Choice?

[Belzybob]

[Zoro]

Bout bloody time, nice find Belzybob.
Retailers are quick to raise the pricing but when the dollar is so strong why don't the prices reflect this accordingly?? Will be interested to see what they have to say. More than likely drag out the old , "overheads are too high, our wages are better etc" chestnut...

Could you provide a link to the info?

[bear]

I read this, and about time too. It's got nothing to do with overheads. Apple for example get their ipods made in china. Australian market ones come direct from china, so in theory the frieght cost is the same. Then distribute from a single warehouse by mail. Same again. That doesn't explain 50 to 60% difference in pricing and the UA Apple store won't accept Aus cards. It's just a case of milking a country that is relatively wealthy. Same as the US auto industry has manipulated Aus for years. Arseholes!!
Oh and why is a Porsche worth $40k in US and over $100k here??? Go figure.

[Dan85]

some things i can understand are more in this country due to our lower demand for things to a point however when you can get an apple iphone in the state for $200 but its $1000 here i dont understand, same with purchasing music of itunes theres no wages within australia they have to pay and the coding is gonna be pretty well the same so not like we are getting a better or more personalised service.

[Maj]

Its not just the retailers and sellers , the whole market is skewed,
Labour rates are too high,retail is too high , housing is too high,costs of compliance to over the top oh&s standards , public liability insurance, etc there is very little thats not at the current unsustainable level, Good for those getting an advantage but it can't last forever, the cracks in the system are beginning to show
EG we have a country intersection getting curbing done , rounding off square corners and concrete for 50m in all directions, new bitumen over the work, i'm told its going to cost $1m to do...... HOW the hell does that cost 1million $

Take the mining $$ out of the aussie economy and were no better off than some of the european countrys

Good on Choice for taking up the bat and ball but its the tip of the iceberg

[Belzybob]

I wasn't going to comment and leave the item to say it all. However, I have a feeling that there is a historical element to it, that is we were a long way from Europe in the colonial sailing ships days and it was a good opportunity to rort the populace on that premise. Its just been overlooked by the majority that things have changed.

[busacrankin]

[1300hayabusa]

2 -3 years ago I mentioned something along these lines and some "vending members" here where all over me cause I promoted the overseas sellers,they expected me to just take in the arse with their prices like everyone else.I can understand that if we had a bigger population and the demand is high than the prices will come down but it seems that it happens on everything that is imported and sold here in Aus.
Take a look at bike prices,A BIG FCUKIN JOKE when compared to the US,make no mistake,NO supplier here really passes on the savings to the buyer especially now that the foreign exchange rate with the US$ is great.
Tyres are a point in case,Why is it that Ive been buying and getting better deals delivered to my door from 1000s of miles away than from the dumb ass down the road who if i mention that they are cheaper here or there will come back to me with a whole list of scaremongering tactics how the insurance will not pay you if the tyre is not to Aus Standards(whatever that means) bla bla bullcrap!!!!!Im a bit sceptical when they tell me that tyres where made for Aus only as i think the market here is a tiny bit small to have major tyre makers doing them just for here....!!!!
Vendors in Aus got used to the fact that the population was somewhat ignorant and hesitant in purchasing from overseas via the net until a lot of people and the younger generation decided to stop taking it in the rectum and explore other avenues.
OPEN MARKET TO ALL I SAY and if one cant compete or price match than they should not put themselves in the red and shut shop,harsh but its the reality of things,we all want it yesterday and cheapest possible,with the Net it makes it easier and more achievable but unfortunately or FORTUNATELY a killer for the local vendor.

[grumpy]

Well said 1300hayabusa. Hell if you think your getting rear ended over there you wanna be in new zealand we get nothing cheap (except for bullshit from the government) i have brought several motorcycle parts out from the states because it was cheaper to buy and land them here (N.Z.) than it was to just buy them in aus. Same as tyres for my bike i can land a set of tyres here (N.Z.) for less than the local bike shop can even get them for i wish someone over here would do something like that choice place.

[BikerBoy]

Let's not also forget the bullshit clause of - "If it was not purchased in Australia by the authorised reseller, your warranty is void".

I think in many cases the situation goes deeper than just the Australian retailers having a higher price but stems from the manufacturer & exporter not giving our market the same deal.
It's well known that for instance Apple will sell to the US market at a price of $xx per unit and the Australian market for $xxxx per unit.
In many situations our retailers have no choice. They either get the product in and sell at the price they are forced too, or sell nothing at all.

[CarbonBusa]

As far as saving due to the strong dollar you won't because the only winner is the importer.

It is the wholesalers/distributors that have to drop their buy price first before it can be passed onto the retail outlet so why do Australian retailers have to explain anything to choice. What a load of tripe from choice saying the strong Australian dollar should enable local retailers to pass on savings to their customers "WHAT SAVINGS" my wholesale buy prices are the same

Please peeps look at the big picture & do not blame the person you hand your money over to as in most cases they have done everything in their power to bring you a certain item at a competitive price.
Unless there is collusion amongst retailers then it would not make sense to buy a yoshi system & put 300% mark up on it & wait for a pigeon to fly in

I shift heaps of TomTom accessories & I am still paying the same price as 12 months ago (Actually make that 10% more because my buy price went up late last year when dollar was at record highs & the RRP stayed the same so guess who looses on that scenario)

I have backordered stock arrive weekly so I know it is not old stock purchased when the dollar was low.
No savings are passed on due to high dollar & I do not think there is a requirement to do so otherwise when the dollar goes down prices would go up - It just don't work that way and if it did then it would be like petrol & we would have to buy our toasters on Tuesday

If the AUD stays high then pressure needs to be put on the manufactures & especially the importers as they are the only winners with the high dollar

It is easy to say a Retail shop has heaps of markup but is that really the case - I doubt it as it is the manufacturer, importer & wholesaler that has the mark up.

Also if someone buy thousands of tyres a month & gets a good price from the wholesaler (who has the margin to give) so sells cheaper & then his discount price gets compared to retail & the conclusion is everyone is making a small fortune at retail prices.

This is just good business & to get that price they either have good credit arrangements with suppliers or are outlaying mega cash to bring discounts to you & gets bagged for it.

So before Choice hangs crap on the normal retail outlet remember in most cases he/she is being shafted just as hard as you but by experts & more frequently then there is rent, book keeping, warranty expenses, advertising, insurance, workcover, taxation, bills, bills & more bills & with very little markup on most accessories just to stay competitive.

In a lot of businesses money is made in supplying a Service (Labour) not on accessories.

[Zoro]

Could not have said it any better myself 1300, we need to make a stand to the local guys who have been raping us for years on pricing.

For example, i priced a genuine drive belt for my 700 Grizzly (Quad), $119AU shipped to my front door from the U.S. within 5 days, my local Yamaha/ Suzuki dealer (whom shall remain nameless, we only have one in Darwin, whom also will not stock and have not stocked any Busa's for over 4 years, they have not had a brand new Gen 2 in their shop yet) wanted $289 for the exact same item, same packaging and part number but would take 2 weeks to get it to me not to mention the 1hr round trip to go and pick it up from them.
Needless to say i mentioned this to the spare parts guy whilst i was on the phone and his reply was that they are a business and had to make money, fair enough. Told him that i dont mind supporting the local guy hence the phone call and asked him what he would do if he was in the same position?

Guess what, he buys based on price too....its not rocket science... Told him he could keep his belt...

The quicker the consumer makes a stance the better off we'll all be across a whole range of products/ services. Sure it will wreck a few businesses along the way, that's inevitable but these are the ones that have driven the pricing skywards for years.

Not only did they lose the sale on the belt but they lost all my custom and at least the ten other people i have told since.
Can't see how businesses can continue running with this sort of attitude towards their customers.

[PostmanPete]

You've made the most sense so far Carbon. Maj has made good points too.
I buy a pair or tyres from U.S for $250. Post $65. Fitting $80 All up $395.

Lets assume wholesaler pays same price.... add import tax........ add mark up..... add transport to retailer...... add retailer mark up...... add labour for fitting (normally included in price) = $520 or so. I save $125

Big picture is Australia loses..... Tax stays in U.S., wholesaler loses business, Aust transport co loses business (all tpt is via Fedex - U.S. co), retailer loses on mark-up.

Just my 5c (less GST) worth!

[CarbonBusa]

Could not have said it any better myself 1300, we need to make a stand to the local guys who have been raping us for years on pricing.

For example, i priced a genuine drive belt for my 700 Grizzly (Quad), $119AU shipped to my front door from the U.S. within 5 days, my local Yamaha/ Suzuki dealer (whom shall remain nameless, we only have one in Darwin, whom also will not stock and have not stocked any Busa's for over 4 years, they have not had a brand new Gen 2 in their shop yet) wanted $289 for the exact same item, same packaging and part number but would take 2 weeks to get it to me not to mention the 1hr round trip to go and pick it up from them.
Needless to say i mentioned this to the spare parts guy whilst i was on the phone and his reply was that they are a business and had to make money, fair enough. Told him that i dont mind supporting the local guy hence the phone call and asked him what he would do if he was in the same position?

Guess what, he buys based on price too....its not rocket science... Told him he could keep his belt...

The quicker the consumer makes a stance the better off we'll all be across a whole range of products/ services. Sure it will wreck a few businesses along the way, that's inevitable but these are the ones that have driven the pricing skywards for years.

Not only did they lose the sale on the belt but they lost all my custom and at least the ten other people i have told since.
Can't see how businesses can continue running with this sort of attitude towards their customers.

I imagine he would be getting it from the Australian distributor/wholesaler who with the manufacturer set the wholesale prices charged in Australia.

Do you know for sure what his cost price is?

If he was charging more than the Australian RRP then name & shame him for sure

Or if you just assumed because you can get it heaps cheaper from the US that he has some sort of fantastic mark up and then go about trying to destroy his business when he is probably charging the RRP set out but the Manufacturer & has very little profit margin from the distributor to himself whilst Paying Taxes and complying with the Laws of the Land.

This is my point about seeing the BIG PICTURE. It is a bit like shooting the messenger

How many Busas could he shift a day err I mean a week or a month.
Is a lot of money to be tied up just to collect finger prints & dusts so easier to try & order one in when required.

Maybe if he had more local support he could afford to keep one in stock

[Rev004]

good find Ian, and glad to see someone trying to take this issue on and yes I would have to agree with a lot of comments here.

It makes you laugh that our retailers are not even prepared to try and knock the price down to try and keep the business local.

For example with the current dollar I can get a pair of Avon VP Sports landed at my front door for less that what it would cost me to get one rear tyre. If a retailer was prepared to come down $100 on a set of tyres well I would keep the business local but there not prepared to, I had one dealer tell me to get the tyres from the states.

I just don't understand a lot of things currently as a lot of you have mentioned.