What have members experienced with US distribution partners and agencies promising D2C support and distribution help?

Members have had largely negative experiences with US distribution agencies claiming to offer easy D2C setup and distribution support.

**Key takeaways from member feedback:**

- **Craft Dummy** — Members reported spending significant time chasing them with "lots of heat and light and absolutely no action." Multiple members (from Masons and Conker) reported similar poor experiences, suggesting this is a pattern rather than isolated incidents. - **Generic agency model** — One member noted these are "just another agency promising to make D2C easy for your brand and help with distribution," implying saturation and commoditisation of the offering. - **Time and money wasted** — Members emphasised considerable investment of time, money and effort with minimal return, enough that they advised others to avoid or be cautious. - **Better alternatives exist** — At least one member indicated they had "the import/warehousing side covered with our importer," suggesting direct relationships with importers may be more reliable than middleman agencies.

**Caveat:** Members recommended getting second opinions from peers (Masons, Conker and others) before committing, as experiences seem consistent across multiple brands, but the agencies may have made changes since these comments were recorded.