Thread: Optics planet order cancelled

Ordered a Leupold VX1 from Optic Zone on Tuesday, no problem at all.

It's no wonder a lot of overseas retailers won't ship to NZ. With all the threads on sites like this telling everyone where overseas to buy a Loopy, Lowa boots, camping gear etc at less price than here; local importers complain to the manufacturer and Bob's your aunty. The older you get the more you learn to keep your trap shut when onto a good thing.

For what it's worth, I've found local prices for Leupold scopes competitive with the U.S. after freight, GST and custom charges have been added. Not the case with many other products though, unfortunately.

Originally Posted by 10-Ring

It's no wonder a lot of overseas retailers won't ship to NZ. With all the threads on sites like this telling everyone where overseas to buy a Loopy, Lowa boots, camping gear etc at less price than here; local importers complain to the manufacturer and Bob's your aunty. The older you get the more you learn to keep your trap shut when onto a good thing.

For what it's worth, I've found local prices for Leupold scopes competitive with the U.S. after freight, GST and custom charges have been added. Not the case with many other products though, unfortunately.

Wouldn't it be easier if local importers just stopped ripping us off?
Someone in the supply chain is making a shitload of money of New Zealanders, and I don't think it's the guy running the local hunting store.

Its ridiculous that the consumer than buy something from the states thats had a local sales tax, store mark up, extortionate shipping to NZ and gst when it lands and still save 25% on buying locally.

Even if you don't save much, it can still be better buying online as can often get a much better selection and easier to buy sometimes.
Half the time I import things just because the selection in NZ is so poor, its a pain in the arse when you struggle to find a single supplier here, and you look on Amazon and see 50 odd options online. I was trying to buy bits and pieces to make a rifle sling and some items that were widely available else where in the world just didn't exist here.

Originally Posted by Beetroot

Wouldn't it be easier if local importers just stopped ripping us off?

That's never going to happen with some. Not all are greedy though as many are just trying to make a reasonable margin for the time and effort they put into it. The buying power of local importers is miniscule and then they have freight, import duty, low turn over etc.

We have less choice and pay more - the downside of living in a low population country on the other side of the world to most manufacturer's whose products we use. Personally though, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world; been there, done that - no thank you.

And sometimes the local retailers just cant be arsed. A few years back I tried really hard to get a local shop to supply a 28 gauge shottie, this was before lead bans and a myriad of 20 gauge autos became popular and then 28 gauge autos became popular.
Their answer was " just shoot lighter loads in a 12 "

What pisses me off is that many retailers here don't have the item in stock but will source from the wholesaler and still want a big mark up with out the outlay.

I know what you mean tetawa. Bear in mind though that the retailer, if he is a small customer, is quite often under pressure to sell the product at the going rate so that the wholesaler's other customers don't hear about it, complain and demand that the wholesaler not supply the first retailer. Can the retailer rely on the customer to keep his mouth shut on a super good deal? Not likely judging by some of the fog horn types on this website and others.

Originally Posted by Beetroot

Wouldn't it be easier if local importers just stopped ripping us off?
Someone in the supply chain is making a shitload of money of New Zealanders, and I don't think it's the guy running the local hunting store.

Its ridiculous that the consumer than buy something from the states thats had a local sales tax, store mark up, extortionate shipping to NZ and gst when it lands and still save 25% on buying locally.

Even if you don't save much, it can still be better buying online as can often get a much better selection and easier to buy sometimes.
Half the time I import things just because the selection in NZ is so poor, its a pain in the arse when you struggle to find a single supplier here, and you look on Amazon and see 50 odd options online. I was trying to buy bits and pieces to make a rifle sling and some items that were widely available else where in the world just didn't exist here.

F#+k Amazon buy local retailers & the people working for them have to make a living to .

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

F#+k Amazon buy local retailers & the people working for them have to make a living to .

Not when some items like optics are 60% more here, even with shipping etc.

Originally Posted by 10-Ring

I know what you mean tetawa. Bear in mind though that the retailer, if he is a small customer, is quite often under pressure to sell the product at the going rate so that the wholesaler's other customers don't hear about it, complain and demand that the wholesaler not supply the first retailer. Can the retailer rely on the customer to keep his mouth shut on a super good deal? Not likely judging by some of the fog horn types on this website and others.

The crazy thing is Joe fron Joe bloggs gunstore could buy a scope from the USA at full retail, pay NZ duty and US duty, pay non bulk shipping price and still sell it in his shop for less the if he bought it from a NZ "wholesaler".

So where is the bulk parallel importing?

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Originally Posted by stretch

Not when some items like optics are 60% more here, even with shipping etc.

If you can get them so cheap why don't you start your own shop what would your prices be like ?
how much it costs to rent a shop in Auckland ? the whole country gets to hear all the winging from up there in jafa land about fucked roads that arnt big enough , you have to be a millionaire to buy a house so how does that work if everyone buys from overseas & puts no money back into the community ?

Originally Posted by Beetroot

The crazy thing is Joe fron Joe bloggs gunstore could buy a scope from the USA at full retail, pay NZ duty and US duty, pay non bulk shipping price and still sell it in his shop for less the if he bought it from a NZ "wholesaler".

You're probably right Beetroot.

The gun mad U.S.A. has a population of over 320 million; NZ has a population 4.5 million. NZ wholesalers can't compete against many huge retail stores and internet outlets in the U.S. who probably sell more of a specific brand of U.S. manufactured scope in one week than is sold in all of NZ in several years. Those large U.S. retail outlets probably work on a 5% or less profit margin. Many brick and mortar gun stores in the U.S. can't even compete.

No comparison can be had with the US, but per capita I bet we at least compete with the likes of some countries such as Australia.
And yet the pricing on say Nightforce, between here and there just takes the piss.
I'm all for supporting local businesses and their staff where possible, but it's also quite ok to see your own dollar go as far as possible.
Service however, can be a lot better overseas in my experience.
An example: using the local agent for replacement chronograph parts and waiting 6 months or something silly, got the shits and re-ordered them off the manufacturers website and had them ex the states inside a fortnight.

I used to work for a NZ distributor. We sold Lowrance units. The total weekly order from Bass Pro one basspro shop was more than our order for an entire year for all NZ.
I could buy one from them and ship it for less than our wholesale price BUT if it broke I had to ship it back to the US at my cost.
Given the consumer gurantees act you would be mad to import it yourself unless you were prepared to assume all the risk.
We used to hold a large stock of spares for units we sold too