Does Century sell to anyone or just schools?

[Tina]

Ok, I know this is probably a dumb question. But my husband has a school account with century from when he used to have a school and that's where I buy my gear. A friend just asked where I get my gear and I told her I'd bring her a catalog and she can order from it. I mentioned it to my husband and he said that was unethical since the school we all attend orders the student gear. That letting her buy it from us would be cutting out the school's profit. I didn't realize the school made a profit. I think she just wanted gear like mine and she didn't realize she could choose it from a catalog. I think my instructor just asked for size and color choices and ordered the style he wanted. I had my own, so it wasn't an issue. Anyhow, now I have to tell her that I can't order anything for her. Will century allow her to order online if she's not a school/instructor? I'm gonna check tonight and see if our school still has a catalog, if so that'll solve the problem. I just feel like a dope for offering to order something for her and now I can't.

[KayJay]

Yes, you can order from Century yourself. I ordered a bag for myself from them without any problem.
And not to advertise :p , you can support this forum by ordering through them also (which I did). On the main discussion forum screen, you can find a Century link on the lower left that will take you to the site.

[Tina]

Thanks Kara! I'll tell my friend. :)

[Jeff C.]

That's one of the reasons why I am not so happy with Century these days. I have a wholesale account with them. In the past, you could ONLY order product from the wholesale account holders. Now that Century allows anybody to order directly from them, they have become, in effect (somewhat), a competitor.

Jeff Cook

[KayJay]

That's one of the reasons why I am not so happy with Century these days. I have a wholesale account with them. In the past, you could ONLY order product from the wholesale account holders. Now that Century allows anybody to order directly from them, they have become, in effect (somewhat), a competitor.

Jeff Cook
Understandable. But I hardly see myself as your competitor. ;)

[Webmaster]

Jeff:

I used to work for Century back in the day when it was me, Mike Dillard (the owner/founder), one other guy and five seamstresses. They have always sold to the general public. They just do not offer wholesale prices to everyone, just schools.

Oh and thanks Kara for the advert! :)

[Gene Williams]

That's one of the reasons why I am not so happy with Century these days. I have a wholesale account with them. In the past, you could ONLY order product from the wholesale account holders. Now that Century allows anybody to order directly from them, they have become, in effect (somewhat), a competitor.

Jeff Cook


Why don't you try East Coast Martial Arts Supply over in Orlando? I've never had any problems with them and they give school discounts.

[Brian R. VanCise]

Jeff,

I do not see century as my competitor because when I sell to students from my stock they do not have to pay shipping and handling. In other words, they save big! I buy in bulk so that my shipping costs stay low but to buy here and there as an normal person without the wholesale cost you are going to pay a lot in Shipping. That is not just with Century either but with any company that gives you wholesale prices.

My only problem with Century is that some of their gear is cheap. However, I just do not sell their cheaper stuff. :D

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

[DragonMind]

My only problem with Century is that some of their gear is cheap. However, I just do not sell their cheaper stuff. :D

Like their lousy rattan? :laugh: I wouldn't burn their stuff for kindling.

[Jeff C.]

Robert, you were there at the beginning? Cool!

Thanks for all of the good points everybody brought up. Robert, I must have misunderstood the Century rep a few years ago when she told me they were set up to sell product through wholesale-account holders only. She must have been new or something.

Their customer service has been pretty good. I get what I order, and if anything breaks (like the rattan weapons) they have always replaced them at no charge.

Gene, do you have any contact info for the supplier you use?

Jeff Cook

[DragonMind]

Robert, you were there at the beginning? Cool!

Thanks for all of the good points everybody brought up. Robert, I must have misunderstood the Century rep a few years ago when she told me they were set up to sell product through wholesale-account holders only. She must have been new or something.

Their customer service has been pretty good. I get what I order, and if anything breaks (like the rattan weapons) they have always replaced them at no charge.

Gene, do you have any contact info for the supplier you use?

Jeff Cook
East Coast Martial Art Supls
(407) 896-2487
1646 E Colonial Dr
Orlando, FL 32803
www.ecmas.com

Web site is being renovated so nothing really there yet.

[Jeff C.]

Thanks, Barry. Do you have any opinions about the company?

Jeff Cook

[DragonMind]

Thanks, Barry. Do you have any opinions about the company?

Jeff Cook
Any time I'm in Orlando I try to stop in. They are really crowded with stuff and half the time don't know exactly what they have on the floor so it's kind of like hunting season. Sometimes you can really find a treasure; I found volume five of a HKD textbook series in Korean that I was looking for for years. Prices are nothing to brag about but they've always given me good service. They do carry a lot of things not many others do (like HKD uniforms). With sales tax (being as we're in FL) and shipping, they are too expensive for standard items for me. Might be worth a day-trip for you to look in on them once and meet the folks. They're on Colonial in the heart of Asian restaraunt row (Viet and Korean on the same block with them).