Thread: Why are parts so overpriced in Australia?

Originally Posted by PhilipA

Mate, all of this pales into insignificance when compared to that dreaded word
WEDDING
Prices double triple and quadruple when teh word is mentioned.
Those of you who have daughters beware.
One example
We were getting quotes for cupcakes. Wedding place quoted $5 each. We ended up getting them for AFAIR $1.80
And so on with everything. greatest excuse for ripping off known to man.
Regards Philip A

Have you seen the movie parents of the bride? FRUNK (the gay caterer) had some must have marvelous ideas.

I've had the same experience and saved a lot by ordering a Detroit locker from the USA rather than buying it locally.

I think all this proves two things:

1. Retail prices are almost totally unrelated to the cost of production, but are based on what the supplier thinks the customers will pay.

2. The internet is providing the information to liberate the consumers from this predatory pricing.

As all LR parts are imported, it makes no difference to our manufacturing industry if they are bought through local supliers or directly from overseas. What it does affect are retailing jobs. Retailers who look after their customers will have a good future, but those who go for short-term ripoffs will eventually go down the plughole as 'word of mouth' ruins their reputations.

Originally Posted by Warb

Population is one thing, but I suspect that 4x4's make up a far smaller proportion of the UK market, both now and in the past, than in Australia. And 70% odd of the older LR models were exported. Then add the fact that it is entirely possible that the salt on the roads in the UK has permanently removed a vast number of Series Land Rovers from existence, and I wonder how big the UK LR parts market really is?
.......

As against these points, since the mid seventies, the majority of Australian four wheel drives have been NOT Landrovers, whereas in the UK most four wheel drives have always been and still are Landrovers. And the number of Series in civilian hands in the UK has been boosted by large numbers of military ones released in the recent past.

And I am not sure that the proportion of four wheel drives in the UK is necessarily smaller - agriculture in the UK probably uses far more per head of population than they do here, simply because farms are a lot smaller but more productive, and I see no reason why urban owners would favour four wheel drives less than here. Logically, they would not need them since the UK is far more urbanised than Australia, but when did logic have anything to do with car buying decisions?

John

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Retailers who look after their customers will have a good future, but those who go for short-term ripoffs will eventually go down the plughole as 'word of mouth' ruins their reputations.

A few years ago the buying public discovered a massive gap between USA prices of a brand of rifle scopes and the prices charged in Australia. Word of this spread quickly, and many scopes were brought in as personal imports. Interestingly the first response of the importer was to attempt to get the manufacturer to prevent its US retailers from exporting these scopes (on pain of losing their dealerships), rather than to change his Australian pricing. This approach did actually work to some extent, and many US retailer still refuse to export these items. Eventually enough people either boycotted his entire product range or found overseas retailers willing to export to Australia that he adjusted his pricing, and whilst it's still far higher than in the US its not quite so outrageous.

There have been a couple of cases where Land Rover or motorcycle related parts manufacturers have forwarded my enquiries to their Australian representatives who are charging 200% of the overseas manufacturers price!

Actually some Australian based retailers can do it. Recently I bought a roof rack and trailing arms from an Australian supplier for around the same as me importing it myself and I would believe that they still would have made a profit or at least I hope they did.
The price I got from all other suppliers in Australia was $2300-$2700 for the rack (and often was not even the right one), bought for $1550 from an Aussie supplier. We need more Aussie based suppliers like this. Best UK price was $1350 plus freight. Trailing arms up to $800 from some suppliers, $350 odd from this supplier.
So Australian suppliers can do it if they are prepared to go in hard and belt out a better supply price.
Look, most stuff I buy local, but there is just some items that it is just not financially feasable to buy here. A good example was shocks delivered with freight from the US was less than half the cost of just supply here, then I still had to add freight which was the same to get delivered 800kms by road as it was to air freight from the US.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

Mate, all of this pales into insignificance when compared to that dreaded word
WEDDING
Prices double triple and quadruple when teh word is mentioned.
Those of you who have daughters beware.
One example
We were getting quotes for cupcakes. Wedding place quoted $5 each. We ended up getting them for AFAIR $1.80
And so on with everything. greatest excuse for ripping off known to man.
Regards Philip A

Try mentioning Mining and prepare to see price increases over retail go up by huge %s.

I was just looking at prices in the UK for a clutch kit for a 200 tdi Disco.
$130 plus $123 freight comes to $253 . This is about the same price as I can get it from British Off Road.
Yet I read posts from people that get stuff to their door in 4 days from the UK at a cheaper price. I dont get it. Even little things I buy on ebay take over a week to get here.

Didiman

Originally Posted by CraigE

Actually some Australian based retailers can do it. Recently I bought a roof rack and trailing arms from an Australian supplier for around the same as me importing it myself and I would believe that they still would have made a profit or at least I hope they did.
The price I got from all other suppliers in Australia was $2300-$2700 for the rack (and often was not even the right one), bought for $1550 from an Aussie supplier. We need more Aussie based suppliers like this. Best UK price was $1350 plus freight. Trailing arms up to $800 from some suppliers, $350 odd from this supplier.
So Australian suppliers can do it if they are prepared to go in hard and belt out a better supply price.
Look, most stuff I buy local, but there is just some items that it is just not financially feasable to buy here. A good example was shocks delivered with freight from the US was less than half the cost of just supply here, then I still had to add freight which was the same to get delivered 800kms by road as it was to air freight from the US.

And I presume this retailer has all the overheads of any other Australian based business ???
It just shows that retailers can still make a profit on smaller margins but greed plays a big part .