NSW
509 posts
Thankyou Robbo, means a great deal to me to here someone saying how I really feel.. thanks
382 posts
Most give good after sales service!
Some don't!
WOULD I GET SUCH PRAISE IF i SAID WHAT i REALLY FEEL?
VIC
4501 posts
I think its a reality that the market is and will probably continue to change. Most of the people that walk into retailers are new kiters who like to see what they are buying, I was like that when I bought my first kite.
These days, I walk into a kite shop once in a blue moon and its normally when I am too bored to do anything else. If I am looking for something in particular, most of the time I just organize a demo and go ride and place an order. I ordered my last board and kite after demos and I never walked into the shop. The only thing the retailer would need is a business phone, an internet site and a credit card machine.
Its just the way the market is going. In some ways its good, maybe it offers the retailers the opportunity to cut their costs and their retail price without hurting their margins.
WA
4263 posts
I think what is lacking in kitestores is clever display.
Because kites are big arse stuff with 25m lines and such,
I reckon kite companies should bring out fully scaled-down versions for rigging-up in the shop.
You know, dinky kites with little blow-up struts, tiny lines attached to a baby-bar complete with cute chicken-loop etc held by a miniature dummy.
What do ya reckon, Shopguy ?
WA
243 posts
if the margins are so small in kites why can I walk into a retail store here as a 1st time customer and be given a price substantially less than if I walked into a store in oz.
Do retailers overseas not have to import stock from the same manufacturers and pay taxes?
QLD
2057 posts
Most retailers in Oz don't import. they have to buy from the importer. This middle man adds his margin to the kite. Add GST and freight to the scenario and it gets scary.
Overseas retailers (depending on the country) don't have the same duty and taxes as Australia and the volume of sales mean they can buy at a cheaper rate.
If you wanna save money, buy overseas and support their economy, but if you want service and warranty backup, advice, parts, etc ....buy local. If everyone did that the shops here would be gone and we'd all be *%^%ed.
At the same time, shops are not charities. They have to make money. But so do you....you don't work for free or accept pay cuts. Give them a break
WA
1140 posts
One thing being overlooked ,is that most,if not all shops,carry a "budget" brand these days.So if you don't want to spend 2000+ on a new kite,they can offer you something for 1400.
Its a far cry from the "OLD days" (4 years ago?) when you had no choice. It was 2 grand or nowt!
Taking into consideration inflation over the last 4 years,multiplied by the percent of GPP divided by the extra tax on beer+ the proliferation of Hydroponic dope factories etc.kites are now MUCH cheaper!!
Even one of the *TOP premium brands * has a budget model in the line up which surprised me with the price.
So,no one is being "ripped off"
If you want to spend less,get a cheaper brand.Or a sell out last years model.
If you want to spend even less,go second hand. There are some real bargains to be had.
If you cut down on : Grog,Mull,ciggies and pizzas,you can afford to kit yourself out with all the latest premium gear!
VIC
4501 posts
Its a difficult situation though, because it comes down to value for money. If one person offers you a budget brand and another person offers you a premium brand at the same price, which are you going to buy? In 90% of cases they'll go for the premium, people are always worried about saving themselves a few bucks and nobody wants to spend more than they have to at the end of the day. Its easy to sit here on a forum and say "yeah, support your local retailer" but often when it comes to forking out hard earned dollars, its a different story. If I offered you the same kite at a $500 difference, I'll bet most people would go for the price thats cheaper.
Which brings me to a different point. Often people get the perception of price difference being bigger than it is because the retail price displayed on the website or given by the shop is Recommended Retail and its possible to negotiate a cheaper price. So, why don't retailers actually advertise it at the price they are prepared to sell it it? would this not discourage some of the buying from overseas that happens?
er I mean bite me!
