First Lite

[Squirrels]

Multiple stores around here marked their FL -40% when the consumer direct model was announced. I suspect that was their mark-up or close too it. I doubt we will see prices 40% lower now from FL. Seems like KUIU led the way to more profit for all these guys......

Yeah and I find it funny kuiu gets so much hate for that (and other things).


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[unclericco]

More power to you, your opinion your decision. It's all good buddy same team. I try to stay American made that's all.

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My Uncompaghre says "Designed in America, made in Taiwan".

 

[K_pem]

IMO i love my first lite base layers and will continue to buy them, price wise ill probably stick to Sitka for outerwear.

But that being said, FLs whole moving to direct to save the customer money is the biggest crock ive heard. They've barely dropped their prices from what they were before but the only way anyone can buy is through them, which means they are getting all the businesses they were before but not having to deal with retailers. Really its ingenious though, use the retailers to build up your brand and expand your product to everyone, then when people are pumped up and on board, pull it to direct only. Reap 100% of the profits with half of the work.

Like i said, dont get me wrong i still love what first lite has done with base layers and merino, im just disappointed in the moves they made as a company, i expected a much larger price break. Everyone out to get rich though.

 

[NDGuy]

i expected a much larger price break. Everyone out to get rich though.

Can't blame em, everyone is out to make money. Any savings they give is a gift, everyone has already shown they will pay at the current prices.

 

[LandYacht]

Can't blame em, everyone is out to make money. Any savings they give is a gift, everyone has already shown they will pay at the current prices.

Your idea of a gift, and my idea, are two very different things.

When a company changes their retail sales and goes direct to consumer there is a substantial difference in pricing. My guess is they were used to the sales that they made from their own website and are now struggling with pricing.


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[NDGuy]

Your idea of a gift, and my idea, are two very different things.

When a company changes their retail sales and goes direct to consumer there is a substantial difference in pricing. My guess is they were used to the sales that they made from their own website and are now struggling with pricing.


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They have already lowered their prices on a few things, but anyone expecting substantial savings is out of their mind. They won't do that unless they lose a lot of sales. Like I said it's a gift as of now, they likely don't have to do anything more than they have and still be pretty successful.

I would LOVE to be wrong though haha

 

[ChanceinMN]

FL mentioned that the cost of wool shot up recently. Great example is ibex.com. Made wool clothing for years and because of cost increases they went under. Ibex actually switched to direct sales for a while trying to save the company.

So when I saw the prices at first lite I was pretty happy. They lowered some and kept their new gear competitive but affordable.

Just my two cents, but I think when people hear about price decreases they think HUGE decreases. In reality that never happens. But price increases all the time. So I think with their new lineup they could’ve increased the price but held back.


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[IdahoElk]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the way I see it is that they raised their prices 40-50% since they're now selling public direct instead of the previous much lower wholesale prices to retailers.
You, the retail purchaser see's the same price or a small savings but "they" FL see's a 40-50% increase in profits by selling direct.
Doing this move in my mind would drastically increase revenue for FL while offering slight savings to consumer leaving the retailer that originally promoted their product brand with the short end of the stick.

 

[cnickie]

I am in the wholesale clothing business so I understand where they are coming from.

First lite made a smart move on their part to go direct. In the long run this will save the consumer money. with the ever increasing cost of wool, you would have seen a jump in prices, on their product sold through their retail partners as the retailers cost price would have went up maybe 15-25%. So you would in fact ended up paying more.

As FL are adding new technologies to their product assortment like the new aerowool and a few others. This rise in fabric price is even more noticeable when creating your own tech fabrics, or using a proprietary fabric.

This extra cost to produce new fabrics and inflating price of wool can't really be passed down to retailers. So retailers cost price (price they buy from FL) would increase. Now normally you see something like 15-25% increase in the cost price when something like this happens. So now FL would need to raise the MSRP(retail price) on their product. Now if the Retail price they want to sell the product at, won't allow the retailer a good enough margin based on the retailer initial cost, it's nots viable option for the retail partner. The retailers goal in business is to make money not lose money. The only option is to raise the MSRP but that could price your product out the market.

This is the same business model brands like kuiu use for a reason. People complain about the cost of Sitka outerwear all the time, the cost easily could be lowered by almost by 30-40% if it was direct to consumer(pro staff discounts would be comparable). Sitka also is owned by Gore which means they produce and manufacturers modt their fabric so they are are vertical company.

Obviously this change in business model for first lite may not be ideal for retailers, but don't forget it the consumer wins. Also first lite prices previously were a big reason some hunters we're hesitant to try the product out. One last note if this model creates more sales for FL they Will be able to increase their production count the next year, this will allow them to negotiate better contracts with suppliers and manufacturers and hopefully get the cost down on some of the more basic items even more. I actually own more Sitka than FL at the moment but the price drop at FL has made me want to try a few of their midlayer and outerwear pieces.

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[Stephenthesuave]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the way I see it is that they raised their prices 40-50% since they're now selling public direct instead of the previous much lower wholesale prices to retailers.
You, the retail purchaser see's the same price or a small savings but "they" FL see's a 40-50% increase in profits by selling direct.
Doing this move in my mind would drastically increase revenue for FL while offering slight savings to consumer leaving the retailer that originally promoted their product brand with the short end of the stick.

Sounds good to me! FL stated here or on a FB post that they were seeing 75% of sales were made directly anyway. If they figured out how to save me money and make more for themselves then I’m a happy camper. Retailers are partners, but they don’t add value to the equation for me.

 

[haus]

Which pieces went down in price?

 

[El General]

They will only make more money if they sell the same volume. In the short term, that isn't very likely.

 

[diamond10x]

When they come out with the new stock in June, how long will it last? I have a list of things I need to get from them but price wise, no way I can buy it all at once, gonna have to buy a little at a time.

 

[1arrowshort]

I too have found it to be very common for FL To be out of everything I'm interested in. If i wreck a clothing piece and need it replaced, i can't be waiting 6-8 months on a replacement to be stocked. For that reason of never having items, I wear kuiu. Always have what I want and always at my door in 2-3 days

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