Thread: Importing, Shipping, pitfalls and work arounds

^ Put yourself in the consumers shoes and see if your assertions about it being a small market still hold water. I bet they dont.

I just wish retailers would stop focussing on the gst issue and start focussing on their fucking terrible service levels. This is a generalisation as there are 'some' good ones out there, but they are few and far between.

If you look into the businesses that not only didnt tank, but actually grew during the GFC you will notice they ALL had one thing in common. A seriously good service offer that their customer percieved as valuable. I'll say again. That their customers percieved as valuable.

Awesome service will trump cheap deals.

But if they want to rape me on price AND treat me like shit because of some misdirected sense of entitlement, then they deserve to go bankrupt. And good riddance!!!

Originally Posted by stug

We are a small market. Say Hunting and Fishing go to Remington and say we want a good deal on rifles because we will sell 10,000 in one year. Remington laugh at them and say Cabela's sell 1,000,000 a year take the deal on offer. Our retailers will pay more for the same product than the American retailers, then they have to ship it half way across the world. We are a market of at most 4 million, USA has 318 million. There retailers can afford to make smaller margins because their turnover is so high.
The cheap deals we can access on the internet are because of the buying power of the US domestic market.

We all want a good wage/salary for our job, but someone has to pay us, whether they are our employer or customer. We all want our money to go further, but if we all send our money overseas then that money is not circulating in NZ, there is less money to go around, and one of the first things to drop is wages/jobs. Just look at the prediction for the rural economy with the low milk payment.

If we all buy everything overseas then the local suppliers will close, then we will have to buy everything from overseas, and good luck getting someone to ship gunpowder. I can't even find someone that will ship a carbon fibre stock overseas.

If you get bad service then tell them, a letter email to head office might make a difference, if it doesn't shop at another shop in NZ.

Failing that then set up as an importer, I'll buy off you for the really cheap prices you will offer.

We are not a small market, we are a small part of a large global market. Also shipping prices aren't that relevant because goods are shipped around the world several times before they arrive at the shop. That plastic goose decoy or camo chair you buy from H&F was made with resources from Australia and the middle east in China and then shipped to the states before someone even thinks about shipping it here.

If the local stores are reduced to selling the restricted items only - rifles, gunpowder and ammo then thats not such a bad thing. We can go on ordering everything else off the web and the local retailers can reduce their land and wage expenses by having a smaller shop. Better yet go to a on line model like Digit has and they don't need a big flash shop on prime real estate.

You can cry all you want about the old ways going but this has been the case since weekend trading was allowed and all the four squares and daires closed because you can buy milk and bread cheaper from Countdown on a saturday. At the end of the day everyone wanted cheap bread and milk so the small stores with their high costs and prices had to close.

We are a small market. Say Hunting and Fishing go to Remington and say we want a good deal on rifles because we will sell 10,000 in one year. Remington laugh at them and say Cabela's sell 1,000,000 a year take the deal on offer. Our retailers will pay more for the same product than the American retailers, then they have to ship it half way across the world. We are a market of at most 4 million, USA has 318 million. There retailers can afford to make smaller margins because their turnover is so high.
The cheap deals we can access on the internet are because of the buying power of the US domestic market.

We all want a good wage/salary for our job, but someone has to pay us, whether they are our employer or customer. We all want our money to go further, but if we all send our money overseas then that money is not circulating in NZ, there is less money to go around, and one of the first things to drop is wages/jobs. Just look at the prediction for the rural economy with the low milk payment.

If we all buy everything overseas then the local suppliers will close, then we will have to buy everything from overseas, and good luck getting someone to ship gunpowder. I can't even find someone that will ship a carbon fibre stock overseas.

If you get bad service then tell them, a letter email to head office might make a difference, if it doesn't shop at another shop in NZ.

Failing that then set up as an importer, I'll buy off you for the really cheap prices you will offer.

I'm sorry did you just say... you have to pay 30-50% more just because you need to support other peoples jobs....

I actually don't think that is why I work. I work to support my family, not anybody else.... If retail doesn't work locally, then shut it. Somebody will always import powder, because you have to. You don't have to be a traditional retailer to make sure that happens.

The bricks and mortar retail outlet model may not completely disappear, but it needs to change considerably if its going to remain. The only advantage locals have is above and beyond service... that may be something that I would pay extra for.... but as discussed that has still to become something that local retailers actually offer....

I can import everything I want to, and have no doubt that powder would not be an issue either.... you just got to do the process....

I only every buy from the US or Europe, I'm quite happy to wait 7-10 for something to ship and save a substantial amount of money. I haven't bought anything in a while though as the NZ Dollar isn't to great right now to the US dollar.

Originally Posted by Sidney

The bricks and mortar retail outlet model may not completely disappear, but it needs to change considerably if its going to remain. The only advantage locals have is above and beyond service... that may be something that I would pay extra for.... but as discussed that has still to become something that local retailers actually offer....

This fits really well with what a mate of mine is experiencing at the moment locally.

Let's say he's a really motivated potential buyer of a scarce quality rifle. I did some ringing around for him, and he's done plenty.

The rifle(s) in question have been tracked down in a couple of stores. So then he says ' can I buy it, and you courier it to my local to pick up?'

The reply... ' oh yeah-nah, one of the guys was in on Friday and he's pretty keen aye...'

WTF ? This thing is worth thousands and thousands, no deposit paid by the local, no commitment by the store to follow up with the local guy and get back to my mate.

Frankly I was stunned when he told me....fukn yeah-nah, what a fucking disgrace.

Trouble is, they've got what he wants, and they've got no competition...gutting... above and beyond service?, it's not part of their psyche.

B

Originally Posted by stug

We are a small market. Say Hunting and Fishing go to Remington and say we want a good deal on rifles because we will sell 10,000 in one year. Remington laugh at them and say Cabela's sell 1,000,000 a year take the deal on offer. Our retailers will pay more for the same product than the American retailers, then they have to ship it half way across the world. We are a market of at most 4 million, USA has 318 million. There retailers can afford to make smaller margins because their turnover is so high.
The cheap deals we can access on the internet are because of the buying power of the US domestic market.

We all want a good wage/salary for our job, but someone has to pay us, whether they are our employer or customer. We all want our money to go further, but if we all send our money overseas then that money is not circulating in NZ, there is less money to go around, and one of the first things to drop is wages/jobs. Just look at the prediction for the rural economy with the low milk payment.

If we all buy everything overseas then the local suppliers will close, then we will have to buy everything from overseas, and good luck getting someone to ship gunpowder. I can't even find someone that will ship a carbon fibre stock overseas.

If you get bad service then tell them, a letter email to head office might make a difference, if it doesn't shop at another shop in NZ.

Failing that then set up as an importer, I'll buy off you for the really cheap prices you will offer.

The importer/distributor model is half the problem, it is an extra layer of cost for the consumer and a squeeze on the retailer. The consumer pays 3 sets of margin as opposed to 1 or 2, and the retailer has to squeeze there margins right down in order to even be in the ball park, let alone the game. Some specialist industries the Distributor model works as the level of understanding/knowledge/service is high, but as a whole, its rubbish.

Look at somthing that is sold through a retail store but provided direct to the store by the manufacturer, say some nike sneakers, they are the same price here as they are in aus as they are in the states, why? because the supply cost is the same. Then look at vans, who are sold through an ausi distributor, they cost twice as much here and ausi as they do in the states. The supply is the same, there is just an extra grubby hand in the cookie jar

Originally Posted by Nick-D

The importer/distributor model is half the problem, it is an extra layer of cost for the consumer and a squeeze on the retailer. The consumer pays 3 sets of margin as opposed to 1 or 2, and the retailer has to squeeze there margins right down in order to even be in the ball park, let alone the game. Some specialist industries the Distributor model works as the level of understanding/knowledge/service is high, but as a whole, its rubbish.

Look at somthing that is sold through a retail store but provided direct to the store by the manufacturer, say some nike sneakers, they are the same price here as they are in aus as they are in the states, why? because the supply cost is the same. Then look at vans, who are sold through an ausi distributor, they cost twice as much here and ausi as they do in the states. The supply is the same, there is just an extra grubby hand in the cookie jar

But that other problem with that model is that unless your a large box store then you don't have the buying power to purchase direct from manufacturer.
Example We have some plain hipflasks in the shop and they cost us $12.50 we sell at $20
I have found them direct from manufacturer in china and they will cost $1.80 usd so lets say they cost around $8nz landed to sell at $20 would be a good deal if i didn't have to buy 850units at a time.

Originally Posted by Proudkiwi

^ Put yourself in the consumers shoes and see if your assertions about it being a small market still hold water. I bet they dont.


But if they want to rape me on price AND treat me like shit because of some misdirected sense of entitlement, then they deserve to go bankrupt. And good riddance!!!

+1 on this

if retailers or distributors or whatever think they are getting rimmed by poor wholesale deals with manfuacturers or overpriced shipping, I the customer does not really care, if i see it cheaper then ill buy it from there regardless if its my local shop or an internet store in NZ or overseas!

Originally Posted by scoped

+1 on this

if retailers or distributors or whatever think they are getting rimmed by poor wholesale deals with manfuacturers or overpriced shipping, I the customer does not really care, if i see it cheaper then ill buy it from there regardless if its my local shop or an internet store in NZ or overseas!

I for one can't blame you one little bit for that view, as long as you do it with your big boy pants on and don't go crying to a local dealer if your overseas purchased product fails.

When deciding if it's cheeper to buy overseas the warranty and cga are worth thinking about for some items.

For what it's worth I always include gst in my calculations, I do feel it the fair thing to other tax payers-but if I don't get charged it I don't offer to pay it lol

Originally Posted by res

I for one can't blame you one little bit for that view, as long as you do it with your big boy pants on and don't go crying to a local dealer if your overseas purchased product fails.

When deciding if it's cheeper to buy overseas the warranty and cga are worth thinking about for some items.

For what it's worth I always include gst in my calculations, I do feel it the fair thing to other tax payers-but if I don't get charged it I don't offer to pay it lol

My thoughts exactly.

Originally Posted by Proudkiwi

I just wish retailers would stop focussing on the gst issue and start focussing on their fucking terrible service levels. This is a generalisation as there are 'some' good ones out there, but they are few and far between.

Awesome service will trump cheap deals.

But if they want to rape me on price AND treat me like shit because of some misdirected sense of entitlement, then they deserve to go bankrupt. And good riddance!!!

An update. Twin Needle are DEFINITLY one of the good ones.

You could never call their gear cheap but fuck are they easy and professional to deal with!!

Ordered a bag on Tuesday but then changed my mind on type and colour plus wanted some mods done. "Yip, no worries, and yip, you'll have it by Friday"

Showed up today.

I fucking LOVE dealing with outfits like that!!!!!

Underpromise and overdeliver.

Thats OK, but can be vague....

Be honest, promise and deliver... if something goes wrong, start again

Originally Posted by Proudkiwi

An update. Twin Needle are DEFINITLY one of the good ones.

You could never call their gear cheap but fuck are they easy and professional to deal with!!

Ordered a bag on Tuesday but then changed my mind on type and colour plus wanted some mods done. "Yip, no worries, and yip, you'll have it by Friday"

Showed up today.

I fucking LOVE dealing with outfits like that!!!!!

They do great work but multiple times I have had the price come out a fair bit higher than the quote so a couple of time I could have replaced the item for the cost of repairing it. If they quoted accuratly you could decide it it's worth it before committing to getting the work done.

What happens when you import > $1000NZD?

I have got a NZ Customs client code number but otherwise I have no idea on what I need to do to make an import go OK. So what if anything do I need to set in place please?