I want to be real clear here….I am not anti Amazon. We as a company are not anti Amazon, heck we are certified sellers on Amazon. However, buying industry brand cameras creates bigger problems than we initially realize… for you, the hunting industry, and wildlife. And really that statement holds true for any hunting related product…broadheads, arrows, etc.
#1 Next to Zero support after the sale - Typically this means very little if any customer service. Usually no product support which means there probably not going to be any FW updates or support to correct bugs (there are always bugs). I know there’s going to be an argument there that people are just buying these as “consumable” cameras, but if that is your mentally around buying cheap products, there are other options. Buy a $40 wild game or a $30 tasco
#2 Foreign Companies Draining the Hunting Marketplace and Community - At the end of the day, all trail cameras are coming from overseas….so let’s just get that out there. Yes even Reconyx once you do some due diligence. So The companies within the hunting industry…. Moultrie, Stealth Cam, Reconyx, Exodus, Muddy, These are the brands that keep our industry afloat. These are the companies that are donating to your conservation events and local 501c3 chapters NOT THE companies selling on amazon. This is a really really important note. Every dollar being pulled out of the marketplace by foreign amazon vendors is slowing killing and diminishing the hunting marketplace, which eventually leaves you the consumer at a disadvantage. This doesn’t happen overnight obviously, but years of consumer behavior supporting Chin chang, Solo Sun, XYZ trail camera company will force hunting brand companies to alter there product offerings, it will squeeze them to limit conservation donations, and tighten up overall spending.
Even outside the immediate hunting industry, even with these products coming from overseas, the impact on the local economy is still a large footprint. There’s logistic jobs intertwined, there’s accounting jobs intertwined, there’s real estate revenue pushed into the local economy, I could go on and on with this and non of that even mentioned the labor force within the actual company.
#3 Counterfeit Reviews - A big flaw within Amazon and how consumers see products is that reviews are very heavily weighted in product rankings. For example if you were to do a simple search around the key words trail cameras, the products that are shown organically are typically products that have a ton of reviews. With the advancements of Amazons marketing platform, you also are severed sponsored products also - these are bought impressions just to be clear. Knowing that reviews are king on Amazon, Chinese companies literally give out free products to people who are willing to leave reviews. We get countless emails and social messages from these factories and amazon sellers who offer this to us. They are fake, don’t buy into it.
With all of this said if you still are set in stone on buying one of these white label cameras, even with all the negative consequences just go to Ali express and save yourself some money.
