Buy Local........ if you can...........

[firko]

I have now racked-up 1042 items purchased on eBay. I get exactly what I asked for, usually far cheaper and delivered to my door.

Me too, I've got 1103 eBay items under my belt since 1999 and will now only go to a retail outlet if it's something extraordinarily cheap or unusual. I buy almost all of my clothes, 90% of my motorcycle and car parts and like Luke have an almost perfect success record. Since I've been ill I've even been considering buying my groceries online.

The only time I've gone to a large retail outlet in recent times was to buy a big screen telly from Dick Smiths and if the bloody TV hadn't been so cheap I'd have walked out after being left standing for 20 minutes while only three assistants in the store dealt with the one customer, who just happened to be a semi well known female TV presenter whose name I can't for the life of me think of right now.

As far as supporting your local bike shop, with the exception of Les at VMX Unlimited I'll buy my bits from overseas thank you. The last time I went into one of those trendy motorcycle joints to buy a Yamaha DT little end bearing, pin and circlips, I was brushed off at by the 18 year old dickweed behind the counter who actually suggested that I "try eBay for that old stuff" without even taking the time to check on the computer. I was also intending on buying $100 odd worth of oil, plugs and other disposables but I left them on the counter and told him I'd buy them on eBay too. Prick

[Rossvickicampbell]

agree with nearly everything said - except Firko I have had a great run with West Coast Honda and North City Yamaha (now closed unfortunately) here in north Perth - didn't matter I was chasing old bits but they paid me the respect requried of a customer, knew what I was after and are pleasant to go back to!!

[Kenneth S (222)]

I think the core of this problem is this insidious mind set we have in Australia today that there is something wrong with 'work' and a good job is when you don't have to do much for your money or better still do nothing. It is a crying shame that the young are being brought up with no appreciation of the art and honour of serving their fellow countryman, they seem to think good customer service is beneath them. Sooo many people at work do the minimum just to get by, rather than take pride in the job they do. I point my finger straight at the governments since the early 80s here, in their spin to promote and sell compulsory super, so they can have business carry the cost of the pension, they have made a fundamental mistake in the message they sent out about retirement. A whole couple of generations has come in to the work force with the ideal of 'no work is good' and 'early retirement is the holy grail'. I have a mate who is well off enough to never have to work again. At the moment the industry he is in, the stock market, is a no go zone for him as it is too volatile so he hasn't got a work place to go to and it is driving him mad, he is lost. If we fixed this mind set, taught our youth that a hard days work, adding value to other people in our community is an honorable thing to do, perhaps this country would turn around. When I employ people, I gravitate to people from cultures who still see value and honour in doing a fair days work and generally most born and bred Australian youth I won't go near because they only get a job because in their eyes they are forced to.

[Lozza]

.........of course importers used to fat profits would be nothing to do with it at all 
A good for instance is a TZ125/250 4DP piston.
Yamaha Aust   $280
boats.net          $80
Japan               $80
For $350 I got 2 pistons/rings/bearings/gudgeons, with shipping and commission delivered from Japan in 4 days. That's nothing to do with the teenager behind the counter , the government that is just admin costs by the importer. Strange bit is the price of the pistons has been going up instead of down. Compare the cost of the same bike in Australia and the US, importers will crap on about ADR's etc, but I don't see many differences in US and Aust spec bikes.

[Simo63]

The problem of $$cost is not limited to bike parts, you will find the same with just about anything you wish to buy, even products made here in Australia are dearer here than the US.  An excellent case in point is ARB airlockers.  Australian designed and made.  Call your local ARB store right now and they will quote you $1350 (or more) for the kit. 

Now these are made here in Australia and then shipped to the US so you would think they would be cheaper here right?  Well you'd be wrong ... they are dearer here because you can buy one in the US for under $1000.  In fact they used to be only $USD800 before the AUD went up.  Guys I know have shipped them back to Aust for years.

Same with a new Bayliner Bowrider 175 boat I wanted to buy in late 2008.  Here in Aust (at the time and before the $AUD went up) they were $38K drive away from Caloundra Marine.  My experience with the dealer here was less than inspiring so I went online and looked for a better deal.  In the end I purchased a brand new 2009 model from Shep Brown's Boat Basin in the US for $USD13,500 on a trailer with Bimini, MP3 player etc which was $AUD 15,500 at the time.  By the time I shipped it here in a container, had the trailer axle and hitch changed (brakes added), registered it, it owed me $22K brand new on the water.  A saving of $16K or a little over 40% of the cost in Aust for exactly the same thing.  And the experience was brilliant.  They couldn't do enough to help.  They even winterised it for me free of charge, made sure it was covered up and helped organise some internal transport. 

I'm as parochial as the next Aussie and love buying local if I can but at times it just doesn't make sense unfortunately.

[Lozza]

Drive it down to the marina to tell them all about it?

[Rossvickicampbell]

and here is the icing on the cake - gut wrenching as it may be......................................I can buy Bundy cheaper in Lao than here in Australia!!!!!

[Simo63]

and here is the icing on the cake - gut wrenching as it may be......................................I can buy Bundy cheaper in Lao than here in Australia!!!!!

Is it the real deal though?

[Rossvickicampbell]

yep - same as for the bourbons and JW - it all comes back to taxes.

Now I have mentioned that word I will just wait to hear from Jeff 

[firko]

I can buy Bundy cheaper in Lao than here in Australia!!!!!

You can buy Aussie wine and beer cheaper in California than here. My friend Lori buys name brand NZ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Aussie reds at Costco near her house for around $30 per dozen! She can get Coopers Ale and a number of Aussie and NZ boutique beers for $12 a six pack.

[dt tas]

It,s also the same in australia you can buy boags beer cheaper in melb than in Launceston where it is made in

[Nathan S]

Nobody's mentioned the UFO vintage plastics? Aussie importer can't be f$%ked, but they're the importer so UFO in Italy won't sell them to punters in Australia.

 

[b490]

3  "local" stores on the way home today  in search of a  replacement  DID 520 o'ring master link.....  with no luck.
 First stop was a well known accessory store on Parramatta rd .
 Kids behind the counter all chomping on  lunch   , take away food all over the glass top area of customer service counter , with  little idea   & the wrong part offered.
  Second 2 stores had a more professional approach  but  did not keep joiner links in stock .....could sell me a new DID chain   .
   
 Starting to take a liking to  on- line  shopping.
 
Regards ,
                Steve
 

 
 

[3858]

I am a retailer, bike store and I used to get the shits with these threads but I have to agree with all the sentiments above.

I am sick of the importers/distributers ripping me off and making me look like the bad guy.

Cassons recently dropped G165 Renthal grips from $40 retail to $24......there was I saying how awesome these grips are and Chad uses them etc to help justify a price but the reality was I was lining Rob Cassons pockets!!!

Asked, with specs, to get a set of Ohlins made by the importer in Australia ..rang to check to see if he received the fax..It was as if I was bothering him so my customer has had the English Ohlins fitted for two weeks and we are still waiting for a returned call from SCP?

I think a lot of the concerns are service related more than just cost.  Sure margins are tight and the internet has slowed the floor traffic but my motto in my shop is " do what we do better every day"..

An interesting aside from one importer though.  He suggests that all retailers should refuse to remit GST on all sales under $1000.  I absolutely agree with him but it is only 10% of the problem and not up to 1000% of the price issues.

Make sure you all keep a good relationship with a bike store though if possible... most people on this forum are clever enough not to make blunders with internet purchases but some of my customers are buying $10 MCS levers from eBay for $12 with $10 freight and still getting the wrong one.  I think the key is to look for the smaller shops..I even have issues with the bigger ones getting parts etc..

I also suggested to some one at a race meeting the other day that All-Balls do a linkage kit for his bike.  Good advice I thought until he said "thanks, but I buy all my gear from eBay"  I think he thought All-Balls was a shop!!!! Hahaha!!! 

[dt tas]

Brought a new moto guzzi last year the other day dropped it of to our only state dealer 100 km away for the second lot of rear wheel bearings, 6000km, asked them if the could do a cheap service while they got it thinking will they had it on the stand they drop the oil got a bill for $437 never again will i use them . Every time they tell you yes that be ok they  then do something different . some business just don't know what cutomer service is .Cheers George