Vibram Crag Buy Back

The Vibram Crag has arrived!  Get one for yourself from CommunityDiscs.com and try it out with virtually no risk!

The idea is simple: Buy a Crag.  Test it out.  Love it and keep it or return it for a full refund (in the form of store credit).  I will even include enough to cover return shipping costs (see below).  That is how confident I am that you will love the Vibram Crag.

It is an overstable midrange, more Roc3-like than the Vibram Obex.  You know how to find out how it really flies?  That’s right.  Grab yourself a Vibram Crag today at CommunityDiscs.com/Crag

Innova Roc3 / Roc and Vibram Obex / Ibex flight paths supplied by inboundsdiscgolf.com

Rules – Sadly, we must wrap some rules around this so no one is buying a disc with ill intent.  Please read below.

1) Current Customer – You must be an existing & “current” CommunityDiscs.com customer.  This means you have placed at least 4 orders with us under the same account, that you place your Crag order using that same account on CommunityDiscs.com, and that you have placed at least 1 order since 8/15/2016.  If you are not a current customer just start ordering from us today.  There will be other “Current Customer” promotions in the future!  We are making exceptions for members of the Vibram Disc Golf Collectors Group on Facebook who are 100% eligible for this buy back program so long as they joined it prior to August 30th, 2017.

2) Disc Condition – The idea is that you take your Crag to an open field and let it rip a few times.  Try some different shots.  Compare it to your favorite overstable midranges.  See how it performs.  I’m a reasonable guy.  I want you to try the Crag and I hope you will love it.  I’m not looking to work with people who plan to beat a disc up intentionally and then return it because they think they’ve found some loophole.  Obviously, with a plastic disc you can see the wear on it from even one throw.  Vibram discs are literally made of better stuff and they do not do this so if you are new to Vibram please know you should have nothing to worry about if you are throwing your Crag in a grassy field.  Sure, there will technically be some wear on the disc.  If you are being honest about the testing you have nothing to fear.  If we receive a Crag which has obviously been bashed into hard objects like trees, rocks, pavement, etc it will be treated as damaged and you will receive no more than $4 for your returned Crag.  We reserve the right to not credit you anything at all if we deem the damage to be extreme.

3) Submitting your buy back request – Simply log into CommunityDiscs.com, goto your order history and click “View Messages”.  Just type us a message righter there letting me know you would like to send your Crag back and I will get in touch with you within 24hrs.  Please do NOT email directly, call, or send a message via social media.

4) Tags – Any tags the disc ships with must be attached when you return it.  We do not want to risk receiving a Crag you purchased elsewhere.  Avoid a dewy morning and the labels will be a-okay for your entire testing session.  Again, I’m reasonable.  Send me a message if you need an exception or take the labels off first and keep them handy if you do choose to return your Crag.

5) Limits – Buy Back offer is valid for purchases made no later than 9/15/2017 by United States residents with domestic shipping & billing addresses and we must receive your request by 9/31/2017.  This buy back offer is limited to 1 Crag per customer.  You are certainly welcome to buy multiple Crags from us and return any single Crag you like (or do NOT like!) from that order but we will only accept 1.  If you elect to return more than that, then you are essentially donating those extra Crags back to us.

6) Refund Amount – If you follow all of the rules (i.e., act like a decent person) you will receive a store credit in the amount you spent on your Crag.  I will even throw in a $3.50 store credit to cover your shipping expenses.  That is how confident I am that you will love this disc.

 

Where is Community’s June 2017 MVP Pre-Order?

I never know when the monthly MVP release is until 2-3 weeks ahead of time – which IS more notice than may disc golf MFG’s.  They’re announcement system works very well but it would still be great to have know months in advance of upcoming release dates.

Because pre-orders are an extremely personal thing here and I handle them all myself, I plan ALL of my travel carefully, trying to make sure I will be home for an unknown future MVP new release shipment to arrive here on Tues/Wed of any given week so I can process it and hand-off the release day inventory to my shipping guys by Friday.

This time, MVP told me on Thursday about the Tues 6/20 release (less than 2 weeks).  Things happen, schedules change, MVP still makes amazing products.  I just won’t be able to offer a pre-order this month.

I had scheduled a personal trip from this Friday 6/16 to Wednesday 6/21.  MVP cannot ship early enough to get the new products here before I leave on Friday and discs certainly do not have a large enough margin for me to justify overnight shipping.  Since I am returning the day AFTER the release date I had to make other pre-order plans…as in, discontinue the pre-order.  Thank you to those who had already pre-ordered.  You were all extremely understanding.

I do have guys (and a gal!) shipping for me daily but I don’t know if I will ever let someone else pack pre-orders.  That is an extremely personal process and if you have done a number of pre-orders with me I’m sure you understand what I mean.

The First Streamline Pre-Order

Remember back in 2012 when MVP’s first driver, the Volt, was being released?  It was to be the first disc in Neutron plastic.  Retailers had neither a release date nor pricing information for Neutron plastic.  There was intense excitement surrounding the Volt and I took a gamble by offering a pre-order anyway…
I had not yet seen a pre-order in disc golf (not that I am claiming to have been first).  I offered the Neutron Volt Pre-Order before I had a release date or even wholesale pricing was announced.  That was crazy to say the least but it went very smoothly & is what put Community Discs & my reputation for customer service on the map.

Fast forward to 2017 and we find the inaugural release from MVP’s latest brand, Streamline Discs.  We have the same pent-up anticipation – along with TONS of Pre-Order requests in my inbox!  I now have pricing info but still no release date.  I anticipate a date being announced any day now and I expect the release to be set for either March 31st or April 7th 2017.

If you are dying to get your Streamline money spent.  Community Discs is happy to take your Pre-Order preferences and get you ready for early shipping on release day.

Click for the Community Discs Pre-Order Page.

Trace (Neutron)

Pilot (Electron Soft)

Pilot (Electron Medium)

Click for the Community Discs Pre-Order Page.

Return of Facebook Giveaways

I started running giveaway contests on our Facebook Page June 2016.  Everyone seemed to love them and I felt like there were no issues on either side.  Well I’m back with our first giveaway of 2017.  This time it is for a Vibram Valley (XL-Medium).  It was not until after I posted the contest that I realized this is the 2nd time the Vibram Valley is the prize disc.  That’s ok.  Everyone should have a least one Vibram disc 🙂

Just like last year, CommunityDiscs.com‘s giveaways are simple.

1. Make sure you have already “Liked” our Facebook Page.  Obviously, you need only do this one time ever.

2. Comment on our contest thread.

3. Want a 2nd entry?  Ok, simply click the thread’s “Like” button!

4. When you win you will be asked to pick the exact Vibram Valley (XL-Medium) you would like from the CommunityDiscs.com website.

Keeping It Simple – Always!

It really is just THAT simple.  There was one contest where I asked you to complete a quick survey but other than that, it will always be a simple process to enter.  I will never ask you to spam your friends or tag us in posts.  Just comment on the CommunityDiscs.com contest thread and you’re good to go.

Don’t worry if you missed this week’s contest.  A new contest will be posted on Monday or Tuesday at least every-other week.

Streamline Discs – Soon to Take Flight

Here comes the next big disc maker in town.  MVP Disc Sports is proudly unveiling another sub brand like Axiom Discs.  This one is named Streamline Discs.

What is the same?

Superior manufacturing – Never forget that unlike most disc companies which had disc golf expertise first, manufacturing expertise second, MVP grew out of an established injection molding company so quality and consistency is a non-issue.

Plastic Names – Streamline Discs will feature plastics such as Neutron, Electron, Proton, & Plasma (2018).  I am a (YUGE!) fan of MVP keeping plastic names the same across their brands unlike Innova/Discmania, Latitude 64/Westside/Dynamic, and other brands whose sibling brands all share plastics but each has its own plastic name.  Honestly, if Dynamic started making discs in their own factory, would they really keep the Lucid, Fuzion, Classic names?

Trace (Neutron)

Proton Trace

 

What is Different?

Single-Piece Construction – Unlike MVP and Axiom‘s famed overmolding Streamline Discs will only feature single-plastic discs…You know, like virtually every other company.

Lower Prices – MVP is boasting that not only can they produce higher quality single-piece discs than the competition but that they can deliver these at a lower cost than the competition as well.

First Run Stamps – It appears that unlike Axiom & MVP (since the Axis anyway) Streamline Discs will have First Run stamps for their discs.  This has not been confirmed for all future Streamline models but I do have stock retail images for the First Run Trace in both Neutron and Proton plastics.

The Future

It will be interesting to see how Streamline Discs does.  Will many MVP fans become Streamline Discs fans?  Will skeptics of overmolded discs give Streamline Discs a try after skipping MVP & Axiom?  Does a lower price matter?

Does a Lower Price Matter? – In my experience, players do want the best price possible for their discs but eventhough someone may hunt down a deal to find a $16 disc for $15 online I do not see customers shying away from Trilogy Gold Line discs or Vibram Disc Golf‘s X-Link in favor of a less expensive alternative such as Innova‘s Star plastic.  I find that players who want “Disc X” will buy that disc.  It is only a question of where to purchase.  I do not think Innova fans (for example) are going to jump ship to Streamline Discs for similar-to-Innova models that may be a couple dollars less expensive.

What’s Up First?
I can only confirm what says “Coming Soon” on the MVP order form so it looks like the first Streamline Discs offerings will be the Trace (Speed 11 Driver) in Neutron and the Pilot (Speed 2 Putter) in both Electron Medium and Electron Soft.  The Streamline Discs website says the Trace will also be available in Proton but I have not seen that on an order form yet.  Plasma plastic will not be produced before 2018.

When Will Streamline Discs Arrive?
If this launch is anything like Axiom Discs it will be with the next round of MVP/Axiom releases which will be in late March or early April 2017.

Get more information on Streamline Discs on our CommunityDiscs.com/Streamline page including company information, upcoming releases, and pre-orders.

The End of Our $1.00 Shipping :(

Shopping online can be super-annoying.  You think a website has great prices so you add items to your cart and start the checkout process.  You enter your address and your credit card information.  You get to the final confirmation step and BAM!!!  You’re hit with a huge shipping fee.  You yell at the website something like, “Had I known the shipping fee I wouldn’t have added this to my cart in the first place!”

I have always felt online shopping should be simple, quick, and…SIMPLE!  Every site should offer simple-to-understand shipping rates.  The customer should never be uncertain as to what their shipping fee will be when they checkout.  “Flat Rate or Free!” I always say.  Why isn’t every web store like that?

When I started CommunityDiscs.com in 2011 I figured a $1.00 shipping fee (Domestic USA only) would be enough to get most folks who order one disc at a time to consider adding a second one to their order but not so punishing that folks who only order 1 or 2 discs at a time would leave and never return.

Save yer Ones ’cause ya ain’t gonna need ’em here no mo!

Over the following 5 years we have received countless emails and customer order notes thanking us for making it so easy to buy discs online with $1 shipping – and receive them very quickly of course!

We have done a lot to minimize our costs and re-evaluate processes here in 2016.  As a result –  Free Shipping on all domestic orders is here to stay at CommunityDiscs.com.  Just think of all those $1 bills soon to be overflowing from your wallet!

Please Click Here to see our current shipping information page.

 

New Weekly Facebook Contests

In my quest to introduce something new to CommunityDiscs.com each month this season it is time to run some Facebook contests!  I’m sure you have seen manufacturers run Facebook contests.  Usually, those they feature a flashy photo of a disc with a caption like “Win This Disc” and hopefully that disc is a color and weight you would actually throw.  A free disc is always fun but I think I can Community-this-up and make it better.

“Community-This-Up” …What?
Just about everything I plan for CommunityDiscs.com follows the classic golden rule in that I put myself in your (the customer’s) place.  I make sure that things are very clear (like shipping costs) and very simple (like a single-click to select your favorite color/weight disc).  Speaking of exact color & weight, why not let the contest winners pick their favorite discs?  Yes, let’s Community-This-Up!

What you will have to do:

1. Please see each contest’s post for clear a entry period and drawing time.
2. “Like” the Facebook.com/CommunityDiscs page.  Hopefully you’ve already done so and obviously you’ll only need to do this once.
3. Post a comment on the contest thread.
4. Down the road I might ask contest entrants to write a funny caption for a photo or something like that but I promise any such “requirement” to be fun and not take a ton of your time.

What you will NOT have to do:

1. Spam your friends by having to repost or share the contest thread.
2. Tag #CommunityDiscs in your own social media posts.
3. Jump through any other hoops.

How is the winner selected?
If the contest is simply asking you to like/post on the contest thread then I will plug the total # of entrants into Random.org’s number generator and the result will determine the winner.  If 50 people enter the contest I will enter 1-50 into the generator.  If the number generated is 13 then the 13th entrant will win.  Then, that winner will be announced on the contest thread.  I will make sure to use their Facebook name so they will get an alert.

I won!  Now what do I do?
Congratulations!  You will be given instructions on a special way of ordering the contest item on CommunityDiscs.com 100% free.  It will be shipped to your door like any other order – quickly!  It will go much more smoothly if the winner clicks through the order process rather than messaging us with their choice which will cause problems if the contest item is a disc and the winner mistypes the weight they want or does not look at the CommunityDiscs.com stock and just sends an ideal weight/color which means we will either have to guess or ask the winner for another suggestion.  We want these contests to be quick and then get the item out the door, not turn it into a correspondence course 🙂

Work in Progress:
The contests will certainly evolve but this is where we are starting from on June 6th 2016.  If anything is determined to be unclear or unfair I will simply scrap the contest and try again, correcting the issue.  I hope you will enjoy them and win often!

You could win a Flat Top Roc in our first Facebook Contest on June 6th, 2016

GBO 2016 – A New Community Booth

Back in the early days of Community (2010-2012) there was a whole lot of tournament vending.  I would pack the Community mobile and sometimes a small trailer with tents, table, and 800+ discs, shirts, etc most weekends and hit tournaments.  New England players were not used to having a vendor onsite so we had a great response and sold a great many discs.  Over time, players for used to seeing us and sales cooled off.  Conveniently, this happened as CommunityDiscs.com (which started in late 2011) was picking up soon after vending at AmWorlds in Rochester, NY that summer.  I then became much more selective about the tournaments we vended at (as in 90+ players only).  It was always about selling a lot of discs and not being sure if players knew what and where Community was.

This time it is all about meeting customers & driving new players to CommunityDiscs.com.

Fast forward to 2016 and we see a CommunityDiscs.com that is approaching its 5th anniversary online, is starting to get “known” to the masses, and just launched the best darn rewards program in the industry.  It is time to concentrate on promotion and the word about Community.

Dynamic Discs invited its retailers to attend the Glass Blown Open block party on Saturday evening April 30th.  This was the perfect excuse to pack up the new Community mobile with our brand new Community stamped discs along with tons of Community shirts, towels, minis, pencils, and promo cards with steep discount codes on them.  This time it is all about meeting customers and driving new players to CommunityDiscs.com.  I hope you will visit me in Emporia, play some games, and go home with some free Community swag.  I will have prize drawings each hour so come on by!

 

New Community Flat Top Rocs hit the street on Sat April 30th in Emporia, KS.

 

The (Community) Credit You Deserve

CommunityDiscs.com is introducing its Community Credit rewards program on Friday April, 1st 2016.  Let’s take a look at why this is important and how it affects you, the rabid CommunityDiscs.com fan!

I cannot say “thank you” often enough to each of you who are our regular customers.  Whether you are a frequent or occasional CommunityDiscs.com customer please know we are not going to rest on simply having the best prices, photos, and customer service in the disc golf world.  It is time to give you another solid reason to keep coming back.

Welcome To Our “Community Credit” Rewards Program:
If we are going to institute a rewards program worth your time then you should…

• Be rewarded for your loyalty & repeat orders.
• Not have to wonder if your purchase will “count” towards rewards.
• Not have to wonder if your rewards can be spent on certain items.

A Year In The Making:
Since April 2015 (a full year ago) you have been earning a percentage of your orders back in store credit.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Your rewards history does not start on launch day (April 1st 2016), it started in April 2015!

Launch Date: April 1st, 2016:
If all goes correctly 😉 every CommunityDiscs.com customer who has made a purchase since April 2015 will receive an email this Friday, April 1st stating what reward level you are at and how much credit you already have, just waiting to be spent.  If you do not see that email on Friday please check your Spam/Junk folder before contacting us because we may have a thousand emails about this.

You have $12.35 in Community Credit

How It Works:
For every dollar you spend, you will receive a % back in store credit.  As you spend more over time you will get bumped up to higher % rewards based on your purchase history over the previous 12 months.  Every purchase earns you credit and you can spend that credit on any product.  Since the percentages are subject to change and you may be reading this blog post years in the future you will have to visit our Rewards page on the site to see our current reward levels.
Checking your Community Credit is simple:

1. Log into CommunityDiscs.com
2. Click on “My Account”
3. You will see your balance in the “Store Credit” box (see image).

This order is for $15 minus an automatic $12.35 credit.

 

Spending your credit is even simpler:

1. Add your favorite goodies to your cart.
2. Click the Checkout Button.
3. You will see the order total minus your available credit (see image).

Your Next Community Credit:
After you place your CommunityDiscs.com order you will receive an email letting you know what credit you have earned from this order.  Then on the first of each month you will receive a reminder of your balance and letting you know if you are at the Silver, Gold, or Platinum level.

Communtiy Credit reward level details can be found at this link:
Community Credit Rewards Program Details

 

Dude, Where Are Our Discs?

You may have noticed some missing items on CommunityDiscs.com today.  Have no fear.  Here’s the deal.

The CommunityDiscs.com “warehouse” is moving during November & December 2015.  We have been quietly hiding items from view on the site while they get re-tagged and relocated to the new warehouse.  As of December 2nd, CommunityDiscs.com is only displaying items in the new warehouse.  If you notice your favorite disc, shirt, bag, etc is missing from the site please check back soon as relocated products are reappearing constantly.

We look forward to sharing more news in the coming weeks regarding this exciting change and how it will improve your CommunityDiscs.com shopping experience.

Did that just sound overly corporate? 😉