Import tax.

[Tony Nitrous]

Brought in a few things from the US / UK and they normaly
sail in under the $1000/personal use tax limit. Good for
anyone bringing in tyres, bodywork, exhausts etc.

Seems some are trying hard to get that changed.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/8969/shop5w.jpg

[RED ZX]

I hope everyone stands up against this crap.
Big businesses do not like competition.

[BANDITROD]

Fucking cunts

[rod185651]

I've also been buying a few things from the states lately.
Mind you there are local guys who I'll always support when given the chance.
I feel for guys like Ben who have to stop selling certain bike parts because his supplier is undercutting him on ebay.

[sharky]

Instead of them slapping tax onto us, the buyers, How about reducing the import tax's for the Aussie sellers ? That would make the item a better deal for the aussie buyer...even if it was still slightly more you'd be supporting aussie's.
When the price in, for example,the USA is less in $$$ than here (including all the duties the yanks pay to import, pay staff etc) is less than here we have to ask Why ??????

[Watto]

I've just come back from the US on the weekend and although not bike parts, the cost of clothing on brand names and electronics is approx a 1/3 of the cost here - an example is a pair of Levis at Maceys sell for around $40 a pair - how they justify the markup at this end to $100+ a pair given how many pairs would fit in a 40'container even after freight, duty and GST is a rort - if the big name retailers want us to buy local don't be so greedy and before I get flamed, I know/agree not all Aussie sellers are rip-off merchants

In spite of the above I do feel for the likes of Ben and local business/ wreckers where they have overheads and need to earn a buck/churn out quality products - unfortunately the US, UK and China to a lesser extent have an economy of scale that we don't in Aust hence why buying off the Bay of E and overseas sellers direct is popular with the masses in that we can take advantage of the savings/economy of scale of other countries which I'm sure so do some of the larger retailers however they are not necessarily passed on (praise be the interweb) - ever noticed how our price tags are marked RRP - 'recommended' retail price - effectively means it is a suggested price and in a democratic society, it should leave the door open to negotiate the price with the seller however this rarely happens......

[fimpBIKES]

this shits me too
i've bought all sorts of things from overseas, online and over the phone, for more than 10years

i really only buy if its an australian made product, too large to post or if i need it overnight

whats getting up my goat now is the car prices
the car im looking at buying in the next week is a subaru impreza RX, AUD $29 500 + on roads
in the US you get the same car for only US $20 220 AND they somehow get an extra 0.5L in the engine capacity!

wtf, its the same company
but our market sucks, even though we drive on the same side of the road as japan (with the same engine)and US dont

i know they get a lot more sent over to US, but its a global company and we're closer to the factory FFS


anyways, im starting to see why these chinese companies can get their prices so low

[Tony Nitrous]

I hear ya!
I think I posted this before....

US-$8,264 is aprox AU-$7,811 going by XE.com
The price of a brand new B-King in the US.

(and their still not selling, some dealers will take as low as US$7500 for one)

But even if you ignore the "discount price"
the MRRP is still $6000 LESS than here.

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6787/8264.jpg

[rock hard]

thats rite Watto,there is no reason why we (australia)should be on or close to parity with especialy the U.S.but sadly we are not..buying tyres from the U.S. does impact here. one of the largest motorcycle tyre distributors has just closed the W.A. & S.A. branches.those local guys lost their Fucking jobs..just wait and see what IS happening to the Motorcycle industry IS BLEEDING and sending your hard earned Dollars to the U.S/ U.K/ vaCHINA ..Means no Profit for your Local trusted bike shop..so they employ less people & those shops and employees pay less tax into the Australian economy and the spiral continues..have a SERIOUS think about things that you expect and demand in your daily lives... that governing bodies fedral state local.should supply, Hospital roads utilitys..if we dont pay Taxes..Gst..sales taxes where the Fuck do you think the money comes from.to make this country work!!.What will your kids do for a living because..retail will be seriously damaged..i mean there will always be jobs in the fast food industry..hospitality is popular with fat American tourists spending all the money they make off us on their Ebay sites,,,prostitution has been around since the dawn of time..seriously im pleading for some common sence and Balance..buy your bling but the bread and butter stuff should be bought here..stop fucking the local people in your favorite bike shop/workshop they need to make a living to just survive..i know im going to get flamed for what i have said..but if you stop and think about what im saying..these words are comming from my heart i have been in the bike trade on and off for 30 years..i love what i do ..but im seriously thinking of gettig out as ive had enough of the " all bike shops are thieving arseholes."mind set...cause its just not the fucking case..sure there are dodgy operators around they have always been around..but like the red headed clown/bob brown pupet..they dont last long..Flame away...Morry

[Tony Nitrous]

Both my bikes have Aussie made Rad-Guard Radiator guards.
Im happy with the AU product and happy to put money in
the pockets of the guys who design, make and sell it.

F*cked if im going to pay well over AU$800 for an exhaust
can thats easily available for around US$400. I dont care
if its the importer, the local shop or the US supplier,
someone is trying to bend me over for an easy $ !

[fimpBIKES]

why should i feel bad, i contribute a HUGE chunk of my income to keep this country going
and yet i still have to pay tolls, and health insurance etc

if its a product made in the US (like the switches i got for the TL)
why shouldnt i call up the guy who actually makes it and give him the money directly
99% of the time if i go into a shop, i have done the research and all the hard work
in the "olden days" a consumer was less well informed and the local shop workers role was to get the best/right product to suit their needs
but thats not their role anymore, they are obsolete in a lot of cases
and all they are doing is buying things off china and marking them up, why not buy it off china myself?!

i still support local business that actually do good work i.e machine-shops, specialist suppliers who know their shit etc
but the local bike shop? only for oil, filters and tyres (but i fit them all myself because of the rip-off charges)

[sharky]

If wreckers are really struggling how come I get at best one or two replies from Findapart searches for parts ? And when I phoned a few for the tank I needed some actually said they dont bother checking the parts on the list when they get them through ?

[Fight_fan]

The problem is not only the money I'v found! I recently bought a pingel fuel tap. Was gonna go direct from the states but thought No, I'l give the aussie distributor a go! Anyway, he did me a good deal in the end so it was only about $20-$30 dearer than goin direct so I went with him. Its been over a month now & I still dont have it! 1st the tap went on back order, then when they came in, all the bike shops orders got filled before the customer orders so I still didnt get one. Even tho I had already paid for it! Now he's ordered me another one & thats been 2 weeks already & still no word! What pisses me off the most is the service, unless I call they do not tell me whats going on. And if they tell me they will call back it never happens! How the fuck they expect to run a business like that I will never know! I manage a plumbing store & if i treated my customers like that a) id be out of a job quickly & b) they wouldnt come back, and would tell there friends not to come to us! Its not the 1st case of an aussie seller fuckin the customer around either, its no wonder then that if the goods are cheaper and the service is better (which i'v found it often is) than we go overseas for our parts! The industry need to pick its game up if it wants to retain its customers!

[DCRacing]

As has been said, the only reason i keep customers coming back to my shop is the customer service and honest no BS advice, even if it means i direct someone away from spending money in my shop. The outcome is to make sure the customer is happy, ok i don't get the cash for that sale but the customer has their problem solved and will tell others that i really helped them out and can solve the issue without selling them something that won't work.
I go into a lot of shops and same as Sharky or Fight Fan, the follow up and basic customer service is not there.
I try and get all the gear i need from locals and interstate but more and more i seem to be getting the parts for my mods and builds sorted OS.
Maybe i am not looking hard enough in Aus.

[crazymofo]

quote:Originally posted by DCRacing

Maybe i am not looking hard enough in Aus.


you shouldnt have too.... if you can find something on the otherside of the world, why should it be harder to find locally...

to often shit is marked up too far....

vortex rearsets $565 a set locally.... 400 overseas.... why?

ive set myself a rule... i'll be from local shops provided its within $50.00 of an overseas price (incl shipping).. otherwise im buying OS.

so in otherwords. i can get the vortex rearsets landed for $440.00 if a shop cant bring it down to $490.00 my money goes OS.

its a global market place, retails would do well to negoiate better prices from their distributors and in turn they should negoiate a better price from their supplier.

in the end the parts in AU come from the same suppliers as those in the US. why the fuck are we forced pay the mark up. on a global economy, a brake lever at a manufactured level may cost $15.00.. to all buyers, cos thats what the factory sets the price at, but by the time it hits the retail shelf in the US it could be $50.00

yet here.... we pay $100 for the same shit? why? its bullshit

cheers.joe.

[Hagarr]

I was going to rant but thought better of it.

Just purchased T70 Turbo for the Falcon for $169.00 BRAND NEW!! from the states
Freight was almost as bad at $160.00 landed in Oz 5 days after Paypal payment.

Oz retailer wanted to rebuild my OLD SECOND HAND turbo for $2,000.00 excl GST.

Our way of life is pricing us out, its as simple as that!

As an Importer myself, are you going to subsidise my profit when the dollar hits .65c and my profitability drops?

Methinks not, don't forget I pay Payroll Tax, Income Tax, GST Tax, Superannuation, Customs freight and freight to point of destination and then wait up to six months, yes SIX months to be paid.

Don't always believe what you hear about BIG BAD BUSINESS RIPPING PEOPLE OFF!! it isn't always the case.

See I didn't rant, MUCH HAHA

[Tony Nitrous]

Bike shop's out here make me laugh.
Im sure there are a few good one's but most I go to
couldnt tell their arse from their elbow.

* A salesman who didnt know, and COULDNT find out
if the Hayabusa he had, had a steel or alloy subframe.
(they made both and there are some issue's)

* A mechanic that didnt know what a TRE was or did.

* A parts counter guy who looked at my Hayabusa for a
minute or two before asking me "what year TL1000 is it?"

* The spares counter kid who wouldnt belive there were two
different size oil-cooled GSXR1100's, 1052cc and 1127cc,
"Naaaaa...Maaaate, they're 1100cc"

* The girl who had her air-cooled GS500 serviced and showed
me a bill that included "coolant".

I could go on. I hope the good guys like Ben and Morry get the
respect they deserve, but F*ck me, there's plenty of guys out
there who REALLY wouldnt be missed.

[rod185651]

quote:Originally posted by Tony Nitrous


* The girl who had her air-cooled GS500 serviced and showed
me a bill that included "coolant".



WTF? They're pulling the piss with that one. Did she pay it?

[Tony Nitrous]

quote:Originally posted by rod185651


quote:Originally posted by Tony Nitrous


* The girl who had her air-cooled GS500 serviced and showed
me a bill that included "coolant".

WTF? They're pulling the piss with that one. Did she pay it?


Her 1st bike. She'd already paid it.
They claimed it was a genuine mistake.
I think she got a credit note.

[EFE 1230]

I've been buying bits for the Z900's I have from the states lately, where the fuck can I buy the stuff from if not the US?

I no longer even ask/bother with local (or OZ) wreckers due to the fucking outrageous prices they want IF they have the parts, like $300 for a stockie "should be straight mate" swingarm, went on the web and won a NOS one on egay that cost $170 delivered from New Zealand.

I buy mostly 2nd hand bits but all the repro bits are cheaper even with a freight charge than buying from the Z shops here.

how will the govt collect any import tax if they change the threshold?

it would be a major backlog with the amount of freight that comes in under $1k if everything had to be held at customs while they collected any duties.

[rod185651]

quote:Originally posted by Tony Nitrous


quote:Originally posted by rod185651


quote:Originally posted by Tony Nitrous


* The girl who had her air-cooled GS500 serviced and showed
me a bill that included "coolant".

WTF? They're pulling the piss with that one. Did she pay it?


Her 1st bike. She'd already paid it.
They claimed it was a genuine mistake.
I think she got a credit note.


Cool, Cool, almost the same as adding spark plugs to the bill for a 4WD diesel.

[kevkatana]

quote:Originally posted by rod185651


quote:Originally posted by Tony Nitrous


quote:Originally posted by rod185651


quote:Originally posted by Tony Nitrous


* The girl who had her air-cooled GS500 serviced and showed
me a bill that included "coolant".

WTF? They're pulling the piss with that one. Did she pay it?


Her 1st bike. She'd already paid it.
They claimed it was a genuine mistake.


I think she got a credit note.


Cool, Cool, almost the same as adding spark plugs to the bill for a 4WD diesel.



...or charging for the acid when you buy a new battery?

[rock hard]

Yeah lads we have all been shafted at one stage or another,i also would like some faceless arsehole to explain the same as you mentioned as to WHY we pay so much for the same thing as the fuckin sepo's...some one some where in the system is fucking us all..couple of things firstly if any of the members of the ASF need specific second hand parts for god sake P.M.me as i can do a special price for our menbers..even though i dont work in the wrecking part of the buisness.so i have no idea what goes on on part finder..but i have helped many ASF members in the past..its my pleasure to help out..secondly im not in the same league as Ben Shaw he's got skills i just dont have!!..dont forget i have to pay for the parts i need just like you guys..Morry

[suxukifreak]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMJlncU6DQk

[Tony Nitrous]

The CEO of Peugeot once called the UK "Treasure Island"
because he could mark up the price of cars sold there
higher than in any other country. Not because of tax,
exchange rates, cost of living or any other reason,
just because he could, and get away with it.

His biggest mistake was being recorded in a private meeting.

[vmaxer]

Vmaxer here, someone has already featured my Youtube video on this forum see above AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLE RIP OFF.

I also have a webpage from where I am on a mission from God to end the mtorcycle price rorting from the manufacturers / importers
http://ozmcripoff.webs.com/
It's pop up and advertising free, read through it and if you agree with what I say tell all your mates about it. Then take the time to write to those mentioned on the YOU CAN page.

Cheers from Vmaxer