The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Okay, What The Heck Is Wrong With Kel-Tec?

C0untZer0 · April 8, 2012, 05:48 PM

If you could order directly from Kel-Tec and they'd ship to your FFL then I agree it is a shrewd move. But they don't do that. They sell their limited numbers of firearms to dealers who then do a huge markup on them. If there is going to be a markup like that - why wouldn't Kel-Tec reap the profit?

If you look at what S&W is doing with their new "Shield" / "Something Big Is Coming" campaign, it's designed to create hype leading up to an actual release date. That hype will generate sales. If S&W created the hype last November... that hype WOULDN'T generate sales.

They should use Kel-Tek's marketing of the KSG in college text books as an example of how NOT to market a product.

They introduced at SHOT show 2011 and the things are still not really available to the public. A few trickle out here and there, show up at a gun show or something, but that's hardly saying they're available.

Their 7.62 RFB looks very cool. I might even have purchased one if I could have ever seen one at a gun show or gun store.

Can you really say they have a shrewd marketing policy in that they don't produce a product?

I don't think it would work for Toyota, Honda, Ford or General Motors, Coke, Pepsi, or McDonalds. I think business class 101 would tell you that you have to produce a product...

I think with Ket-Tec it starts with George. This is just my opinion, but I think George is basically an inventor, he's a heck of an inventor. but he's basically an inventor. There is whole lot more to running a manufacturering company than just inventing products, but I don't think that's where George's passion is.

April 8, 2012, 05:48 PM	#11
C0untZer0 Junior member Join Date: April 21, 2011 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,555	If you could order directly from Kel-Tec and they'd ship to your FFL then I agree it is a shrewd move. But they don't do that. They sell their limited numbers of firearms to dealers who then do a huge markup on them. If there is going to be a markup like that - why wouldn't Kel-Tec reap the profit? If you look at what S&W is doing with their new "Shield" / "Something Big Is Coming" campaign, it's designed to create hype leading up to an actual release date. That hype will generate sales. If S&W created the hype last November... that hype *WOULDN'T* generate sales. They should use Kel-Tek's marketing of the KSG in college text books as an example of how *NOT* to market a product. They introduced at SHOT show 2011 and the things are still not really available to the public. A few trickle out here and there, show up at a gun show or something, but that's hardly saying they're available. Their 7.62 RFB looks very cool. I might even have purchased one if I could have ever seen one at a gun show or gun store. Can you really say they have a shrewd marketing policy in that they don't produce a product? I don't think it would work for Toyota, Honda, Ford or General Motors, Coke, Pepsi, or McDonalds. I think business class 101 would tell you that you have to produce a product... I think with Ket-Tec it starts with George. This is just my opinion, but I think George is basically an inventor, he's a heck of an inventor. but he's basically an inventor. There is whole lot more to running a manufacturering company than just inventing products, but I don't think that's where George's passion is.