Buying a part from a bike shop may become $24.75 more expensive

[dipshit]

My Canon flash for my camera cost $600 including freight & GST when I bought it from the US - locally the price varied from $900 to $1200, so that was a $300 saving for me!

What flash was it..? The 580EX..??

[Robert Taylor]

But the shops can't possibly provide you low prices with all the overheads they have! This is the argument of all retailers.

And its a totally valid argument. Would you care to become a motorcycle dealer?

[Robert Taylor]

Except that they buy wholesale and the goods in the shop were shipped to NZ in containers by ship - that is way cheaper than being sent as an individual package by air. Of course some of the importers whack on a huge margin and then even with a perfectly fair margin the retailer is selling way dearer than the customer can buy from overseas for.

I mostly blame the importers - they are usually the ones that look at the product and say "I'm the sole importer, this is a niche product, I think the suck^d^d^d^d customers will pay $x for it" Then they set a suggested retail price and sell it to the retailers allowing 25% mark-up to the retailers while making >80% mark-up themselves. Of course the savvy customers will check on the internet and find some overseas retailer that will happily sell the same thing for much less.

Id love to make 80% markup, even 30% would be great.

[Robert Taylor]

What flash was it..? The 580EX..??

Just out of interest Id love to hear from Mark H at what exchange rate he landed it at? Did he also pay any form of clearance charges and gst on both those charges and the fob value of the package?
Then recalculate what it would have cost at say a exchange rate of 55 and 60 cents US to $1 NZ ???

[MarkH]

What flash was it..? The 580EX..??

It was a few years ago now, before the 580EX - It was my 550EX.

Just out of interest Id love to hear from Mark H at what exchange rate he landed it at? Did he also pay any form of clearance charges and gst on both those charges and the fob value of the package?
Then recalculate what it would have cost at say a exchange rate of 55 and 60 cents US to $1 NZ ???

I paid US$299 + Freight + GST to customs = $600 total.

*looks up E-Mails from B&H*

1 STOBC540EZ 16.95 16.95
#OM-EZ Omni-Bounce for Canon 540EZ/550EX and Sunpak PZ5000AF

1 CA550EX 299.95 299.95
550EX Speedlite TTL Shoe Mount Flash (Guide No. 180'/55 m at 105mm)


__________________________________________________ ___________________
Sub Total $316.90
Shipping $41.50
Tax $0.00
_________________________________
Total $358.40

This was dated March 2004
Looks like I grabbed a diffuser as well.

I think that the exchange rate was around 67c to the dollar.

Even at 50c to the dollar it would have still been cheaper than buying it locally, but the price would have been about $800 including GST. Of course if the NZ dollar had been sitting at 50c US then the local price would probably have been over $1K at the cheapest I could find - so I would have still saved over $200 on this purchase. Essentially the economics would have been unchanged unless the dollar had just fallen and I could get a good price on a flash imported before the exchange rate went to hell.


*looks up CC transactions for March 2004*
Wow - I can see the transactions - big ups to Westpac internet banking!

The exchange rate I paid was 64.5c to the US dollar at the time of this purchase. The total landed cost was $628 - but that included the diffuser, the NZ cost for the flash alone was $875 at the cheapest retailer I could find (and $1200 at the dearest).

[scracha]

Yet again the whole point of this thread is wrong. Shouldn't the whine be:-
In the middle of a huge recession, how the fuck can NZ Customs spend 120 farkin million on a computer upgrade?

Still, it's a fraction of what the roadfixing(sic) mafia piss away putting tar shit and gravel all over roads.

[p.dath]

I believe it is partly related to integrating with systems form other countries. Basically our system has become too old to still talk to their newer systems.

If we can't do the upgrade then NZ citizens will have a lot more restrictions travelling in and out of NZ - and possibly cargo as well.

[dipshit]

It was a few years ago now, before the 580EX - It was my 550EX.

I asked because this actually makes a good point. Some camera shops in NZ have really lifted their game in the last few years and are actually now very similarly priced to the US.

Example... 580EX price in NZ... $689 with free postage. B&H... $445 USD before postage.

Very little difference in it now and you are better off purchasing in NZ for any warranty issues etc.

I have purchased a lot of photography gear over the last few years and none of it has been from overseas. Even after being in Singapore and Hong Kong myself last year and looking around lots of camera shops. The price difference here in NZ from places like photo & video in Christchurch wasn't worth the hassle.

[MarkH]

Example... 580EX price in NZ... $689 with free postage. B&H... $445 USD before postage.

Very little difference in it now and you are better off purchasing in NZ for any warranty issues etc.

I had purchased the D-SLR & 4 lenses here, now I would purchase the flash here too. I would always purchase locally unless there was a good reason not to (big price difference or product unavailability being the most common reasons). That is quite a change in the pricing - about NZ$200 cheaper now to buy here and about US$145 dearer now to buy from B&H, this takes the price from overseas higher than buying here!

[scracha]

I believe it is partly related to integrating with systems form other countries. Basically our system has become too old to still talk to their newer systems.

If we can't do the upgrade then NZ citizens will have a lot more restrictions travelling in and out of NZ - and possibly cargo as well.

But 120 million. I mean shit, how much freight can such a small country be shifting? I suspect it's the enZed gubbernment mentality of tendering it out to an IT company to reinvent the wheel as opposed to simply copying/purchasing from our oZZie neighbours.

[dipshit]

I had purchased the D-SLR & 4 lenses here, now I would purchase the flash here too. I would always purchase locally unless there was a good reason not to (big price difference or product unavailability being the most common reasons). That is quite a change in the pricing - about NZ$200 cheaper now to buy here and about US$145 dearer now to buy from B&H, this takes the price from overseas higher than buying here!

So can't be done ah..?

If only the motorcycle industry in NZ could get its shit sorted too.

[Robert Taylor]

Yet again the whole point of this thread is wrong. Shouldn't the whine be:-
In the middle of a huge recession, how the fuck can NZ Customs spend 120 farkin million on a computer upgrade?

Still, it's a fraction of what the roadfixing(sic) mafia piss away putting tar shit and gravel all over roads.

If it allows them to catch more revenue that they are otherwise missing out on ( goods imported that are not being charged gst and clearances ) and it catches those with fraudulent invoices then go for it

[Robert Taylor]

It was a few years ago now, before the 580EX - It was my 550EX.



I paid US$299 + Freight + GST to customs = $600 total.

*looks up E-Mails from B&H*

This was dated March 2004
Looks like I grabbed a diffuser as well.

I think that the exchange rate was around 67c to the dollar.

Even at 50c to the dollar it would have still been cheaper than buying it locally, but the price would have been about $800 including GST. Of course if the NZ dollar had been sitting at 50c US then the local price would probably have been over $1K at the cheapest I could find - so I would have still saved over $200 on this purchase. Essentially the economics would have been unchanged unless the dollar had just fallen and I could get a good price on a flash imported before the exchange rate went to hell.


*looks up CC transactions for March 2004*
Wow - I can see the transactions - big ups to Westpac internet banking!

The exchange rate I paid was 64.5c to the US dollar at the time of this purchase. The total landed cost was $628 - but that included the diffuser, the NZ cost for the flash alone was $875 at the cheapest retailer I could find (and $1200 at the dearest).

Thanks for that, was trying to illustrate the effects of exchange rate fluctuation as you realise. Of course many NZ distributors ( like their counterparts in other countries ) have to forward order stock off the distributors to time when it comes off production. They then pay at the prevailing exchange rate at that time so dont have the luxury of picking and choosing when they can exchange currency. Unless they are a very well heeled company and can buy foreign currency when it suits best, holding it in reserve.

[scott411]

So can't be done ah..?

If only the motorcycle industry in NZ could get its shit sorted too.

on top end brand name accessories and gear it think the industry has got better than it was 2 years ago, although on genuine parts i think there needs to be some improvement to keep up,

[dipshit]

although on genuine parts i think there needs to be some improvement to keep up,

Canon keep their prices around the world consistent and don't sell at cut prices to large markets/retailers.

I think the same would apply with genuine parts from the manufacturers..??? A shop in the US ordering a part from Japan would be charged the same as a shop ordering from NZ, right..??