surfwear is cheaper bought in US and posted to Aus ! What !?

[mustkillmulloway]

isn't as romantic as a board maker.

ok...let me make this clear....i'm not hot for my shaper and wouldn't root him with your dick tontoo

thu....when the sun catches his snowy hair and his piercing blue eyes stare at me
could i borrow ya prick

i feel i've stirr bit shit about buying thailand crap out boards...and in this thread i've since kept the right too apply

is there anywhere i can buy a australian made wetsuit

is there any australian made quiksilver boardies out there

wat about a rip bong torquey never tubes made shirt

no i can't....there gone....so don't tell me i'm hypercritical cause i rather not see our board building industry go the same way

cause there's just no choice in those options ( partly why i don't wear the shit.)

i know...know well, how hard small business is doing at the moment....basically if u want run a small business in australia

buy a big one and just wait

but the major surf brands are tying your arms behind your back

fact....Internets here stay

fact....Internet is a market place

if u can't do business on it....your "core" business

don't be blaming people who would rather shop with u if your suppliers would let

p.s have a nice Easter one and all....i hear sydney's gonna have sick waves

[WANDERER]

i'm just gonna put it out there...

surely a local bricks'n'mortar business can obtain the same product at a lower cost than what we as a consumer can get it for when we buy online from the US or UK..

surely the local store can get it cheaper from the supplier than we can from another store overseas - so they could still sell it to us at the same price and make a profit..

FWIW I recently purchased some expensive bicycle parts via the interweb thing which were paid for in Euros and delivered express from Germany at roughly 20% cheaper than my local bike store could obtain the same parts from the Australian office of the parts' manufacturer.

So your "surely" is not necessarily the case

Recently bought some 'cats eye' brand bicycle lights that were $20 each cheaper than what the bike stores sell em for.

[longbum]

ouch, burnt

you seem a little flustered..

mine was a very simplistic look at it, hence me putting it out there as a question not the way it is or should be..

i don't know the retail markups
i don't know the overhead cost of goods sold etc etc..
the only thing i assumed was that stores don't wanna shoot themselves in the foot..

my point, and maybe i didn't articulate it very clearly, was more trying to look at the economies of scale in that a store should be able to be in bulk cheaper than an individual buying a single item..

I was merely suggesting that I would expect a store that operates in a market to be able to purchase the goods from the supplier (and cover overheads and profit margin) cheaper than what an individual can by buying online from overseas..

if its not the case, then that's pretty sht on the suppliers side..

Yeh no sweat, I'm not real flustered. Sorry if I was a bit aggressive....I just get annoyed when people think I'm out the back on my banana chair sipping cocktails while waiting for a go on my own flowrider
It kinda just upsets me when crew can get certain products elsewhere like OS cheaper than what I can get it for wholesale........It makes me look like the big bad wolf ya know.....

[mustkillmulloway]

[
It kinda just upsets me when crew can get certain products elsewhere like OS cheaper than what I can get it for wholesale........It makes me look like the big bad wolf ya know.....

i think thats a question for nicks wat would u ask en thread

i support my local surfshops...part that deal is u go in...@ least buy a block wax


but u got move with it....and if the major brands won't let me buy from u over the net
(not like your just down the rd longy....but...yeah...i'm happy buy my surf gear with ya )
there not helping ya are they

[spook]

i'm no expert, but it's called parallel importing when a shop purchases from overseas suppliers cheaper than what the local suppliers will offer
ralph lauren recently tried to stop a business from importing genuine ralph lauren products from an overseas supplier at cheaper prices than what they could offer
ralph lauren lost the case

there could be all sorts of other reasons why products are cheaper internally though, rather than pure greed of companies - obviously the larger size of the market in the US contributes to driving prices down.

[Toby Wan]

It kinda just upsets me when crew can get certain products elsewhere like OS cheaper than what I can get it for wholesale........It makes me look like the big bad wolf ya know.....

exactly!

i guess that's the biggest problem - there seems to be a disconnect between supplying in one region and the next..

I should not be able to buy online retail from a store in the US cheaper (including postage and exchange rates) than a store/retailer, in any area, can get it at cost that just doesn't add up..

fk the demographics and size of the market, its kinda like the suppliers/producers are screwing over their very own supply chain..

i'm hoping something in this regard has been brought up with big guns - would've been perfect for nick carroll's question thread.. http://forum.realsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13137
i think that's what MKW/Fong was getting at.

I know a lot of the questions and related feedback have been about the environmental issues involved, but I hope something like this came up..

[Squidlips]

There's also still plenty of places in Aus where the postman goes, but good surfshops simply don't exist.

Exactly!! theres only 2 GOOD surf shops in the whole of Melbourne !!

1) Anglesea Surf Centre

2)The original Balin shop on the Mornington Peninsular



All the rest are bucket and spade, and skin tight denim jeans.

Anglesea: Local Tees + Aussie made equipment, Surfboard collection and old salts and sons running the show.

Balin: Hand made Aussie surfboards, expert cheap ding repairs and balin equipment, and will tell you where the good banks are.

THEY ARE OVER 200 KM APART !!!!

Im sorry but if Anglesea are sold out of something, Im not going to drive 3, 1/2 hours in weekend traffic, and $30 in petrol, I will just buy online.



Also, the mark up at other surf shops is fcuk-in extortionate.

I know a manager of a Jetty Surf store, through a friend. They had some GOON longboard on the wall marked for $1,200.00 he said I could have it at staff price for $750

THATS A 40% MARK UP !! A 40% PROFIT MARGIN !!!

what a fcuk-ing rip off merchant !!!

If your local board store is good, they have nothng to worry about. surfers know when they are not being ripped and will return for further business.



If a manager of a business, lacks the skills to negotiate a cheap price to pass on a good deal to customers, and whinges because 'stuffs cheaper online' then maybe they should look at how THEY are RUNNING their BUSINESS. after all its a FCUK-ING BUSINESS at the end of the day. and they are running it it to make MONEY out of OTHER PEOPLE.

I know that if I owned a surf store I would get a 'friend' to ship in a load of cheap stuff from overseas (clothes and some general hardware acessories). let him run the import business through an ABN, and run it at a 'paper loss' so he can claim all the tax benefits. (mobile, petrol, travel, etc) - Then buy the stuff off him for the same price he bought it, and sell it to the locals for the cheaper price. GOOD BUSINESS SKILLS = HAPPY CUSTOMERS = PASS ON the benefits.

Its not brain surgery !

[mustkillmulloway]

[

THATS A 40% MARK UP !! A 40% PROFIT MARGIN !!!

what a fcuk-ing rip off merchant !!!

!

your local chemist works on 500%

old, young, sick.....all pay full price

and the health professional all have a house over looking your point...they surf..not very often

[mustkillmulloway]

[is there anywhere i can buy a australian made wetsuit

is there any australian made quiksilver boardies out there

wat about a rip bong torquey never tubes made shirt

no i can't....there gone....so don't tell me i'm hypercritical cause i rather not see our board building industry go the same way

cause there's just no choice in those options ( partly why i don't wear the shit.)

i)

[dUg]

Exactly!! theres only 2 GOOD surf shops in the whole of Melbourne !!

hehe, you should try buying deck grip in Tassie where the backing paper hasn't fallen off it's so old!

THATS A 40% MARK UP !! A 40% PROFIT MARGIN !!!

I hope you're sitting down when you find out about wetsuits... and fins... and... oh god I've said too much already...

If a manager of a business, lacks the skills to negotiate a cheap price to pass on a good deal to customers

As Longbum rightly pointed out, here enlies the problem.

While there are small gains to be had in large indents and run-outs, there is a serious risk involved in retailer discounting. I've mentioned section 48 of the Trade Practices Act 1974 before on this forum and how it relates. Suffice to say implying that a retailler's trading account may be pulled if they sell below "recommended retail" is an illegal but accepted practice in surf retail.

But the issue of territories and offshore agencies exporting back to Aus is different again. It's hard not to see the hipocracy, when for example, a domestic O'Neill retailler can have his account pulled for discounting, yet an offshore surfshop can ship the same suit to any address here for 20% less than the domestic RRP. But that horse has long bolted... Aus sellers have absolutely no protection from this now.

There's an old thread on this somewhere... I've even posted links of where you can buy the stuff.

[dunnc]

If all goods are made overseas then you'd expect that the Australian distributors would air or sea freight the consignments in (at a cost) and as such would also incur a 10-20% rolled up import duty.

If I purchased an item from overseas, and it is under $1000 value then I would not pay a cent duty or tax on the import.

From the Aus Customs site :

"All goods (except for tobacco products and alcoholic beverages) may be imported duty and tax free if their value is $1,000 or less.

Note: However, where there are multiple packages to the same addressee in Australia from a single consignor overseas that arrive at about the same time, then the value of all packages will be combined for duty and tax assessment purposes "

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=5549

As a result I'm not surprised we pay more, as we seem to pay a hell of a lot more taxes than anywhere else on this earth...

Anyway, that being said I don't have an issue with the odd item being bought over the world wide web from o/s but it doesn't come with the absolute guarantee that buying from a store does when you trying out the product in your hot little mits does it?

Thats' my late night rambling (no surf to get up early for!)

By the way happy long weekend !!

[lovemuscle]

I'll be in the States in 6 weeks, so I'll have to have a look around. Hope the AUD stays strong. (although I've bought a fair bit of USD already at around .95c )

I noticed that Quiksilver has a factory outlet in Las Vegas of all places.

Yeah factory outlets are everywhere. The best are just outside ofNYC and in some parts of Florida. Mind you they are in the seedy areas but fark me you will save. Take a empty bag or you will regret it. the best buys are shoes...you can save half price on DC shoes. T shirts are cheap as and the selection is unbelievable. And now the US economy has taken a hit they will be overflowing...

[Trev]

[


Also, the mark up at other surf shops is fcuk-in extortionate.

I know a manager of a Jetty Surf store, through a friend. They had some GOON longboard on the wall marked for $1,200.00 he said I could have it at staff price for $750

THATS A 40% MARK UP !! A 40% PROFIT MARGIN !!!

what a fcuk-ing rip off merchant !!!

Figures don't lie but they can be made to distort the facts. In fact the markup is probably more than that as most places still have a markup on "staff" prices. Maybe another $50 - $100.
However, forget the %. You don't bank %. You bank $. So the guy makes $450 on the surfboard which sounds like a lot.
BUT! How many boards or other items of similar $ profit would he sell in a normal week? And what does it cost him for rent/ electricity/ wages/ insurance/ phones etc etc etc? Which he has to pay every week regardless of whether he sells any boards at all.
Rent for instance would not be less than a couple of thousand dollars per month even in an ordinary site. High profile, good visibility costs heaps more.
Yes I know I've simplified this by talking about just one item but I'm sure you get the message.
He has to sell his mix of products at prices which will return him enough money to pay all his bills and take home some money to live on and justify the risk of being in business.

[Squidlips]

And what does it cost him for rent/ electricity/ wages/ insurance/ phones etc etc etc? Which he has to pay every week regardless of whether he sells any boards at all.
Rent for instance would not be less than a couple of thousand dollars per month even in an ordinary site.

They are instant tax deductions !!! FFS !!!

They balance against any profits made so he pays fcuk all in tax !!!

which in turn, increases the profit made by the business !!


Its still a 40% profit margin which is a complete c-nut of a rip off!!!

% is a way of proportioning dollars to an amount. it makes it easier to work out how much $ your being fcuk-ed over for.

[Trev]

And what does it cost him for rent/ electricity/ wages/ insurance/ phones etc etc etc? Which he has to pay every week regardless of whether he sells any boards at all.
Rent for instance would not be less than a couple of thousand dollars per month even in an ordinary site.

They are instant tax deductions !!! FFS !!!

They balance against any profits made so he pays fcuk all in tax !!!

which in turn, increases the profit made by the business !!


Its still a 40% profit margin which is a complete c-nut of a rip off!!!

% is a way of proportioning dollars to an amount. it makes it easier to work out how much $ your being fcuk-ed over for.

Well...No. You can't make the same profit twice. If he makes $450 GROSS PROFIT, he still has to pay the abovementioned bills. So based on your scenario his only profit comes from his tax return.
You've missed the point. % is irrelevant. You can only bank dollars.
Incidentally, your local sandwich shop works on about a 90% markup!!

[longbum]

And what does it cost him for rent/ electricity/ wages/ insurance/ phones etc etc etc? Which he has to pay every week regardless of whether he sells any boards at all.
Rent for instance would not be less than a couple of thousand dollars per month even in an ordinary site.

They are instant tax deductions !!! FFS !!!

They balance against any profits made so he pays fcuk all in tax !!!

which in turn, increases the profit made by the business !!


Its still a 40% profit margin which is a complete c-nut of a rip off!!!

% is a way of proportioning dollars to an amount. it makes it easier to work out how much $ your being fcuk-ed over for.

Your a tool and have no idea mate.
A store will not sustain itself with margin less than (X)% !!!!! How many surfboard only stores do you see around ????? Pretty much NIL because margin is way lower than that and therefore can't maintain a productive business model !!!!!
Let me tell you I pay a shitload of tax.......no getting around it !

At the end of the day I'm in business to support my family, go on a holiday and enjoy going to work everyday without answering to THE MAN !!!

[Trev]

Well said Longy.

[marcus]

It kinda just upsets me when crew can get certain products elsewhere like OS cheaper than what I can get it for wholesale........It makes me look like the big bad wolf ya know.....

I have to admit i thought you surf shop owners were making big bucks selling us our surf gear. i did kinda think some surf shops were rip off merchants.

its interesting to learn your side of the story longbum.

so, the reason some so called surf shops appear to be making huge $$$, is that because they have moved into fashion and bikinis rather than boards and wetties?