OK, we've been there before but ...

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NPMR

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OK, we\'ve been there before but ...

New water pump for Yanmar 1GM10 in the UK, about £180.

Readily available in the US (I've ordered one) $160 or about half price!

Same with the exhaust manifold last year.

Is it not time that some sort of combined effort was attempted to sort out UK pricing in our market place?

Is this an RYA issue? Or for an MP somewhere? Trading Standards?

I took my business elsewhere, so the UK retailer is the loser. If they'd put the price at say £99 I would have bought it from the UK but nearly double the cost is taking the biscuit, surely?

Am I alone in feeling that, surely, something could be done?

Or is everybody too wealthy or apathetic to care?
 
Re: OK, we\'ve been there before but ...

I couldn't agree more what used to really pee me off was Raymarine equipment when it was manufactured in the UK exported to the States and was still available at dollar equivalent or less and I am sure the Americans were making a profit! In a so called global economy something should be done but what and how I am at a loss You are probably right about apathy and no one is going to fight the corner of what is percieved to be a wealthy minority. As a last point I was probably being unfair to Raymarine in singling them out it is all manufacturers and just another example of the British "Rip Off" economy and our taxation system. Rant over
 
Parts from USA

If one buys low-value items by mail order from the US, do customs charge duty and/or VAT? How about used goods? Anyone know?
 
Re: Parts from USA

Yes

You pay duty and VAT

Not absolutely sure but I think you pay VAT on the duty.

Which I always consider no better than theft, how does adding duty add value? all it adds is cost.
 
Re: Parts from USA

Last time I checked, last year, import duty on 'metal goods' was 2.5%, so b*gg*r all. VAT is VAT so even when I add import duty and VAT and two lots of US delivery prices, it's still cheaper.

Barrus, the importer in this case, charge what they like - they changed the price last time I remonstarted hard, but that was just on the ONE part. The rest still have the same level of mark-up.

I understand all markets have different mark-ups, based on the local cost and their industry costs. But surely UK costs are not more than double those in the USA?

From the low level of response to this thought, I feel that the general feeling is of apathy and that fellow forumites are actually not that fussed.

Am I right?
 
Re: Parts from USA

This is not just a boaty issue, nor is it recent. As far back as I can remember (OK so I don't have a brilliant memory!) US stuff is xx$ and same stuff in UK is £xx. Remember Ladyline? US swindlery with UK branches in the late 70's early 80's - that's when I first noticed it - but at least much of their gear was actually imported from US.
 
Re: Parts from USA

I don't see a problem with this at all. Start at the top of the tree, businesses in this country face huge costs before they sell anything. Firstly there are huge rents and rates, then there are the huge wages, holidays (two weeks average in the US), maternity pay, paternity pay, general employment rights. These represent real costs that either don't exist in the US or are a fraction of the UK figures. Running a distribution business in the UK is not for the feint hearted, I run two businesses and in one banking costs alone run to almost 5% of turnover.

In the end it is not a problem, as our whole economy works differently our housing costs are a greater proportion of our income, our medical costs are nothing, our education costs (unless you go private) are nothing, income taxes and indirect taxes are huge. Take the US and medical bills are a real problem and so are local property taxes, but motoring costs are nothing.

The main problem here in the inequity of the way taxes are raised, why should small groups of people be singled out to pay for services that everyone enjoys for example house owners with rates, drivers in London and overstaying parkers, speeders or for that matter motorists in general, people who die, or those saving for a pension.

What kind on nonsense is it that retired people who have little or very low income are asked to pay huge rates are then forced to take a means test to reclaim relief. If Local authorities were funded by central government we could abolish rates altogether, that would mean we would not need the thousands of people who value houses, collect rates, administer the accounts, chase the transient and prosecute non-payers. In fact it gets better the more people we free up from local government the fewer immigrants we will need to fill our skill shortages and the lower our taxes. Smaller government means lower taxes and more disposable income to spend on the biggest yacht we can afford. This governement is only interested in the overall size of the economy not the GDP per head. To increase the GDP per head we need fewer people living here not more. I want quality of life, I am not at all interested in beng the 4th or 10th largest world economy.

Time for a beer
 
Re: Parts from USA

[ QUOTE ]
If Local authorities were funded by central government we could abolish rates altogether

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you are referring to the "council tax" which explains why it is not totally financed from central government. Each council sets its own rate of tax, and this means to a certain extent they can spend it how they see fit. With central government money comes central government instructions on how it should be spent which in many places, Cornwall in particular, does not go down well.
 
Re: OK, we\'ve been there before but ...

So even if the problem is with Yanmar rather than the retailer, just watch Yanmar change their policy if their sales in the UK fell through the floor.

You could argue that they get the sales even if the parts are ordered from the US or anywhere else for that matter. But if they are setting the policy, you can guarentee they get more profit out of the UK. No-one's going to charge a UK retailer the same as a US one when the UK one sells for more.

The problem is of course that they will protect their distibutors. If any disti in the US started shipping masses to the UK and Yanmar found out, the disti could lose the francise.

It's the age old problem we see all the time. Suppliers charge whatever the market will stand because they can. Some will drop a bit below in an effort to get more market share. It's pretty simple stuff really. Market traders do it because it makes sense. MBAs do it because someone gave them a few big words to describe it.

How many people here run their own businesses and do exactly the same?
 
Re: OK, we\'ve been there before but ...

[ QUOTE ]


It's the age old problem we see all the time. Suppliers charge whatever the market will stand because they can. Some will drop a bit below in an effort to get more market share. It's pretty simple stuff really. Market traders do it because it makes sense. MBAs do it because someone gave them a few big words to describe it.


[/ QUOTE ]

I guess, as an MBA, I'd call it the free market economy working effectively or competitive pricing. Er ,I'm not being paid for this so I'll shut up /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Fundementally, woosle has hit the nail on the head and personally, I'm not in favour of doing anything other than taking advatange of the lowest price when circumstances dictate that the lowest price is the best way to go.
 
Re: Parts from USA

[ QUOTE ]

... why should small groups of people be singled out to pay for services ... people who die ...

[/ QUOTE ]

quite a large group of people there!
 
Re: OK, we\'ve been there before but ...

yanmar are getting some stick here and rightly so but the problem isnt just with them .Volvo know how to turn the thumbscrews when you need bits,probably all the manufacturers are at it.

I think in Britain we have been ripped off for so long that we just expect it now.
 
Re: OK, we\'ve been there before but ...

OK.... so a more structured approach to the problem....

How about we define a standard 'basket' of marine spares, and add-ons, of perhaps 20 or 30 items, and then price them up with the best offers we can find in the US and UK markets, and see how they differ.....

Might even make an interesting article for a magazine....

As a starter for 10, I would suggest:

Impellor for the 3 most common engines
Pear anode
Entry level plotter (say Lowrance 3500)
High end plotter (say Raymarine E120)
Danbuoy
Handheld VHF (Standard Horizon model?)
DSC fixed VHF (Icom model?)
10mm Braided Polyester rope
Standard sized paper chart
Replacement mast head bulb

Any others?
 
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