Guest Carsnboats Posted November 26, 2002 I am a UK Modeller, and am finding it cheaper to pay large shipping bills from Australia than buy stuff over the counter in the UK. If I can get it cheaper why can't others. I have recently been offered a Bodyset, that costs £42.99 in the UK, for AUS$20. Even with a AUS$50 shipping charge it is cheaper than buying it over here. It is crazy, I intend to start buying from Model Shops Stateside and in Australia. Sorry if it causes a decline in UK model shops, but most only want to sell you the latest Losi or Associated offering, with a KO Propo £350 Radio Combo and equally expensive digital Speed Controls. that killed the fun in Racing for me.[!] I intend to start racing next year again, using my Tamiya Saloons I have bought. I am using 2000Mah Nicad packs I buy for £9 each. A cheap Mtroniks Vision Motor and manual speed controls. I will get laughed at by the "Loads of dosh" characters[] but I will have fun with my racing[] (Steps off soapbox) well that is my rant over with. But something has to be done about the rip off price culture in the UK. I haven't been in a dixons store since july 2001 and refuse to pay their excessive prices for software and computer consumables. Does any one else feel the same about model shop prices[?] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bibbo 3 Posted November 26, 2002 I would agree about the attitude in England. It's not just in model shops either. It's a general thing that people just want to get as much money out of you as possible. They don't care about the quality of anything, only how much they will make from it. The problem with that is that if one person does then all people have to do it to survive. I am English but live in Belgium. One of the reasons I live here is because I hate the attitude of 90% of the british people I come accross. You will find that most things you buy in UK are more expensive than elsewhere, and you get a bad attitude as you hand over your money!![] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TWO STAR 0 Posted November 26, 2002 hey you guys should buy from b.c. canada hobby shops-WHY?-because the canadian dollar just sucks....the u.k. currency will go a long way here,if you have a cool million,you probably could buy a country!.... ha ha ha chuckle.....I hear ya on the attitude though,i think peole in hobby shops are tired of all the questions.when you turn your hobby into your business its tough....I recently went out to a local hobby shop out here,ready with $30000 cash in hand to buy some radio gear,the dude gave me so much attitude,i showed him the bucks,his eyes nearly poped out,and i said i guess ill go somewhere else.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jacolouw 6 Posted November 26, 2002 And I thought I was only here In South Africa the case. We have alot of HS but 3 companies with BIG BUCKS behind them got all the import contracts and dealerships for really anything and everythig of value in R/C. Its splitted between then e.g only 1 of the companies import and supplies all the HS's of HPI products. And these Guys set their prices at what they want - SKY HIGH!! To give an example I bought 4 P2K2 Pros from TowerH and paid With shipping and import duties to South Africa $140. Thats about $35 or in Sout African Currency R350. The same motor sell at the LHS for R720 or about $72!!!!! A friend of mine has a shop near to me and we had a chat about the prices of the stuff. His COST for the motors from the distrubuters are almost $50. Now if THobbies makes a profit on selling the motors for about $29 to us out there and this supplier in SA orders about 1000 of the motors at once (mass discount) what must the profit be viewed from the supplier plus the LHS be to the customer. And that is but one eg.. Jakes[!] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanielSchenstrom 0 Posted November 26, 2002 I just discovered rainbow ten, the japanese store with english pages, and compared to them, prices for most items are the double of what I pay here in Sweden. Batteries, controllers and the kits themselves are just slightly lower in places but all spare parts are at half price. It's almost E-b..that auction site we all know and love. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stulec52 50 Posted November 27, 2002 I agree with most of the points raised here, I have also bought ( and sold) all over the world. But if we don't all buy at least some things locally then what happens to our hobby??? What'll happen is that all the local stores will be put out of business, and we will only be able to buy from one or two sources, who will then of course raise their prices! I hope it never comes to that, I would miss the chat from the guys at the local stores, that's one of the reasons I go in there, and I always end up spending some money !!! It also has a lot to do with exchange rates, as I'm sure you have all found. Also I too hate the win races at any cost brigade, I buy second hand stuff for the most part, and enjoy my racing at a level I feel comfortable at. Hey I need all my spare cash for more oldies !!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJTheo 2 Posted November 27, 2002 I agree local stores must remain, for many reasons like you named below but diagree in a few arguments... quote:What'll happen is that all the local stores will be put out of business, and we will only be able to buy from one or two sources, who will then of course raise their prices! id="quote">id="quote"> This won't happen, because soon some new shops would open which would sell cheaper and gain the market, noone can hold them back to do that... quote:It also has a lot to do with exchange rates, as I'm sure you have all found. id="quote">id="quote"> I hear often about the exchange rate and I don't get it, doesn't the importer use the same exchange rate you use to compare prices? This only could be partially true for countries with high inflation, where the local currency depreciates fast and the importer starts with high prices, to be able to keep them contant without losses for a year or so, but we are talking here about UK Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Igottamiya 0 Posted November 27, 2002 Must disagree with the "Lets Rip of Britain" attitude. Things are way to expensive in the UK. Hobby shops are a nightmare. I started off in this hobby purchasing some Kyosho RC bikes in the UK. They ended up costing me a small fortune (including Kyosho hopups). A classic example is the TAO4 Modena: I've got two one cost me £155 (UK purchased) and the other was £100 (from Canada). UK prices for this are £160, or thereabouts. I must also agree with supporting the local hobby shop. That's why I always buy the electronics, and building/painting materials from them. For everything else they just tend to be way too expensive. Riz Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
J3cubfan 0 Posted November 27, 2002 I think boils down to simple Economics. The shop owners who have the high prices are looking for people who are seasonal or new to the hobby. For instance, there are several hobbyshops that are within large shopping malls that attract all kinds of people. The prices are outrageous. Anyone who has been in the hobby for any amount of time is resourcefull enough to go where the deals are. The gentleman who owns the hobbyshop that I frequent doesn't even carry Tamiya R/C. He said that he can sell them and no one wants to buy them. He about fell off his rocker, when I ordered my Blitzer Beetle from him. There are somethings that I will go to him for and others not. I'll buy all of my kits and parts on Ebay and from other folks. Radios, batteries, and paint or anything else, I'll purchase from him. Anyway the point is this a world of economics and you have to ask yourself this question. Are you going to pay more for the convenience of the LHS or are you going to find the best deal overseas and elsewhere? Anyway just my $.02 worth. John quote: Originally posted by stulec52 I agree with most of the points raised here, I have also bought ( and sold) all over the world. But if we don't all buy at least some things locally then what happens to our hobby??? What'll happen is that all the local stores will be put out of business, and we will only be able to buy from one or two sources, who will then of course raise their prices! I hope it never comes to that, I would miss the chat from the guys at the local stores, that's one of the reasons I go in there, and I always end up spending some money !!! id="quote">id="quote"> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jacolouw 6 Posted November 27, 2002 While mentioning exchange rates. Our local currency ZAR/R/rand took a dive sometinme in the year but is recovering excellently. The importers here when the Rand dived, upped all prices - Quite normal BUT!!! when the Rand recovered no lowering of prices. This happend quite a few times and EVERYTIME the prices just gets increased ( due to bad exchange rates) but never lowered when the rand betters agains the us$ hmmm Jakes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanielSchenstrom 0 Posted November 27, 2002 Well, "fortunately" I dont have a LHS so I can order from anywhere guilt free. However I'd rather buy from someone face to face and in store since that makes it less of a hassle should something be wrong with a product, also a LHS is usually a great place to make friends with similar interests on a more local level. My policy now is that I will buy within my country if the price is not more than twice of the price abroad. A lower price than half and I will tolerate any extra hassle that may come from it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bibbo 3 Posted November 27, 2002 I think most people would agree that it's nice to go to a shop and get to know people, help the local community, or just because you find it nicer or more convenient. I think that it's difficult to generalise about it though because everyone has different experiences. A local shop where the people are helpful and interested is always going to get support, most people would realise that the shop has to charge more because it has overheads to cover and the guys are trying to make a living and not run a charity. I also think the opposite is true. That if the shop has a bad attitude and just charges a lot for kits and parts then it will not get the support of the people. It really comes down to luck. The attitude I spoke of in UK was not just about hobby shops. I find it is a general attitude. For example my brother is coming here to Belgium for a few days. He will fly and has to get the train to the airport. It costs £13 for a 45 minute journey. It's more during commuting hours!! Why?. Here in Belgium the train to the airport is a 55 minute journey and costs £3 at all times. Tell me why that is? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mooplea 0 Posted November 27, 2002 Why is the mtroniks mcubed electronic speed controller £160 in this country (UK) and about £80 from hong kong... and guess what, its made about 10 miles from here.. makes me laugh anyway!. jimy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1814 Posted November 27, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Kendalboatsman I have recently been offered a Bodyset, that costs £42.99 in the UK, for AUS$20. id="quote">id="quote"> TWENTY BUCKS??! Where???! [] All the LHS around my end have got A$80-85 on their current-release Tamiya touringcar bodysets. [] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aaronmihe(2) 0 Posted November 27, 2002 Jumps into the queue behind Willy - Me too! $20AU bodykits *drools* Aaron Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raemin 0 Posted November 27, 2002 Concerning price differences accros countries, I remember my avante cost 3500FF ($600). I believe they made a profitable margin on these back then. Raoul Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1814 Posted November 27, 2002 quote: Originally posted by raemin Concerning price differences accros countries, I remember my avante cost 3500FF ($600). I believe they made a profitable margin on these back then. id="quote">id="quote"> I was in Malaysia when the Avante debuted, the new price there was RM1000. This was equivalent then of 1 month's salary in a good office job. In like-for-like comparison, the stablemate Boomerang was under RM300, Hotshot tyres were about RM25/pr and Tamiya acrylic bottle 23cc paints were RM5.50. Stick 2ch radio set was about RM250. For RM3 one could get a very good lunch! [] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Carsnboats Posted November 28, 2002 quote: Originally posted by WillyChang TWENTY BUCKS??! Where???! [] id="quote">id="quote"> OOps my mistake [:I] it was US$20 and it was a private sale via the tamiya club. Not in box but includes shell, stickers and plastic parts. Including Airmail from Australia it cost me £23.75. That is US$36 I am awaiting a postage quote from japan for a genuine bodyset costing £19. It is £33 over here. That was from Rainbow Ten Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Carsnboats Posted November 28, 2002 Last year I moved to Birmingham from a small Town in the lake district. I thought "Great! now I can get my modelling bits no problem" Birmingham being Englands second city. However R/C model shops are few and far between.<p> My Local store is staffed by a bunch of arrogant Gits. I was in there when a young lad went in with his dad to buy some bits to sort out a model boat they had bought. They said it was noisy, at first the staff didn't want to know then they peered inside and sneered. Apparently the propshaft was out of alignment. But the way they spoke to the lad and his dad was disgraceful.<p> I haven't been in to that model shop since. Oh, it is a reasonably well known one as well. Not a chain though. No it isn't in Kingstanding! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya UK 1 Posted November 29, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Mooplea Why is the mtroniks mcubed electronic speed controller £160 in this country (UK) and about £80 from hong kong... and guess what, its made about 10 miles from here.. makes me laugh anyway!. jimy id="quote">id="quote"> and to make it worse, I can tell you for a fact that they cost less than £1 to make, no lie. Thats the reason why Mike Merrick is drivng around in a new Ferrari. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1814 Posted November 29, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Tamiya UK and to make it worse, I can tell you for a fact that they cost less than £1 to make, no lie. Thats the reason why Mike Merrick is drivng around in a new Ferrari. id="quote">id="quote"> Oh c'mon... using that logic, you'll never buy software again! Say: One retail package of MS Office... stamp a few CDs, print a fancy certificate - a lot less skill than making a high-tech ESC. [8D] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
