Hi Yoshi!

Crikey mate, you know how to start juicy threads!

Can folks posting in here keep it on topic, refrain from getting personal, pumping their own product, and bagging other retailers? (just for a change?)

Cheers .. Laurie

Hi Yoshi
I reckon you should not let the Perth prices worry you to much. The shops proberly have the same mark up as overseas but there are more costs to take into account.
Join the converted, get a credit card get online and save some dollars. No need to go into it again but there are some good brands that can be delivered to youre door from o/s at the cost of some second hand gear.
Its like being a kid at Christmas, the door bell rings you hurry to the door and there it is. AAHHH that new kite smell.

Not another new kite, Shannon???!

Yep Louie, a new kite. I'll have her at Pinnas this afternoon about 5:30.

Hey Bolgo!, this was a "special" deal so I cant really say that I got hit with anything at all..

Shannon.

I too recently bought 2 kites overseas. The only reason for doing so was the cheap price which worked out to be exactly half what the retail price in perth is.
They were bought from a legitamate dealer and not some backyard operator. He no doubt has the same expenses of wages and rent etc. that we do here and would buy the kites at the same price. The only difference's that i could determine are freight costs, import duty and GST.
However even by incorporating these costs into the equation you could still get a 12m kite delivered to your door for less than $1300 AUS. A fair bit different to the $2000 - $2200 that you will pay here.

I would like to support the local guys but i honestly feel that with the strength of the Aussie dollar the importers/ retailers are just taking the p...
I work too hard to line someone else's pockets with money.

Chris.
P.s. I would welcome any response from the Importers/Retailers on this issue.

Damn! Busted!!!

or you can get a quality super high performance 03 kite for around $1450 with back up service from many shops. And you don't have to wait - u can get it today, and you can choose your color and touch and feel and smell the kite before you buy it. If you factor the VALUE you get per dollar i think it compares well.

I know of several brands from several shops selling 12 and 15-16 m kites at this price. And you get a super high quality bar - many of these cheaper kites are actually older designs copied or modified with some different materials (the big kite company's tend to have exclusive supply deals on the super good quality fabric and colors in a bid to gain competetive advantage). Many of the bar set ups are less than flash with less R&D put into their quality and quick release systems.

A few more dollars for a lot more service, faster turnaround, tech knowledge , some demo boards to use for free for a couple of days, some local knowledge on where the weather is firing and when (like how to score sea breezes nearly every day in September and march, places in asia that fire and are cheap to get to, the best places to go in qld to catch the se wind season when our seabreezes have gone,why lancelin was firing 20- 30 knots all arvo and perth only had a 6 knot south easter blowing )- not to mention the ability to project our local young talent internationally via connections back to an international company with a strong marketing program.

would it be possible for local shredding hell crew like Dan Anderson, Luke Walmsley, Ty Body Coat , Theresa and Jake, Tina ,Ryland to travel as easily as they do without a distributor or a brand behind them. These are crew that go forth and promote a super positive image of WA as a contemporary force in world kiting / sailing talent. Also as a place with tons of kiting coastline that is barely scratched on a daily basis. And if people from other countries wanna come here then thats great - they bring in tons of tourist dollars to help WA kick arse. we need to think globally, not locally. We all live on the same planet.

There is definitely a bigger picture here if you can try to see it.

Economics is about more than a dollar or a price -its about economies of scale , competetive advantage ,vision, local talent in design ,testing AND riding and finally -leverage- The ability to influence what happens in the world of kiting / windsports FROM AUSTRALIA rather than waiting for the latest image to trickle down to us from Hawaii or Europe 6 months later. The ability to project OUR AUSSIE brands on the world market rather than creating those jobs in another country for another brand. The ability to run our own comps locally the way we want to see them run - not to mention organising comps in hawaii that reflect the aussie can do mentality.

All this stuff is happening , right here, in Australia - today. Be proud of it.



pain don't hurt !

Youre right that was well said.
I was loyal to a couple of shops for 6 years as a windsurfer and over that period i spent thousands of dollars. With a good portion of that gear still in my back shed as the resale value is terrible.
I brought a new kite last year and a new board for $2,400. This was the only way to go at the time because i knew nothing about the sport and had no friends involved in kiting so i didnt know my way around second hand gear. My kite i sold for $150.00 granted it had several magor repairs and the board is still for sale, will get $450 if luky.
But after buying some electronic gear on ebay i got a taste for online buying, and to date have not paid duty or gst on anything including kites.
If youre serious about youre kiting you want 3 kites and maybe 2 boards. Every year or two you want to update to the latest and the greatest, you add up the cost.
Allan

I think there could be an analogy between the old local service station of years gone by, where you knew the guy who owned the place, he would fill your car, check your tyres and oil, even wash your wind screen without a question or a charge. Try asking a console operator at your local BP stop & go if he/she will wash your wind screen, he/she probably doesnt even know how to remove a radiator cap without scolding him/her self. Actually here a classic example I got a flat battery once at one of these stations and asked if they had a battery on wheel's to jump my 4wd off, Na nada zip. Never mind the rack of batteries in the shop.

The point is, shops still have a place and will retain some loyal customers. While the rest of us shop the ever increasing web for bargins. I agree with shane as I too have a wife, daughter and dog all on a single income with a morgage. It not easy to make end meet these days for anyone.

The service your local shop provides is invaluable for the begginer, I too once apon a time was loyal to a shop, still am too a degree even thought I produce my own kites these days. But when something breaks and I dont have spares his shop is the only place I will go (JG's SOS).

When you have a web based business yes you dont have that sight, touch, feel and even face to face rapore, you have to relie on emails, which is not hard as you can really understand what the customer wants as he has to tell you streight up.

I think the most successful shop would take note of all the Web based business and realy open that area up within their own shop. You cant fight it so why not join it. Yeah you've got more over heads but its a "golbal market".

anyway just my bit....

regards BROWNEEE

Well, lucky we're in a capitalist country!
If there's so much money to be made selling kite gear (as induced by these threads), everybody can give it a go ...

u're lucky cause over here in europe most of the prices are 30% over your prices and WE STILL DON'T HAVE GOOD WIND AND SPOTS TO RIDE ON.............this is europe for a kiter........have been in perth and i ride from september to january almost every day......now i'm back in europe, i have been kiting once last weekend with a ****ty gusty wind from 25 to 40!!!!!!!i couldn't get in the water for most of the time......the wind was too strong.....anyway in europe we pay a lot and we can't kite till the summer......don't complain about price......KITE AND HAVE FUN........
i'll come back over in perth!!!!!!!!