Dealer Mark Up

[slider]

Firstly, the dealer needs a margin to say in business.

Secondly - Cheapest price is not always the best deal. Find a dealer that you know and trust to give you the best advice. Don't grudge him an extra few quid if you are getting good service.

Lastly - 50% is waaaay off the mark. Dealer margins have changed markedly over the years, I have a close family relation who is a RFD and bought a new shotgun from him at "cost" 25 years odd years ago - discount was close on 30%. I bought another new gun earlier this year on the same basis and discount wasn't much more than 10%.

 

[kes]

In my mind, we, in this country pay a huge amount more for any stuff. Remember imported cars and the stunning savings made with those? I have recently been researching tractors and prices, new and old typically john deere and kubota are cheaper by about £2-5000 in the US than here and the transport costs are at least as much for kubota AND the difference is on prices quoted in Dollars in the US and GBP. Even barely secondhand tractors are cheaper in Germany - how does that work ?
I tried to import a CZ Hornet a few years ago without success - we all know the costs in the US are about £400 dollars - over here I paid £750 with some discount.
I was told no-one would guarantee a 'grey' import (self imported) so chose the easiest course.I dont know who makes the money but capital cost differences on imported items here are massively different to most other countries. If mark-ups are 10% then that would be significant on an already inflated import price. Is it the maufacturer, the importer, the retailer who makes the huge amounts available ?

 

[I. Farticus]

Take your time - find a good RFD (who doesn't try to sell you what you don't need) and stick with them - thats what I've done - they also know that I check across the web to keep them honest.

I don't mind them making a bit of money out of me as they look after a good customer and I'll list the 3 below that I use that I would trust with my wallet:

Emmett & Stone - Marlow
Dauntsey Guns - Dauntsey Lock
Greenfields - Salisbury

+1 on Emmett & Stone...

Ryan and Tony are good blokes who have built a solid business on not taking the p*ss

 

[Hereford]

Is it the maufacturer, the importer, the retailer who makes the huge amounts available ?

HMRC - Import Duty - US items face ITAR which means a distributor over here needs to be a registered RFD distributor over there, which costs some to set up and then recurs annually.

This is part of the problem of living on an island and also that we don't make f**k all here anymore - unfortunately, anyone in this country who gets their hands dirty (engineering) has been looked down upon for quite some time - a very sad decline of which I was part of and have watched for the best part of the last 25 years.

We do high end guns very nicely - but they are mostly out of reach to the normal man - American large scale rifle production, bringing affordable accuracy to everyone is something we don't.... Shame

 

[RED-DOT]

Why then can you buy shooting equipment abroad for half it costs here and don't say exchange rates? Someone is taking a big slice and if it's not the shop it must be the middle men.

 

[Taff]

In my mind, we, in this country pay a huge amount more for any stuff. Remember imported cars and the stunning savings made with those? I have recently been researching tractors and prices, new and old typically john deere and kubota are cheaper by about £2-5000 in the US than here and the transport costs are at least as much for kubota AND the difference is on prices quoted in Dollars in the US and GBP. Even barely secondhand tractors are cheaper in Germany - how does that work ?
I tried to import a CZ Hornet a few years ago without success - we all know the costs in the US are about £400 dollars - over here I paid £750 with some discount.
I was told no-one would guarantee a 'grey' import (self imported) so chose the easiest course.I dont know who makes the money but capital cost differences on imported items here are massively different to most other countries. If mark-ups are 10% then that would be significant on an already inflated import price. Is it the maufacturer, the importer, the retailer who makes the huge amounts available ?

To compare prices of tractors or guns in the USA with GB is just showing your inability to understand world markets, some things you need to look at
Compare number of guns sold in the UK to the USA, gun dealers import 1000s at a time, the UK would be in the 100s, more guns means bigger discounts
The tractor market in the USA is massive in comparison to the UK, Jd is the main tractor on most farms, also you have to take into account the tax relief given on us tractor sales.
There is also a trade agreement regarding tariffs between Japan and the USA , which does not include the EEC.
all these factors affect new and secondhand goods.

 

[White Hart]

Why then can you buy shooting equipment abroad for half it costs here and don't say exchange rates? Someone is taking a big slice and if it's not the shop it must be the middle men.

Is it not volume / supply and demand RD? In the states for example kits a lot cheaper but there's a lot more people that hunt?

 

[bewsher500]

well that doesn't explain the price differentials for things like German cars/scope/rifles made in Europe but for sale in the US an 1/2-2/3 of the exchanged price in sterling

 

[White Hart]

I see what you mean there bewsher500 but again, the UK say has 1000 BMW's and the States would take 10,000... I cant say looking around Cabelas and Bass Pro in the states that Swaro / Ziess products were a lot cheaper along with Sako for example considering the volume they must shift. I don't however feel that there that popular with Burris etc along with the american brands of rifle taking the market share. I do notice that jackets, clothes and accessories are a lot cheaper though.

 

[RED-DOT]

......"a man with a pen will take more money from you than a man with a gun"?

 

[Hereford]

The old chap taught me not to worry too much about what some other fella might make out of you - as long as you've done a bit of sense-checking first.....

Pay well and Be paid well - that's my motto

 

[limulus]

Does anybody see a gun shop on every corner?

 

[shrek1]

Firstly, the dealer needs a margin to say in business.

Secondly - Cheapest price is not always the best deal. Find a dealer that you know and trust to give you the best advice. Don't grudge him an extra few quid if you are getting good service.

Lastly - 50% is waaaay off the mark. Dealer margins have changed markedly over the years, I have a close family relation who is a RFD and bought a new shotgun from him at "cost" 25 years odd years ago - discount was close on 30%. I bought another new gun earlier this year on the same basis and discount wasn't much more than 10%.

Spot on this man ++1

 

[49ERIC]

I can't see any dealer earning a living off a 10% margin, either with or without VAT, on their average bugger all turnover, it's just a fairytale.

I Buy retail from the USA Pay shipping and TAX IT always works out CHEAPER ,, some times the Same Item CAN cost X2 or even 3X More Here in the
UK. ???? Why is THAT ...... '' Anyone ''

 

[oager]

I Buy retail from the USA Pay shipping and TAX IT always works out CHEAPER ,, some times the Same Item CAN cost X2 or even 3X More Here in the
UK. ???? Why is THAT ...... '' Anyone ''

Can you say what it is you're buying, maybe some links?

 

[shrek1]

Make no mistake dealers do not make 50% margin!! on Guns if they did there would be a shop in every town.
The items we sell, the more money the item is the less margin you make (I am not an RFD just have a friend who is) for example an that sells for £205.00 the cost was 159.99 plus vat so £191.98 to sell at £205.00 !!
I drive an hour each way to My RFD because he gives great service and I am happy with the price that he charges me I do not haggle or look at other prices because I get more from him that what he would be able to knock off in money.

 

[shrek1]

I Buy retail from the USA Pay shipping and TAX IT always works out CHEAPER ,, some times the Same Item CAN cost X2 or even 3X More Here in the
UK. ???? Why is THAT ...... '' Anyone ''


On what ?

 

[limulus]

Only you pay the vat, the dealer claims it back.

 

[Hunting Solutions]

Only you pay the vat, the dealer claims it back.

...and then has to pay 20% VAT to HMRC on his selling price....

 

[Pothunter]

well that doesn't explain the price differentials for things like German cars/scope/rifles made in Europe but for sale in the US an 1/2-2/3 of the exchanged price in sterling

This is true. I paid the same in Euros for a rifle in the Eurozone this year that it costs in the UK in pounds. The bureaucracy was a pain, but it was a relatively expensive rifle, so I saved quite a lot of money.

I do feel that the UK is a high-consumer-cost economy, but don't understand why.