Thread: Are we getting ripped off on overseas orders

Originally Posted by dromader driver

I would back the Royal Mail system. Ordered by fax 0400 hours monday morning. In Orange post office friday morning. Can't beat it . Covered engine parts and gaskets less than $1000.

By Fax talk about doing it old school

We order a lot of cycling stuff from the UK. OK, so it's not exactly heavy, but a couple of MTB tyres, a set of cranks and/or a fork will be over a kilo (or two) and pretty bulky. So long as you order over about $100 worth of stuff, freight is usually free and fast.

On the other hand, we have ordered a pile for stuff for a classic Volvo restoration from Sweden. Freight costs are high, even if you are only ordering a few clips or trim parts.

Maybe the cycling places can get a better deal on freight because they have much higher volume, plus they can probably factor a freight cost element into their pricing instead of charging it separately.

Having said that, both the cycling stuff and the Volvo stuff usually works out a lot cheaper than buying locally. We've never had an issue with warranty either. We do try to buy locally first, but usually things aren't available or cost twice as much.

By way of interest, I just asked JB Hi Fi in Brisbane if they could price match a retailer with a physical store across the border (in Victoria, but with free delivery). I was asking for a 12% discount and they said they could only price match a store in direct competition with them. I can't help thinking they have a very narrow view of direct competition.