Effective February 1, 2022, EXPED USA will no longer permit dealers to sell EXPED products through third-party (3P) vendors. The new policy applies to both current and previous-seasons’ (discontinued) merchandise. Dealers may only sell EXPED products through their approved/official websites and/or physical locations. Third-party sites include, but are not limited to, Amazon.com, eBay.com and Walmart.com. EXPED will not be pursuing a direct relationship with any third-party vendors at this time.
“EXPED is a privately-owned company and we have the freedom and privilege to build meaningful, long-standing partnerships” said Tracy Collins, Director of Sales for EXPED USA. “We believe these partnerships and customer experiences are best served within the specialty retail channel. While many in the industry are focused on growing the 3P or direct marketplace business channel, EXPED is choosing to focus our resources and strengthen our specialty retail partnerships through meaningful action. This is another example of EXPED’s mindfulness and intentional approach to building industry-leading partnerships with our specialty retail community.”
Defining the policy as a “time-out,” the EXPED USA sales team is determined to focus distribution strategies on specialty retail brick and mortar locations, as well as our specialty e-commerce partners. Tracy Collins continued “We understand that third party sites can provide additional revenue and traffic potential for many of our partners. However, this new policy will allow the EXPED USA team and our retail partners to create meaningful and engaging shopping experiences for all customers. As distribution models and consumer behavior evolve, we will continue to evaluate and make decisions that are in the best interest of our brand and our dealer partners. This new policy is no exception, and we will monitor and assess its ongoing effectiveness to ensure it supports our dealer partners for the long term.”
About EXPED
EXPED is a Swiss-based outdoor hardgoods brand, specializing in the highest quality sleeping mats, sleeping bags, tents, backpacks and outdoor accessories. With offices in Zurich, Switzerland and Tacoma, Washington, EXPED is a privately owned company with the freedom to build meaningful, longstanding partnerships with specialty retailers, manufacturers, and consumers. We believe these relationships are not measured by production output, but by strong, ethical industry leadership and unparalleled customer satisfaction.
