dumb question
 

This may sound like a dumb question, but what happens to all the kites that don't get purchased once the new years line of kites comes out? Like where are all those 06 model kites now-are they substantially cheaper than this years models? How come you never see them being sold? I mean you do see lots of c-kites that are o5 and o6 models but how come no bows?? Seems like there should be lots out there...

The end of the season (kite wise) is the best time to get a brand new kite (if you don't like used kites), unless you really badly want this year's models (there is only one size for this year I "need") because the price on some them, depending on how many are left over, drop like rocks. Some brands drop ridiculously low, probably revealing their true value.

Deals are all over for the next couple of months, especially at places that do a lot of online selling and buy in volume.
I remember last summer, Daryl literally asked to get as much "left over" 'roos as possible from Best and we were selling like 8 a day (they were selling themselves, truth be told) at a decent (not insane) discount to make room for the new waroos. The time frame was very short as I remember it, and not even really marketed. Word of mouth is all that was needed to clear out the 'roos pretty friggin fast.

Lots of brands actually sell out before the end of season and don't need clearance like that. For some, you will see some bow/hybrids advertised cheap if they didn't sell much during the season. Just look around for them or call shops :)
Danny is the pro in doing this, for sure.

The last thing I need right now is another kite but i was wondering about what happens to the ones that dont sell. By the way scott that 12 m atom you sold me is hands down my favorite kite. The contra was really easy to learn on in terms of not having to struggle to relaunch it and stability, but I think it falls short in terms of upwind flying ability and construction. I wonder if the new contras are better in these areas?
In terms of a nice user friendly and good performance light wind kite I am really impressed with the 19m Liquid force assault 2. That kite cranks upwind and turns pretty well for a beast of that size. Bar is much improved over last years but i'm not crazy about the cleat system for depower. I bought a 20 m LF M80 on ebay from closeout dude, pumped kite up and it exploded. LF sent me a brand new 19 m assault 2 for 99$ complete. Shipped it to hatteras for me as they didnt get it to me before i left on the trip. Great customer service by LF!!! Cant say the same for cabrinha, who gave me extreme runaround trying to get them to pay for repairs on their weak leading edges. Rambling ... hoping for some wind in the next few days!

That's a pretty impressive story about LF.
If you like the Atom (I know you don't need a kite) you should demo the Ion2 10.5m, just to see how it feels. They are pretty sweet. I still remember your concerns over the 12 and it not relaunching (in like 9 knots!). Understandable given the situation. Glad you are happy with it now.

The Flexis are truly bomb proof, that kite should last quite a while.
Bayflite and Billy have both known that for several years. :)

Just got this in my email. Hmmm.. wonder how they got my email address? Weird. Anyway, not saying to buy from these guys or that you can't find better prices, but just check out how much some of these kites are knocked down!

http://www.southpadreislandkiteboard...PIKStore2.html