Retail in Australia Dead?
Well, in the past few months, I have done my level best to keep my hard earned casholla in Oz, but it is proving almost impossible.......
First, the hunt was on for a boat. I looked at Ozbuilt boats and dont get me wrong, some nice boats with Haines Hunterand Cruise Craft at the top of my list, but the costs both new and used were just too high compared with offerings from the states.......ended with me conceeding defete and getting a Boston Whaler 235 Conquest from the good ol US of goddam A, which was definatley not what I was expecting at the start of the journey. Whilst I dealt with some nice blokes in Oz, the Yanks were just that much better, more dilegent and knowledgeable.They get service! Boating was a profession for them, not just a job. I ended up with what I consider to be a top shelf boat at less than 70% the price of a lower quality Oz boat.
Then sounders and transducers.......samesame, I looked at retailers in Oz, tried my best to get the best information and to be honest price was secondary.........how is it I can speak via mail to someone in the states and get MUCH better service, advice and price than in Oz (with one exception it must be said, but they were limited in the tranducers they offered...). Ended up with a fully imported set-up with SS264N trannies and a new Furuno 587 plus excellent advice which suited what I wanted and needed.
Just waiting for the gear to arrive, and assuming its not all some elaborate Nigeria scam, I will save a fair bit of money, but more importantly, end up with great advice, quality gear and a great experience........
Its sad, but I think Oz retail is dying, and I dont know if there is a cure......................
Boston Whaler 235 Conquest......getting the flogging it was built for.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Its true i can't pay the
Its true i can't pay the extra money to support the local most of the time.Now i own a trophy towed by a jeep haha
Sad times
pricey10
Posts: 486
Date Joined: 07/01/12
I know what your saying
I know what your saying John. Recently I needs a few grand worth of outboard parts. Firstly I sent an email to a us dealer explaining my situation and that night I got and email back with what I needed and prices, I thought noway it can't be that easy.
i felt guilty so I thought I better get them local then after 3 weeks on the phone to outboard dealers and countless unreturned phone calls. I still couldn't get a straight answer. Aventually I got a quote that was nearly over $5000. And not to mention some of the parts were wrong.
turns out the simple solution was under my nose the whole time, buy from the US and it was $3500 cheaper
Karratha. WA
johnno67
Posts: 407
Date Joined: 12/03/10
I agree
I imported a boat last year from the us the boat I wanted in aus fully loaded with all the electrics was 110k when speaking to the key west dealer here in Perth asking him if there was room to move on the price he told me no I told him I was a cash buyer and his reply to me was anyone that buys these boats is a cash buyer I would of loved to kept my money in aus but after that and looking on the Internet I got the same boat land here for 55k I would not of mind paying a extra 10k to keep the business here but with that attitude I had to look elsewhere I am in business myself and the Internet also hurts us as well but these guys have got to stop trying to make A killing on one sale and look at volume.
shonky
Posts: 203
Date Joined: 22/04/12
+ 1
Dead right Johnno, I tried to get the rear transom seat of the Keywest dealer here and because I didn't buy the boat off him he didn't want to know so I got one made up. also wanted a couple of other bits like a spare bung and a new lock for the cabin door and got the same attitude so rang up keywest in the good old USA and had the bits a couple of weeks later.Keywest actually said they had a bloke in perth and to get the bits off him and when I told them what had happened they were as good as gold. ( I don't think they were very impressed with the dealers attitude though )
This habit is getting expensive!
DazSamFishing
Posts: 1518
Date Joined: 19/08/09
Agree. It's ridiculous. But
Agree. It's ridiculous. But it's not just goods that hurts the pocket if you buy local, it's service and labour prices too, plus the ever growing need to shop around and approach at least 3 different retailers to ensure you're getting the best deal. I prefer to support our local economy, but I also need to look after my own pocket. I recently called 3 toyota dealerships in Perth for a towbar and got 3 different prices separated by $110 each... What a joke. End of rant Johnny lol
barneyboy
Posts: 1392
Date Joined: 08/01/09
Have you seen the new savage fibreglass range?
Australian made at a reasonable price. Good quality to from all reports.
I have the oposite happening to me ATM. It isn't a boat, just a couple of spools of line, but, my emails are being ignored, I have been promised it will be posted in 5 days, 5 days has led to a 4 week wait and they still haven't sent the line. Pissed is an understatement. This is from a large(so called reputable) US Tackle company. The thing is that this has been payed for and I am $200 bucks out of pocket. So, no, buying OS, is not always best!!
FEEEISH ONNN!!!