Thread: Where to buy tyres - Local, UK or USA?

I've suggested exactly that in the past and got looked at very strangely. Issue is people don't want to try, if we could get to the owner it would be a different story since it's his money and name. The front line no longer have a stake and admittedly get paid peanuts so they don't want to try when really theyu should. I've been stuck in places where I have all the ideas in the world to improve heaps of stuff and it all falls on deaf ears.

Remember that you are only a small part of a tyre company's business, and their main business would be car tyres. If they were to bypass their wholesaler they might be cut out of the majority of their supply, just to keep one or two customers. They may not be in a position to import large numbers for all types of vehicles. I don't see it as good business sense to cater to a small segment of the market and lose the major income. But then, I don't know much about business?

Jeff

One of the main reasons for delay in supply from local tyre shops/dealers is that they are tied in to contracts by major tyre companies,so it's the major suppliers that set the delivery times, I.E. when they place their stock orders with the manufacturers, plus shipping/containerisation,shipping time, wharfage,customs, so for the majors BJ,GY,Yoko,etc it is all tied into "Lee Time" same with parts,it goes something like this,stock order once a month,order O/s,they state delivery time/date,load container,take to dock wait for available ship to particular Aust port,ship arrives,container dumped into stack at wharf/park, customs get around to looking at it, checked & cleared,truck when available into majors store, clerk then gets around to filling orders,this could and quite often takes between 2-4 months

Fine... Then lets import Fitters, Electricians and Boiler Makers

We do it here... OS labour, flown in for the shut down campaigns and paid & accommodated for less than the cost of a local bloke...

So to all you thieving Fitters, Electricians and Boiler Makers drop your hourly rates... Get back to US/EU type wages... you know... SFA....

Same as those in the hospitality industries... $5.00 per hour + tips sound good to you?

You cannot have your lifestyle for what you're asking in the long term...

Dont buy fuel in your nearby town - Servo closes...
Other businesses close
Town "Ghosts"
So for the savings the convenience of everything else goes to ****.
Ask the truckie how much he gets for lugging the fuel there...

just an example....

Importing 1 offs etc is cheap and easy...
Importing containers of product, which you pay upfront + taxes etc...
+ interest charges on credit as you got so much gear
+ staff to handle it + warehouse to store it

This is the reason I never grew TRT to what I envisioned.....
Because importing and holding product is not competitive...

Originally Posted by Tombie

Fine... Then lets import Fitters, Electricians and Boiler Makers

We do it here... OS labour, flown in for the shut down campaigns and paid & accommodated for less than the cost of a local bloke...

So to all you thieving Fitters, Electricians and Boiler Makers drop your hourly rates... Get back to US/EU type wages... you know... SFA....

Same as those in the hospitality industries... $5.00 per hour + tips sound good to you?

You cannot have your lifestyle for what you're asking in the long term...

Dont buy fuel in your nearby town - Servo closes...
Other businesses close
Town "Ghosts"
So for the savings the convenience of everything else goes to ****.
Ask the truckie how much he gets for lugging the fuel there...

just an example....

Importing 1 offs etc is cheap and easy...
Importing containers of product, which you pay upfront + taxes etc...
+ interest charges on credit as you got so much gear
+ staff to handle it + warehouse to store it

This is the reason I never grew TRT to what I envisioned.....
Because importing and holding product is not competitive...

There is a similar thread on OL about this topic. I thought this (mostly contrary) opinion from a small business owner was interesting:

Originally Posted by NICK

I am in 2 states of mind about this, as a business owner I do agree with the consumers. I get complaints from a local competitor all the time about my price's driving them out of business, I explain that it is there pricing driving them out and thats not my problem.

I get a phone call abusing me due to the fact I sell product A for $125,

"you know we use to sell them for $240, and sell ten a week, now we sell none"

I replied "you know you can buy them online for $100 plus freight making them 125 anyway"

"yeah, and"

"and I sell 30 odd a week, 10 online and 20 over the counter, i've meet the market"

"your an idiot"

bottom line is, we pay $55 for the product, so are still making excellent profit on it and yes I could sell the product for more, but why? I believe moving it in volume to make the money and I AM selling more than my competitor.

The other side of the coin, I was buying product "B" from a supplier for $165ea and buying 10-15 a week, I asked if I could get them cheaper buying 50 at a time, they said no as there is no margin in them. I found the supplier in China, bought a container load delivered for $9800 (320units) and now sell them for less than everyone else, I now have 2 more containers on the water.

Business dont need to work smarter, they need to work better for more profit. I dont think I am taking business away from other small business in Australia. I am keeping the warfies, transport companys, fuel companies aswell as 6 Australians employeed.

I have a physical business as well as an online business.

NICK

Originally Posted by Tombie

Dont buy fuel in your nearby town - Servo closes...
Other businesses close
Town "Ghosts"
So for the savings the convenience of everything else goes to ****.
Ask the truckie how much he gets for lugging the fuel there...

They will shut down if they are not needed. A new servo came to town and didn't play the overinflated price game - more in line with everywhere else in the area and this forced the rest of the servos to become more realistic.

I think the situation really is, get real with the pricing otherwise a competitor will get the business - it's the usual competition thing, or perhaps the other usual one which is to charge what the market will bare... and if they wont bare it, then again that business will either drop their price or close, and if they close it was because they were superfluous anyway as the goods/services were able to be found elsewhere. I'm not a charity to a rich person (well, maybe I am).

I briefly bought in some outdoor gear, mainly to order and was buying at wholesale rates through an overseas retailer (organised on an overseas trip). You could buy the same stuff through a retailer BUT you had to front 50% deposit and you'd only see it in a brochure.

I had a sample of everything, so could supply one immediately. They would airfreight within same time frames as today, free. Retailer was sea freight and charged extra.

My wife comes from a mid sized town in North East Victoria. Petrol prices were high, new servo opened up and sold fuel cheaper. He was soon given a visit by the local fuel distributor and told to play the game or else he would have no fuel and no suppliers of other items.

Maintain the status quo, don't rock the boat when everyone is on a good thing except for the consumer.