Ranting about NZ retailers

[Delerium]

Fitting a second hand part could easily come back and bite the workshop on the ass in a big way, all because they are trying to be the nice guys and saving their customer money. Not worth the hassle.

My cage mechanic did it for me. Told me there was a 30 day guarantee on second hand parts. Didnt have any issue with that at all.

[Jantar]

....
Motorcycles are a hobby for basically the over forties and a few younguns and only for a few weeks a year ( to be brutal ). .....

You may be right .....

Except that most new riders appear to be late teens or early 20s, and ....

If you can call 52 weeks of a year "only a few".

[gammaguy]

Honda Japan control their spares distribution, they're not about to supply anyone likely to undercut their national distributors.

About 5 years ago you could order genuine KTM parts from official KTM dealers in the US at discounts we're still familliar with for non OE stuff. Word came from head office that the US dealers were to cease selling anything whatsoever to off-shore clients with imediat effect. End of.

I used to import genuine BMW parts from a well known California BMW dealer,my clients were happy campers,they got parts at awesome prices,I was busy as.

Then one day all the parts I ordered were mysteriously"out of stock"

Seems BMW NZ had a word in someones ear,and they were told not to ship overseas any more.

just one of the many reasons I moved my business offshore.....

[Gremlin]

I keep hearing this, so I presume there's an 'or else'.

Setting up a business to sell the big fours OEM spare parts which are drop shipped from an undisclosed operation might just work splendidly in this country. If 'they' try to shut it down by leaning on the suppliers, that's monopolistic and then we can levy some lovely fines at them.

Except some think this would seriously work. So how does the average joe find out about the leaning?

The dealer loses their franchise, likely goes out of business while maybe (if the average joe is lucky) the commerce commission spends a few years investigating and levies a small fine?

Yeah right, you don't bite the hand that feeds you. The dealers have their hands tied by agreements, and won't be going against the importers, otherwise, no franchise...

[Brian d marge]

You may be right .....

Except that most new riders appear to be late teens or early 20s, and ....

If you can call 52 weeks of a year "only a few".

You might want to have another look
What the split of fair weather riders to year round is I wouldn't know off top of head , depends on part of country I suppose
But judging by the age I'm guessing most will have a car and a good chunk will park up for winter
Its probably find out able , but no time this end at the moment
My original point still stands though
Stephen

[Brian d marge]

If you want to find out the big fours stance on spares and bikes imported outside of the dealer network
Look up grey imports, Britain during the late 80s early 90s
I was working for the big h and I can tell you they tried everything to stop the grey importers. It really was a dirty word, if it wasn't officially imported you got no support from the company
Funny thing was in the tech dept just inside the door , there was a vfr sectioned ,,,,,with a Japanese speed light on the dash,,,is a grey import as it hadn't complied with English not
Stephen

[imdying]

"The beast" is probably just a bunch of guys trying to earn a living like most of you posting here.
Whoever you work for probably tries to make money to give you a job (not just you mate but all who moan about nz prices).
We are a small country,turnover is low,freight is high and kiwis want everything for fuck all and still want our under crowded roads to ride on.
We need money to circulate in our own country to survive,so those who import their brake lines and if they burst and they dump their bikes and break a leg charge your overseas supplier not acc.

"The beast" was actually Honda Corporate, but I get your point. Ya know what.... fuck em. They've made their bed, they can lie in it.

Except some think this would seriously work. So how does the average joe find out about the leaning?

The dealer loses their franchise, likely goes out of business while maybe (if the average joe is lucky) the commerce commission spends a few years investigating and levies a small fine?

Yeah right, you don't bite the hand that feeds you. The dealers have their hands tied by agreements, and won't be going against the importers, otherwise, no franchise...

I wonder if the larger and larger influence on the world wide market from the Koreans (and whoever is next) will sort that out.

[jasonu]

So dealers, whats the response from the distributors when you tell them the prices they set for parts are fucking ludicrous, you're sick of getting shit from customers over the prices, an awful lot of people are bypassing us and importing their own, what do you expect me to say when a customer asks " how the fuck can you justify that price", etc etc?

This is a good question that has no response from any of the dealers or people in the know on here.

[PeeJay]

The importer/wholesaler/distibutor/retailer model worked 50 yrs ago when everything came by boat, when communicating with another country was a mission, and transferring money overseas was a major mission. Govt regulations had a tight rein on what could be imported, who could import it, and who could pay for it.

Well things have changed, communications, transport and govt regulations mean the old business model, in many cases, is an irrelevant hindrance to the efficient transfer of goods and capital.
Unfortunately many of the old school arent even trying to come to grips with a new way of doing things, they have been clipping the ticket for so long they cant see why they shouldnt continue as they always have,

Is it any wonder when you can for example find a part on the net for $100, and its 5 days away, local dealer $200 and its 3-4 weeks away. Why you ask? blah blah blah blah we have to pay rent, we have to pay wages, I need petrol for my roller, economies of scale, small market etc etc etc etc kiwi jobs etc etc etc
Its all BS and excuses because they want to keep that gravy train going as long as possible.
Thats why the retailers dont push back too hard, they are making a $$ and as long as they do they will do their bit to maintain the status quo.
Everything is driven by self-interest, if a retailer thinks the cost of keeping a franchise is more than the cost of not having a franchise then he will ditch it and do his own thing.
The "market" will sort itself out. There will always be those who wont go onto the Internet to buy anything, so they will pay well over the odds for peace of mind. There are obviously enough of these people to keep the present system going but for how long?

No different from Kim Dotcoms argument with the MPAA

[Crasherfromwayback]

, I need petrol for my roller,

That alone shows how out of touch you are.

[gammaguy]

If you want to find out the big fours stance on spares and bikes imported outside of the dealer network
Look up grey imports, Britain during the late 80s early 90s
I was working for the big h and I can tell you they tried everything to stop the grey importers. It really was a dirty word, if it wasn't officially imported you got no support from the company
Funny thing was in the tech dept just inside the door , there was a vfr sectioned ,,,,,with a Japanese speed light on the dash,,,is a grey import as it hadn't complied with English not
Stephen

and in 1987 the british suzuki importers won the isle of man production class on a japanese import model RG400.They had to bring a few more in to justify it though,but try getting a british suzuki dealer to admit that now...

[Zipper2T]

Motorcycles are a hobby for basically the over forties and a few younguns and only for a few weeks a year ( to be brutal ).

Stephen

Unlike that wonderful invention the Scooter, which is used as day to day transport all year round!!

[Brian d marge]

Unlike that wonderful invention the Scooter, which is used as day to day transport all year round!!

oh there piles of money flooding in

Stephen

[Robert Taylor]

The importer/wholesaler/distibutor/retailer model worked 50 yrs ago when everything came by boat, when communicating with another country was a mission, and transferring money overseas was a major mission. Govt regulations had a tight rein on what could be imported, who could import it, and who could pay for it.

Well things have changed, communications, transport and govt regulations mean the old business model, in many cases, is an irrelevant hindrance to the efficient transfer of goods and capital.
Unfortunately many of the old school arent even trying to come to grips with a new way of doing things, they have been clipping the ticket for so long they cant see why they shouldnt continue as they always have,

Is it any wonder when you can for example find a part on the net for $100, and its 5 days away, local dealer $200 and its 3-4 weeks away. Why you ask? blah blah blah blah we have to pay rent, we have to pay wages, I need petrol for my roller, economies of scale, small market etc etc etc etc kiwi jobs etc etc etc
Its all BS and excuses because they want to keep that gravy train going as long as possible.
Thats why the retailers dont push back too hard, they are making a $$ and as long as they do they will do their bit to maintain the status quo.
Everything is driven by self-interest, if a retailer thinks the cost of keeping a franchise is more than the cost of not having a franchise then he will ditch it and do his own thing.
The "market" will sort itself out. There will always be those who wont go onto the Internet to buy anything, so they will pay well over the odds for peace of mind. There are obviously enough of these people to keep the present system going but for how long?

No different from Kim Dotcoms argument with the MPAA

Some compelling points about purchase price and delivery times.

But gravy train????????????????????? I know very very few motorcycle industry people that are so flush with huge profits that they are riding the gravy train.............In fact I know of none.

Many of us have in fact adapted and WORK BLOODY HARD to make a living.

But Ive made the point many times and people are not prepared to enagage about it. As a by product of the way the world has evoved this is putting many ordinary everyday working people out of work. For myriad reasons ( and this is not a point made to seek an argument as it has been done to death )we are sending lots of money offshore where it is going into the local economies there, it sure as hell doesnt get put back into our economy.

SO WHERE DO ALL OF THESE DISPLACED WORKERS GO?????

[G4L4XY]

Also the 2 rubber o'rings at $20 as opposed to shopping around and getting them both for $1.
And an Indicator for the bike at $146 and none in the country as opposed to $47 and delivery in 2-4 days..... what do you do??

Yeah I'll join in and I even posted here once about it ages ago but got shot down about it.
Went to buy a small bolt which went into the rear cowl on the Hyosung, it was used for strapping something down on the back seat I guess, was quoted $20 per, I resulted to just keeping the bolt which I munted a little trying to get off.

I think we're in the wrong business, seems like we should open an accessories specialty shop, oh but then by the sounds of things this wouldn't do very well unless the prices were adjusted