These Reef girls have nothing to do this article, but they are more fun to look at than an e-tailers logos. Plus I do not want to piss anybody off!
I asked a local sales rep about this. He said that these e-tailers are doing this illegally and that company lawyers are taking action to stop it. The current no e-tail situation is pretty silly in the light of the growth of the Internet. How did these e-tailers get the product to sell? Maybe through grey marketing, but mostly it seems they are going out to local retail outlets and buying products as the orders come in. They are losing a little money each time they do this. It seems this is a tactic to try and change the policy of the market leaders (like Burton and Oneills). They are probably tying to say to these leaders - Hey, Blank and Blank let us sell their boards. How about letting us sell your product-. Once the big dogs open up to e-tailing most all the rest of the industry will be forced too. Who knows if these e-tailers will succeed at this tactic or end up in court? Or both! To me it seems obvious that you will be able to buy the big brand names of boards, apparel, and wetsuits someday. It is just a matter of time.