Hey mountain thanks for getting in on the discussion here.
I like the product and I can use as a dress shoe but I have gotten to the point that I am not afraid to wear my Vibram FiveFIngers anywhere I go. I go to political fundraisers, the opera, theater, and work in Vibrams. So I would be hard pressed to throw down much over $200 on that shoe. Really anything over $170 starts to get above my comfort level and they would have to have a really important reason for needing them.
If you don't reach your fundraising goal what do you plan on doing to go further with getting the shoes to market?
Hey BearFooted, thanks for being so active in the discussions here =)
1. They are going to retail at $300. There's no help-us-get-started markup, and it's probably cheaper to pre-order now than to wait for the first production run. We have a "3 pairs for the price of 2" promo that will save you $100 per pair, and even at $300, we're comping shipping and sales tax, which I can't guarantee we'll do later on.
2. I did look at other countries, and we decided to produce in the US for the assurance that these shoes were made under our stricter environmental and labor standards. I'm sure there are good factories overseas as Vivo has shown, but until we can afford to have someone over there watching over things, I wouldn't feel comfortable.
3. The cost difference is about twofold. However, that does not include freight, customs, large minimum order quantities (I'm talking 200 pairs vs 20,000 pairs) and the costs associated with financing and warehousing it, controlling quality, revisions and returns overseas, mistranslations/ miscommunications, etc. Made in China isn't quite the advantage it used to be, at least for footwear.
4. I totally understand. I would be sad too if you got a pair that just sat in a closet for the rest of its life! If I didn't have to wear dress shoes I wouldn't buy them, even if they were as awesome as the Primal Professional. I'd go in my huaraches everywhere if I could. You're really lucky =P
5. However, if you do see yourself rocking these, take advantage of our "3 for the price of 2" promo and get a pair for $200. Grab your brother and your dad, your workout buddies, your co-workers, your college friends, or even some of the nice folks on this forum =)
6. Due to positive reception, we're planning to move ahead even if we don't reach the $50K by Dec 11. Still, every dollar raised right now is a dollar we won't have to borrow from friends and family later, so we're still encouraging pre-orders and contributions.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
