Thread: Importing, Shipping, pitfalls and work arounds

Originally Posted by mikee

I generally agree but NZ retailers and manufacturers (if you can call being based here and getting your stuff made in china) seem to operate on the "make it as cheap as possible and mark up the hell out of it. End result is what should be cheap crap that doesn't last is expensive crap that does not last (or fit properly).

Hell I wear a 2xl shirt but had to get a 4xl Huntech top before it would fit me

I have started buying a bit of Sitka stuff locally and Kuiu online. Yes the prices make your eyes water and your arse pucker but you can see its well made and actually fits properly. Was most likely also "made in China"
Why is is well made and last?? Well its because for all their faults Americans don't like buying crap maybe

NZ retailers / manufacturers should stop whining about people buying on line, price is only part of the reason we do it.

I have no problem with people buying online, or off shore (and there is a difference), And overall I think the market can handle both retail and online / off shore trading. There are pro's and con's to both. Retail costs more as there are costs involved that are not added to off shore purchases. But CGA does not apply to goods purchased from overseas. As such the things I import are things I can sort, fix, assess and repair myself, and generally things I cannot get here easily, but the things I do not import are things that are prone to fault issues, generally expensive or complicated items or items that are readily available here.

Quality counts for a lot. With retail I can see how good it is, and know that what I am getting will do what I need it to do for as log as I need it to. Importing from a photo does not and we have all seen the "genuine Leupold scopes direct from china". How many of you have those? More importantly how many of you dont now you have one of those....? If you take one of those to Leupold for a warranty, where will that get you? but if you bought it from a retailer here in NZ, you are covered, and that law has teeth.