Topic: The IJC Philosophy - Which Brands Make the Cut for 2016? (Read 21491 times)

iand123 · « **Reply #45 on:** October 16, 2015, 11:21:53 AM »

Paul/Chris - do you think the stance will push people away from buying through you but push people to deal directly with a custom bat maker instead? I know that not all of your brands offer a direct custom option (GN springs to mind unless you pay the ridiculous circa �1000 price) but for those that do i'm confused as to why you'd choose to go to a retailer when you could just contact them direct and get a bat made. All i can think of is it will be more expensive and is more aimed at the custom options. For example you can order bats direct from Salix although maybe only if you attend the workshop in person

i12breakfree · « **Reply #46 on:** October 16, 2015, 11:44:15 AM »

Appreciate the thought process and hope you are able to stay in line with it as IJC grows. All the best @ItsJustCricket

Percy · « **Reply #47 on:** October 16, 2015, 11:45:06 AM »

Quote from: iand123 on October 16, 2015, 11:21:53 AM

Paul/Chris - do you think the stance will push people away from buying through you but push people to deal directly with a custom bat maker instead? I know that not all of your brands offer a direct custom option (GN springs to mind unless you pay the ridiculous circa �1000 price) but for those that do i'm confused as to why you'd choose to go to a retailer when you could just contact them direct and get a bat made. All i can think of is it will be more expensive and is more aimed at the custom options. For example you can order bats direct from Salix although maybe only if you attend the workshop in person

I suppose the majority of people shop for convenience and I fear that they don't know or care about custom bats or factory visits etc. I fully understand where IJC are going with this but if it were me I would worry about losing the "bread and butter" punter who just wants brand X rather than some of the more niche brands. But they must have done their research and if this is what works for them then I wish them well.

ItsJustCricket · « **Reply #48 on:** October 16, 2015, 12:20:21 PM »

Quote from: iand123 on October 16, 2015, 11:21:53 AM

Paul/Chris - do you think the stance will push people away from buying through you but push people to deal directly with a custom bat maker instead? I know that not all of your brands offer a direct custom option (GN springs to mind unless you pay the ridiculous circa �1000 price) but for those that do i'm confused as to why you'd choose to go to a retailer when you could just contact them direct and get a bat made. All i can think of is it will be more expensive and is more aimed at the custom options. For example you can order bats direct from Salix although maybe only if you attend the workshop in person

In answer to this, not a lot of places actually allow you to get a custom made bat, unless you visit the workshop as you say, which can be very impractical. And as for going direct, simply put a lot of people don't want to pay an extra 50 odd quid for a service they can get from us absolutely free!

As regards to losing the generic customer, we usually find that through our expertise and experience, and YouTube channel, our customers trust our judgement. They will generally enquire on our website for say a GM, or NB bat, and then 9/10 once we have explained our reasoning they will then listen to our suggestions, which often turn out to be a better, or more suitable, bat for them! As for the 1/10 - we feel that this is an acceptable loss to ensure we have a strong brand identity and good customer relations!

A lot of people have mentioned that they fail to see a USP. We haven't talked about it much ourselves, but in answer to it directly, the USP is who we stock and why we stock it. Nowhere else will EVERY SINGLE BAT BE HANDPICKED. That seems to be fairly unique to us! Not many other places will willingly give up some good cash to ensure a philosophy of business and ethical stand is taken, that seems to be heading towards unique!

trypewriter · « **Reply #49 on:** October 16, 2015, 12:21:28 PM »

I think there are a lot of factors in play which makes the IJC business model stand up as I understand it. I think their location is one part of it, size of premises may be another, though I haven't visited their new place yet, but taken as a piece I do think that they cater for THEIR bread and butter customers, which are perhaps a bit different to others. Fair play to them for trying to explain their ethos.

InternalTraining · « **Reply #50 on:** October 16, 2015, 12:30:31 PM »

Couple of notes:

1. Custom made bats are not all that they are cracked up to be. I have spent lot of $ on custom bats and there was always something off! I wish I had had just picked up M&H, CA etc. Performance wise, my off-the-shelf, albeit handpicked, bats are outperforming customs by miles.

2. I started following IJC because of their video reviews - just loved the honesty about the gear!!

iand123 · « **Reply #51 on:** October 16, 2015, 12:49:20 PM »

Quote from: ItsJustCricket on October 16, 2015, 12:20:21 PM

....ensure a philosophy of business and ethical stand is taken, that seems to be heading towards unique!

I get that (at least to you) it is philosophical but im struggling to understand how its unethical for retailers to sell bats they havent handpicked? Or have i misunderstood?

ItsJustCricket · « **Reply #52 on:** October 16, 2015, 03:30:44 PM »

Quote from: iand123 on October 16, 2015, 12:49:20 PM

I get that (at least to you) it is philosophical but im struggling to understand how its unethical for retailers to sell bats they havent handpicked? Or have i misunderstood?

I think you have misunderstood, Ian. The unethical part relates to the dishonesty, as discussed previously on here (and in my article). We think it's absolutely perfectly ethical to sell a non-handpicked bat and we have never claimed otherwise, it's just not what we want to do moving forward - no matter who the brand is and how popular their bats may be.

CrickFreak · « **Reply #53 on:** October 16, 2015, 03:45:01 PM »

Quote from: InternalTraining on October 16, 2015, 12:30:31 PM

Couple of notes:

1. Custom made bats are not all that they are cracked up to be. I have spent lot of $ on custom bats and there was always something off! I wish I had had just picked up M&H, CA etc. Performance wise, my off-the-shelf, albeit handpicked, bats are outperforming customs by miles.

2. I started following IJC because of their video reviews - just loved the honesty about the gear!!

Was my point earlier.... My off the shelf bats have out performed custom bats i have bought and custom bats of others on my team. And i dont even know if they were made by a proper batmaker or some carpenter...

uknsaunders · « **Reply #54 on:** October 16, 2015, 04:07:49 PM »

Quote from: ItsJustCricket on October 16, 2015, 12:20:21 PM

A lot of people have mentioned that they fail to see a USP. We haven't talked about it much ourselves, but in answer to it directly, the USP is who we stock and why we stock it. Nowhere else will EVERY SINGLE BAT BE HANDPICKED. That seems to be fairly unique to us! Not many other places will willingly give up some good cash to ensure a philosophy of business and ethical stand is taken, that seems to be heading towards unique!

Thats all good but a customer might go to another retailer because they hand pick and offer other non picked bats. Sometimes choice matters, it does in my industry and you cant always just stock the brands you trust as the market demands another brand. Your USP might become a liability over time but good luck with it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

simonmay5 · « **Reply #55 on:** October 16, 2015, 05:16:01 PM »

Does this include junior bats as I thought a lot of companies buy their junior bats in from abroad I know you can still hand pick but does everyone know that they made elsewhere is that something that will be said

SOULMAN1012 · « **Reply #56 on:** October 16, 2015, 05:24:57 PM »

Personally and just my thoughts I struggle to see that hand picked really matters. For a couple of reasons

Firstly one mans jewel is another mans rubbish. By that I mean some like tight grain others wide grain, some heartwood others none, so when you handpick I guess firstly you pick on how the bat looks and aim to get good looking bats first and formost

Secondly in terms of performance in my opinion all bats once knocked in play roughly the same. It's very very unlikely now a days to get a plank from any of the reputable brands. By reputable I mean any that most have heard off. Iv used and owned more bats than most over 100 since joining this forum if photobucket pics are anything to go by and I struggle to think of do plank.

Please don't take this as a criticism Paul or Chris as in a lot of ways I admire the way you want to run the business I'm just expressing my views towards mass market and not the what I imagine in the forum is a small % of your sales per annum

Seniorplayer · « **Reply #57 on:** October 16, 2015, 05:30:37 PM »

For me what Paul is going to do reduces the risk of the bat being sub standard to zero knowing the bats are handpicked gives the confidence to buy in particular when purchasing online like others on here when buying blind from retailers I've recieved a plank.

Bulldog Cricket · « **Reply #58 on:** October 16, 2015, 05:34:45 PM »

Who is doing the hand picking for you Paul ?

edge · « **Reply #59 on:** October 16, 2015, 05:36:44 PM »

Depends what you're buying I think, all the bats I've spent decent money on recently have been small brand custom affairs so could specify what I wanted. If I was buying a major brand bat (other than GM) there's obvious advantages to a shop that hand picks - for example the Grays in my local cricket shop are quote often pretty ropey, whereas the ones you see at forum sponsors that have been picked out look a lot better! Yes they'll probably play the same in the long run, but if I'm paying the same money I'll take the nicer looking one all day long.

Author Topic: The IJC Philosophy - Which Brands Make the Cut for 2016? (Read 21491 times)

iand123

Re: The IJC Philosophy - Which Brands Make the Cut for 2016?

i12breakfree

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Percy

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ItsJustCricket

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trypewriter

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InternalTraining

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iand123

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ItsJustCricket

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CrickFreak

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uknsaunders

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simonmay5

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SOULMAN1012

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Seniorplayer

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Bulldog Cricket

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edge

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