How much are you prepared to pay

What percentage over the cost of imported goods would you be prepared to pay?


  • Total voters
    0

Clem

Active Member
We are continually being urged to support our local and national retailers.
But there has to be a limit. How much would you be willing to pay the price of a item that you could import from the USA or Europe in order to see them survive?
 
Clem,
perhaps the poll should have how much does it cost to import legally from outside the UK...
On personal basis and on a business setting...
Because there is no way the two are comparable..
and when it comes to firearms you haven't got a hope in hell without proper documentatiion..

regards
griff
 
I'll always support the small independant and local dealers unless the price increase is outrageous.
 
What's the difference if it is local dealer or not?
I always buy from who's offering the lowest price...
 
griff said:
Clem,
perhaps the poll should have how much does it cost to import legally from outside the UK...
On personal basis and on a business setting...
Because there is no way the two are comparable..
and when it comes to firearms you haven't got a hope in hell without proper documentatiion..

regards
griff

Griff

You can't directly compare retail and trade prices, sure there are cost involved for the importer.But then they aren't paying retail prices either! As I have said elsewhere.

If you are importing to retail here in the UK you should be buying at trade prices, other wise what's the point.

All this codswhollp about "but I have cost you're not aware of" is in reality just a smoke screen to jack up the price. Fortunately slowly but surly buyers in the UK are becoming more switch on to just how much they are being ripped off, and quite sensibly are voting with their credit cards.

The old myth about importation of firearms from the US is another one that is being broken down There is a every informative thread on GT about the process. I agree its not as easy as it once was but its not impossible and neither is it excessively costly once you have the right paperwork in place and the right company on board over in the USA.

There are also considerable saving to be made if you look to other international sources.

The longer the UK retailers and suppliers fail to get the message that they compete on price the more people will buy elsewhere. The sooner the UK guntrade understands that they are over pricing themselves out of the market the sooner they and their customers will be better off.

So we loose a few local shops in the process, so what? Some of those who have jumped on what they perceived to be the gravy train of rifle smithing find themselves going to the wall, so what?

Neither are major losses, neither are irreplaceable, neither will ultimately be missed.
 
I tend to shop around then go to my local shop to see if he can match it. normaly he will be the same as the bigger places plus postage becuase he is not selling the volume they are. If I went in and paid the ticket price I would be a lot worse off thats for sure but then I have bought 6 new guns of the guy in the last 5 years and recomended him to a number of friends.

Dave
 
I pity the small gunshops: it's not insignificant to have to pay for the fabric of the building, rent, bank charges, wages, insurance etc. and at the end of it make a bit of profit, it's not like they can offer a service for free.

I think you'd have to be either dedicated, daft, very savvy or have a bunch of clueless customers...

At the same time, perhaps some shops are stuck with outdated selling practices, small volumes and high margins just don't cut it. Think about supermarkets: lots of turnover, cut throat margins.

You won't miss smaller shops if you don't mind driving places: remember that firearms and expanding missile transfers have to be face to face, so when your local RFD disappears, you won't have much choice.
 
I have bought a great deal of my equipment from the states in the past. And yes it is much more expensive over here, but then overheads are more expensive over here.

Like many people Griff is in business to make money, you do not have to buy if you dont want to, so go and buy somewhere else, or get yourself a cheap ticket and fly over to the states and buy it all and bring it back like I have done in the past. Trouble is now its not so cheap because of the exchange rate.

I see little point in this discussion, and I for one do not want it spiralling into a slanging match :confused:

Clem could you do Admin the service of introducing yourself a little more, as your intro is a bit thread bare if I may say so in the Introduction section.

Thank you

Sikamalc
 
Malc

We are all in business to make money. But I don't agree that overheads are significantly higher over here than elsewhere. They are certainly not 75% higher which is what we are often expected to pay by UK retailers and suppliers.

I agree real basement bargains could be had before the global economic down turn spiralled out of control and the exchange rates against the dollar and Euro where better. They are certainly now improving against the dollar, but whether wie will see a 210:1 rate again is doubtfull.
 
sorry folks
but when i bye something ,with my hard earned cash i want to, feel it ,smell it ,look at it , hug or kiss it,
and be sure its what i want .
cant do that if its in the states ;)
JayJay
 
I tend to buy most things from the UK. Ok we get bent over every time money changes hands here but I like the ease of warranty etc. I buy a lot of stuff from my local dealer, who I should add charges and absolute fortune for everything so I wonder why sometimes. He is handy though. Imagine what a pain it would be if your local shop closed and you had to travel a 20 mile + round trip to buy a box of bullets! I have to go far enough as it is, I don't want to have to go even further!
 
If my local shop closed , I would have a round trip of at least 150miles. I can't aford that time.
I'm lucky that I also have 2 good gunsmiths within 1hrs drive, it wouldn't be the first time that I've had a break down in the middle of the stag season and I've nipped round to PRS at 9pm and Callum has fixed the rifle there and then for me.
I did however have trouble with a new Winchester rifle , it went back to winchester and I didn't see it for 7months.
As someone who lives in rural Scotland I can't emphasise the importance of small local businesses on the social and econmical make up of an area.
If it wasn't for Ritchies in Grantown I would never meet up with any of the local keepers or hear the local gossip or find out who missed a fox in the lamp.
 
whenever possible i'll buy from my local dealers - even if i'm paying a bit more (a bit; not a huge amount). Sending for it half way around the world is fine, but i value the personal service and the ability to benefit from my locals support, advice, etc.

Don't use the local and he'll soon disapear.
 
I got my whole set up from my local guy, been using him since i started shooting nearly 20 years ago.
The price I paid was cheaper than any of 'the big boys'.

Jonathon
 
Back
Top