In the message section of our post Active Firing Blanks “The Active Family” mentioned that they would be sending out a press release that thoroughly explained their position on blank skateboard decks. According to Transworld Business they have come through on their promise (click here to read it). Here’s a little of what Active President Shane Wallace had to say:
These days, the distribution of a blank deck is the demise to everyone that relies on selling skateboards. Blank deck sales make up a good portion of our skateboard sales, however, it’s also supporting a sector of the market that is spinning out of control. We have retailers and independent sales guys poaching our retail stores to under cut our business, and before we know it, we’ll be undercutting each other to make $2 on each board. It’s just not healthy.”
The release goes on to say that Active will continue to sell “Active branded boards.” Apparently, these shop boards will be differentiated from blanks by the fact that they will cost “more” and have more paint on them.
[Link: Transworld Business]
21 Responses to “Active Firing Blanks Part 2: The Press Release”
- 1 Pingback on Jan 2nd, 2007 at 3:45 am
According to the PR,
Without Active branded decks, these kids would not be able to afford 4-6 boards a month and would be forced to stop skating.”
The problem for the “industry” is not just blank decks, its blanks plus shop decks, plus branded decks (the brands that exist yet don’t have an ad budget) coupled with the fact that skateboard logo clothing is out of fashion.
It’s a big problem that kids need to be able to afford 4-6 boards a month!!
Hell if kids need a half a dozen decks per month to be able to skate, responsible shop owners should be selling blanks by the dozen..
It is no longer about the decks, it is about keeping kids skating, as long as they skate they buy skate/surf brands.
It is not just skate hardgoods brands on the chopping block it is the apparel and shoe companies as well.
I say sell blanks, hell give them away for free, buy some shoes, get a blank.
blank boards sell for 20-30 dollars, and there is no way in hell they cost that much to make. why doesnt active create active blanks but sell them for the same price as regular blanks? that way people will be able to afford boards and active will be able to make their dollars. i completely agree that pros need to make their money, but 50- 60 dollars is alot to be spending on one pro deck at a time
Confused. that is great you think the pro’s should make money because they do, BUT what about the REAL skateboard companies? the ones that pay pro gurantees, do team travel, team health insurance, team photo incentives, put demo’s on globally, take 2 or 3 years making DVD’s, put ads in the magazines and generally make it exciting? what would happen if there were no hard good companies? think it can’t happen, BUT WHAT IF IT DID?
Blank boards, (trucks and wheels) are sucking the life out of skating, its great Active are taking this first step hopefully, the likes of CCS and many others will follow suit and support the pro and the companies that support there business.
Like Active points out, What will happen to the skateshops and skateboard distributors when you can buy blanks in target or wall mart for $9.99 (they are already $12 on ebay) is this the price you”d like to see?
if skateboarding does not get a grip on the destruction that Blank, shop boards have created, the industry (brands, distributors, shops and media) can look for new careers and the skaters MANY (not all) would soon loose interest.
If you truly love skateboarding, Don’t make, don’t sell and don’t ride blanks, support the REAL brands that have teams and make skateboarding exciting.
To see the extent of the problem, type in BLANK skateboards in google and see how many matches it finds.
BLANK BOARDS ARE TRULY SUCKING THE LIFE OUT OF SKATEBOARDING.
THANKS ACTIVE FOR TAKING THIS STAND.
Confused. that is great you think the pro’s should make money because they DESERVE TO, BUT what about the REAL skateboard companies? the ones that pay pro gurantees, do team travel, team health insurance, team photo incentives, put demo’s on globally, take 2 or 3 years making DVD’s, put ads in the magazines and generally make it exciting? what would happen if there were no hard good companies? think it can’t happen, BUT WHAT IF IT DID?
Blank boards, (trucks and wheels) are sucking the life out of skating, its great Active are taking this first step hopefully, the likes of CCS and many others will follow suit and support the pro’s and the companies that support there business.
Like Active points out, What will happen to the skateshops and skateboard distributors when you can buy blanks in target or wall mart for $9.99 (they are already $12 on ebay) is this the price you”d like to see?
if skateboarding does not get a grip on the destruction that Blank, shop boards have created, the industry (brands, distributors, shops and media) can look for new careers and the skaters MANY (not all) would soon loose interest.
If you truly love skateboarding, Don’t make, don’t sell and don’t ride blanks, support the REAL brands that have teams and make skateboarding exciting.
To see the extent of the problem, type in BLANK skateboards in google and see how many matches it finds.
BLANK BOARDS ARE TRULY SUCKING THE LIFE OUT OF SKATEBOARDING.
THANKS ACTIVE FOR TAKING THIS STAND.
let me get this straight…
some skate shops, who:
1. put on contests
2. sponsor local kids
3. make their shops cool places to be
4. try and compete like hell with the big guys
5. get screwed over time and time again by taking a chance and nuturing small brands only to see these very same brands wind up in big box stores
6. advocate tirelessly for local skateparks
and do upteem other things to support and grow skateboarding…if these shops DARE to sell blank decks, then “they are sucking the life out of skateboarding”
GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!
and further more…
skaters, who..
1. spend hours and hours practicing their tricks
2. try and get skateparks built in their hometown
3. spread the stoke of skateboarding to their friends
4. get busted by cops and security guards for doing something they love
and also happen to buy blanks…
these skaters are sucking the life out of skateboarding?
BULLSHIT!
THE ACT of skateboarding is very healthy
the tricks are insane…
there has never been better parks and there’s fantastic gear out there
Like Active points out,
A skater needs 4-6 boards PER month or be forced to quit skating..
Skateboarding IS healthy Because of blanks.
I have seen blank decks on ebay for $6 not $12
The real problem for the industry is not blanks but shop decks,
I think shane wallace’s stand has more to do with the fact that he makes his money selling other shit anyway and the illusion of supporting “brands” is good marketing.
Skate company owners need to start making products that last a long time only a focus on products that give kids a reason to choose branded products will survive.
active is sucking the life out of skateboarding. all they care about is making money. they will open next to any existing shop and put them rite out of business without even thinking about it. and all the companies support them becase they have high sales volumes. if REAL skateboard companies cared about the future of skateboarding they would stop selling to mall stores like active and support shops who actually care about skateboarding. the only reason active does so many demos and stuff is beacuse its good markerting.
the shops you talk about are doing everything right except selling blanks, when you buy a blank, where does the money go? it does NOT go back into supporting the industry that on a global level helps make skateboarding what it is (and make that fantastic gear you talk about).Instead blanks sale profits goes to people that do nothing for skateboarding. Where are the blank ads, blank teams, the blank DVD’s that inspires people to push the boundaries?
One sugestion is for the core shops to speak with the brands and see what old product they have and do a deals with them so they can reach the price point for the kids that can”t afford the latest pro model.If not, there are other price point choices from real skateboards co;s.
While the majority of the real brands are working harder than ever before to make there product better, the blanks manu’s are trying to make there boards cheaper (many using Chinease birch)
What are the shops going to do when there are $6.99 boards at wallmart? how will they be able to justify to the parents the difference in price, That blank is junk, this blank is great? Your right they wil say BULLSHIT! What will skateshops have to sell then, long boards and the such?
The majority of core shops care, if they really do care then they should care where there money goes. DONT SELL BLANKS, Your future is at risk.
The skaters if they ride blanks, i think need educating to the harms of what will happen if there are no skateboard brands if they can’t afford a pro model, hopefully the shop has a sale rack of least seasons models at prices he can afford.
You are correct skateboarding is better now than ever before (as the activity of skateboarding), what i see and hear as far as the hardgood industry goes is one that could collapse IF things get any worse.
The industry has to come together to make win win for all, the brands have to work closer with the shops, the brands have to focus harder on making better products (many of them are, some brands guarantee there prodcucts, do blanks?).
Just think of $6.99 blank boards at wallmart and no magazines and no hard good co’s.
Blank boards = a blank future
Active makes more money on the shop logo decks anyway. They are full of shit
They could care less about the industry.
At least active have stopped blanks, but rumor has it that CCS are the biggest, selling well over 20,000 blanks and CCS boards every single month.
It should be pointed out that the cost of decks to the consumer hasn’t really changed over the last 20 years. That right there is a discussion in itself.
Which part of the industry is expected to come together?
The most vocal opponents to blanks seem to be the bigger brands that don’t press their own wood, while the companies that actually do press their own wood also make blanks and shop decks.
I smell a conflict of interest.
The blank industry is hoping that all the skateboard brands are going to do is to continue complain about kids buying blanks. They reason that this course of action would be tantamount to doing nothing different.
We have been hearing don’t buy blanks for the past 6 years, we have witnessed attempts to keep the Chinese out of the market.
We have also seen demonstrated the industries attempts to make better products. All of the so called better products so far have not worked, they all wear out just as fast a blank. All efforts failed.
The suggestion of selling older stock will not work, plywood skateboard decks are perishable, old stock is equal to dry snappy stock. Selling old stock at a discount is not going to help skateboard companies. To begin with the brands do not earn profits clearing out old stock and kids will associate the deck that just snapped on the first trick with the brand on the bottom of the deck.
I read a review on the concrete wave website about a technology which seems to have the answers that the brands and shops need. A company which claims to be committed to helping the industry, A patented technology which performs better than blanks, makes decks last a lot longer and helps retailers make more money.
Everybody I have talked with concerning these decks is against them, they don’t like the owner of the company and they like it that decks wear out quickly.
Seems to me that brands need to choose between a blank future (keeping the blank man happy) or working with a company they don’t like and a better future (better performance and better durability for the kids, better margins and better protection from price point products for the industry).
It will be interesting to see what the brands choose.
those decks i think your talking about are the ones that the complete idiot Becket produces, the ones with replaceable platsic tips?
The boards i am talking about is not REALLY old stock as you describe, every company has slower moving product, just like every shop has a sale rack. The brands need an exit strategy for this product and are always looking for ways to get rid of this stock (which usally goes to Eastern Europe or South America)
By the way Brands can still make OK money on selling discounted decks unlike soft goods for those same co’s where they loose big time.
The shops that want to help the situation out, has the oppoprtunity to say to the brands direct or the local distributor, look i sell blanks/Shop boards i want to stop this, but we do have kids that simply can”t afford 4-6 pro models a month.i want to support the brands and the industry more, i need x boards at this price every month so i can sell for this $Y which give me a margin of …. can you do it? try them all. (this is working together)
You talked about margin.The shops must get a better margin on hard goods and that I believe is coming (some already do give keystone margin on hardgoods)
Blank boards = a blank future. This does not have to be, but its going to be up to every single one of us to make the changes, brands, retailers, Distributors, suppliers, the media etc etc
Forget the past we can do nothing to change that, today and tomorow we can.
The industry is not doing nothing, its started, get ready, 2007 looks to be an interesting year.
would there still be this conflict if…
1. active took a blank board
2. active put a logo on that blank board
3. active sold that blank board for the same price as a regular blank
Guess what’s on their home page?
http://www.activemailorder.com/etc/HOLIDA06/images/home_02_main01.jpg
Thank you, Active, for “saving” our industry!*
*Limited time only.
According to the review on Concrete wave magazine the performance tip system decks seem to be better than standard wooden decks. The tips are metal hard and offer more pop.
see review: http://www.concretewavemagazine.com/exclusives.php?id=14
I think that the core of the problem and the solution is not in the hands of the shops.
Shops sell what the consumer demands. The consumer is telling the industry that they are no longer willing to spend more money on a branded deck as they have been in the past.
Higher margins are not going to help shops if the consumer continues to choose products which cost him/her less. You could sell a shop a branded deck for $10 wholesale and recommend a retail price of $100 and kids will still choose blanks.
Shops need products which both are in demand and offer better margins.
The problem is clearly that shops pay roughly the same price when sourcing a deck as a brand does. in fact many times the source is the same.
The shop value chain is factory to shop, the brand value chain is factory-brand-distributor-shop.
Skateboarding has now become mainstream and hard goods commodities, this is todays reality, and this is not going to change.
I think that complaining that buying blanks is going to kill skateboarding is an empty threat to the audience to which it is intended to persuade. The argument about a blank future affects really only brands, its brands that seem to have a blank future to look forward to.
Shops still sell a lot of decks, (blanks and shop decks), shops sponsor local riders (who kids look up to and are inspired by) and more and more kids are discovering skateboarding, inexpensive products are helping to pave the way.
If i owned a skate company, I would choose to market a product that was visibly different than the products that are causing me problems. Even if the product did not make sense and seemed totally gay.
This is the only way to bring about change, Rocco is a perfect example, his method of doing business and his approach was revolutionary.
I am not sure if boards with replaceable tips are the answer, but considering that the according to the review the boards are ridable, and patented it seems like it might work.
I i was a blank producer that last thing i would want is for brands to adopt a technology that I could not copy.
Yes, that would NOT be good.
Active and ALL other retailers that sell shop and blanks have other opportunities to support the brands,the pro’s, themselves and the industry in general, here are 3 idea’s.
1.Stop selling shop boards (to only represent the pro’s and brands 100%)
b. buy last seasons models for the sale rack for the kids that can’t afford current pro models.
2.Work on co op shop /brand boards with there favorite brands, Active / Flip logo boards as an example.This means the life sucking blank board manu’s do not benefit at all, the shop benefits by supporting the brands (as in wow, shop XYZ is down with Zero, as an example), the brands get extra sales, this should also raise price points.(to be the same or a little less than the pro boards)
b. buy last seasons models for the sale rack for the kids that can’t afford current pro models.
3.Sell shop boards at the same price than the pro brands, the shops would increase there margins.
b. buy last seasons models for the sale rack for the kids that can’t afford current pro models.
Shop boards need to be re thought so that its WIN WIN for the shops and the hard good brands.
it’s 2007 we must get away from blank product 100%, if we want to have a healthy industry.
Blank boards =a blank future.
I’m just stoked that Active is still selling a $34.99 “Active Branded” deck! Thank goodness for utter hypocricy!!!!!!!!!
Without it, I’d be one poor joe.
I’m still totally curious which starving pro is getting the royalties from these, so he can gas up his Escalade…..?
I have to buy blanks from ebay because I am to poor. Like the guy named reply to BS Maloney stated. It is these blank companys who are sucking the life out of skateboarding. Where is the blank vids and pros. The profits go to a joe-blow. I want to start seeing a major skate company sell 5-10 blanks at a time, that average out to about 13-14$ a piece. This would truly make them money, and we would not have a problem anymore. We could blow “Slam city skateboards” and “WTSWO Skateboards” from ebay out of the house. Skateboards shouldn’t be on the ends of their names. They have nothing to do with skating. They should suck a pickle. I still have to buy from them. My wallets empty
.
Support pro skateboarding, because everybody needs another new motorbike.
How long ago was it the mags were full of ads with pro’s balling it in front of their gangster whips and now they want to come pleading poverty and cussing people who pay out of their pockets to skate for not supporting their extravagant lifestyles.
Skaters aren’t stupid. The emperor wears no clothes. Pro deck or shop deck and an 8-ball of weed? Who’s got skins?