Thread: Shipping from the US through a mate.

Originally Posted by Kscott

^ yup, brass is a no no.



Unfortunately though you've now publicly stated your intent to defraud Customs, and therefore the Govt in earnings. Lol.

If you want to buy something for less than what you pay in a shop in NZ, buy it, ship it over, and pay appropriate duty. If you want something nice and new but aren't prepared to pay for it try shoplifting it instead, you'll save even more money

Haha well when you put it that way, now I feel bad about it. I had just heard people talking alot about it so thought I'd ask.

Thats why we have these marvelous forums where you can go and ask silly questions and clever people can dissuade you from your course of action.
Its driven around the frustration of the distributor model that we operate here. Just means everything has an extra 30-40% added on to the price as it goes through an extra set of hands.
Im a US citizen as well, and spend a bit of time there, which frustrates me even more.

Yup, that's the price you pay for living in paradise

Get you mate to break it down in to little pieces and post in packages under $400 and reassemble it once you get it all here. That's how I buy my gear

And if we keep avoiding get all the mark ups that pay wages etc to all you moaning buggers it will soon be a third world online paradise, with no dole or benefits! PAY YOUR WAY, cause the avoidance pisses me off!

I have no issue with paying my way, and paying a fair price. I just don't think we are paying a fair price. We can never expect to pay us prices in a smaller market the size of our own, but the markups we do pay are rediculous.
The model is crappy, and the end consumer suffers for it. Markets evolve and change, and having a distributor model making things needlessly expensive doesnt put any more or less money into the economy. I will simply spend the money I have elsewhere in a different industry. In fact if the savings were less significent I would happily spend alot more money inside new zealand and hence the economy would benifit.

To justify exorbitint prices by saying it creates jobs is dis-ingenious and short sighted. The internet has globalised the market place and things are a changing, and the retailers need to keep up.

Originally Posted by Nick-D

I have no issue with paying my way, and paying a fair price. I just don't think we are paying a fair price. We can never expect to pay us prices in a smaller market the size of our own, but the markups we do pay are rediculous.
The model is crappy, and the end consumer suffers for it. Markets evolve and change, and having a distributor model making things needlessly expensive doesnt put any more or less money into the economy. I will simply spend the money I have elsewhere in a different industry. In fact if the savings were less significent I would happily spend alot more money inside new zealand and hence the economy would benifit.

To justify exorbitint prices by saying it creates jobs is dis-ingenious and short sighted. The internet has globalised the market place and things are a changing, and the retailers need to keep up.

As a ex retailer, and more recently a ex sales manager for a distributor, I couldn't agree more.
But we are in a situation where consumers are trying to have it both ways as well.

I'm working on a new company and its global in its focus with no bricks and mortar sales involvement.
But the downside of this is very little of the tax we will pay will be going to NZ, just a little paye and gst on sales onto NZ.

The new normal has its downsides along with cheaper stuff

The distributor model in NZ is slowly shutting down as bricks and mortar go under. They will either close their doors or become direct sellers online themselves.