How does one acquire 3M Crystalline film?

mobiledynamics · September 28, 2022

Not a Pro but just a Joe. Aren't all these brands, 3M, Xpel, Suntek, Llumar, etc - all dealer territory protected...

mobiledynamics · September 28, 2022

I don't actually buy into the -dealer- thing though. You can have one installer for X brand who is great and another same -authorized dealer- for X brand that is not. IMO when it comes down to regional lock of availability of a particular film - maybe the pro's can chime in, but I have no idea if they pay a small fee for being exclusive for carrying Z brand. The other post did somewhat confirm it by stating if you're a dealer for X, you can't carry other brands.

Dano · September 28, 2022

You will get the best deal that you can negotiate for territory and price and product line. If you're a serious player you get to use that leverage to shape the rules. At the end of the day the main goal is to move product, expand footprint and not eff up the brand or your company name while generating revenue.

PVO · September 28, 2022

58 minutes ago, mobiledynamics said:

Not a Pro but just a Joe. Aren't all these brands, 3M, Xpel, Suntek, Llumar, etc - all dealer territory protected...

Most interesting
Wow

PVO · September 28, 2022

56 minutes ago, mobiledynamics said:

. . . maybe the pro's can chime in, but I have no idea if they pay a small fee for being exclusive for carrying Z brand. The other post did somewhat confirm it by stating if you're a dealer for X, you can't carry other brands.

Pros, please chime in! Learning more stuff already, lol

7 minutes ago, Dano said:

You will get the best deal that you can negotiate for territory and price and product line. If you're a serious player you get to use that leverage to shape the rules. At the end of the day the main goal is to move product, expand footprint and not eff up the brand or your company name while generating revenue.

Right!

DynamicATL · September 30, 2022

You can't just buy the film. You have to become a dealer by contacting 3M. You may be contacted by a rep afterwards or "interviewed" by a higher up at 3M before being approved. There is a minimum you have to buy yearly and a higher minimum to be shown on the dealer locator. Yes, they do have territory and enforce it from my experience.

If you are a newer tinter, 3M is not for you. All of their current films are harder to install including their entry level film Obsidian. Crystalline is next level difficult which is why many 3M dealers can't install it. You will have more success starting off with a solid brand that carries more traditional types of films like the some of the brands mentioned already. If I opened another location where Llumar and 3M was already represented in the area, I would probably choose XPEL.

PVO · October 1, 2022

On 9/29/2022 at 8:56 PM, DynamicATL said:

You can't just buy the film. You have to become a dealer by contacting 3M. You may be contacted by a rep afterwards or "interviewed" by a higher up at 3M before being approved. There is a minimum you have to buy yearly and a higher minimum to be shown on the dealer locator. Yes, they do have territory and enforce it from my experience.

If you are a newer tinter, 3M is not for you. All of their current films are harder to install including their entry level film Obsidian. Crystalline is next level difficult which is why many 3M dealers can't install it. You will have more success starting off with a solid brand that carries more traditional types of films like the some of the brands mentioned already. If I opened another location where Llumar and 3M was already represented in the area, I would probably choose XPEL.

Got it. Lots of great information! Thanks so much