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The Bar For non Automotive Related Chat |
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#1 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,889
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The more paranoid of us always worried this day would come, and I swear that in some areas it already has...
We've fallen for the trap of buying cheap Chinese stuff, because it was , well, cheap. (I know I certainly have.) Local producers, manufacturers, retailers, etc, have slowly been put out of business. Products that were available from dozens of stores or even "factory direct" are now only found in the massive chain retailers who ship it in by the boat-load. Now this mightn't be so bad if we were all still getting to benefit from the cheap prices. But alarmingly what I see now in many cases is the prices of Chinese rubbish rocketing back up to what we used to pay for QUALITY local stuff. It seems that in the absence of stiff local competition, somebody somewhere is ripping us off. |
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#2 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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For me when buying an item it is all about convince.
If I can go to a shop and I can be in and out, I will buy it. I do not care where it was made or produced. Even on big purchasers like my TV. I went to Harvey Norman chose the one I wanted and paid for it. Most items I buy these days aren’t cheap small stuff so I am not worried about cheap Chinese brands. The problem is everyone wants everything for stuff all and China seen a market for this. |
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#3 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,318
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When I can, I try to support the small business man. Its almost a challenge in itself just to find them let alone justify paying a little extra. But I prefer to spread my business around rather than run to the first franchise. Everyone`s circumstances are different whether it be financial, location, 6 kids, time factor etc.
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#4 | ||
Mr Polish
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Across the road from Speedway City
Posts: 1,977
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I don't go anywhere near retailers or Chinese product. Sadly the masses were the ones who started demanding cheap, I'm a quality buyer and get most things manufacturer direct or through wholesale distributors not the big retailers.
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#5 | ||
Cranky old bastard
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 9,393
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I got a camera recently and did a bit of price matching. It is hard to beat grey items (on quality items) just for the sake of a twelve month warranty which probably will never be needed. I think the retailers here have not done themselves any favours.
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#6 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,699
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It's a shame the retaliers were too greedy. Mark ups of over 400% were not uncommon, now if it was 10% after expenses/overheads etc then maybe I would feel some sympathy for Gerry Harvey. Everyone would've been happier too, as it's more convenient than the internet, however was unregulated... until the internet came along.
It's not restricted to only chinese rubbish, quality oem parts are simply cheaper online than in stores, it's the exact same part. An Apple iphone charger is $30-$40 from jb without the cable, I can still get it from ebay (that's genuine apple/oem not chinese rubbish) for $16. Nuff said ![]()
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EB II 1992 Fairmont - koni reds, wade 977b, 2.5inch/4480's and much more to come! |
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#7 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,699
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I don't think it's got anything to do with being restricted to cheap chinese crap or selling out australian business (more so Gerry Harvey and his friends trying to scare negativity and pessimism into us consumers to retain their archaic monopoly. It's simply spreading fear/propaganda onto consumers, ie the false image they paint of every online seller being some shady offshore blackmarket..
http://www.allansbillyhyde.com.au/pr...cts_Pedal.aspx http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Boss-DD20...item27e6a472cd Here's how it actually is in the real world so please don't buy into Gerry Harvey's bs. Same product, same warranty, both local, over 30% off!!! The only problem in the market these days is fairness.. well as far as Gerry Harvey is concerned.
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EB II 1992 Fairmont - koni reds, wade 977b, 2.5inch/4480's and much more to come! Last edited by ILLaViTaR; 02-07-2014 at 01:42 PM. |
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#8 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,193
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Gee Crazy Dazz, under what rock have you been living?
We've been at a point of no return on this issue for a decade. |
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#9 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 2,252
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And Im pretty sure nobody woke up one morning and decided to only want cheap stuff, the bargain has always been sought but the definition of bargain has changed with the times!
the downward pressure on prices due to consumer pressure and competition and the upward demand on profit by shareholders was aleviated by retailers purchasing product cheaper from OS, with greater margins, even after shipping, than procuring it locally. Or the local suppliers feelingt he pressure needed to produce the item cheaper so if the quality wasn't important they would import an alternate cheap product already being made, If quality was important then they would manufacture themselves or have manufactured under licenses etc offshore to a higher standard but still lower cost. a problem that has been growing for a long time, and many are only becoming aware of it as a problem when the **** hits the fan. JP |
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#10 | |||
Critical Thinker
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 20,324
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Quote:
All in the name of making profit even if the quality was in question.
__________________
"the greatest trick the devil pulled, is convincing the world he doesn't exist" 2022 Mazda CX5 GTSP Turbo 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 1967 XR FALCON 500 Cars previously owned: 2021 Subaru Outback Sport 2018 Subaru XV-S 2012 Subaru Forester X 2007 Subaru Liberty GT 2001 AU2 75th Anniversary Futura 2001 Subaru GX wagon 1991 EB XR8 1977 XC Fairmont 1990 EA S Pak 1984 XE S Pak 1982 ZJ Fairlane 1983 XE Fairmont 1989 EA Falcon 1984 Datsun Bluebird Wagon 1975 Honda Civic |
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#11 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 2,252
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#12 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 1,601
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retailers don't price goods based on what they cost plus x margin. They price them at what the market will pay. Once consumer items get so cheap, then the customers expectations change markedly, ie-if I pay $7 for a white tee shirt, I don't care if it lasts a season, I can afford to chuck it out and buy another.
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____________________ 2019 LDV G10 2009 Mitsubishi Express-GONE 2011 Honda Jazz ____________________ |
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#13 | |||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,030
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Quote:
I specifically sourced out American Apparel T-shirts because they were made in the USA instead of some 3rd world hole like Bangladesh, and they were still poor quality and thin. |
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#14 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,889
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Quote:
Time was you paid a proportionate cost for a quality product, but we were happy to accept rubbish in return for cheap prices. Now, ALL that's available is rubbish, but it aint cheap anymore. I'm buying some basic cupboards for loft storage. Time was you could get these from dozens of retailers and many "factory direct" cabinet makers around Perth. They were always basic, melamine and laminated chipboard or MDF, but they were reasonably sturdy and did the job. Now days your choice is IKEA or Bunnings, they are ridiculously expensive and lousy chinese rubbish. I'm actually paying a small premium ABOVE their prices to get something locally made, but even he has to use crappy Asian board because the local manufacturers have gone out of business. And again, if it was a case of "Comparative Advantage," we make X becuase we're good at it, and you make Y because you're cheaper, then fine. But its not. Their stuff is rubbish, and somebody somewhere is making one hell of a mark up. Bunnings just opened a stupendously ginormous warehouse in Joondalup. The last one they had was already twice as big as it needed to be, but then Masters built one, so they had to build one even bigger. And who pays for this lunacy? We do with their huge markups. Furniture generally is something that really cheeses me off. In the not too distant past, you could get; Low quality melamine and veneer from places like "Furniture Spot" & K-Mart. It was poor quality, looked terrible, and didn't last, but it was CHEAP. Cheap furniture from Indonesia that had been made with an Axe and looked like it, Reasonable quality Pine Furniture at a reasonable price, or Decent quality furniture for which you paid commensurately. Now it is mostly expensive, yet rubbish, unless you go for the uber-expensive high-end stuff. I have always been happy to PAY for stuff that lasts. Now it seems that furniture is practically a consumable.
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2024
Time to Make the Hippies Cry Again Last edited by Crazy Dazz; 03-07-2014 at 06:15 AM. |
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#15 | |||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,030
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Quote:
Next time I'm getting them from Diggers or a nursery. Even their tools, the best hand tools they seem to sell are only Sidcrome (which are crap anyway) and Kincrome, they don't have Gearwrench or SP Tools. I've got two Sidcrome ratchets and I was reminded how crappy they are, especially the 1/4 inch one, every day. My great grandma had more teeth than that ratchet. Or power tools they only sell some of DeWALT's stuff, some Makita and mostly cheap rubbish or the crappy green Bosch range. Furniture is another good one, everything is expensive but its still cheap and crappily made stuff from China. |
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#16 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,730
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You can still get quality, you just need to research your purchases more carefully. I always buy reputable brands and research product reliability and prices before I even set foot in a shop. Rarely does something I buy break or stop working, there is very little cheap junk in my house. I recently bought a new USA-made commercial grade clothes dryer online, all metal and designed to last 10,400 cycles before requiring service. It cost $1600, but it will take 25+ years to wear out. I also bought an Australian made Kelvinator fridge about 12 months ago. Researching and buying online is the way to go.
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2011 FG XR6 Sedan |
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#17 | |||
Critical Thinker
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 20,324
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Quote:
![]() I'll be going Kelvinator or Westinghouse where the parts are readily accessible next time. An expensive lesson learnt.
__________________
"the greatest trick the devil pulled, is convincing the world he doesn't exist" 2022 Mazda CX5 GTSP Turbo 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 1967 XR FALCON 500 Cars previously owned: 2021 Subaru Outback Sport 2018 Subaru XV-S 2012 Subaru Forester X 2007 Subaru Liberty GT 2001 AU2 75th Anniversary Futura 2001 Subaru GX wagon 1991 EB XR8 1977 XC Fairmont 1990 EA S Pak 1984 XE S Pak 1982 ZJ Fairlane 1983 XE Fairmont 1989 EA Falcon 1984 Datsun Bluebird Wagon 1975 Honda Civic |
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#18 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Hervey Bay
Posts: 4,197
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Quote:
Really! when did this come about? I wholesaled to retailers for 30 years and cost + margin is what they all did. You present an article to a retailer and he/she hits their calculator with a profit factor and if the final figure is to high in their opinion, they don't buy it. And as far as outrageous profits go, I see watches in the big jewellery chain windows marked up 800%. I know because I was I was in that industry and I recognise models and can often identify what Chinese factory made them. The Chinese factories can manufacture an analogue watch on a metal bracelet (alloy) for USD$1.50! |
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#19 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,889
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Quote:
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2024
Time to Make the Hippies Cry Again |
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#20 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,889
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Quote:
Not so long ago, when you looked at any category of tool, there was a varity of quality and commensurate prices. If I wanted something for a once off, or occasional use, I would buy the cheap chinese junk. Now, that cheap junk is nolonger cheap, and as you say, they parade out stuff like Kinchrome like its some premium product (and price accordingly.)
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2024
Time to Make the Hippies Cry Again |
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#21 | |||
Former BTIKD
![]() Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Sunny Downtown Wagga Wagga. NSW.
Posts: 53,197
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Quote:
Sidchrome must have gone down hill then. I still have a lot of my spanners (the ones my son actually returned!) and the 40yo ratchet still works perfectly.
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Dying at your job is natures way of saying that you're in the wrong line of work.
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#22 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 1,601
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Quote:
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____________________ 2019 LDV G10 2009 Mitsubishi Express-GONE 2011 Honda Jazz ____________________ |
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#23 | |||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,030
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Quote:
The crap that comes out of their Chinese or what ever Asian country operation today is exactly that, crap, especially the spanners. The problems I find with their ratchets is that they don't have enough teeth, especially on the 1/4" ratchets where you're going to be using them in very tight spaces on cars, you need lots of teeth so it will click with the tiniest movement, with the Sidchrome 1/4" ratchets it always seems that click is just out of reach. They're fairly strong though, I guess as a result of not having many teeth they must be bigger. Their 1/2" is a joke though, with that little button on the side of the head. |
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#24 | |||
Starter Motor
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 9
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Quote:
Also consider that most wholesalers here, now retail their own product. So for certain well known clothing and giftware lines it's just not possible to price them at 'what the market will pay'. Outrageous mark ups these days are mostly confined to one area of retail and that area is your friendly jewellery store... |
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#25 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Taromeo
Posts: 10,454
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Small 7 pin round trailer plug (metal) - Supercrap was $13.48 - $19.78.
Just bought a Narva one from a little auto parts outlet in Nanango for $7.50. |
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#26 | ||
Donating Member
![]() Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Posts: 4,771
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I buy all my tools online got a 64piece sidchrome set for 180? As opposed to retailers selling for 250 +. I agree with 1/2 drive has that switch in a stupid place can't stand it and the 1/4 could use more teeth, but other than that I haven't had any problems. I'm a painter by trade and sometimes fix up old furniture, you'd be surprised at what gets thrown out and the profit margin I can make on fixing it up and selling it especially when all you get from IKEA is laminated chipboard
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Ride 2007 Ripcurl BF Xr6 Ute Mods to Date Ceramic Coated Pacemaker 4495s 2.5" Dual Venom exhaust, Bluepower CAI Eaton True Trac with 3.9s 20% Underdrive EcoLpi Motor RWKW: 200.0 Nm: 394 Mods to Follow Supercharger |
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#27 | ||
Aluminum Falcon pilot
![]() Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Dark Sky Park
Posts: 3,613
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he's talking guitar amps & pedals
__________________
![]() The Fleet 2002 Kawasaki ZZR600 - Silver - Felix 1975 Fairlane ZG - Apollo Blue - Oberon 1999 Falcon AU Ute - Liquid Silver - The Aluminum Falcon - the Preciousss 2000 AUII Fairlane Ghia (vct)- Burgundy - Five / RedCar - round town clown |
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#28 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,889
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right,
so I imagine that explains "ungiggable Marshall valvestate pos"? What about "the inhibit right wing entitlements"?
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2024
Time to Make the Hippies Cry Again |
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#29 | ||
Pethy FG XR8 Ute
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Perth N.O.R
Posts: 2,966
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bunnings isnt cheap anymore its a bloody rip off now eg they wanted nearly $90 for 30m of 1.2 high chicken wire , went to a fencing place and got 1.8m high 50m long for $95, and their star pickets were half the price of bunnings
i buy alot of stuff from the US as i can get it cheaper and quicker than i can get stuff in australia eg i buy alot of gun/motorbike/car stuff and it can get to me in WA in approx 5-7 days and stuff from the eastern states takes over 7 days WTF ADI gun powder which is made in australia, now the price of it has gone up since winchester has brought them (about $10 more for 500grams) so in WA we are buying a 500gr anywhere from $55 to $65, but the same stuff thats made in australia and then sent over to the US only costs $20 ..how does that work ???? its made here, shipped over there but cost less also i just brought 4 water gen filters for my samsung fridge, in the shops here they want $95 each , i just brought 4 on ebay from the eastern states for $125 including postage ..mark up anyone like anything you need to do your home work before you buy anything
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FG XR8 Ute 2010 Nitro, Mods so far: Herrod CAI, headers, Ballistic cats, Cat back Manta dual 2.5" with X pipe and hotdog mid section, Mellings oil pump, Summit racing 60mm twin throttle body, and Yella Terra plenum Powerbond 25% under drives, Sports bar, now fitted with Koya Inox R1's, the rears are 20x10 with a 40mm offset and the fronts are 20x8.5 with a 35mm offset total of 285.5 rwkw and 642nm when Herrod cams in 290rwkw GSXR 750K7 with goodies, dyno'd 136rwhp, 10.567sec for the strip |
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#30 | |||
Aluminum Falcon pilot
![]() Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Dark Sky Park
Posts: 3,613
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Quote:
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![]() The Fleet 2002 Kawasaki ZZR600 - Silver - Felix 1975 Fairlane ZG - Apollo Blue - Oberon 1999 Falcon AU Ute - Liquid Silver - The Aluminum Falcon - the Preciousss 2000 AUII Fairlane Ghia (vct)- Burgundy - Five / RedCar - round town clown |
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