That makes a lot of sense Schokokeks. I sus'd something as such being no taxes and shipping costs on 'my' end means they're trying to duck under regulatory entities.
Someone would have to complain to the GOV in order for them to sus it out. Even then, there's a lot of under the table dealings that the US and China make out of the eyes of the citizenry.
Back several years ago, I bought some musical equipment from a 'no-name' retailer. I street-mapped the address and it was literally an old, gutted and abandoned railroad depot that obviously hadn't been used in decades at least...maybe even a century. I forget what I bought, nothing of real value but I certainly wasn't going to get any answers if anything went south. LOL
Interestingly, the U.S. has apparently been trying to close that loophole. I think I remember reading the last two administrations were trying to get that fixed, but we're moving at the speed of Government, haha. Maybe starting into a 3rd administration, it will happen, haha.
I am always cautious of those "we have a registered U.S. address that is a shed in South Dakota" operations. At least the place outside O'hare is a real business that handles importing tons of small stuff.
I think the other positive I've had going for me with Convoy is that I pretty much exclusively buy AA lights from him, so they're never over $20 in value. That way, if something does go wrong, he's not eating a huge cost to replace the item for me. It's a loss of a few bucks to retain a customer.
I still wonder if Monocrom's issue came down to this harsh reality; above a certain point, it's probably just cheaper to **** off a customer than replace an item. If someone has an issue with a $50+ light, suddenly, that's eating a loss equivalent to a bag of AA lights.
That's, again, why I try not to go over $50 with a Chinese flashlight, as my suspicion is it's easier to just ship out tons of cheaper lights and send out replacements in lieu of QC. For the expensive stuff, I frankly don't think China can compete with US manufacturers to make really nice things, and the shipping really complicates the warranty side of the equation.
For example, if you want some discontinued Surefire style stuff, Lumens Factory is great. BUT, because their stuff is arguably the best lights coming out of China, they're not a whole lot cheaper than U.S. made stuff. My last order with them, I was shocked to realize that a McClickly tailcap for a 6P from them is about the same as one from Malkoff (since shipping is so high from LF). Unless you want a specific style that LF makes, they really can't compete with another small, specialty manufacturer in the U.S. (and, to be fair, while I like LF stuff, the Malkoff tailcap is much nicer). I've been toying with the idea of getting a small form factor P60 dropin E-series from LF, but by the time I priced it all out, it was only $2 more (before LF shipping) to get a 16340 body from Malkoff with a VME head and M61WLL. And, while the Malkoff stuff is just nicer (no offense to LF, again, I'd argue they're the best coming out of China), I know any warranty issues will be WAY cheaper to handle with Malkoff. Also, as an aside, the unshrouded 16340 body with an M61WLL in a VME is my absolute new "designated desk flashlight," retiring my beloved AAA penlight from Killzone, which now lives slightly further back on my desk.
I think LF is interesting, because I know I've seen Mark say he specifically does NOT use the subsidized garbage shipping because he's had so many issues, and that he DOES have to eat the costs when they screw up. So yes, while it costs him business to not use that shipping, it allows him to not have to constantly eat losses. That also means we're paying a more realistic cost to ship to/from Hong Kong. If that loophole gets closed, it's going to be BIG trouble for Chinese companies. Suddenly, at $18 Convoy would be twice as much due to shipping.
But that modularity doesn't come in handy just for mods, it's also good for maintenance. If a switch breaks, a driver burns out, an emitter fries, a lens breaks, any problem in a Convoy is a problem you can fix yourself with at most a basic soldering station.
