How can clones be the same quality, yet cheaper?
There are two main reasons why clone club manufacturers can sell their products so much cheaper than the branded equivalents, yet still offer high quality.
First, they're often selling factory-direct, especially when you buy over the Internet. This means they cut out the dealers etc. who would otherwise want their percentage.
It's not so easy for brand manufacturers to sell factory-direct (or wholesale discount), because they would then alienate the very dealers etc. they rely on for many of their sales. And in many cases, price is part of the brand image - they don't want to have their products discounted.
A second reason for discount pricing is that brands have considerable marketing costs that clones don't have. To raise awareness of their product and maintain the brand, corporations must invest huge sums of money in advertising, marketing and endorsements.
Endorsements alone can run into the millions. Nike paid $100 million to get Tiger Woods on their side for five years. David Duval signed a four year deal for $28 million with the same company. Others are estimated to make between $5 and $7 million a year from endorsements (not all golf equipment related of course).
All this marketing means more overheads. And big brands need large corporations to support them.
This investment has to be got back from the customer. You're paying for the brand itself, as much as the cost of manufacture and distribution. Of course that's a perfectly legitimate thing to pay for, if you choose to. People don't buy a Ferrari because they're more efficient at getting you to work each day. The brand image is a big part of the purchasing decision.
Clone manufacturers aren't investing in building and supporting a brand. So the money they "save" is reflected in their prices.
