All Is Not What It Appears In The Kingdom.

It's evident from online posts that a particular company with a rather regal name, has taken a huge hold on the Australian camping and outdoor market.

They sell some very useful kit at a budget price. In fact they sell absolutely everything camping and outdoor related and some of it isn't so good. I'd go so far as to say that some of it's a pile of shite.

I don't want to name the company in question, but for the sake of convenience, we'll call them "Queens."

I think it's really important to realise what they actually are and to be aware of what monopolising does to any industry.

"Queens" is NOT a brand. They're nothing like a brand. They're probably not even a company. What we're talking about is a big import and trading company that buys a shit load of product very cheaply, prints a name on it, creates the illusion of being a brand, mass markets and sells a shit load of that product through major online retailers. They don't even design or commission products. I'd be very surprised if the people behind "Queens," even know much about camping and outdoor gear at all. They're just very clever business people who've identified a market and are doing their damnedest to get a huge slice of it.

So what's wrong with that, you ask? Well nothing if you want to find all your cheap stuff conveniently on one website. However, take the effort to look around a little and you'll find exactly the same cheap stuff, even cheaper, without a brand printed on it. In reality, it doesn't Actually take much looking around, because the very same cheap stuff is all over ebay.

So why do I have a fly up my arse about this, you wonder. What's the harm? Well you see, when an importer gets so immense that they account for an inordinately large chunk of the overall market, sadly the competition starts to dwindle away. Eventually "Queens" will not only have so much buying power that they'll be able to buy cheap shit cheaper than anyone else, in the absence of competition, they'll be in a position to charge you the consumer, whatever the fuck they want.

Now "Queens" won't go silly as they're all about turnover. However, as they do more and more work to market themselves as a brand, fewer people will grasp the concept that they're not a brand, but a trading company that imports cheap shit,  with barely any product input. These people are not experts in their field.

One of the big problems with brand creation is that they not only knock over the cheaper competition, but they also make things very difficult for genuine manufacturers of quality equipment; the real brands. Some might not survive at all, but those that do will be forced into inflating their prices.

I'm not advocating a boycott of "Queens" products. Some of them do represent a good means to an end in terms of value for money. What I am suggesting is that you start thinking of them as the "Black and Gold" or "Homebrand" of the camping and outdoor equipment world.

If you see something for sale elsewhere that looks the same, there's a good reason for it. It's the same product without the name printed on it. It might very well be cheaper.

Brand names have long been synonymous with quality. Whilst "Queens" probably endeavour to import the best quality for a particular price, they're not a quality brand. They're not a brand.

So, if you want cheap stuff, shop around. If it looks the same as the "Queens" product, you can be certain that it is the same product.

If you want genuine quality, do some research. You might have to look around, do bit of reading, even go out and look at the product in real life. It might cost you a little more, but if it's high end quality you want, at least you would have made the effort to ensure that your money is well spent.