Outer Limits 4x4 Board

We all like to support Aussie businesses - but is there a limit to how much we are prepared for support products imported by these companies verse Private imports????
For example - say on the left we have the following cost of a Private import and then as we move accross the % mark up for the import service itself (not shipping etc), and to say your supporting a local company......

BTW I do not intend this to be some sort of slanging match one way or the other - but I'm genuinely curious because it always seems to be such a taboo topic eslewhere.....

I do like to support local businesses but if i can get a product sent direct to me at a lower cost from another country then im going to do that.

There are too many companies in Australia marking up products way too much.

Hmmm 30 veiws & 4 votes......
I guess everyone is either too chicken &/or offended to vote/comment

Like Ruff, I'll support an aussie business first, but as the case may be, the cheapest and only parts might have to come from elsewhere so I'll buy where I can but I also believe in shopping around, moneys too tight thesedays to pay for premium markups.

Wooders people might just be browsing the forum and might not feel inclinced to post, yes thats a bit slack, but not everyone has time.

Leprecaun wrote:Wooders people might just be browsing the forum and might not feel inclinced to post, yes thats a bit slack, but not everyone has time.

Oh I know mate - but also was just stirring the pot, and it obviously worked a bit becuase within a short time we'd doubled the responses

i know a particular person is not happy about this subject but i dont about you guys i dont earn alot money and a low price to me is important

I use the rule of thumb US product list price to landed cost at my door is approx 3-4 times the US list price

USD$50 item X will be about AUD$200 landed at my door all freight, duties GST etc

Off course this does not apply to anything that is much heavier than average for a given size or very bulky items

After that price point I start to consider what value is the importer/resller adding to me buying it off them compared to me doing it myself


Very bulky stuff I would buy here as one off freight charges on that sort of stuff blows out the cost where an importer has volume discounts to offset

Dave, obviously its a case by case basis.
But I specifically didn't refer to the base US cost, because it's a moving target with exchange rates.
Rather the it was asking the priemium people think is fair to pay for the import (& warranty etc) service.

Too me it seems there are two extreeme's those that will ALWAYS import, and those that will ALWAYS buy local.....
The first group seems to have little "loyalty" to local importers, and are often shunned (especially by the later group) when they speak of direct import. The second group seem to think that as consumers, the purchaser has an obligation to buy from the local importer - no matter what - nearly as if we should bow down to them providing this service.....

But the reality is most will look at the part they are considering purchasing, assess the cost of import, weigh that against local supplier (imported) and factor in issues like shipping, risk of failure, etc.....

Personally I am not pro one or the other, I believe that consumers will always have the option, heck the right, to import if they so choose. But the value add of the importer services is also a key factor and is often worth paying for.....Basically it's a case by case basis.....

Fair enough

I was just trying to put the total cost in perspective with the rule of thumb that I have found to hold true for most products

I do a combination but most stuff I import I buy over the counter in the US on one of my work trips but I am more lucky than most in that respect

I must say the last item that I imported and had a problem was handled better than any problem I have had handled by any Australian company regardless of what market area your talking about

Wooders wrote:Rather the it was asking the priemium people think is fair to pay for the import (& warranty etc) service.

Too me it seems there are two extreeme's those that will ALWAYS import, and those that will ALWAYS buy local.....
The first group seems to have little "loyalty" to local importers, and are often shunned (especially by the later group) when they speak of direct import. The second group seem to think that as consumers, the purchaser has an obligation to buy from the local importer - no matter what - nearly as if we should bow down to them providing this service.....

Personally I am not pro one or the other, I believe that consumers will always have the option, heck the right, to import if they so choose. But the value add of the importer services is also a key factor and is often worth paying for.....Basically it's a case by case basis.....

so whats the purpose of this thread then?
if you're a non-pro-import or the other?

im reading lots between the lines.

i really think this "i can get it cheaper" mentality is really BIG in the jeep community...
when it comes to modifications & additions, the yotas & pissin drivers seems to have the just do it attitude, you either get someone to do it, or do it yourself... no need to advertise it...
wheres as the jeep people (seen many times on another forum) would consult the masses re. where can they get the best prices, holding on the fark locals "im not giving them my hard earn money" argument...

lets just face it.. everyones are free to do waht ever they want...
but blantly driving people aways from what they want to do is a bit of different story...

What's the prupose o the thread?
I dunno - to see what people really think without the BS that seems to always spring up when discussed elsewhere.....We know about the option but it seems such a taboo topic (NFI why it has to be).....

if you're a non-pro-import or the other?
That's a bit black & white - whereas I believe most jeepers - heck no make that 4x4ers....no heck make that consumers in general - actually fall somewhere in the middle grey area.....

I agree the I can get it cheaper mentality definately exists - but that is part of a free economy. also as I sadi above whilst a lot of Jeepers are like that - so are just about ALL consumers Probably just more pronounced becuase for Jeeps such a large proportion of goods are imported as compared to locally manufactured.

I also agree wholeheartedly that people ARE free to do whatever they want and to draw their on conclusions....but sometimes it just feels that it's not expressed that way....

I have previously been in the High Performance Car comunity(V8performance not Rice) and you can buy most imported performance parts localy in Australia just as cheap as you could import it yourself. So why bother importing it your self? In this case i usually bought performance parts from a local supplier and spent my money localy.

However the 4wd import comunity appear to be trying to make way to much proffet from parts they are importing to re-sell. Now i know there is not as much demand for imported products for 4wds but if companies continue to try and make as much as they possibly can then i think more people are only going to import products them selves.

part of the reason the states is cheap is because there is lots of competition... granted they have a big population, but to charge lots over here just because there is not competition is a bit much.

the mark up on steelies is perfect example of what rubbish the jeep vendors can be sometimes.

tony i think you hit the nail on the head

Thor wrote:
the mark up on steelies is perfect example of what rubbish the jeep vendors can be sometimes.

i think the problem is tho on steelies they are pretty much all imported. Well i know the ones i bought from a jeep specialist were made in the usa. So you can understanbd the mark up. But when they are made here they use the same machines as they do to make the toyota ones but as soon as u touch that 5x4.5 stud pattern drill thingo the price rockets. bizarre. sorry didnt want to turn this into a wheel debate

This was in the Jeep section but i was interested in others opinions on this so moved it to General Tech.

IMO Australia is the home of 'price gouging'. Retailers will charge whatever they think they can get away with, especially when competition is scarce.

2car wrote:IMO Australia is the home of 'price gouging'. Retailers will charge whatever they think they can get away with, especially when competition is scarce.

true - our market isn't big enough for demand/supply to take full effect

if you want to start on a wheel debate the Rangie is even worse then the Jeep for steelies. The closest cost to a jeep wheel I got was ten dollars more. BUT IT WAS STILL PRETTY CHEAP .


I will always ask around and am deffinately not for or against buy locally or importing. If i can get something for a relatively good saving I will import but if its only 50bucks I will buy locally.
Things here in AUS are just getting to expensive fullstop...... i would like to know where it is gonna end, and how long it is gonna be till ARB material is gonna be worth more than gold.


Interesting thread - and on the jeep thing I have noticed that jeep community is abit more money conciuse but only of price not total cost of expenditure.
There happy to spend alot of money aslong as the price is right
But the bad thing is they value there second hand chit to much, unlike the Sizuki mob who pretty much give there secnd hand chit away.
Then there is the Rover mob who tend to keep it all pilling up and waisting space.
And nissan and toyota are more like a general consumer/salemans who will spend whatthey have to and try to sell something the best they can.

It all depends on how big a hurry you are in for the parts.

If you want it now air frieght ius not cheap, but shipping is very cost effective.

Yes you can buy performence parts very cheap in Aus and I would not bother importing them but car parts and the like yes I will import myself due to the exorbetent mark ups on these parts.

IE: longfields in Aus about $600.00 each, 2 flown in landed at my door $325.00 total.

Some rover parts from UK Parts from supliers in Aust $650.00 imported from UK $350.00 landed in my office 6days.

look at what you want make dicision on wether importing suits or not.

Michael.

i think it has a lot to do with the internet these days. who can honestly say they've ordered some part from looking at a petersons mag or some other yankee brochure? i'll put money on the fact that since the internet has become so popular, private imports have skyrocketed.

thats the way i look at it. people who have embraced new technologies, like the internet, electronic banking etc. would be more inclined to take the little bit extra risk involved in importing something yourself, compared to those who dont trust technology and still do manual banking etc. who would prefer to buy the part over the counter.