Closing our wallets
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Jimbo

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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #15 on: May 27, 2020, 08:29:29 AM »

Service isn't the only difference mind but IMO it certainly justifies the price. My Neon pads are an excellent bit of kit and a huge improvement on my previous Adidas ones which were only about £20 cheaper from a much larger brand which obviously benefits from economies of scale.
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mohawks94

Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #16 on: May 27, 2020, 08:32:21 AM »

Would add as well, part of what you pay for with the smaller brands is the customer service. When I was buying my pads, Adam went away and measured his stock for me and was happy and easily available to discuss what I was looking for.

Quite happy to pay a (small) premium to support someone who provides that level of service. Would challenge you to find any of the big brands who will go that far out of their way when you haven't even committed to a purchase.

Adam has gone out of his way helping me out with cap designs, great communication. Same can be said about Pryzm whilst looking into caps. All the Neon kit I've got is top quality, going right back the keeping kit I had in the first iteration of Neon was fantastic and I've still got the pads for coaching.

Every time I've dealt with Adam, it has been absolutely seamless, quick and easy. If there is a delay I've always been made well aware. Supporting small companies is vital, especially at a time like this. Its also interesting to look at some companies social media presence, as I'm doing a digital marketing qualification at the moment. Some just put up pictures or videos of kit in their supplies, whilst Adam engages with the people buying/prospective buyers, gives hints about what is being worked on etc.
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Jeff Navarro

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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #17 on: May 27, 2020, 08:35:24 AM »

The possibility of the mega brands reducing their pricing structure is little to non existent if you ask me.

The key reason to this is that franchise T20/T10/100 ball tournaments have extenuated the earning potential of every player - even the average player is earning good money all year round.

Throw in that the mega players - de Villiers, Warner, Kohli, Buttler earn so much from just their franchise deals, then in turn they can demand considerably more from their bat sponsors.

There in turn those manufactures offset that expenditure on to the regular customers.

Long story short, unless the franchise structure goes bust - seems highly improbable - there's pricing structures aren't going to change.
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cricketbadger

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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #18 on: May 27, 2020, 08:37:17 AM »

I'm agreeing with Simmy's sentiment yesterday more by the post at the moment... :(

Same here, started feeling it around 6 months ago
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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #19 on: May 27, 2020, 08:41:37 AM »

so who makes his bats? can you buy a custom bat with that manufacturer for a lower price?

why are there exactly the same softs available at lower prices?

i understand there are running costs and he has a premise to run/pay for (i.e. not a bedroom/home run company). but fair pricing - is that fair for his costs or fair on the same products from UK sources?

FOR THE RECORD - this is just enquring questions - to help form a more informed judgement - as from what i have seen on here/ Neon's website and seing Neon stuff in the flesh (people from Trowbridge CC using it) and Neon's ebay selling (stickers P&P 4.95) i am not convinced.....

Ok here goes...

1. The bats are imported and handmade (@LEACHY48 ;)) in India, I don't deny or hide this away. Up until late 2018 I sourced bats on a made to order basis from Hunts County however unfortunately they weren't able to keep up with demand as the company grew. I should note that it actually costs me quite significantly more per bat/by grade to import from India than it did to source from Hunts... I won't go into the specifics of the reasoning for this on a public forum though for various reasons (it is a business after all!).

2. All of my softs and luggage have had countless hours of design work and years of tweaks/improvements put into them. If you're able to find softs of the same spec at a cheaper price then I would genuinely be interested to see them (I have just noticed the eBay link for the BAS pads, without even reading the description there's a number of stark differences which admittedly likely isn't noticeable to joe public but to the 'trained' eye it's quite obvious (PU instep, cheaper embossing, lower quality straps/ amongst others - not to mention the RRP for these is exactly the same as my pads...). The only comparable softs to my knowledge are being sold at higher RRPs than my website, so if I was to actually price these in line with the market then they should be higher if anything!

Are the softs I sell cheap? No, and I understand they're likely out of the price range of what a lot of people are willing to spend, however I firmly believe that you truly get what you pay for. They're built to last, not like the majority of guff being sold on the market nowadays where you'll be lucky to get a 2nd season's usage out of them.

3. I play for Trowbridge CC hence the link (Actually now skipper the 2s, Wilts Div 2 - safe to say 2020 hasn't been the start to my captaincy reign that I expected haha!). If you aren't already aware I've also recently taken over the lead sponsorship for the whole Wiltshire County Cricket League too, this is currently running up until the end of the 2023 season so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of Neon!

On a side note regarding the eBay account, annoyingly I was locked out of the account "NeonCricket" back in January and the email address/personal details were changed to someone in China... eBay have been less than helpful getting this back so I have had to make a new account 'NeonCricketUK'. The labels still listed on 'NeonCricket' are old 2019 stock, and the postage charge is using my usual small parcel courier hence the cost (luckily I still get the notifications via PayPal when something sells so can fulfil the orders, albeit without accessing eBay itself!).

4. Lastly I should like to add that I have an extremely loyal customer base that I am very much grateful for, year after year I'm gaining new customers who in turn have returned every year so far. The growth of the brand in the past 2 seasons has far surpassed all projections I had forecasted which is ultimately a testament to my supplier and the quality of products I am lucky enough to be able to provide to my customers. I fully understand the brand isn't at the cheap end of the market, but I've always strived to offer the best product possible so if that means being at the higher end then that's absolutely fine by me. I supply a large number of players within the Minor County circuit and have some of the leading players in WEPL using the gear which hopefully helps to prove the level of quality the kit provides.

Any other queries please do give me a shout!

Cheers,
Adam
« Last Edit: May 27, 2020, 08:58:35 AM by Neon Cricket »
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Neon Cricket

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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #20 on: May 27, 2020, 08:43:49 AM »

@dt-second-hand-cricket
These would be more accurate comparisons as a bar one are from the same supplier...




Odd that they all seem around the same price or more expensive 😂

They're also either bog standard off the shelf designs or made to a lower spec, note the 2 piece thumb etc ;)

Have removed the Phantom image as in fairness they're another brand that clearly put good time and money into their softs, albeit being a touch more expensive.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2020, 09:00:37 AM by Neon Cricket »
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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #21 on: May 27, 2020, 08:46:57 AM »

The possibility of the mega brands reducing their pricing structure is little to non existent if you ask me.

The key reason to this is that franchise T20/T10/100 ball tournaments have extenuated the earning potential of every player - even the average player is earning good money all year round.

Throw in that the mega players - de Villiers, Warner, Kohli, Buttler earn so much from just their franchise deals, then in turn they can demand considerably more from their bat sponsors.

There in turn those manufactures offset that expenditure on to the regular customers.

Long story short, unless the franchise structure goes bust - seems highly improbable - there's pricing structures aren't going to change.

Couldn't agree more, since the growth of franchise cricket the asking price for pro sponsorships (decent pros that anyone has heard of*) has gone through the roof - I won't name names or prices however a 4 year deal to sponsor the entire 9 Division Wiltshire League was cheaper than 2 years sponsoring what I would class as a mid-level county pro (CBFers and his own county might know him but that's probably about it!). And that's before the free equipment too!
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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #22 on: May 27, 2020, 08:51:29 AM »

@dt-second-hand-cricket

Just tried to PM you mate but it appears your account has gone (or I've been blocked!), if you read this feel free to drop me a email/FB message - adam@neoncricket.co.uk

Was just trying to make sure nothing came across as aggro, I'm not that sort of guy! Genuinely keen to just answer any queries you have/had :)
« Last Edit: May 27, 2020, 08:53:33 AM by Neon Cricket »
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imogzyboy

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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #23 on: May 27, 2020, 09:13:13 AM »

Buying and selling on this forum is like and addiction!! We love seeing new wood and leather most days!!
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SOULMAN1012

Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #24 on: May 27, 2020, 09:31:59 AM »

Quite simply buy what you like and can afford. Before this year I hadn’t spent over £225 on a bat in over 4 years. I pushed the boat out to buy something i had wanted for a long time and an offer came along that made the normal insane price just about justifiable to me. Here is the main point for me, i was justifiable to me and thats all that matters.

All this talk of can you buy this and that cheaper direct, well yes of course you can.

If it really bothers you, i guess there are two options. Vote with your wallet as has been suggested. It will make bugger all difference to the industry or prices but you may feel better about it. Secondly start a brand, source the suppliers design the products spend hundreds of hours getting this right and correct and into the market. Price it lower than anyone else to the point where you work for nothing, Sit back and wait for people to criticise you for running your own business in your own way
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edge

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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #25 on: May 27, 2020, 11:42:04 AM »

Interesting thread this... some revelations for sure.

I don't know anywhere you can get the same quality as Adam for a lower price. He is in line with the boutique brand prices. 
Not to step on toes as this has very much been a Neon fan thread but just took a look their grading page... is £249.99 for a bat with "Usually 5+ grains, blemishes or butterfly stain likely" really unbeatable value? Other batmakers take a lot of stick on here for selling butterfly bats for a lot less than that, or for 'performance' grading.

Vote with your wallet is a sensible policy, lots of brands sell bats at reasonable prices after all. If we all boycott everyone the smaller brands with the best prices wouldn't last long, and then we'd look like right idiots!
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Neon Cricket

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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #26 on: May 27, 2020, 12:09:09 PM »

With respect Ed, at no point have I claimed to be 'unbeatable value' - bit of a ridiculous claim to make after I just wrote a whole post saying how Neon absolutely isn't the cheapest brand around.

With regards to the grading, that page is there for the sake of being there - it's actually the lowest viewed page on my website, which really does show that the public just don't care about grading like we do. In reality I rarely have a bat available that actually matches the bare minimum as far as the grading scales go, and on the odd occasion I do they're usually sold off to mates for less as I wouldn't be willing to send them out at the full RRP. Again, my focus is on building long-term customer relationships and trust, not just a quick buck.

Ultimately, as I've said before, it's about getting what you pay for. If you want an average finished bat from an inconsistent supplier then there are plenty of options available for far less than I charge (albeit there are also plenty of other companies that provide a similar product for a lesser price, but the majority of these don't have overheads/aren't even registered businesses so are able to charge the prices they do).

I know I pay a premium for the bats I receive, but I'll happily pay the additional price if it means I'm receiving a premium product to send out to my customers. I've had well over 150 bats since January (with another batch currently en-route) and every single one has been made to exactly the detailed specification I request and has been finished to the highest standard I've seen anywhere from a trade supplier (trust me, when I say detailed I must be a right pain in the (No Swearing Please) haha!). Having that level of consistency and trust with my supplier is more than worth the cost and the repeat order % from my customer base would support this.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2020, 12:12:50 PM by Neon Cricket »
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edge

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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #27 on: May 27, 2020, 12:21:11 PM »

Not directed at you mate, which I think you're well aware of considering it was a quote reply to a specific post. Your prices are absolutely your own business, but if Leachy says you can't find equivalent for a lower price elsewhere I'm happy to say where I disagree - don't take that as a punt at yourself when you know it isn't.

Interesting about the grades page, why write a grading spec that you think is unacceptable at full price?
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ppccopener

Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #28 on: May 27, 2020, 12:25:27 PM »

Interesting thread this... some revelations for sure.
Not to step on toes as this has very much been a Neon fan thread but just took a look their grading page... is £249.99 for a bat with "Usually 5+ grains, blemishes or butterfly stain likely" really unbeatable value? Other batmakers take a lot of stick on here for selling butterfly bats for a lot less than that, or for 'performance' grading.

Vote with your wallet is a sensible policy, lots of brands sell bats at reasonable prices after all. If we all boycott everyone the smaller brands with the best prices wouldn't last long, and then we'd look like right idiots!

To be fair Ed, I can't see any posts on here where Neon are claiming to be the cheapest around or unbeatable value. Happy to be corrected if this is not right.
They are providing customer service with a gap in the market, and it seems to be working for them.

I don't have any Neon gear but I would say the same about Oxfordshire cricket, H4L, red ink etc etc...

If people have good experiences, or bad for that matter, can't see anything wrong with posting comments here.

The role of the traditional sports sport/retailer is changing all the time and some of these smaller companies are replacing them, you get the product plus a service you would get in a shop

« Last Edit: May 27, 2020, 12:28:22 PM by ppccopener »
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edge

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Re: Closing our wallets
« Reply #29 on: May 27, 2020, 12:28:17 PM »

To be fair Ed, I can't see any posts on here where Neon are claiming to be the cheapest around or unbeatable value. Happy to be corrected if this is not right.
I can't see any posts on here where I suggested they did, unless you're saying Leachy works for Neon now. :)
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