Why?

[emaN]

Looking thru' all my receipts & bits 'n pieces the other night; one thing caught my eye....UK prices vs NZ prices. (brought her back with us,y'see..)

For eg, a spark plug over there cost me 4GBP!
I bought two a few wks ago here, at $18 each!

Before you start converting and bla bla bla-ing about "3 times this, exchange rate that" (it's STILL cheaper in the UK), consider this:

It's alot easier on the pocket to spend GBP16 for a full set of plugs in the UK, than it is to spend $72 here in NZ.

Put another way, it's alot less out of your weekly salary/wages/dole money, hence more affordable.

Reg? GBP70 odd when i left
Chains? Got 'em for GBP79.
Sprockets? GBP5 and GBP14
Tyres? Shop around; lotsa deals to be had. Buy 2 rears at once & you get a nice discount. My last rear was a Pilot Road at GBP170. Pirellis are cheaper.

Beer? GBP1.80 a pint

Why are we paying so much over here? Are containers that expensive to fill?

When i brought my bike back, i was told it was cheaper to ship UK - NZ than NZ - UK; also, if the dollar's to be 'blamed', lets hope she don't drop!

I'm not ranting or raving...

just a timid apathetic shrug-of-the-shoulders wool-over-my-eyes wondering...

[Sniper]

Cause you are now in New Zealand, another country and lifestyle than what you are used to and this is the way it works. Now conform dammit

[imdying]

Number of people, distance from factory, number of items being transported from said factory.... scale of economies sums it up.

[bugjuice]

NZ has little competition, and expects everyone to pay for that. It's in every part of life here.
But, on reflection (don't know about anyone else), I get paid more here than I did in the uk, and the lifestyle here is worth the extra couple of bucks to me.

Besides, with the internet now, there ain't not a lot you can't save on from buying overseas. So aside from the inconstant exchange rate, you can kind of get the best of all worlds

[MSTRS:Me]

Number of people, distance from factory, number of items being transported from said factory.... scale of economies sums it up.

...not to mention unscrupulous profiteers, and buyers who don't realise that they could always import their own requirements and save a bundle...

[imdying]

There are definitely some places that charge too much for some items, but smart shopping is something you should practice on any item. Personally, I don't mind paying a small premium at good shops, others do everything they can to scrimp on every purchase, and have no shop loyalty. Each to their own though.

[Motu]

It's just volume - ask the price for 4 sparkplugs....then check out the price per plug if you bought 40,000 at a time.This is a small market,it see's small product turnover.Sure you can buy over the internet cheaper...but try it if you are a business with a high visability site and staff to pay.

[Big Dave]

>>but try it if you are a business with a high visability site and staff to pay.<<

Any business mate. insurance, non-payments, late payments, vehicles, the phones, GST, provisional tax - it costs a shitload just to get the doors open before you put a body in it - as you know.

if it wasn't for the toys I'd be in Motueka watching the tide come in.

[Ixion]

One reason (I know this applies to Bosch) is that NZ, being small and at the end of the world, our supply chain includes more stops. Each stop (ie warehouse) adds a profit margin.

So it starts in Germany at the equivalent of $10. Then it's shipped to a Asia regional distribution centre at $15 and held in stock. Asia then on sell it to Australia, at $23. Then it's sold to the NZ warehouse at $36. Then it's sold to the dealer at $55. And the dealer sells it to you at $110. Too many people clipping the ticket, but you can't shorten the chain cos each stage is too small to drop out the next stage.

[Cajun]

I am not total sure, i picked up a 4 pack of iridum spark plugs for my bike thru a friend who works in an engine recondtiors. for $45-$50. Dealer had the same plugs for $35 each. I mean dealer gotta make some money, but they get products thru there supplier and so on, i think to many suppliers supplying to many other supplies means the end buying gets screwed

[Lou Girardin]

And middlemen everywhere, all wanting a cut.

[Motu]

I know my suppliers makes less per plug than I do retailing them,but their turnover is 100s of mine.I have to put on more of a mark up because of ''shrinkage'' - not all of the plugs I buy get sold on a job....for various reasons we fit sparkplugs that never get charged for,it's just what happens,and I have to allow for it in my mark up.Same as oil,my bulk oil is more expensive than oil packs,more oil gets used than is charged out.

[emaN]

Thank you to the business owners for giving an intelligent answer
(as opposed to "piss off you tightwad!")

Must admit to having bought off Ebay UK and other UK aftermarket companies - but i prefer buying local, going into the shop, talking shite, having a perv at the bikes...

Just hurts the pocket so much!
(which is also why mine's taken so long to get back on the road...)

Just gotta keep 'dem bike shops honest, innit?!

[Swoop]

Beer? GBP1.80 a pint

Why are we paying so much over here?

We have to pay to have it refrigerated and kept COLD here mate!!!

[pritch]

...not to mention unscrupulous profiteers, and buyers who don't realise that they could always import their own requirements and save a bundle...

I'll second that. Probably because of historical reasons importers in this country regard an agency as a licence to print money. While I believe in supporting the local industry, if the price is over the odds, out comes the bankcard and off to the internet I go...

When I worked in the automotive industry many years ago markups by middlemen were often in the order of 1000% or higher. This is not conjecture or rumour, this was fact.