Do we have "Mug" written on our foreheads??

  • Thread starter Thread starter KAL
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But you can get the same impeller for £16 from Johnson Pumps - just proves the "value" of that plastic bag and the magic name Yanmar.
Has that one got a keyway cut into it? The non keyway impellors are much cheaper, even from Yanmar. I assume because they are used by Johnson elsewhere.
 
I thought rip-off Britain was bad, until I became aware of prices in Spain and Greece. Britain is cheap, by comparison!

This must be one of the "benefits" that we hear about of being in the EU?

I need a door mirror for my Jeep (it folds electrically) : $105 from the US. : £205 in the UK.
Doesn't bother me as the supplying dealer is covering it.

I found that buying outboard parts (not just US makes) from the US is usually the same numeric value as sourcing in the UK ie: if it's £25 in the UK it's available for $25 in the US.
 
Importing goods from any country outside EU should attract the same duty and vat, it does for us. But there are lower limits for no duty, sometimes depending on the shipper or items not labelled as commercial things will slip through though.
 
This must be one of the "benefits" that we hear about of being in the EU?

I need a door mirror for my Jeep (it folds electrically) : $105 from the US. : £205 in the UK.
Doesn't bother me as the supplying dealer is covering it.

I found that buying outboard parts (not just US makes) from the US is usually the same numeric value as sourcing in the UK ie: if it's £25 in the UK it's available for $25 in the US.

I've found a very similar correlation - but by the time transport, duty and VAT have been added the prices are closer to EU prices. The answer is to have relatives in the States (personal imports of small parts).
Generally German internet chandlers are less expensive, less likely to charge in advance and far more reliable than those in the UK.
That's a definite benefit of being in the EU, though after Clegg's limp-wristed defence it's likely we Brits will insist on cutting off our noses with a blunt table-knife.
 
Years ago we had exactly the same problem getting mainframe computer parts from the USA. A friend said 'It is because they think we are little and stupid and we act like we are. ' $=£. Thank goodness for the internet. At least we can see the detail of the rip offs.
 
I quickly read your post and thought it was about Yanmar from whom their water pump impellor, bought in the UK, has risen to £45 or 3 times what it costs in the USA. I asked the very pleasant lady selling it if Yanmar were having a laugh. What can you do? Well, if I re-engine it won't be Yanmar.

When I needed a new head for my 1GM10 they were £450 in the UK, $300 in the US and €650 in Holland. The worst comparison I found was a 1GM10 exhaust valve: £24 or $10.
 
The US obviously offers many opportunities to save a buck or two but it’s not even necessary to go that far. Last week I needed to buy a replacement Aqua Signal 40 masthead tricolor/anchor light. Tried a number of sources in the UK and was quoted prices ranging from 122.99 to 154.60. As I’m living in Germany at the moment I tried two local chandlers. Both quoted me the equivalent of 103.89 in sterling.
 
To be fair, though when it is my cash I am not that keen on being fair, many of the overheads in a spares supply operation are substantially lower than the EU. Land is cheap and labour rates in some areas are consistently low by our standards. Also many taxes are lower too so many aspects of doing business are in the US favour. Equally the size and uniformity of the market help a lot too. Some companies are trying to build EU wide businesses but language and currency differences mitigate against this working as well as in the uS

EQUALLY on my travels in the US I often found that EU manufactured products were charged at premium prices there. I used to buy a lot of boaty stuff there during business trips and also always found the West Marine service for low value items to be good.

As for import duty it of coourse does not apply within the EU but does apply for any other imports. Whether you get charged or not depends partly on how honest your supplier is on his customs declaration, and how vigilant the carrier is. Remember the carrier usually pays the duty for you so depends on you coughing up to break even.

Finally because of tax legislation many companies do not offer the same discounts to company owned subsidiaries as they do to major distributors. I ran into this problem in one company I worked for where is was cheaper to buy components from distributors than the other division of my own company which made the part.

Mind you it is also a reality that many companies supply hardware at very low margins and make their profit from inflated spares prices.
 
The US obviously offers many opportunities to save a buck or two but it’s not even necessary to go that far. Last week I needed to buy a replacement Aqua Signal 40 masthead tricolor/anchor light. Tried a number of sources in the UK and was quoted prices ranging from 122.99 to 154.60. As I’m living in Germany at the moment I tried two local chandlers. Both quoted me the equivalent of 103.89 in sterling.
The part I needed was £100 cheaper from Yamaha Europe than Yam UK. However, that is as nothing, compared with the £450 saving I made by buying it in the US, shipping it over by priority air mail, paying the import tax and the clearance fee charged by parcelforce.

How can they possibly justify such an extreme difference in price? I don't think they can...

Important to note once again, this is a genuine branded OEM part, not an aftermarket copy.
 
saving I made by buying it in the US, shipping it over by priority air mail, paying the import tax and the clearance fee charged by parcelforce.

Your post reminded me that eBay sellers in the US generally won't post to Australia for some reason and if they do the cost of postage is enormous (and can sometimes exceed the value of the item). For example a Rule Bilge Pump cost $A47 postage $A60
 
Of course we have mug written over our UK foreheads.
Otherwise japaneses and Korean cars made in the UK wouldn't be selling new in oz for several thousand or more pounds less than the UK.
Similarly zf gearbox spares from a German company wouldn't sell at half the price in the us.
Then there are computers and electronics - half the price in us for ssb radio.
Finally there is fuel which I am told in Dubai is about 20 p a litre whereas throughout Europe oz and nz its about 70 p a litre!
 
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