Haldanes is closed

[sugilite:Me]

You sell stuff online, presumably competing with rivals who operate under a more traditional out of date business model with staff, a shop that you can walk into IRL and the overheads that come with that. I'm not saying you're a bad man, just that you might not be so keen on people supporting traditional out of date local suppliers of the same product simply for the sake of preserving the health of our local economy. Again, I'm not suggesting a compromise on safety or spending what one cannot afford.

I know nothing of your business and the above is pure speculation. It is however a case of old Vs. new and some of us quite like the idea of bike shops being around in a year or two.

Yeah, speculation is a bit pointless in this case lol. I sell crystals, rocks and minerals online, top end stuff you are unlikely to find in a shop. The majority of buyers would prefer to buy from a shop so they can pick up a specimen and examine it closely, rather than rely solely on photos. The only way they can these specialized items is pretty much through me, at a reasonable price I might add. I obtain these items myself through contacts I have built up painstakingly over the last 20 years. I'm regarded in several lines as being the worlds leading authority, even google agrees So no, I are not doing anyone out of a job and nor do I have a conflict of interest. Buying a shoei helmet gives you 100's of outlets, try buying a rutilated kunzite specimen, or a ancient knowledge elestial crystal off anyone other than me may pose some severe problems. Many of the miners I support are family operations, and I pay them more than rip off middle men who look to exploit them. Oh, I also bring in a fair amount of US dollars to the country, not that they are worth that much these days!

[jafar]

Sad to hear that another bike shop has closed, especially one as well known & respected as Haldanes,they seemed to have been around for ever. I too have memories of drooling over some of the bikes they had for sale over the years. always a good experience visiting the shop, even if it was only to 'have a look' . Good luck to Chris & the team in their future endeavours.

[Brian d marge]

Yeah, speculation is a bit pointless in this case lol. I sell crystals, rocks and minerals online, top end stuff you are unlikely to find in a shop. The majority of buyers would prefer to buy from a shop so they can pick up a specimen and examine it closely, rather than rely solely on photos. The only way they can these specialized items is pretty much through me, at a reasonable price I might add. I obtain these items myself through contacts I have built up painstakingly over the last 20 years. I'm regarded in several lines as being the worlds leading authority, even google agrees So no, I are not doing anyone out of a job and nor do I have a conflict of interest. Buying a shoei helmet gives you 100's of outlets, try buying a rutilated kunzite specimen, or a ancient knowledge elestial crystal off anyone other than me may pose some severe problems. Many of the miners I support are family operations, and I pay them more than rip off middle men who look to exploit them. Oh, I also bring in a fair amount of US dollars to the country, not that they are worth that much these days!

I've been looking for a source for crystals , a kilo of the amphetamine kind , if they are in stock
Stephen

PS my good friend also in the same line of work , gemview in chch , he does some amazing things with crystals polished stones ,,,,,,,,

[Crasherfromwayback]

Dead meat...

[sugilite:Me]

I've been looking for a source for crystals , a kilo of the amphetamine kind , if they are in stock
Stephen

PS my good friend also in the same line of work , gemview in chch , he does some amazing things with crystals polished stones ,,,,,,,,

Not my line lol
Yes, I'm very sure I bought my bowenite pendant off him, the rarest form of pounamu. Maori's call it tangiwai stone, the crying stone, the woman in particular that know of it really freak out on it. It is totally transparent and has blue as well as green. I had a fascinating talk with him. A very knowledgeable and talented man, great guy to boot.

[trustme]

I have no real knowledge of the ins & outs of the mcycle retail business ,but when I went into Haldanes very recently for the first time in a couple of years I was surprised to see no Suzukis.
I wondered then how they would fare with 2 niche brands & no volume seller like the Suzukis should have been.

[SMOKEU]

While it's sad to see shops go bust, it's no surprise that these things happen when the shops charge like a wounded bull for even small things compared to eBay.

[nzspokes]

I'll just go online for a fucking spark plug

When you can buy a full set for the cost of one here it seems like a good idea to me.

[BoristheBiter]

I have no real knowledge of the ins & outs of the mcycle retail business ,but when I went into Haldanes very recently for the first time in a couple of years I was surprised to see no Suzukis.
I wondered then how they would fare with 2 niche brands & no volume seller like the Suzukis should have been.

I think was was some bad blood over that as if your bike (suzuki) was under warranty and they did the service SNZ would not recognise it had been serviced.

Our two bikes were so we started taking them to Coleman's. But too slow and too expensive and not without errors has mad us look elsewhere without much sucess.
Luckily we have been dirt riding so they haven't needed a service in a while.


(to everyone)
But to the topic at hand, yes the bike shops need to change but they also need to make money or there is no reason to exist. you wouldn't go to work for free/cheap wages just to keep a business going so don't expect a bussiness just to operate to give you free gear/service/bikes.
The main problem is the bike market here is so small.

[davereid]

It's not going to get any better when twats keep buying stuff on the net from overseas for small personal financial gains.

It would help if NZ could even start to be competitive.

The NC700 is $12500 in NZ with the ABS stripped off when its standard in most countries. In the USA the MSRP is $US6995, and no one ever pays MSRP.

I see after 40 odd years, Roger Hinton has closed Levin Motorcycles as well. He is another big loss to the industry.

[BMWST?]

The main problem is the bike market here is so small.

and the importer s of the bikes themselves and the importers of the bike gear work on business models that dont allow the bike shops to get the best deals themselves .

[Crasherfromwayback]

When you can buy a full set for the cost of one here it seems like a good idea to me.

Maybe. But don't going crying to us next time you need a bike repaired for an insurance claim and there are no shops around to do it!

[Digitdion]

and the importer s of the bikes themselves and the importers of the bike gear work on business models that dont allow the bike shops to get the best deals themselves .

You have hit the nail on the head! In the future I can see 2 option s for a business model moving forward. Either the wholesaler goes, and the retailer gets there stuff direct from manufacturer.I doubt if this will happen.

Or the wholesalers bring them selves out of the shadows and start retailing. I would expect that this would only happen after most retailers have gone bust.

It's called evolution.

[Ocean1]

It would help if NZ could even start to be competitive.

Tell me about it!

US RRP prices for the KTM 990 Adv and BMW 1200 GS are both under US$15k.

The 990 here is NZ$22500 and you'll struggle to find a GS for under NZ$30k.

And I can't see so called economies of scale having fuck all to do with it. A container full of either might cost an extra $1k to land here, that puts an extra $100 on each bike. No doubt there's differences in duty/tax, but none of that comes close to explaining it. Where does the rest come from?

Seriously, who's ripping off NZ, here? Because I see an issue here more important than any lack of support for local retailers, it's the standard of living for the whole country that's affected.

[Katman]

Seriously, who's ripping off NZ, here?

It's certainly not the retailer.