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Chockstone Forum - For Sale

Buy and Sell Used Climbing Gear Please do not post retail SPAM.

 Page 1 of 4. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 60 | 61 to 66
Author
insane gear prices!
fiend
13-May-2010
6:44:43 PM
O.k. not insane in the good way.
I'm actually seeking an explanation to what seems like ludicrous prices I'm finding in Australian climbing shops compared to overseas.
There might be a very good reason and I'm just being to dense to see it.
I've used the U.K. for my case study simply because that's where I've been based. Without naming any stores I'll give you some examples.
All conversions are to current rates.

Black diamond drop zone crash pad Uk price £159=$264. Aus price $439
5;10 Anasazi Verde UK price £79=$131. Aus price $230
Wild Country technical friend size 3 UK price £57=$94. Aus price $140

Now, that can't just be freight surely. that's $200 freight on a 4kg crash pad!
I've found the same to be true with Mammut, Arcteryx, la sportiva, ect. ect.
Can anybody please correct my ignorance, or at least direct me to an Aus climbing shop that won't charge me an arm and a leg for a ball of chalk.

voodoo
13-May-2010
7:33:49 PM
Yeah, we get royally reamed when it comes to climbing gear. Why? Presumably because the market will support those prices - ie we keep ponying up the cash.

I bought from the US a 5 cam set of BD C4s for $270 Australian - that's $55 per cam! Try doing that here...

Another example - Petzl Tikka XP2 $120 here, plenty available on ebay for $65 including the postage.

From what I hear it's not the retailer bumping the price, it's the manufacturers pricing their wares differentially depending on where you live (and, presumably, what people are willing to pay). This is why many overseas websites tell you they can't send certain brands here (because of a contractual obligation they have with the gear companies). Hopefully some others with inside knowledge will chime in on this point.

It's not a great situation for local gear shops, who do provide additional service through advice and letting you try on / handle the goods before purchase - but this only goes so far and differences in price of 200-300% strain the relationship. So I have to admit that I now do my very best to get gear cheaper overseas these days, which is a real pity.

rodw
13-May-2010
7:56:52 PM
Its the same with snow skis...no reason for it...they just know they can get a bigger markup in a closed market.
Karl Bromelow
13-May-2010
8:41:17 PM
It's not just climbing gear that's phenomenally expensive in Australia, Fiend. (I remember seeing many posts from you on UKC and UKB over the years assuming you're the same Fiend). I'm reliably informed that second hand Porsches go for a stupid high price here too. I'm more familiar with the price of a loaf of bread and a pint of beer, both ridiculous compared to almost anywhere in the Western World. There are no cheap climbing shops in Australia. Way cheaper to ship stuff over from back home.

Cheers, Karl
Karl Bromelow
13-May-2010
8:43:31 PM
Have you moved here, Fiend, or are you on your hols?

Chuck Norris
13-May-2010
9:47:12 PM
Its not that unusual to see those sort of price differences between first and third world economies.
citationx
13-May-2010
10:26:40 PM
Been there, whinged about that.
http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=DisplayTopic&ForumID=10&MessageID=6626&PagePos=&Sort=&Replies=52&MsgPagePos=0
fiend
13-May-2010
11:36:20 PM
Citationx; Yes, now that I look it does appear a well worn topic. Did your beanie have a pocket? Arcteryx seem to be bananas about little laminated pockets, and labour under the belief that sporting said pocket is enough to make any beanie, tshirt, scarf or whatever 'a technical garment' and therefore worth it's weight in gold.

Kaj; I'm not that Fiend, and shall consider a name change to avoid confusion, and I guess I'm on hols. I'm actually from down this way but didn't really begin climbing till moving to the UK about ten years ago, and am only back for six months or so.

General vibe feels like the right thing to do is to buy local and sod the expense, and as my rockboots are coming apart all over the place, I really don't have much choice. Is there a store anyone could recommend that would at least see my $ end up in the pockets of fellow climbers?
Wendy
14-May-2010
8:08:22 AM
Rock Hardware sponsor this site and offer some of the most reasonable prices in Australia. Arapiles Mountain Shop stock a good range of shoes and often have specials on discontinued models.
Hugh
14-May-2010
8:28:01 AM
part of the reason behind the mark ups is the market however aussie retailers don't just buy directly from the company.. Say black diamond, they ship to 'sea to summit' *i think, doesn't really matter* who then ships on to the retailer and ultimately you, the customer. By doing that an extra step has been added in and given retail mark ups are usually in the 100 per cent range prices are increased significantly..

Pat B
14-May-2010
8:42:07 AM
What web sites are you using to access this gear at OS prices?
maxdacat
14-May-2010
9:43:46 AM
Yes Aussie gear prices (and grocery prices, clothes prices etc) are on the steep side. But you know small market, big distances and all that.
widewetandslippery
14-May-2010
9:51:30 AM
another whinging pom......
grangrump
14-May-2010
10:47:52 AM
well if you're an honorary whinging pom now, do what some others seem do here and import gear on a small scale to subsidise the flight back: sell on chockstone for free

climbingfool
14-May-2010
11:11:38 AM
Why is it more expensive here:

Base cost of overseas goods + currency exchange + international shipping + duty + GST + wholesaler's markup + domestic shipping to retailer + GST + retailer's mark up + GST + domestic shipping (possibly, if you order online) = final price to customer here.

Adds up real quick.


voodoo
14-May-2010
11:24:24 AM
On 14/05/2010 climbingfool wrote:
>Why is it more expensive here:
>
>Base cost of overseas goods + currency exchange + international shipping
>+ duty + GST + wholesaler's markup + domestic shipping to retailer + GST
>+ retailer's mark up + GST + domestic shipping (possibly, if you order
>online) = final price to customer here.
>
>Adds up real quick.

If your supply-chain logic was the prime reason behind the inflated prices we see here then a particular product would only be cheaper in its country of origin. But this is not the case - there are plenty of US products that are significantly cheaper elsewhere in the world than here, and yet they are subject to the same supply chain costs you outlined.

I think it more likely that the prices we see are more the result of suppliers setting a price according to what a market will bear.
egosan
14-May-2010
11:37:57 AM
It doesn't matter how it adds up, the model is broken. I can order gear from the states + shipping for 1/2 to 1/3 of the cost retail here. Retailers here need to adjust that equation. I am sure their first thought is enforcing tough duties on goods purchased overseas. Right now if it is under 1k I don't have to worry about duty. Another thought is to lobby the government to remove the duty on imported gear so they can compete. In NZ they don't charge duty on cameras for example.

What we see with one notable exception is a clinging to the old model, doom on you retailer man. Steve Morris has dropped his prices to the point where it is after shipping less than double the cost from the states. Good on him. I don't think it is enough, but who knows. What the market will bear and all.

The sooner we are all ordering from OS the sooner the local retailers will have to change their practices.

Cheers,
Sol
maxdacat
14-May-2010
11:44:50 AM
On 14/05/2010 widewetandslippery wrote:
>another whinging pom......

you're starting to sound like a broken record.....ever got anything construcive to say?

anyway to the question above, these prices in pounds are valid. the dropzone is even going for GBP139 on V12.

climbingfool
14-May-2010
11:47:51 AM
Getting anything shipped to Australia is ridiculously expensive. For every dollar you spend you are looking at about $0.80 in shipping and associated costs, then add on domestic shipping costs around australia! not quite as bad, but pretty close.
grangrump
14-May-2010
11:53:02 AM
Pads and skis might be poor things to highlight, given size?
anyone ever shipped these to Australia?
$how much for shipping?

 Page 1 of 4. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 60 | 61 to 66
There are 66 messages in this topic.

 

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