Hey,

Does anyone buy equipment online? Overseas? Is it cheaper usually? What stores will ship to Australia?

Should be cheaper with the dollar so high.

Thanks

equipment overseas are mostly the same if not a bit more or less what hurts is the shipping costs...so the nearer and more orders for everyone the lesser the charges divided amongst all orders...cheers

VIC = shq, rps, stonkers.....any more


You won't get any service from an international web-link. These guys will look after you. Even if you go interstate, the service is great. The few measly bucks you 'might' save aren't worth the headaches.

And.....YOU WILL NEED SERVICE! board repairs, spares, advice, locations, lessons etc.

Or if looking for bargains, and less impact on the back pocket, seabreeze buy'n'sell. Or Ebay. (the former more trustworthy.)

Stick local, my opinion!

Buy off your local store. heres a couple of reasons why:

You'll normally get great information for the gear u need. And as Rusty Gates said there is no BILL here for advice.

try b4 u buy, demo boards/sails..... or even if you want to just rig a new sail up on your mast, inside the shop, to make sure she looks wright.

Warranty, something goes wrong. take it back to your local, they replace it or they get it repaired. I imagine doing warrantys with overseas will be an instant headache on time and postage.

Keep the shops in business, yep it costs a few extra $'s, but WE need them, there good for us and there good for the sport.

Thanks for the reply's. I am just getting back into it after about 13 years away from the sport. I did just buy local a few weeks ago and the service was great. So for everything local (Aus) sounds like the way to go.

Just got a JP x-cite 130L with couple of NP Zen sails, cant wait to get it on the water!!

Thanks again.

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waytocold said...

Hey,

Does anyone buy equipment online? Overseas? Is it cheaper usually? What stores will ship to Australia?

Should be cheaper with the dollar so high.

Thanks

I bought a board online from a shop in Germany and brought it with me when coming back from holidays in Europe earlier this year.

It was cheaper than buying it here (WA) even with the extra cost to take it on the plane with me. It was brand new and I saved couple of 100's $$$.

Good point about warranty, but I think that large brand would cover their products worldwide. But I agree that if you buy local it would be easier to deal with the warranty claim.

Few other things to consider before you buy:
- import tax, not sure about the rules but you might be required to pay some.
- potential damage to the board while in transit (mine made it with a little ding, cost $50 to fix). You should not have the same problem with sails and other gear though.

Sailhack, I'm not sure why buying local should make a difference when I want to buy other stuff @ local shops. I still go there for repairs and other equipment. It was simply cheaper to buy the board overseas and that's it. Don't really see a reason to pay extra $$$ if I can get the same thing cheaper elsewhere and it's worth the trouble.

Not having any local shops in Tassie, I have got heaps of stuff online from Aussie set-ups (gybesports, windsurfingsales etc), and have always had excellent service and deals from them. If we did have a local shop though I'd probably support them, as I get my petrol from the local servo, bread from the local baker, meat from the local butcher etc. Support local, or suddenly everything will be owned by multi-national conglomerates!

www.surfconnect.com

padi will hook you up. great gear. better guy.

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Sailhack, I'm not sure why buying local should make a difference when I want to buy other stuff @ local shops. I still go there for repairs and other equipment. It was simply cheaper to buy the board overseas and that's it. Don't really see a reason to pay extra $$$ if I can get the same thing cheaper elsewhere and it's worth the trouble.

Why does it make a difference? quite simple really, when you buy OS or even away from your local guy someone else makes the profit from that sale...now any shop no matter who needs profits, without them they close. So every time they loose a sale to anyone it makes it just that little bit harder to stay open.

I have lived in areas that don't have local windsurfing shops and I can say it's a huge hassle, break something that you don't have a spare of and say hello to at least a few days off the water while waiting for orders to arrive. So if it's to save $50 here or there thing about what the cost of not haveing that shop close by is and factor that into your decision to save a few $$$. Support the local guy cause I am sure he will support you in return.

so should we or should we not buy from windsurfing sales (loft/gun gear) if we have local shops? all i've heard is good things about their service and equipment. i'm in the market for a boom and $140 from them sounds a lot nicer than $250 in a shop. i'm not trying to start a war here. i think it's more a horses for courses thing. some people like to touch, smell, see their gear before buying. some dont give a rats.

Here is a link to customs regarding importing from over sea's

www.homeaffairs.gov.au/

I'm looking a getting a GPS/fish finder from the states will save about $1000

A saving of this much i can't afford to buy local
if it was a couple of hundred bucks i would support local shops

Hi Gazza

Just be careful about warranty with electronics from overseas. I used to work in a marine shop and had quite a few occasions where people had bought electronic gear overseas and tried to get issues fixed. As all warranty items had to have the original sales docket attached, when we submitted it to the local importer for warranty, they wouldn't touch it and the customer was left to look after getting it sent back overseas. This happened with a few different companies. They aren't obligated to honor the warranty if you bring in the gear yourself as you are the importer.

Buy from your local shop.

I've been out of sailing for many years and are just getting back into it. Firstly I could not believe the advances in boards and sails and secondly the local shops offered to lend me a demo board to take for a sail. That is wave sail not simply flat water - obviously not to go out and damage.

You really can't beat this kind of service and is a vast improvement on many years ago when getting a new board was a bit of pot luck as to how the shaper and glasser felt on the day (I've had good boards and lemons).

Remember also you buy from overseas and import it and it's damaged - your problem.

I'v bought a loft sail and a carbon art board but at least they are based in Australia/NZ and will cover any warranty problems. I would never buy from an overseas distributor for all the problems and risks mentioned by others. But I do also support local shops as I think the sport needs them to grow, I can't imagine someone thinking about entering the sport would go and buy everything from an online overseas online dealer. Local shops can provide demos and give lessons and without new people our sport will decline. I don't live near a shop (weel 4 hr round trip) but I have also bought a lot of gear from my nearest shop Wind surf n snow in Sydney over the phone and they have delivered it within 24 hours with no postage costs and offer good advice you can't alwys get from an online provider.

Go the local store with the best online shop in Australia www.surfsailaustralia.com.au/

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windwalloper said...

Go the local store with the best online shop in Australia www.surfsailaustralia.com.au/

what is the point when they never have stock.

go to a windsurfing shop not a clothes shop that is mailorder windsurfing on the side.