Chandlery Prices - How to save money.

Concerto said:
In July my old Autohelm 2000 finally gave up the will to work. After checking the Raymarine site I found the equivalent replacement was not considered powerful enough for the weight of my Fulmar, but they receommended the Evolution 100 tiller. The recommended price was £1500, but several chandlers in the UK quoted £1250. After a lot of research I did try a German chandler, but was pointed to a Swedish chandler, www.hjertmans.se. Their website was only available in Swedish, but Google translate did a good job get to read their web site.
https://translate.google.co.uk/tran...oter/raymarine-rorkultspilot-ev-100&sandbox=1
They had a special offer of SEK11490 (still available today) which with shipping came to £968 (but even cheaper today due to a drop in the exchange rate).

Just before it was delivered I found a UK special offer of £1099, so I was still £133 or 12% better off. What is surprising was how easy it was to buy it from abroad despite none of the discount chandlers from abroad appearing in any Google search.

Before I bought I did check out that Sweden was a member of the EU, the price included VAT (at 25%, not the UK 20%) and the guarantee was still valid (it is world wide and it does not matter where a unit was bought or fitted). It still begs the question that Raymarine have a price structure that is higher in the UK than on the continent, possibly due to not altering the exchange rates as all stock for the UK comes from Belgium.
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Agreed. Saved over £50 on a new TP22 tiller pilot despite paying £50 in carriage costs from Sweden.
 
Scubadoo said:
When I clicked on this link, it showed the customer details for simon including previous orders and email address, a bit concerning!
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Mistroma sent me a PM saying exactly the same and wondered if it was me.

It's not, so I don't know what's going on there.

Edit: Just clicked the link and it gives a name (not me) and full details.

SVB need telling!
 
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This right here: token=bd4036c8f8e33eff8b607838921a2e41 is whats going on.
Direct link for clients to see order.
 
Just done the same, and then clicked logout, which will hopefully save SVB and Simon from any immediate issues. Still, its a pretty carp system that allows that to happen.
 
Still, its a pretty carp system that allows that to happen.
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Yup. Just sent them an email with a screen grab.

Edit again.

If you go to

www.svb.de

and click the Union Jack logo bottom right does anyone else get something similar to the original link I posted - cos I still do with something in the cart.
(https://www.svb24.com/?token=3c8066edce728d74b4239def6311078f&lang=en this time). Click cart and get the 'order' details. Asked to log in now when I click proceed to checkout though (thanks adwuk).
 
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Actually its not, its pretty standard.

Clients want to be able to see an order without logging in and all that gubbins (in their eyes) so developers often provide a neutered access with minimal information.

Its unfortunate that a link has been made public, but its definitely not unusual for a hash to be used as an identifier.
 
Online chandleries are a great way to save money. They have also put my local chandler out of business, so when I need something in a hurry I will either have to drive two hundred miles or wait for the post. Compared to that inconvenience, saving a few quid seems like a rather hollow victory.
 
JumbleDuck said:
Online chandleries are a great way to save money. They have also put my local chandler out of business, so when I need something in a hurry I will either have to drive two hundred miles or wait for the post. Compared to that inconvenience, saving a few quid seems like a rather hollow victory.
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If you are buying a big ticket item, big is relative, you might spend some time researching and then considering - consequently when you make the decision a stg50 saving (everything else being equal) must make sense - and you buy mail order. If you are buying stainless nuts and bolts, tubing, epoxy, sealant, oil and fuel filters, lifejackets, and a host of other bits and pieces you can buy them in a hardware store, specialist stainless retailer, fishing tackle shop - what items do chandlers stock that you need immediately, would not plan and buy mail order - and thus support their continued existence.

I've lost touch with the UK retail scene, but inflatables, outboards are sold here by specialist stores, much marine stuff is sold by chain retailers who also sell say camping and fishing gear; kayaks (fishing tackle shops), antifoul I can buy from a boatyard, anchor chain and shackles I can buy from a lifting equipment retailer (and buy cheaper than the chandler). I can buy electronics from installers (or mail order). So if chandlers disappeared, in their current guise as 'marine corner shops' - what would be difficult to source?

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
I'm with Norman, why is there to be any guilt at not supporting a local chandler - when the local chandler is effectively milking the local customer base.
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That's absolutely fine as long as you don't moan when you need a shackle or a length of rope and there isn't a local chandler any more.
 
Think ahead! Where I am the local chandleries can't compete with online. One in particular has an electronics manager who doesn't know shite and proudly told me he wasn't sure of his his facts because " it was all moving so fast" when I asked him some fairly basic questions about £4k's worth of new nav equipment. An email to the manufacturer gave me the answers within 12 hrs.
However -- a very small local chandler sells stainless steel fastenings by the Kg, fittings at competitive prices and all the things that you may want if you haven't planned the job or have been caught out.
Chandleries need to get back to basics and stop selling fashion items and high end expensive gear. I can get top brand wet weather gear from the Internet or TK Max at a fraction of the price of any chandlery and planning ahead, most online suppliers deliver within two days anyway.
Another example, blocked bog pipe in Salcombe this summer. Chandlery - "not stocked get it within the week" Online, good price and free next day delivery to the Harbour Office.
 
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reeac said:
Wouldn't a strong pound make imports cheaper? (In theory).
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Yes, if bought from abroad as OP has done as an individual. But British wholesalers and manufacturers price to the level of the £ and the chandleries add their cut. So we are ripped off!
 
Kurrawong_Kid said:
Yes, if bought from abroad as OP has done as an individual. But British wholesalers and manufacturers price to the level of the £ and the chandleries add their cut. So we are ripped off!
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Glad you agree that it is the UK manufacturers and wholesalers who are pushing the prices up.

The chandlers have to put their % on so it's not their fault were are being ripped off.
 
You can save a bit on Plastimo stuff by ordering from a caravan shop rather than a chandlers. Usually have to wait for it to be ordered, but if you're intent on putting chandlers out of business, there's another option.

I find most shops are hopeless these days (although I recently visited a local motorcycle clothes shop that was awesome) and most annoyingly prefer to direct you to their online section so you can have it sent to you 'within a week'. Basically they are saying, 'go buy it somewhere else'. Personal service and knowledge of their stock is where a good shop wins out over an online distributer, but it's rare to find.
 
Hadenough said:
Think ahead!
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That's ok if you know what you want and in advance - no good if you don't know exactly what you want or it's an "emergency" purchase.

Take an example - I removed a gas grill from my van and needed to cap off the supply - the cap isn't a part that I could identify easily - so I trawled around the various motorhome and chandleries to find something suitable.
I have to report that Sea Teach in Emsworth were absolute stars - whilst they can't advise on gas fittings, they did their best to find something suitable for me ...
that's why we need shops that know their products - be that a chandlery or general hardware store ....
 
Being one of the most expensive countires in the EU (world?), Denmark has developed a true generation of shop-around-the-web people.

We generally check domestic + Swedish + German + UK sites before pushing the button. For unimportant stuff below customs threshold we may even check China et al.
At the end of the day it's a matter of making up your mind on prices, proximity and piece of mind by being covered by 'local' legislation.
 
ronsurf said:
The trouble is when a large chain store chandlery moves into town with low prices and ignorant staff that puts the helpful chandlers out of business.
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The "large chain store chandlery" took over my useless local one, which means it now actually stocks the items I want to buy and has friendly knowledgeable staff.

Pete
 
ronsurf said:
The trouble is when a large chain store chandlery moves into town with low prices and ignorant staff that puts the helpful chandlers out of business.
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I don't think it necessarily has to be one or the other.
Where I live, we have seen over the last years a couple of chandlery chains expanding, opening new stores or taking over independent businesses. Being chains, they can also run webshops efficiently. Prices are the same OTC or online and competition between them is tough = good prices (as Concerto found).
As they are apparently profitable, they can also afford to hire knowledgeable staff, at least to some extent.
 
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