News from Minelab on the SD2200v2


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LuckyLundy I would be happy if Minelabs new machine could get 10-20% more depth. At a $1000.00 plus an ounce for gold it would not take long to pay for it just beating well known patches.

Claim Jumper I took down my original post here because I decided I wasn't going to entertain a pissin match.

AzNuggetBob

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Just from the general appearance of things, its not hard to conclude that ML has some serious production problems. I've talked with a number of dealers and basically no one has anything in stock right now - you cant get a Minelab VLF any more than you can get a PI detector. I wont mention any names, but I've talked with several really frustrated dealers who have legitimate local customers but cant get any product to sell. This a real bad situation as lord knows, they have a really good product and there is plenty of demand for it. All you can do is get on a waiting list and wait - and I am told you'll be waiting for quite a long while.

The exact cause is hard to say, ML is not exactly making detailed announcements about problems that are frustrating dealers and reducing their sales. They closed down their plant in Ireland and are switching to a plant in asia - and there are always issues with transitioning from one production plant to another. They may also be having problems getting some specific parts like IC chips, capacitors, display screens, etc. They dont make these components, they buy them from suppliers. There is actually a large supply / restocking demand in certian electronic components right now that is causing some worldwide shortages. This may well be what is killing ML's production rate.

The Sudanese have gone to buying Fisher beach PI detectors to hunt for gold - because at least the Fisher dealers can sell you one. They may be inferior to the ML prospecting units and not very sensetive for smaller gold, but they will handle the ground conditions and will find big shallow nuggets. Having a lesser detector is better than having none at all.

For those of you, like me, who are considering purchasing a new ML detecor, its going to be a long wait. I hope that most of you, like me, already have a good ML detector to tide you over until this backlog of orders gets fillled. Its going to be a while. My prediction is that once ML gets its problems ironed out, there will be a big wave of product supply coming out to the dealers. I just dont expect that this will occur real soon.

I'm also looking forward to seeing that new mid range ML PI prospecting model that is coming to market one of these days.

Chris

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Hi Chris, some good observations, thanks...

Your new book is a gem, and your msg on "slate-shist" is noted in my pea brain...

I hope ML didn't make a fools decision to close their Ireland plant, before getting their Asia plant up and running smoothly. Hundreds of mfr have made that error and basically committed suicide. The wise ones learn from others mistakes.

I hope ML can gets it's feet back on the ground, as it would be a really loss if they go under. I'll keep swinging my old ML and smiling that I have one and it works OK.

Enjoy Life and Keep Smiling...

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Hi Fritz - thanks for the kind words. For those who don't have the book yet, Rob has them in stock.

I am sure one of these days we will have minelab detectors available for purchase, perhaps in a few months the minelab production jam will start to come loose. I feel badly for the full time delaers who need sales pay the bills and keep bread on the table.

Chris

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Hey Chris and All,

Yep, have plenty of your books in stock and they are selling well. If anyone that don't have one yet, give me a call and I will get one off to you.

The Minelab detector deal is ....... Most of the gold detectors are on backorder. Luckily, I don't rely on selling detectors to put food on the table or I would be in bad shape. I know many of the smaller dealers have called and questioned why I might be getting more metal detectors than they are and faster. Well, I don't have all the answers besides my backorders are probably 10x what their's are.

There are a lot of rumors about what is slowing down the production of Minelab detectors. Some rumors are no parts, bad units, not enough help, movement of manufacturing plants .... I do know there are a bunch of fake GPX-4500's (4500d's) floating around. Make sure you're buying from an Authorized Minelab Dealer, not someone just selling detectors.

Take care,

Rob Allison

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Rob and Reno Chris

I want to thank both of you for your sincere and

honest posts. All companies have problems at one time

or another,some tend to handle things better than others.

Claim jumper first I find it surprising that a person

that calls their self claim jumper would post on a gold

forum. :spank:

If you had of read all my posts,you would have learned

something. I have had a big on going problem with a 4500

for almost two years.

I even posted about it on this forum when Jennifer Bond

was having service problems. I played the nice guy for

almost two years,and up until a few days ago ,all I had

was a $5000.00 paper weight.

For your information my Son and I has bought right at

$20,000.00 worth of Minelab products in the last few years.

Not quite what you would call a Minelab basher. Minelab

didn't do me any favors by screwing up a new machine that

ran perfect when it was sent in on the recall. Almost two

years later I still don't have a running 4500. It has more

miles on it going back and forth to Las Vegas than a lot of

cars.

Minelab was no help period,so as a last resort I posted

the problem on this forum hoping a dealer or official might

offer some advice or help. All I got was some too bad's,a

few did you check this or that's,some pm's telling me how

to cobble it up myself. By the way self attempted repairs

will void any chance of getting a Minelab repaired.

There is not a one of you company cheer leaders or self

appointed crusaders out there that wouldn't be squealing

like a stuck hog if you had the same treatment.

Still no help from Minelab or any cheer leaders,so I went

to the OZ forum. I know there is some Minelab big wheels

that cruise that forum. Not a peep from them either.

Well as a final resort before starting legal action,I

contacted Doc. I can't begin to put into words what a great

guy Doc is. He got the ball rolling and I thank him from

the bottom of my heart. Las Vegas has my 4500 again,this time

I hope they do the right thing.

The rest of our Minelab detectors have been good machines,

and up to the 4500 what few repairs we have had were great.

Its kind of tough to sit and watch people blow smoke about

something when you are getting screwed into the ground.

For all of you guys that go on the attack when someone

complains of a problem ,that might upset your idol, back off!

Lots of people have trouble with their machines,but don't

want to get treated like an idiot or outcast by saying so.

Several have just quietly went away ,bought a different

brand and are finding gold.

Minelab is not a cult,they are just a company and they are

not infallible .

Rob,Bill,Chris,Doc and the other dealers are really good

guys. By attacking a customer,or blowing smoke,you are not

helping them or Minelab. The dealer I got my 4500 from was

just a small dealer. Thanks to not being able to get any

detectors he is out of business.

It is a pretty sad day when you have to get outside help

to get a company to help a customer,when the company caused

the problem.

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Hey Sawmill,

Thanks for the kind words and sorry to hear about your 4500 deal that is still going. I remember from time to time reading about it, but figured you had it taken care of. What I don't understand is how the Minelab Repair Dept. can be so Topsy-Turvy! I know customers that have had great repair service, but then again some that have the worst and still battling with them. I can't answer for Minelab, but find it mind-boggling to say the least.

Great to hear Doc stepped in and hopefully got something settled.

As for the small dealer, you will hear more about this. I think this whole Sudan rush has placed some small dealers in the corner with no detectors available. When you rely on selling products, but can't get them from the manufacture I can see how that can hurt a business. Some dealers are going head over heals making huge backorders, but will soon find out that this window is going close quickly. I personally don't want to be caught with hundreds of detectors that I will struggle to sell.

Take care,

Rob Allison

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I'm one of those waiting on a new model, having recently sold my GPX-4000. Boy I hope that wasn't a mistake...somethings gotta give soon. The ML dealers like Rob & Chris have been honest and helpful, but can't sell me something they don't have. :spank: Hope it's coming soon because I'll need a ML for this season, once the cold and snow is gone.

Bill

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Sounds like my used GP extreme is worth more now then when I bought it used 6 years ago! On the other hand, I'm not selling because who knows when I might be able to get another ML detector. It wont be forever, but my prospecting season is coming up in a few months and I want to know that I will be able to detect.

I have heard of the phony GP4500s made in China - the 4500d - I heard they were basically VLFs stuffed into an aluminum electronics box and set up that looked like a minelab PI unit. I heard some were even being offered in real Minelab outer cardbord shipping boxes (the box the whole set up is sold in). Does anyone know of any sold in the US?

Chris

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Hey Reno Chris,

It's my understanding that most of the GPX-4500 parts are on halt for now. This does not mean customers will not get their coils, batteries and carry bags from the promo that ended Jan. 15th. It just means from what I understood that dealers will not be getting any of the GPX-4500 parts or accessories anytime soon due to these fake GPX-4500's being made. Whoever is making them are ordering larger quanities of GPX-4500 parts from dealers and then probably having them put together.

Chris, get this - A lady called me about two weeks ago and wanted to know if I wanted to purchase a large batch of GPX-4500's. I told her I was in the business to sell them, not to purchase them back. Out of curiousity, I asked her where she got them? She said she purchased a larger order from China! I mentioned to her that Minelab metal detectors are not manufactured or sold out of China. Long story short, this lady purchased 20 GPX-4500's that were fake and spent over $5000 per unit on them. You can only imagine how much she lost and when I told her she might want to look into these fake ones, I think her heart dropped out on the phone.

This was probably some honest lady trying to make a buck by selling them to Sudan or such, but not knowing any better purchased from a non-Authorized dealer and got burned big time!!!

Talk with you later,

Rob Allison

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The one important thing I didnt know about that was mentioned in those articles is the Big sale to the Indian Government. I was told by a knowledgeable authority a while back that the top of the line mine detectors are similar in many ways to the GPX4500. Not exactly the same of course, but they share much technology and design. It is entirely possible that ramping up to sell loads of mine detectors to various governments is also contributing to a lack of supply and parts to build prospecting detectors.

Chris

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I think Minelab are copping a lot of heat they don't deserve, I spoke with a potential GPX-4500 customer a few days ago who has had his name on a list for 5 months now, he even offered to pay full retail yet has still not received a detector!! :angry2: Yet a few days ago I saw a guy gloating about how he sold a few weeks back his second hand 4500 on e-bay for well over RRP (MSRP) and has just taken possession of his new 4500 from the same dealer who the other guy has been waiting on for months. :blink: Minelab only supply genuine dealers with from what I can gather a percentage of the product pot based on past sales (this would mean dealers like Rob Allison would potentially have a greater slice of the pie than say dealers who only shift a few a year, which is only fair). I know for a fact that Australian dealers have been provided with 50% more detectors over what was available during the peak time in the 4500 product run (before the Sudan rush took off, I can only assume this is also happening in the US); the question then has to be asked where are all these 50% more detectors going to? The answer's quite simple, they are being sold to Sudanese expats who have fists full of cash, or if you like they are being sold into the Grey market. :(

My guess is some dealers are making hay while the sun shines with the bulk of their stock percentage going to the inflated grey market, this then puts pressure on the good dealers who are trying to supply the local market as the word gets out they are actually able to from time to time provide detectors to the home grown prospectors (in a lot of cases these dealers are also sticking to their advertised price regardless of the inflated price). My advise is this, stick with the dealers who are doing the right thing by the locals and remember it when the bubble bursts, because it has to burst one day when they reach saturation point.

On another note, the GPX-4500 is manufactured here in Australia not Ireland as some would think, the plant is on 24 hour shift to try and keep up with demand but as Reno Chris has said the bottle neck is the availability of components!! I feel for those of you who have been having to wait, I am seeing it every day here in Australia too. What is going on is typical of what happens when demand outstrips supply, up till now we as customers have had it pretty good with dealers offering very competitive prices that are well below the suggested price, it is not surprising that dealers are now trying to make a few extra dollars with demand being so high, it's just a shame they have to do this into a grey market to justify it!!

Finally Sawmill could you PM me about your dramas with your GPX-4500 so I can pass it on, although now that DOC is involved things should be sorted soon, your right though DOC is a stand up guy who cares about people.

JP

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So what makes it OK for Minelab to cater

to supplying black market detectors while leaving

loyal customers and dealers hang out to dry?

There is no defense for their actions. They are

not doing any better than the big banks or the

greedy investment companies for their customers.

The economy is no excuse to short shift people that

helped build their little empire.

Sawmill what I meant was, non dealers= dealer customers, OK not Minelab is that clear? and they ( dealer customers) acting as middle men are selling them to SUDAN! AzNuggetBob

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Sawmill what I meant was, non dealers= dealer customers, OK not Minelab is that clear? and they ( dealer customers) acting as middle men are selling them to SUDAN! AzNuggetBob

Ahhh, yes, ANBob...the old strawman ploy, can you IMAGINE what would happen if a bonifide dealer were caught knowingly doing such a thing??? I have no idea what the rules are, but I would guess they can sell to whomever they wish, maybe there should be a limit on how many of those machines a person can buy...Money, or the attraction to the same, causes folks to step beyond bounds, which they know will get them in a heap of trouble, if caught...that goes without saying, of course!

~LARGO~

..

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Largo Ive heard that Minelab is looking at new rules to help stop resale by customers. some are trying to buy 5 or 10 detectors from dealers. I suspect this is one of the reasons Minelab is also cutting out some of the small dealers. before the gold rush small dealers were buying a new detector for themselves and maybe a friend or two to keep their dealership and now some are just reselling on ebay or what ever and I think we all know were most of those detectors are ending up, that takes away a lot of detectors from reliable dealers that are trying to get detectors for their loyal customers that want a 4500 to use!. AzNuggetBob

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Largo Ive heard that Minelab is looking at new rules to help stop resale by customers. some are trying to buy 5 or 10 detectors from dealers. I suspect this is one of the reasons Minelab is also cutting out some of the small dealers. before the gold rush small dealers were buying a new detector for themselves and maybe a friend or two to keep their dealership and now some are just reselling on ebay or what ever and I think we all know were most of those detectors are ending up, that takes away a lot of detectors from reliable dealers that are trying to get detectors for their loyal customers that want a 4500 to use!. AzNuggetBob

Mine lab

To all, I would hope that there were no scalpers among the M/L dealers. The practice suggested, is totally unscrupulous! If one has sworn his or her's allegiance to any condition of exchange, then they are bound to the conditions of the agreement. Anything transacted out side of the agreement, by a dealer, is a violation of the original agreement, if not stipulated otherwise by the granter.

AzNuggetBob is correct in his assesment of the situation with respect dealers of long standing with Minelab. Agreeably, at this point it's Minelabs problem in so far as it concerns with dealers involved in scalping practices of customers. Lets face it, a customer purchasing (20) 4500's really looks like an uncontracted dealer, what say you? Where does your investment power go?

Dean

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Hello Dean and All,

I got word about a month ago that a dealer here in the US sold 200 Minelab GPX-4500's. Do you think this dealers interest was with you or any other local customer? I seriously doubt it ... it was all about making a huge sale, collecting 2-3 times the value of the detector and making local customers wait longer for their GPX-4500. Could you imgine if those 200 detectors were spread around to other dealers how many local guys that have been waiting for many months would have a detector.

I would be lying if I told you I didn't sell to a customer that I knew was probaboy going to resale it, but the way I do it is 3/4's if not more of my allocations will go to local customers, the remaining to customers that are going to send their unit to Dubia or Sudan.

Take care,

Rob Allison

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Hello Dean and All,

I got word about a month ago that a dealer here in the US sold 200 Minelab GPX-4500's. Do you think this dealers interest was with you or any other local customer? I seriously doubt it ... it was all about making a huge sale, collecting 2-3 times the value of the detector and making local customers wait longer for their GPX-4500. Could you imgine if those 200 detectors were spread around to other dealers how many local guys that have been waiting for many months would have a detector.

I would be lying if I told you I didn't sell to a customer that I knew was probaboy going to resale it, but the way I do it is 3/4's if not more of my allocations will go to local customers, the remaining to customers that are going to send their unit to Dubia or Sudan.

Take care,

Rob Allison

Hi Rob,

That is very interesting what you say about ONE dealer selling so many machines.

I would think that with this volume of 4500 detectors being sent to ONE dealer, it might be would be more than apparent to the parent company, just what is/was going on. I can think of only one dealer who might be allowed such a large amount of 4500's.

Its no small wonder that there is a backlog of unfilled sales, and VERY unhappy customers. At the last gold show in Boise, I saw 2 4500's total, each on different dealers tables, but I never saw them go out the door, as I think they were just samples of what MIGHT be available. Come to think of it, I never saw any other SD's or any other GP's either. So the beat goes on, I think that while a few machines may be piece mealed out to select dealers, in an attempt to placate those waiting, some impatient folks, anxious to put their cash out for non-existant first line deep seeking pulse type detectors, will be looking towards other manufacturers (US) who CAN at least

get them fielded this spring with a new shiny gold machine.

It is really hard to believe that those who can read the world gold stock quote daily, and see that the demand for gold isn't going to falter anytime soon, would not be able to get their manufacturing stock parts providers to "get their s...t together and make it happen, rather than allow what HAS happened, to occur.

With what was stated about the bogus 4500 being churned out, maybe those clever chinese are cutting a fat hog, and redirecting their efforts to making their own bogus machines, collecting more $$$, and leaving the au hanging out to dry, so to speak...

Stranger things have happened!

~LARGO~

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Ok, gary. That dealer wouldn't be based out of Fl. would they? and start with a K? my guess. Grubstake

Hey Grubstake, I have no idea, I'm not in the business, but your guess is as good or better than mine!

~LARGO~

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I really don't know either, as I'm not in the business either! But the price there asking for a battery seems a little high to me. and I read the add that says they wan't full payment upon ordering. And they will be delivered as they come in. Kind of like buying a 2010 car and getting it in the spring of 2011. Grubstake

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