Company Interest ?

I work for a pretty big company.We just had a "Standards of Integrity" meeting.You can tell with all the rules and regulations that the lawyers got these companies tied up in knots.What has been accepted in the past is no longer acceptable.Its the way our lawyer driven society is.

So, in order for them to continuing giving your company free samples, you have to use the samples like they want or else they stop sending you free stuff?

So if Company X sends you a case of models, they want you to use them as per their wishes? Like for reviews and build ups, but not to give away as prizes or raffle or auction off? That is reasonable to me.

Building them yourselves is free advertisement for the product and harkens back to the days when five and dime stores had factory built up models as part of the store display. The build ups might spur a modeler to go out and buy the kit themselves.

Giving the kits away as prizes or selling them off via auctions or raffles takes away from any potential sale. Someone who might have walked into the hobby shop to buy the kit might not if they can take a chance on winning it or otherwise acquire it more cheaply.

Just seeing it from another angle.

I'm with Rob on this.  They themselves may have rules imposed on them by their customers regarding distribution of free items.  You might try contacting them to see if they will provide older, closeout kits for your club to use for fundraising.

I also think that their policy is reasonable. If somebody gives you something, they have a say of how you can use it. They don't have to, but they can. Especially if you need them more then they need you.

When I organized a running race a sponsor gave us some stuff and asked us/requested that they be displayed in a certain way. No problem. The more they give, the more they help the more say they have. It is a business for them after all. When you ask for something, you always have to look at it from their point of view: what is in it for them?

Cheers...

In my prospecting/mining club we had the family of a miner give us a lot of his equipment (like 4 pickup loads) after he passed away, and stipulated we can't dispose of anything for one year.  We have put together 3 dredges for the club members use to check out and have lots of hand equipment to go with them.  The bigger stuff will be let go of later to fund some of the education portion of what we do.  No problem for us, except we had to hustle to find a way to secure it and keep it out of the weather.

I have no problem with their stipulations, they probably look at it as you would be in competition if you sold them as a fund raiser, since you would undoubtably be somewhat under list price to move them out.  The quickest way to lose support is to look a gift horse in the mouth and start counting teeth and the condition of them........

Hi ;

  You know I can agree with all of you who responded Except ! By doing what we were doing was giving awareness of the products's use in an area no one guessed  .Plus enhancing sales of product otherwise unknown in this venue . This was a known factor by both parties .

Except that by doing so you stop getting their support. If that's your choice, it's a free country and you can do as you please. And it's a free country and they can stop supporting you as they chose.

I can see Company X's point of view.  Is it a FUN one?  No, but I can still see it.  It reminds me of product placement or usage in the movies or TV shows.  The company will let you use the item but they only want it to be used or shown in a specific way.  I'm guessing Pepsi doesn't want to see their product being used in a movie to harm orphans or anything like that.  So it's their product and their rules as to how it's used.

I think it would be great if those kits could be raffled off to school kids or something like that but I can see the company's point of view.  I kind of wouldn't be surprised if this is a directive which came from their Legal Dept.

Eric