Varusteleka is fucking dead.Why did this happen?
>>48904236fuck are you on about
why are you buying american milsurp from a euro company?
>>48904283Mil-tec is shit (or do you know nothing?)Used to be about surplus, now they only sell garbage and never restock anything good.>>48904292Why on earth do you think I am buying MILTEC garbage when I am complaining about MILTEC garbage?Varusteleka also has cheaper shipping than many domestic companies because it was flat rate.
>>48904283Once surplus stores go miltec they never go back :(
>>48904292>>48904283>>48904386yeah, this is their restock page not OPs cart.
>>48904343desu if you want milsurp, just go to sportsmans guide.
OP is too much of a pussy to post their new releases page.Also milsurp is, by nature, hard to restock.
>>48904524Op here, there new release page has some exotic stuff but it's also shit. Exotic stuff is cool and all but what furry needs Beninese camo?
>>48904650and once more, their new release page (other than a couple exceptions and a meme) has been absolutely nothing interesting for months. It has been their instore brand that nobody I know of buys or it has been shit like SIGG waterbottles.Varustelekas life as a Surplus store is coming to an end and their time as a camping store that sells military gear on the side is beginning.
Their german supplier (sturm) also owns mil-tec. What do you expect? Almost every online milsurp store buys from sturm.
>>48904236I bought a merino hoodie and balaclava from them a while back. Their Sarma brand is pretty good kit. Just know you are buying from Finns and they are whiter than you desu,
>>48904681>heir new release page (other than a couple exceptions and a meme) has been absolutely nothing interesting for monthsNo shit. I'm sure they aren't happy about it either. Do you not remember the owner of School of the American Rifle telling people to hold off buying parts due to the QC lately plummeting because of ridiculous demand? Supply and shipping is fucked, and it's not just in the US anymore.
On their new stuff page:One meme (forgotton weapons cosmoline, sold-out one offtwo firearms related items 12-14 real surplus items (several of which are the beninese whocares shit)38 instore brand or camping itemsWritings on the wall
>>48904721most of the shit ive bought from them has been new-production shit. I got one of their knives and that extra-long dump pouch they have
>>48904702yes, sturm supplies surplus and bad repros AND miltec, but you dont have to stock all three of those things. Just the first third.>>48904711I am sure it is well and dandy, I am complaining about the death of their surplus focused business and their transition to camping store.Sure, their stuff might be good but it isn't surplus.>>48904720I'm sure they are having trouble but it has been this way for a couple years. They are MOSTLY camping gear and intore brand. Their trajectory for the past couple years indicates they will eventually they will ONLY be an instore and camping brand.Why doesn't anyone care about this?Check their offerings from previous years on wayback machine. It's unreal the amount they used to stock. This IS decidedly something to be disappointed with.
>>48904731Yeah, I am sure Skrama is good and their stuff is fine, but it isn't the same as $20 surplus is
OP again - to clarify, they have literally ALWAYS restocked miltec but I have NEVER seen so much miltec at once without other goodies.
https://web.archive.org/web/20121208012519/http://www.varusteleka.com/en2012 Varusteleka had miltec but it had a LOT more surplus, rarely ever was it worse than a 50/50 ratio
Here, I'll post some uncherrypicked new stuff pages from various years.2016
2015
2013
>>48904905>>48904887what makes you think anyone cares
also 2013
>>48904236There's literally no surplus left to sell. It's like this in every surplus store in the world. The last hurrah was 2012 - 2015 and even then it was nothing like the old days. We finally got through all the WW2 through Cold War mass produced items. All the surplus lots have been sold, split up, and re sold over and over and over and over and over again, ad infinitum. Now it's just one-offs, aka "collectible militaria" and will go for antique store "collectible militaria" prices. It's also why there's so much investment in repro manufacturing now, because otherwise there is literally nothing left to sell. Even the normie sites are noticing this, with all sorts of pop-nostalgia pieces about the death of the Army Surplus Store. Hell, even the normiest of the normies notices this. I have liberal friends who work at a university who fondly remember running around their local surplus store as kids, and even they wonder where all of those stores went. I'm waiting for some author to announce he's working on a pop-sociology podcast or book on the military surplus market. It's quite an undercurrent of American life and culture over the last century since it brings together American experiences in wartime, sociological effects of wartime production, as well as peoples' experiences, from "blue collar" everyday people and refugees, to soldiers and veterans, all the way to rich collectors and hollywood.
>>48904930well given the fact that nobody seems to give a shit their ability to restock former staples seems to have gone down the pooper, I guess nobody but I sure am gonna support my argument
>>48904960That's bullshit though, LOADS of other surplus stores manage to stock good stuff, varusteleka just can't seem to get it at a margin they are happy with.Fireforce has good shit, sportsmansguide has good shit, Arcisa has good shit...Why can't the only retailer with flat rate shipping also get the same shit? :P
>>48904962What part of "there is nothing left" do you not understand? All the old stuff is long gone. No army has done wholesale replacement of their gear recently, and even if they did there wouldn't even be that much to dump on the market since conscription is largely no longer practiced, and the professional armies are much smaller. Most countries don't even dump their gear on the market anyways since it's a security risk if it ends up in the wrong hands, like in Ukraine, which more or less became a Varusteleka catalog, or being worn by oogaboogatards, atomwaffles, and other faggots. Africa in particular has always dones this on top of criminalizing unauthorized possession of uniforms and camo since they don't want to have to deal with another violent coup. A lot of European countries are taking this route now too after what happened in Crimea.
restocked 2016.. seems to have been a good year
>>48904978>Fireforce has good shitMost of their selection are low quality repros made in Thailand from Zimbabwe fabric, and lower quality than even nu-MilTec. Like most other sites, their surplus lots are tiny and significantly more expensive than in the past. The regular sizes go fast too because the demand is the same while the supply is dwindling.
>>48905021because "There's nothing left" is patently untrue. Look at eBay, look at other online storefronts that focus on surplus. Maybe it isn't purchasable through the original governments the way it was, maybe you can't buy lots the same size you once could but this shit didn't just disappear overnight.It was made in the millions, it's out there, the supply is just slow and uneven.I am bitching about that too. I am bitching that this feels like a very slow moving cop-out as they become a CAMPMOR or a MEC type store or some shit.I am not saying they should go under but I don't think they should just roll over on surplus either. If Miltec can make passable repros of east german stuff at the same price point, a store as innovative as Varusteleka can produce their own repros of other standbys.
>>48905043>>48905021>>48904960Don't forget supply shocks to stateside suppliers like the swisslink warehouse burning down in one of the California wildfires. On top of trade wars, tariffs and COVID. You can tack on public criticism of "tactical gear" now too. Not a good time to be in the surplus market, whether as a supplier or consumer...
>>48905043I am talking about their surplus, the stuff that isn't repros, not their own repop shit.
>>48905096Supply shock is pretty fair, but it isn't like we care about public opinion either. Half of the people on chans are the people causing the public backlash against tactical gear anyways so that is a bit of a hollow argument.What I am saying is 'it's not like the buyers are gone', the pandemic has also increased prepping.
2016 keeps delivering
2018
>>48905021Here's some of that shit from the ukraine
>>48905176or at least when some of the camo started showing up
That was my rant anyways. If you go back through the wayback machine you can see the shift, very gradual in 2015 but becoming pretty strong by 2018. About the time the original owner hired someone else to do the directing, wasn't just his vision anymore I guess.I respect the desire to last and pay your employees, it just sucks to lose such a reliable source.
>>48905130Are you being obtuse? The supplies are gone. Yeah, the buyers are there, but what are they going to buy? I've been in the surplus game for more than a decade and have been on every side, from consumer/collector, to seller, and even a little on the producer side. The reason for everything you bitch about is that the economics and math simply don't work out. >muh eBayOK, individual items, not massive lots, and not guaranteed to be useable sizes or the particular configuration/price point they want. And that's assuming it's even for sale. There's super rare items that only get listed for exorbitant prices once in 3-5 years, if ever. >REEEEEEEEEEEE make moar!!!!Requires significant capital investment for R&D work, locating a factory, negotiating a deal, setting up production linesAnd that's assuming the item is popular enough to meet the minimum order quantity. Most things fail at this stage since it turns out it might be popular, but not will-sell-100k-items popular. They also end up being more expensive than most consumers are willing to pay. Why should a company be obligated to take a massive loss for you? tl;dr: pay moar or cry moar.
>>48905091I live in a major metropolitan area with a navy base to boot. Even there, all the surplus stores closed down or have shifted into becoming high dollar "military collectibles" boutiques. Surplus is dead. Sorry you missed the boat.
>>48904887>>48904905>>48904927>>48904943>>48905014>>48905030>>48905152>>48905164>>48905176You are an actual crazy person.
>>48905091>because "There's nothing left" is patently untrue. Look at eBay,So let me get this straight: you want:>Varusteleka buy every instance of M1488 faggotjacket from all the boomer collectors holding onto them>scattered throughout the world>at inflated retail prices>paying retail shipping for each item, individually>and resell them back at a loss>AND do this for every other "staple" milsurp itemHow much of a conSOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMer are you that you actually believe this is a good idea? Here's a tip: you should save your stimulus check instead of burning it since clearly someone as stupid as you are is going to run into problems sooner rather than later.
>>48905417>save your stimulus check instead of burning itlol he should buy silver to invest then he can buy all the surp he wants
>>48905543No, I don't think he's smart enough to do a proper investment. He should literally keep it in reserve to bail himself out, not even to try to grow wealth. He's the kind of retard that will land himself in the ER and get a DUI charge from drinking a light beer and ramming his car into his neighbor's mailbox.
>>48904459100% this.
>>48904236I've bought a few hundred dollars in milsurp from them in the last month. Don't understand why you are so mad.
>>48905264Am I being obtuse?No, I have very clearly outlined my gripes.>eBayYes, I recognize(d) these are small / individual items in SOME cases IN my posts. There are lots of eBay ONLY storefronts though and they are fine. Sfrankish, Arcisa and Chevaldeguerre are all fine. There are some names, I am supporting my argument. Why can't varusteleka, an arguably larger store, do what these stores are doing?>make moarYES, I said this. The thing you are not touching on is that they aren't working with anyone to do this, they are making their own random shit for military contractors, competition shooters and gun people who don't care about surplus. They aren't even targeting the market that the business model was INVENTED to appeal to.
>>48905387For... going back and supporting my argument with facts? >>48905417No, you have misread my argument.Arcisa, Sfrankish, Chevaldeguerre.Three separate surplus stores in different countries, all with reliable supply lines all selling good shit and you guys are defending varusteleka saying 'it dried up' instead of wondering why they can't do what several other easily namedroppable retailers are actively doing?>>48905417I don't need a stimulus cheque to buy surp. I am bitching that the surplus store with the best shipping rates and formerly the most interesting products has apparently rolled over and switched target demographics.>>48905610Yes.>>48905688What did you buy?
>>48905716All those eBay storefronts are selling the same shit they couldn't move years ago, and all in tiny lot quantities of sizes the average buyer won't fit in. Varusteleka didn't nab those because they would rather focus their money on whatever the fuck they think they could sell, and this means whatever new production shit they make that you don't like.>They aren't even targeting the market that the business model was INVENTED to appeal to.Maybe it's because those people don't shop at varusteleka as much anymore, or your tastes are different than what is profitable. >>48905688It's some /fa/ autist REEEEEEEEEEing that people like things he doesn't like. Nothing more. /fa/ seems to attract a lot of the ultra-entitled, mentally ill crowd, but I guess that comes with the territory of aping out a shallow aesthetic because you're too weak to form a real personality, so you must buy one off a shelf.
>>48905780Tent, sleeping bag, mat, flecktarn parka/raincover, some other misc stuff. Most of the cost was a berghaus rucksack.>>48905800oh so he's a faggot hipster, got it.
>>48905800These are the first reasonable arguments I have heard. Varusteleka DOES have a reasonable turnover and these stores clearly sell domestically. That said, why would selling more small batches of things be less profitable than selling small batches of expensive in-store brand with less price margin?>Those people dont shop at varustelekaMaybe, but that's self-fulfilling because if they stop selling then the demographic that buys surplus gives up and goes elsewhere, so I am not sure I completely buy that.>I dont like profitableAlso potentially somewhat true, but it never stopped varusteleka from targeting an 'unprofitable' market in the past. If the availability HAS dried up too much to acquire then this makes sense but I do see those other storefronts getting new items in and advertising them regularily. Even domestic stores like Hessen Antique have got things in.>faThis guess is off, I am bitching about surplus.That doesn't equate to buying things at H&M.
>>48905909The berghaus is a brand name though, is it not?The rest sounds like surp.
>>48905976>berghaushttps://www.berghaus.com/
>>48905800>It's some /fa/ autist REEEEEEEEEEing that people like things he doesn't like.Do you know anyone who 'likes' varustelekas in store brand stuff to be a returning repeat customer for it?Are you that customer?
>>48905956>Hessen Antique have got things in.Most of their "good surplus" you seem to like has been out of stock for years. They just keep the listing up out of laziness or just to make it seem like there's a large variety.
>>48906011I just tell it how it is, whether you like it or not.
>>48905976Technically not surplus, but its military style and has been discontinued. Wanted something to match my other gear and I don't like the look of most new hiking backpacks. Its a Crusader III btw
>>48906024Fair, maybe theyre hopeful.>>48906040Thats a thin defense, I asked a legitimate question which you avoided.DO you know anyone who is the target demographic for Varustelekas in store gear or are YOU the target demographic?>>48906113That wasn't a criticism, and I am not shaming people who need camping gear and don't care about this issue, but I am surprised K doesn't care about the lack of surplus given that it's pretty relevant.
>>48904236OP is a massive, retarded faggot, but in some ways I can relate>bought surplus jacket from Varusteleka in 2013>cheap, common>durable>fit perfectly>looked plain and normal>wore it nearly every day until present>jacket now starting to show age>cuffs starting to fray>fabric on "wear spots" (elbow, shoulders) starting to thin and fade>want to get replacement>very few left for sale in present day>only in retarded manlet/lanklet sizes>scarce examples in my normal people size go for /fa/ggot tier prices and are in worse condition than mineI'm on a mission to snag as many of those jackets as I can right now. Got lucky with a based boomer who found some in his back room, but IDK how many more will pop up.
>>48906235None of this is Varusteleka's fault, though, surplus is drying up, it has been for years.At least they seem to be making an effort to make decent lines of products to fill some gaps, instead of going full Mil-tec
>>48906196>DO you know anyone who is the target demographic for Varustelekas in store gear or are YOU the target demographic?Anecdotes of one person mean nothing, brainlet. Varusteleka has the sales data, and they said that surplus only makes up about 15% of their sales. So clearly, someone is buying their new production stuff even if it's not you or anyone else ITT. https://www.varusteleka.com/en/article/varusteleka-profit-report-2018/61923I just tell it how it is, whether you like it or not.
>>48906307>instead of going full Mil-tecWhether they want to or not, every surplus store that wants to cater to the mass (mid-lower tier) market is going to have to do this eventually when there is literally nothing left. Or they could just fold and close up shop, that works too.
>>48906366>Whether they want to or not, every surplus store that wants to cater to the mass (mid-lower tier) market is going to have to do this eventually when there is literally nothing left.What part of "making their own product line" did you miss?Having something OEM-ed for you is not that hard.
>>48906404OP was bitching about Varusteleka's new production stuff, so even that won't satisfy him. Plus, when you OEM, you have to make compromises to actually bring the product to market, whether in quality, quantity, price, design, materials, etc. which makes pedantic autists like OP seethe.
>>48906404The average surplus store is not "big" like varusteleka. They couldn't afford their own production lines. Face it, surplus is dead.
>>48906460Good points, however, here's a few ideas with low initial costs.With UCP being phased out, there still is a shit ton of gear coming out that's just begging to be dyed by a semi-competent company. Should you be able to turn that into some kind of brand, you'd be golden.Beez Combat Systems, Arbor Arms, Whiskey Two Four can all OEM mid-tier at decent prices, and you can push the US-made aspect as an incentive for the typical redneck buyers.If you're afraid of losing the low-tier customers, honestly, Walmart has been ahead of you for a decade or so when it comes to outdoors gear.Go to Mexico, they can make stuff for cheap and of decent quality. And then embrace it, instead of coping like Botkin.
>>48904960you posted this exact post beforeI'm onto you anon
>>48906235This is the thing. I may seem like I am coming on strong but it is gonna suck when we don't have access to the good shit. >>48906307Ehh, I addressed this by saying I think it could be as profitable to just sell more stuff in smaller amounts while simultaneously selling their own stuff but this has yet to be determined and I do see the risk.>>48906343The anecdote tells me who I am talking to, Ad hominem attack helicopter. If you are the kind of person who doesn't care about surplus then this whole thread is irrelevant to you and I am wasting time with you.That's a good source, though, and part of what I want to see. Something to consider though is what the sales of surplus was before their own brand was introduced. You wil notice that the drop in supplier purchases accounts for almost half the increase in sales of their own brand while the dip in surplius accounts for less than a quarter, so what you are really showing is that their own brand brought new customers and flipped the ones buying camping gear but did NOT necessarily cause a demonstrable dip in surplus sales.That -2% could just as easily be chalked up to boring products or 'unavailability' as you say.TLDR the numbers you present are useful but dont show customers switching from Surplus to the In-Store brand enmasse.
>>48906404>>48906446OP once more.My response to the OEM debate is that it would still be superior to many other products on the market even with SOME compromises, and I might be satisfied with that depending on how it turned out.I would not be upset at the slight price hike, that would be understandable.I would actually be interested to see what they came up with given those constraints.Would I still be sad it isn't $20 surplus anymore?Yeah
>>48906705I like you. Ideas are good.
>>48906460By god we don't have to go quietly though.I hope they see this thread.
>>48906724>dont show customers switching from Surplus to the In-Store brand enmasse.So what is it then?>surplus still widely available becuz muh eBay sellers>nobody buying muh new production>never mind stats showing in-house new production brands making up the vast majority of salesYou're right at the border of some schizo conspiracy that they're intentionally killing surplus because something something globalist space jews. >>48906705None of that is "vintage style" which I think is what you're after. Theres plenty of new production tacticool gear with hypebeast marketing on top of it all. None of it is anything a normal person would wear in a casual setting.
>>48906724You do realize the graph only showed 2017 - 2018? The switchover happened long before, as your own schizo screencap "evidence" shows. The graph was posted merely as evidence that in-house, new production brands make up the majority of sales for whatever reason, hence why they focus on that. The lack of availability in surplus is a well-known fact.
I just picked up a dutch clone of the LBT 3 day assault pack from them. I hope it's good shit.
>>48906821I'm actually OK with this. The last thing I want is surplus and militaria becoming more associated with the destructive breed of aspergers seen at the capitol spergout and various anti-lockdown "bigolo gigolo" protests. These faggots' inability to act normal in public increases the risk to normal, functional people who happen to like the same thing, all the more reason to keep it far out of their grasp.
>>48904292they have decent prices and faster and cheaper shipping than alot of local companies. they can get stuff from finland to your door in 4 or 5 days for $15.
>>48907004usa surplus is definitely not cheaper from varusteleka though. it's pointless to order that from them.
>>48906979yeah they should make you show proof of vaccine and make you sign a card acknowledging Biden IS your president before they let you buy any surp. we can't have these weirdos and racists buying all the flecktarn.
>>48906945Yeah, I screen capped some shit to demonstrate a focus & the difference between then-and-now. I see that wasn't good enough and now you want to talk numbers because either you weren't there and aren't nostalgic. Sure, that is reasonable.OK.So here is 2019. I would say this demonstrated the same shit. Surplus is still a solid 14% of their ENTIRE business. That may seem small when you compare it to the other 76% of their revenue, but if you read the char you posted you would recognize that each unit represents 1000 euros. That means in 2018 they moved 1768 thousand euro units in shit. Thats 1,768,000 if I am not a fucking plum (which I may very well fucking be).In 2019 they moved 2018 thousand units of shit, an increase. That is 2,018,000, a demonstrable increase over the prior year.I just tell it like it is.I dunno about you but to me that says interest is increasing even if it isn't their main hustle and I maintain it's a disappointment that they can't get the 'good old shit' in no matter the reason.
>>48904236And they sell stuff other than mil-tec, you know that right you dumbass?
>>48906979Why are you OK with it?I don't see the correlation with the capital idiots.>>48907004This. They also have better customer service, gave 5-10% discounts when you asked just because they could and would pick your order according to your preferences!>>48907020The US surplus they sell is for the euro market, mostly for their domestic customers I think.>>48907144solid joke
>>48907176I see you ALSO fail to recognize the point.I reiterate, they are focusing less and less on surplus. Miltec is a symptom.
>>48906945https://www.varusteleka.com/en/article/propaganda-survey-results/64191They also CLEARLY state that 'More Surplus' is their single biggest and most common request, but I am guessing their focus on their own brand and it's profitability isn't in line with that request and they will eventually move away from surplus entirely as others in the thread have predicted.
>>48907310I can request anything I want. Like "I want 1 gorillion dollars NOW!" It doesn't mean reality is going to bend and magically make it happen.
>>48907548You're suggesting that I am asking for something ridiculous.I am not, I am asking the company to try an keep that 15% (or better) in surplus or make up for what they can't. A gorillion dollars is no comparison. Apparently 15% of everyone else who has shopped at Varusteleka for at least 3 years wants it too, they just aren't in a 4chan thread bitching as hard as I am.
>>48907753Yes you are asking for something ridiculous considering you are asking for them to sell surplus that doesn't actually exist anymore unless they do >>48905417
>>48907777Trips of truth. And what if those boomers don't want to sell?
>>48907144Unironically, this would filter out a good proportion of the autistic faggots polluting the militaria community since they are literally too dumb to lie.
>>48907828are you kiddin'? If you got rid of all the people you are calling autistic thered be nobody left. EVERYONE in the fucking community is nuts.The problem is nobody is willing to slow down, back off or change their mind.They are just all too busy signaling one thing or another or trying to assert foolish dominance in exchange for social currency that doesn't exist.The people in the community need to get their heads out of their asses.
>>48907828Pretty sure just being on 4chan automatically makes us all autistic dude.
>>48907777>>48907787No, see >>48906762 You are either deliberately ignoring the other arguments in the thread or stupid, and I hate to think a friend like you is stupid.I think if you are smart enough to keep poking holes in OPs shit then you are smart enough to propose alternatives.
>>48907930>thered be nobody left. Believe it or not, once upon a time, the militaria community was populated by actual veterans and historians, not the kiddies circlejerking on UniformHistory and other discords about how the surplus they overpayed for is an expression of how /pol/ they are. Ironically, the amount of sheer misinformation and stigma they've injected into this hobby is destroying the very thing they claim they value, history.
>>48907963If the math doesn't work out, then they're not going to do it, simple as. Why should a company waste time to break even, or take a massive loss, just to please a minority of consumers whose numbers probably won't even add up to the MOQ? Should they also lie (commit fraud) to appease all the people asking them to sell surplus that is no longer available on the supply side?
>>48904776No one cares because it's the fucking natural end retard
>>48907965OP here, I half agree. The self expression shit is garbage.I don't agree that veterans should have a monopoly on military interest though, if that's what you are implying. Historians are dope.I think the thing is technology. Now that everyone has access to quick info they can get things with low commitment to learning and call themselves interested.>>48907988You are making fair arguments but the thing is that you are suggesting that the 14% of people who buy the surplus is a small amount and that isn't what the numbers we went over show. 1,768,000 is a good portion of the wage they pay their employees and they need that money.I guess the sad thing is that they are gonna have to make it somewhere and if the supply is drying up they have to switch to SOMETHING.What I am saying is I wish it wasn't just camping gear, if they do in house brands they can at least make some of it reminiscent.If everything just becomes synthetic nu-army shit then you are just going to have to deal with even MORE /fa fags ranting about techwear.
>>48908030Death is a natural end and I think we agree most people are passionate about living, right?Doesn't hold up man.
>>48908046If they only have a limited number of resources, then they're going to put it towards products that give them a maximum return on investment. And that clearly reproductions of old surplus didn't make the cut. Sure, if they had more money that could happen, but they don't. Soz, brah, you lost. Don't like it? Then buy from somewhere else or make your own company. Clearly you have excellent ideas that nobody on 4chan has ever thought of before. You are a bsns genius on the level of Donald Trump.
>>48908046You clearly have autism if you somehow interpret that as saying only veterans should own surplus. The militaria community is an excellent case study in why gatekeeping is important and what happens when you don't firmly kick cancerous, destructive "newcomers" out. It's a shadow of its former self thanks to the last 6 years.
>>48907965lol no. maybe in your civil war reenactment club. do you have a ponytail and a big bushy mustache?
>>48908086lol I will just switch to buying things individually, I am just lamenting the loss of a good source after years of loyalty.I fail to agree thats wrong.
>>48908214just see >>48908114clearly he has a stash to rival Tom Selleck.You were all newcomers once, don't be fake.Your shit stinks.You act like keeping people OUT is the solution when teaching them the ROPES is what will make them into good people. If you are the standard, lift people up to your level. Don't be a farcical idiot, be a teacher.Stop holding yourself in such high esteem and build the community you want to see. This is the thing, people profess to want things 'as they used to be' without showing a shred of interest in putting any effort in to building that dream.
>>48908114The gun and militaria community isn't torn up because of newcomers, it's torn up because of all the political posturing. Give up the attitude, it's ok. Nobody will think less of you except people you don't want to associate with in the first place.
>>48908303Oh believe me, everyone who wants the community "as [it] used to be" is in their private forums, facebook groups, and chat groups far away from the /pol/faggots. The problem is you can't control what the retards do in their highly public displays of autism so it still reflects onto you. Nearly every collector I know has largely been driven underground due to the /pol/fags. >>48908325Can't teach those who refuse to be taught, or who automatically assume you're a commie-tranny for telling them they're wrong.
>>48908369>DRIVEN UNDERGROUND due to "/pol/fags"get help man
>>48908439I've seen them shout down a fucking Rhodesian vet before when he said the culture warriors were tryhards making everything, from Rhodesia the country to militaria look bad. It's directly parallel to the way the /pol/ subset turned on the cops recently as well at the Capitol, beating one over the head with a thin blue line flag no less.
>>48908369HmmI am having trouble discerning which side of the issue you are on.You are making the argument that a lot of hard-right 'Muh guns are muh freedom' MAGA crowd makes but you are also suggestign that people call you a 'commie-tranny' which means you have been subject to the scorn of that exact crowd.I think we have more in common than not.
>>489084394chan is an insular place, once you start talking in buzzwords you're done.
>>48908493Every hardliner is an idiot.Being absolute is not the way, life is not black and white like people act.
>>48908494Do you literally have autism? Not meme autism, like actual Chris Chan, diagnosable, on-the-spectrum autism. You take everything so literally, and can't decipher any nuance, like perhaps I might not be a "commie-tranny" but an simply being accused of being the designated scapegoat for hardline retards? It shows in all your other posts ITT too.
>>48908521Yes that much is true, but the rest of us functional members of society who happen to like surplus have to pay the price for their retarded behavior. What then? You have to >know when to fold 'em>know when to hold 'em>know when to walk away>know when to runSounds like a good time to fold 'em and to run was 5 years ago.
>>48908557It's text on a forum dude, there's no nuance. Shakespeare you aint.You are the one going off at me when I ask you questions or make positive statements. It's like you have some sort of complex.I came to bitch about surplus and you came to pick a fight :P>>48908598Yeah I know that song too
>>48908557I understood that you meant there are issues with people on both extreme ends of the community, but you wouldn't draw that conclusion if you were at either of those polar ends. You are going off at me for missing 'nuance' pretty much every time, but you fail to see that you yourself are the one flying off the handle.
>>48904459>just go to sportsmans guide.enjoy getting the manlet height versions of anything they have in stock since they throw everything into a bin instead of using the native sizing chart
>>48908775also true, but you get 5 of every item so if you're a real man you know how to cobble four smalls together to make two larges and still have one left over for patching material ;)
>>48905096>public criticism of "tactical gear"the faggots criticizing tactical shit aren't the ones buying from them
>>48906917>What does it showIt shows that the store has a committed group of buyers who generate 14-16% of the stores entire revenue year over year as long as they supply them.
>>48904650>Finnish company>Sources gear from BeninChecks out
>>48904720> QC lately plummeting because of ridiculous demandBased Instructor Chad was right about it too. >>48904731>extra-long dump pouch they havehow is it?>>48905319>all the surplus stores closed down or have shifted into becoming high dollar "military collectibles" boutiquesall our milsurp shops have turned into clonefag heaven. they just raised the prices 5x and got track lighting. >t. Bragg fag
>>48904650>what furry needs Beninese camo?You don't have to be a furry to appreciate it; having that animal motif is something truly unique from a unique Afrigan :DDDD country rather than the usual >muh m81 woodland>muh flecktarn>muh multicamShitflinging that we see. As far as their new production stuff goes I own and wear their Sarma merino wool hoodie; best $130 I've spent on a jacket where the shekels go toward actually high quality material made in Yurop rather than a name brand where some (((fashion designer))) collects 95% of the profit on an item made in a sweatshop.
>ITT: OP bitches about something Finns have been bitching about for yearsI think I know their real issue and that is their flat shipping rate. Most surplus stores now have to buy small lots of whatever random garbage they get because wholesale prices are up and rising all the time, and they have to balance the losses from flat shipping with the wholesalers' asking price. I mostly shop in another Finnish store that sells mainly UK items, but they also just get whatever their supplier fancies. The good stuff comes mostly in small one-off lots like is normal for today's market.
>>48909425To continue a bit, another thing is that they don't bother to sort their surp which is going to cause lots of returns. I still can't fathom why they send out broken shit when they don't lack for staff.
>ree store is not allowed to change its target demographic poorfag neonazis to well spending hikers!
>>48909518no hiker is going to pay for international shipping for the same old shit they can get at a dozen places domestically
>>48909525In fairness, they do sell some camping stuff at a lower price than many dedicated camping stores. And that's what you should be buying because at least the new production shit isn't washed out with holes unlike a lot of their surp
>>48909401One of their factories is in pakistan, so you don't even get that sometimes.
>>48909425From what I've seen, the average American surplus consumer is a twitchy retard. The ones in Europe at least bother to do some cursory research before mindlessly pulling out their credit cards.
>>48909165And when the surplus runs out, then what? Gonna cut into the other ~85% by selling reproductions that are not original (losing the collectorfags) and aren't cheap (losing the other surplusfags)? Like I said, don't like it? Make your own store. >PROTIP: You won't do shit.
>>48908737>>48908717You don't even read the entire post so it's impossible to talk to you. So tl;dr:>you're a fucking idiot>you deserve what you get, that is NOTHING
>>48904236I remember buying some mil-tec and condor stuff from them like 10 years ago... They sell also some better stuff but surplus has dried up. They would of course offer more of it if they could find some.Personally i dont really like Varusteleka anymore because they seem snobby hipsters nowadays. Still order from them if they have what I need fo a reasonable price.
The people who spend the most on varusteleka are Finnish active reservists, concripts, military personel, hunters and campers who mainly buy clothing with the m05 camo pattern. It is no wonder the surplus side isnt as important anymore. Every since Finland adopted the m05 camo varusteleka has been almost the only place to buy it from.
Its risky bullshit now that suppliers force you to buy many pallets of shit that has loads of different shit in it and most is unusable because of mold and other shit. You can't just slap it to a shelf and say it costs this much.
>>48910028They still don't make combat gear in M05. You need to buy from an airsoft store if ypu want a plate carrier in the camo.
>>48907004>Shipping from europe to the US is affordable and quick>Shipping from the US to europe is unreasonably expensiveWhat the fuck? Ordering something simple from the US like a book would cost me 70 dollars, what is up with this huge discrepancy in price?
>>48910094BD ships pretty fast if you get lucky and they don't use FEDEX
>>48910055You are correct. But that is probably because before 2017 FDF didnt have armor in m05 either.If you buy a pc from a airsoftstore please neck yourself.
>>48910214I bought it and the quality is comparable to crye JPC. Sue me.
>>48904828Its almost like surplus is a finite resource and has been going dry all over the place, because get this, people bought it.
>>48910278This is truth, also all the smaller violent conflicts around globe.T. Finn
The power of one schizos influence never ceases to amaze me. I guarantee we have the occasional thread about this months from now, and newfags will call varusteleka shit when it's mentioned.Going through the front page shows none of this which tells me you deliberately looked up mil - tec whos products they've carried for years. Why is this a big deal?Basically all surplus places have transitioned to something in between now. KS is a gay fashion website that also has night vision repair now, varusteleka has their own brands of shit and out door equipment which seem to do well. Best luck I've had recently has been in person surplus that actually gets us shit
>>48907234They've sold mil tec products for years
>>48906974dutch army fag here, bag works like a charm, no big issues
>>48909996IMO they still get more interesting finds than the competition, sometimes. I just don't like their "lol you can't pick and choose" policy, which means it's a crap shoot whether you'll get an as-new item or grade II crap from the same shipment. That's definitely one of the reasons why I don't order as much from them as I used to.
>>48910338>newfags will call varusteleka shit when it's mentioned.Or Finns. As I said, Finns have been seething about them for ages
>>48904236If the people will buy something you sell it.YOU don't have to buy it.Simple as.
>>48906979>>48907828>>48907965>>48908086>>48908325>>48908369>>48908493>>48909518imagine seething this hard over /pol/
>>48904236>CADNeck yourself, dogfucker
>>48904236Surplus is drying up, this is old news. Varustekela saw the writing on the wall which is why they've been pivoting to new production Finnish shit and other gear for a while now.
>>48904731Seconding on their knives, probably the best buck knife I have
>>48913204We wouldn't mind it as much if the new production was consistently good stuff
>>48910214>If you buy a pc from a airsoftstore please neck yourself.evike has pretty competitive prices on name brand shit. I've bought tenspeeds there multiple times.
>>48909391>>extra-long dump pouch they have>how is it?pretty nice. I bought it for airsoft since long-stick mags tend to fall out during more acrobatic maneuvers. pic related, it can almost fit a folded-up mini 14 lol
>>4891264dogfuckings still illegal, dogsucking on the other hand........
I just like cool old military stuff
Kinda sad that noone has yet Varusteleka's sense of humor. Theirs is the only gear catalog I'll read just for the entertainment. I have bought stuff there for no better reason than the hilarious descriptions.
>>48908493>this person i invented is behaving silly, this proves i was right all alongShit nigger you really do need help
>>48904236They've always had a ton of mil-tec stuff you spergy idiot.
>>48915407Sounds like I hit a nerve. Is it really that much of a stretch to believe the people who beat the cops with a thin blue line flag would shit on a Rhodesian vet despite professing to support both those parties?
>>48915723The whole ragging on Mil-Tec is pretty stupid anyway. Mil-Tec, Baofeng, Hi-Point, Hyundai - "What? Reasonable quality and low prices? How dare the market offer products for people who have other bills to pay and aren't going to fight rebels in the jungles of Guatemala!"
kommandostore shills fuck off at least you can score finish snow camo shit from those mongols. wish there was a good site for cadpat
>>48915964>Reasonable qualityThat's not what Mil-Tec is barring a handful of items
>>48915971>wish there was a good site for cadpatArktis doesn't count?
>>48915964>>48916085Half their in store brand stuff is mil tec shit done better
>>48916085Eh. I've been happy with all the backpacks I have bought from them, and the one pair of boots. And the jacket, and the cap. Nothing of what I've bought from them have fallen apart. Ever. But then again I never had to run through the jungle in their gear while dodging Charlie.
>>48910094american shipping is shit. whether it's private companies or the us post office. it's faster and cheaper to get something shipped from finland to my house than it is to send a small package to my mom's house 120 miles away. i've had shit take a week just to move from the local post office 3 miles away to my house, meanwhile drunken finn heroin addicts and german autists are delivering things to my door in 4 days somehow and for cheaper.
>>48911139>Finns have been seething about them for ageswell duh, they've upped prices unreasonably and are continuously sourcing less actual milsurp compared to their own shit, repros or d-grade stuff like miltecthis shift was because their audience reached a critical mass of normalfags who will overpay for literally anything because it's cool or somethingalso their own stuff's quality is terrible, I got some of the wool stuff when they first came out and they tear if you do as much as take a brisk walkt. finn
>>48917159Excellent, my fellow Finn. It's time for the VIDF here to take the red pill.
>>48917159I liked their jeans. I wouldn't pay $80 or whatever they're charging now though.
>>48915964>Reasonable quality and low pricesno, it's SHIT quality and low prices. I don't mind budget options, so long as they are actually good.
>>48917218I can think of two things that are alright, those being the assault pack and the chest rig. The other stuff seems to disintegrate if you so much as look at it.
>>48904236I have bought over $600 worth of stuff from them the last month. I really wish I could have snagged pic related but have only recently gotten into surplus. It's addictive.
>>48905176>the ukraine
>>48904236they counter the mil-tec with their own in-house designs. It seems they're doing fine to me. surplus is an ebb and flow market.
Why the fuck does it even matter go get laid lmao
>>48904236I once bought their blanketshirt for my uncle
>>48904236They've literally always had Mil-Tec products you vapid cunt.
I'm just really sad about them no longer selling their leather jackets and the M27 repro uniform desu, even though I understand that probably very few folks bought clothing along the lines of that. In general the repro market is in decline to, a load of manufacturers that aren't like Schusters just put new labels on miltec shit, fucking hurts.
>>48920735The fuck are you on? The repro shit coming out of Asia recently is as high quality as its ever been, and of all sorts of random factions/periods besides the typical US 101st Airborne and Waffen SS copypasta they cranked out before (though plenty of that is still around if that's what you're into).
>>48920791Maybe I just don't notice that in Europe, things like Jahnke are becoming unobtainium and I perceive it as getting more narrowed into the 101st/SS shit you mentioned. Although I'd be glad to be proven wrong.
>>48904459Sportmans guide sells absolute scam items. One example:https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/finnish-military-surplus-puukko-knife-with-sheath-new?a=2089231&__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=8b909e027cfe68ca0cd013aac0cbd8c1ae5cd423-1617943415-0-AVjWpZNSQe7y59IBKRODWAp6qjQvRs5DMwhC7r1k44KhCK_Y0cNCnoZvS9W7wkPXx_stY0upwD_9SMB2k1uAGonEyokHWZIHakoLVK46U8dCzMFIdJjyn2vZyHzXyhgQL043u-TWoqGM5_BRtVAle1KxJjNetKg1mkKcYGtM-YZgdAoD2X-P1ZOG3DATf-azY4__8ZSqjyj7jVQ6ISow3y5VxIomU2TpLygbsdmPmuQdbzDulhZYndInyLuzMKSY8jhEkt2wJGlEjUcCuU0U58HSUsWtQkrnG6Q8pCFDrKmO5kXjC6lkEDHmgs47aWdy0Lj7GpyCr1PIzaGAOb4aFi0HTsNRa9TC3elZh3etl0zFiurtk6neCfubWrzs12iBjUW7mObV0yMIFM7mXC1uIVypjxpjD33MbAfqPKJRrMs9pBm1XE9_ApMsS2G0HdN9y7BF8aD8geACGuL0NywSPr5jb3skQxY5Ijxma99bCgHYauryBjRxaq39NjBk-lhnj0nO1nQCqrBBs_fGNMgZHYCeaWeAbkonmuBQs8w1sJKjFinnish military does not issue puukko-knives and so no such thing as surplus puukko is even possible. Also that is truly appalling dog-shit quality knife probably made in China or India, even worst quality tourist crap knives sold in Finland are way better.>>48909996Same here. I visit the website often to check if they have something new & interesting available, but they rarely do anymore. Also lot of their own brand stuff tends to be overpriced for what it is.>>48917159Exactly this. Another example: I bought pair of their ankle boots few years back - besides being correct size, they are impossible to use because they are so uncomfortable.t. Another Finn
>>48918152Pic related is garbo and reeks of mold. You're welcome.
>>48922981Fug wrong dab :---DDD And nod on /tg/ x---DD
>>48905780>chequeConfirmed europoor
>>48917246Mil-Tec has made their fortunes with basically four lines of products.- actual surplus. When they started out, it was all they had.- movie grade reenactment gear. They started to make this for the studios when it was no longer possible to buy ww2-period surplus in bulk for cheap. I suspect this stuff is expensive and not offered for sale on the open market. Not under their brand name anyway.- consumer grade reenactment gear. Honestly this is what I've been least happy with. BDUs in splintertarn and such has a market but if you care about historical correctness it's useless.- consumer grade tactical gear. Here's all your boots, backpacks, vests and so on. This is the stuff I keep on buying from them as it fulfills its function nicely. Often it is near 100% correct copies of Bundeswehr gear, which is natural as Mil-Tec is German.My latest Mil-Tec purchase, an 88L pack. Perfect for those several-days-innawoods trips when sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, fishing gear etc starts building up bulk. Includes aluminium frame, rain cover, and reserve straps and buckles. 70 bucks well spent.
>>48918152I have that set. The 'obscure mercenary-level' style is on point. It also reeks of long storage, the wear and tear is considerable, and get this: the fastenings are metal STRING. Perfect for cosplay and larping. It has its charm.
>>48905387Sneed
