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Kiwi

Kenyan Flies ?

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Greetings all,

 

I run a small fly / tackle shop here in New Zealand. The problem I have is that locally tied nymphs are being undercut in the market place by imported Kenyan nymphs. We still have our local patterns & custom made stuff but my customers are asking me more & more to match the cheaper prices for the imported standard nymphs patterns like Prince, Pheasant Tail, Hare's Ear etc.

 

New Zealand only has a small population so the custom made stuff only supports us so much, the majority of my sales are from the standard nymph patterns. I can't compete price wise at the moment with the bigger chain stores who are now importing nymphs direct from Kenya & Thailand.

 

It is the way the market is heading here and I have to look at selling the same thing at the same price to maintain my customer base. I would rather sell a locally made product but it is adapt or die and I don't like the second option.

 

I have looked at bringing in Kenyan made nymphs and placed an order with a company in Kansas who act as an intermediary & employ Kenyan tiers on a contract basis. It turned out to be an absolute disaster, I never got the order & the whole deal left a very sour taste in my mouth.

 

Does anybody out there on the forum have experience in importing Kenyan flies? I'd just like to find out the pros & cons involved or if anyone knows of a reputable supplier. I've heard a lot of horror stories of people being ripped off, so what should I be careful of?

 

Any advice you could give would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

Kiwi ><{{{º>

 

 

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In the US we have been undercut by overseas tiers prices for at least 15 years now.

and I don't see it getting any better dunno.gif

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hi kiwi,its the same in the uk,but i tend to find that a small majority of people will pay the extra for good quality locally tied flies as they realise that the majority of imported flies look good but are crap as they dont last ,you must promote this and point out the advantages of your flies ,and that you can provide truly local patterns and variants were as the imports are just standard patterns available anywhere

hope this helps

welstyer

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I agree with welshtyer2 on this one. Most people you deal with will see that the local flies are better, and promote the fact that they will be supporting their country's economy by buying your flies over the chain stores. If I were you I would be selling quality and service(knowlege), something the chain stores just can't match you on. If you need to use guilt on the cheap fishers that insist on cheaper flies.

 

 

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Hi Kiwi,

 

I work with a company based in Singapore that is honest and ties beautiful flies. Also, in the USA I highly recommend the good folks at Spirit River - good flies and great service. If you want contact information email me.

 

Over the years, I checked out several African factories and some were good and others were not AND they are constantly changing. Fulling Mill in the UK get their flies tied in Kenya. You may want to contact them. I don't know if they would share source information or not. I've been out of the African factory loop for a number of years since finding the source in Singapore so I can't recomend any particular organization. I see several such factories selling on eBay. You may want to contact them through that company.

 

Regarding "local flies" and "import flies:" Every shop I've worked at charged different prices for different patterns. EX: a steelhead fly was more expensive than a Hare's Ear Nymph. They also charged more for flies dressed by local tiers AND those patterns were not available from import sources so the fly fishers didn't have an option. If they wanted a Saint Joe Special (north Idaho pattern) they paid the price for a local tier to dress it. A Hare's Ear/Adams/Black Gnat were good flies to stock from an importer. Good luck & ...

 

Tight Lines - Al Beatty

www.btsflyfishing.com

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I think Al's approach seems to be the best option. Have both locally tied patterns that are unique to your region while importing the generics. That way you can offer cheap prices on them while making them pay the extra $$$ to have a fly designed for your local waters.

 

dunno.gif

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