On Cup Tuesday, the RBA will put Aussie interest rates up. This will mean that the AUD rises against the pound. In the UK, a lot of people buy their xmas presents online. In Australia, you can import up to $1000 worth of mail order stuff in a single shipment.

Exchange rate is currently 1.8 but will drop.. see here

www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:&gws_rd=ssl*&q=gbp+to+aud&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10

I would suggest

www.amazon.co.uk for books
www.wiggle.co.uk for sports gear

and if it's small and shippable...

www.specialisedsailing.com/

Think the same will apply against the US$. It is a good point, just check out the price for a new board! I would just suggest that you check how the item is sent as the UK postal workers are currently striking.

Hey Ginger Pom - With your passion for this topic you should go into a business importing the gear and playing the exchange rates. Make a fortune and pay for your windsurfing gear

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Old Salty said...

Hey Ginger Pom - With your passion for this topic you should go into a business importing the gear and playing the exchange rates. Make a fortune and pay for your windsurfing gear

You don't know any crafty ways of importing the sale value of my house in S'arf Laandan into Oz do you? You know, some kind of hollowed out board stashed full of 50's. Come to think of it, given the state of the UK economy, the board's probably worth more than my house anyway.

Crowie - you need to devise a way of sending the OZ$ into a nosedive so you can make a killing on the exchange rate. Take K Rudd out with the new board into shark infested waters might be a start

other way to avoid import duties is to buy second hand isn't it?.

have dealt with them before... very professional.

Everyone could just about get together and get a one off shipping container delivered.

www.neilprydemaui.com/

The UK government just decided not to chuck anymore stimulus money out,
which has reduced the future uncertainty over the UK's money-printing inflation, which would tend to make the pound rise against the aussie dollar.

Which effect is more powerful is hard to say, but the last AUD % increase seemed to do little to nothing

Also the current exchange rate is the lowest its been since 1985

have a look at this google finance graph, this is pretty cool:

www.google.com/search?q=GBP+to+AUD&gws_rd=ssl

I'm not going to call the bottom of a market but i suspect its now going the other way and nows your best moment to strike.

Anyway the bigger financial shocks potentially on the way
(according to 'Doomers') are:
1. China stops raw material stockpiling and commodities and so AUD plummets
2. The global reinflation of the asset price bubble since 2007 bursts when everone wakes up, pushing us all into a W recession ala 1930
3. We reach Peak Oil and so freeze, starve, riot and die and then have to all grow our own veg.

God i thought i was coming on here to see where everyone was sailing i the southerlies now the weekends forecast has picked up !

On cup Tuesday, I like many other windsurfers in Victoria will be at Sandy Point enjoying one of the best weekend of the year put on by one of the local shops to help build the windsurf community and bring everyone together to have fun and a bit of competition!

Rather than encouraging people to spend their money overseas the other option is to support the local industry so that there continues to be one in the future!

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FletcHuz said...

On cup Tuesday, I like many other windsurfers in Victoria will be at Sandy Point enjoying one of the best weekend of the year put on by one of the local shops to help build the windsurf community and bring everyone together to have fun and a bit of competition!

Rather than encouraging people to spend their money overseas the other option is to support the local industry so that there continues to be one in the future!

This is a tough one for me because I have a foot in both camps...

I agree about supporting the local shops. It really is important and you also get after sales service and warrantee issues are a lot easier to deal with on a local basis.

however if you are looking at a strong AUD and prices on Maui for second hand boards I can really understand the frustration. Anything s/h on Maui is cheap!!

If you sail JP or Starboard etc... , there is no point taking it out on the shops, prices are set by manufacturers, importers and the retail shops need to add their cut. If we have issues in our market why not vent our frustration at the manufacturer directly...

Personally I sail Hawaiian brand sails.... part of it is price orientated but mainly because of the quality of the product. Also while on Maui I can get to talk to the people who design the sails. They don't spend big $$ on advertising, however they put a lot of time and money into R+D and make a great product at a good price... the down side is if something goes wrong you don't have the support from the local shop. In my eyes a risk worth taking.

BTW while on Maui I'm trying out a demo carbon boom and so far am thinking of buying it (FYI < USD600 for a new carbon boom) - funny thing is it's not for the price but the design of the curve profile.... luckily I can buy it guilt free because no one in Australia stock it

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FletcHuz said...

On cup Tuesday, I like many other windsurfers in Victoria will be at Sandy Point enjoying one of the best weekend of the year put on by one of the local shops to help build the windsurf community and bring everyone together to have fun and a bit of competition!

Rather than encouraging people to spend their money overseas the other option is to support the local industry so that there continues to be one in the future!

I've bought lots of stuff there and I will continue to do so. They do support windsurfing in victoria and this is why I spend money there.

I'm happy to support the local industry and will pay happily pay a bit more to do it....

FYI

the new X9 boom has not arrived at Maui yet however when they arrive they will range from USD900-1200. based on that, add freight etc... local looks like the best option.

You did ask...

They're 600 gbp on here

http://www.surfstore.co.uk/neil-pryde-x9-boom-p-229.html

449 gbp on here - so 800 aud

www.boardwise.co.uk/2009-neilpryde-boom-p-1056.html


I'd buy local though on carbon booms - pretty easy to snap and you're going to feel pretty silly spending $120 sending a snapped boom back to England...

The point of this thread (and the others) was not to get people to stop buying local... just to illustrate the better offers that will shortly be available locally

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ginger pom said...

You did ask...

They're 600 gbp on here

http://www.surfstore.co.uk/neil-pryde-x9-boom-p-229.html

449 gbp on here - so 800 aud

www.boardwise.co.uk/2009-neilpryde-boom-p-1056.html


I'd buy local though on carbon booms - pretty easy to snap and you're going to feel pretty silly spending $120 sending a snapped boom back to England...

The point of this thread (and the others) was not to get people to stop buying local... just to illustrate the better offers that will shortly be available locally

Thanks Ginger Pom and I fully support your campaign!

I guess in Australia we end up paying a lot more for things... e.g. internet broadband, slower speeds and high prices!