Raytrade UK
Well-Known Member
Sorry Paul we’re a distributor and supply to trade only - happy to talk SRP’s if asked but it’s not our place to offer retail discounts on behalf of shops
Raytrade UK
- Thread starter Raytrade UK
- Start date
Hi Rich,
i hope all is well with you? Welcome to the site from "Sunny Devon"!
i hope all is well with you? Welcome to the site from "Sunny Devon"!
@Raytrade UK what is availability like for the Vortex Euro ammunition? Specifically thinking about the 308 Winchester with the 130g TTSX catalog number 31340 ? An idea of RRP would also be useful
Raytrade UK
Well-Known Member
Hi Srvet, Vor-tx Euro is actually an identical product to the Vor-tx Ammunition - they just put European packaging on it (European species and data in metric rather than imperial.
The 308 Winchester Barnes ammo we currently have in the warehouse is branded Euro - I’m using it myself, it even has the same POI as the American packaged stuff.
Quite a few dealers out there with it for sale on their websites, and you can order it from any shop - SRP is £64.95 per box but that will vary depending on carriage paid, when it was bought, how much was bought, etc.
You may be aware the cost of copper and lead have shot up recently and we’re seeing some massive price increases in ammo across the globe. We’re told there will be another price increase by all of the manufacturers including Barnes this year.
@Raytrade UK , now that Spartan Precision has decided to stop selling directly to UK customers, will you have the option to order their products online or will it be a dealer only deal?
Seems like a real step back to me.
Seems like a real step back to me.
Raytrade UK
Well-Known Member
There are lots and lots of UK shops with Spartan gear on their websites that you can buy online and have delivered just the same as Spartan used to - the benefit now is that shops now have the incentive to stock them so people can pick them up and buy them there, rather than being a show room so that people could then go home and order direct from Spartan.
it’s particularly tough for shops at the moment, so any product that can be posted is important to them - this move by Spartan & Raytrade was to ensure gun shops have 100% of the Spartan retail business.
If you can’t find Spartan online with google then please visit the Raytrade UK website and look at our list of dealers - let us know if any issues
There are lots and lots of UK shops with Spartan gear on their websites that you can buy online and have delivered just the same as Spartan used to - the benefit now is that shops now have the incentive to stock them so people can pick them up and buy them there, rather than being a show room so that people could then go home and order direct from Spartan.
it’s particularly tough for shops at the moment, so any product that can be posted is important to them - this move by Spartan & Raytrade was to ensure gun shops have 100% of the Spartan retail business.
If you can’t find Spartan online with google then please visit the Raytrade UK website and look at our list of dealers - let us know if any issues
Thanks for the reply.
It just seems like an odd move when the 'buy direct' model worked fine.
I know that Spartan chop and change/upgrade products quite often so stocking their full range is not easy for dealers.
Just a thought for us who have to occasionally get on a boat and drive a hundred miles or more each way to visit a shop and find they don't have any stock, get told 'we just sold the last one yesterday' or be told that an older product is the latest offering.
Ordering online or over the phone is OK when you know what you are buying a product which has not changed for years, but most dealer's websites are little more than a page with a proportion of their stock listed and a phone number.
Buying direct meant both convenience and reassurance that any issues would be fixed rapidly.
Having a product go wrong, then sending it back to the dealer, only to wait for weeks without replacement seems to be part of the deal here...
I know that the US market is taking precedence for Spartan, and I don't blame them for focusing on where the majority of their sales are.
Raytrade UK
Well-Known Member
For a manufacturer to be selling direct is unusual - it requires a huge investment in sales teams and systems to work, which is why most manufacturers use a distributor or outsourced sales team (if outsourced you won't be aware it's not the same company). As Spartan have become bigger they've needed to form partnerships with distributors globally as this is the most viable way of growing their business.
The products are now all stable - you'll notice that now they are modular there is actually a smaller product range. Strategically they have chosen to make it easier for retailers and distributors globally to stock and advertise their products.
Our main dealers websites have all become slicker in the last year as a result of Covid, and I think many are now investing in their online businesses to achieve the same. You have full support from us at Raytrade, but only if your retailer can't assist you - they can now stock Spartan with confidence knowing that they have exclusivity on selling the product to consumers.
I hope you'll find your next Spartan purchase as easy as you have from Spartan in the past - any problems please let us know
For a manufacturer to be selling direct is unusual - it requires a huge investment in sales teams and systems to work, which is why most manufacturers use a distributor or outsourced sales team (if outsourced you won't be aware it's not the same company). As Spartan have become bigger they've needed to form partnerships with distributors globally as this is the most viable way of growing their business.
The products are now all stable - you'll notice that now they are modular there is actually a smaller product range. Strategically they have chosen to make it easier for retailers and distributors globally to stock and advertise their products.
Our main dealers websites have all become slicker in the last year as a result of Covid, and I think many are now investing in their online businesses to achieve the same. You have full support from us at Raytrade, but only if your retailer can't assist you - they can now stock Spartan with confidence knowing that they have exclusivity on selling the product to consumers.
I hope you'll find your next Spartan purchase as easy as you have from Spartan in the past - any problems please let us know
Great information, thanks for the response!
Crowstalker
Well-Known Member
Hi
You were saying earlier the price of ammo is going to go up again. Is brexit affecting the price and more specifically to me will shipping your products to Northern Ireland be affected in any way? Eg will there be a different price for NI customers compared to mainland UK, and will there be any products you can't ship over here anymore?
Many thanks
You were saying earlier the price of ammo is going to go up again. Is brexit affecting the price and more specifically to me will shipping your products to Northern Ireland be affected in any way? Eg will there be a different price for NI customers compared to mainland UK, and will there be any products you can't ship over here anymore?
Many thanks
Brexit is certainly causing an issue with firearms according to basc.
BASC NI highlights firearms concerns to Economy Minister
New customs requirements mean "more unnecessary red tape, which could have dire financial consequences for dealers".
basc.org.uk
Welcome to the forum raytrade U.K.
Raytrade UK
Well-Known Member
Brexit should only be affecting European ammo prices... the rises in American ammo is more about the cost of raw materials shooting up (copper and lead are up about 30% I believe).
Shipping, import duty's etc will all of course play a factor. I remember clearly when air rifle pellets went from £5 to £10 overnight... hopefully the centrefire ammo won't be that severe! It would appear from speaking to colleagues globally that there is a significant ammo shortage globally.
NI is an interesting one and the answer at the moment I'm afraid is that we don't know - the dust is still settling and the correct way to do it is being established before everyone commences as usual.
Welcome @Raytrade UK.
Out of interest, what's the current RRP for a pack of 50 Barnes TTSX .277 130gr? Just asking to get an idea of where the prices are now. When I bought a pack at the beginning of last year, they were about £45.
Out of interest, what's the current RRP for a pack of 50 Barnes TTSX .277 130gr? Just asking to get an idea of where the prices are now. When I bought a pack at the beginning of last year, they were about £45.
Raytrade UK
Well-Known Member
SRP would be around £54.95 now - though obviously that's SRP and you'll probably find price varies depending on when the shop bought them and how many they bought.
Cheers, that's not as bad as I thought it might be actually. There is one online retailer (who I won't name) whose Barnes prices are currently eye watering and that was why I was interested to know if prices looked to be going up again from that. It would seem their prices are just a little higher than most.
Crowstalker
Well-Known Member
Thank you
Raytrade UK
Well-Known Member
It’s refreshing to hear shops are going too high rather than too low - we usually avoid SRP’s on certain things like bullets as it’s not a product type that seems to have an agreed margin... so I’d stress that it’s only my suggested retail and I may well be a few quid out.
As I said I believe the variance comes from a variety of factors - carriage, overheads, geography, quantity bought from Raytrade, when it was bought from Raytrade.
We’re told by Barnes there will be another price increase, but whether we can wear it as the importer without affecting trade and retail will depend on how large it is, exchange rates, rate at which we can sell it, etc.
