy. It's really none of my business how the dealer wants to run their business. It is a free country after all and we live in a country where capitalism is king. As long as she's getting her money for the product from me and I'm not mis-representing myself in anyway by using her name to sell products that aren't hers she really shouldn't care how or for how much I sell the products.
So after I send her a nicely worded e-mail explaining how my business is MY business and she doesn't really have any right to tell me how to run MY business and also mention that she is directly in competition with her dealers, bad business altogether in my book, I send her orders for more of her products. I was also in the process of placing an order to stock up for the Arlen Ness motorcycle show in April. How does she react? She sends me an e-mail cutting us out as dealers. How stupid can one person be? You have a shop selling your products in a fucked up economy and also wants more of your products so let's stop selling to them. Her business tactics baffle me. I guess she got her money from us and stuck us with the inventory so maybe that's her goal all along. I think she's stupid as the day is long and her business tactics suck big time but I guess she has the Hot Rod Kulture so baffled by her bullshit that she can stay in business by fucking over her dealers and just selling retail direct. I'm no longer a fan of hers. I hope she can keep afloat screwing people out of their hard earned money for over priced purses, well actually I don't. If she goes out of business it makes room for someone with a fucking brain to run a real business.
I've cut the shit out of my prices to move her stuff out of my shop. It's listed on craigslist at a fraction of her inflated, demanded prices. Now they're in the range where they should be to start with.
My advice to anyone thinking about taking on her line is think twice. I wouldn't sell her shit if it were the last line of apparel left on the planet.
As always,
FTF
Ride Free.