Internet shopping

[Keofferam]

Shopping retail in Australia is very expensive. Does anyone have a recommendation for a site offering well priced gear? Wiggle in the UK is great for sporting goods and is generally 40% cheaper delivered to your door than buying retail in Sydney with their high mark ups but they don't cover fishing. Lures, line, reels etc.

Thanks in advance

[Onajewagain]

Really rather not.

Go to your local owner operator tackle shop and support him.

Once you build a relationship with them, you will find the price drops heaps.

Also, most of the on line goods are fakes. They only fool the foolish but really look out for what I call "engrish". That's one of the tell tales. I've seen heaps of apparent "osprey" and "daiwa" gear. On the cards and descriptions etc you will see broken English. Don't be fooled by it. If you want cheap gear, buy cheap gear, not something cheap passed off as genuine.

[Catchin Jack]

You will not get warranty in Oz with anything you have bought from overseas. Peace of mind getting it here knowing you're covered.

But you are right, the markup on goods is a joke.

[Ray R]

Really rather not.

Go to your local owner operator tackle shop and support him.

Once you build a relationship with them, you will find the price drops heaps.

Also, most of the on line goods are fakes. They only fool the foolish but really look out for what I call "engrish". That's one of the tell tales. I've seen heaps of apparent "osprey" and "daiwa" gear. On the cards and descriptions etc you will see broken English. Don't be fooled by it. If you want cheap gear, buy cheap gear, not something cheap passed off as genuine.

Yeah I agree, go to your local bloke, you'll find nothing really compares to feeling the product and having a chat with the chap behind the counter, also if the purchase buggers up most times just take it back and they'll replace it if it was faulty...

[oz_brett]

if we all shoped online our retail industry would destroyed, in return with lack of turn over they would have to increase prices to cover the cost of those that they do employ - this will then cause us (we australians) to want pay increases to cover the cost of living and as the circle turns we buy online to save and yet continue to want pay increase....... this circle is never ending! well actualy it will come to an end with australia going so far backwards financualy thanks to those that would prefer save a couple of $ instead of supporting there family & friends.

A touchy subject with me at the moment I went to my old area just before Xmas to visit the guys from the tackle shop I useed to deal with before moving, Only to find the shop empty with grass growing infront of the doors. I guess thats just another family living on unemployment! I realy felt for them & there children during Xmas.

[bennoz]

its everything retail in aus (except plasmas) thats way overpriced.

Its a fkn joke and the aus consumer is being taken for a ride. Sure we have to support local retail but theres gotta be a line.

i just got back from the USA and i couldnt believe how cheap everything is over there - for the exact same product. at least 40-50% cheaper on shelf prices even before sales and bargining.

its largely govt taxes and wages that account for the markup but retailers do add excessive markup in aus. no wonder online shopping is taking off

[abecedarian]

I agree, everything in Australia is over priced compared to overseas. I was looking at getting a makita cordless hammer drill, and they're twice the cost here compared to the states. Same applies for fishing gear. The problem is when you have virtually no competition between importers. It's not the fault of the tackle shop owner generally for inflated prices, but the exorbitant mark up by the companies importing the products, not to mention taxes etc.

Frankly I don't have enough money to be paying close to double for the same product. If you buy quality brands from reputable sources then warranty isn't really an issue, but even if you have to pay to get the reel or whatever fixed you'll most likely still be in front. I'd like to support local business and I do as often as I can but when it comes down to the crunch I'm going to look for the best deal possible on the big ticket items regardless of where they come from...

[LBG.]

Loyalty is only as deep as your pockets. Australia get's touched up price-wise for fishing gear and has been for a long time. If everyone started buying OS, maybe it would force retailers to get real about their pricing.

I could name a few places, but it could possibly be against forum rules re: site sponsors, so I'll wait for the OK from a moderator first.

[davegroves68]

Me and a mate tried to set up an online store a couple of years ago,selling quality gear but the big players( Shimano etc) refused to supply us,unless we had a retail outlet. We found it was about protecting their brand, which, to a certain degree is fair enough. I will say, that you can get a lot of good cheap gear online, or even at ****** stores, but i have found that if you look hard enough, you can get just as good value at your local tackle store.

But the advice and help you get at your local tackle shop will never be surpassed!

Can you put a price on that?

Dave

[caranx]

Some local shops are very competitive, and others a down right rip off. I purchase from my local, and o/s sites for gear that isnt available in australia. And believe me, there is a lot of different lures etc that we dont get here at all. Nothing wrong with buying from o/s .

[Matt]

I dunno which way to go with this, I like to support my local tacklo. Love going in there and chatting to the guys, I do buy all my lures and terminal tackle there (well, apart from lures I can't get there) but I tend to buy the pricier items like reels from O/S. At the end of the day its my money I worked hard for it so I want to get the best 'mileage' out of it and if that means hitting an O/S store I will. Always worth checking though with the local to see if you can't get the item a bit cheaper.

All though sometimes, by the time you factor in shipping the costs can become quite close.

I saw this posted in the thread: Also, most of the on line goods are fakes How so? Big call saying 'most' and would love to know where you got this from? The US online shops (wont name them, moderators would have to OK) are all genuine and most of the Japanese ones are too.

Regards

Windy

[andrew399]

i agree, i get most of my gear from us auction sites and have never had a problem with fakes or warranty issues. Id like to support the local shops but if i can get the same thing for half the price delivered then why should i? Have to look after no. 1 first!

[caranx]

There are a number of reputable online sites to shop from, and I have never had an issue with fakes. On online shop there are a few, but again, find the ones with the best reputation. The other issue is that local shops dont stock anywhere near the range of lures/gear that you can get from o/s.

[Zdenk01]

Dont get me wrong I too love a bargin.

I also have purchased items from the online stores & have had no issue. (Not just fishing gear)

With out going into too much detail. This is not the forum to discuss this

but this issue is bigger than you can imagine.

The true fact is the retail industry is in trouble & until the government

changes the legislation this will not change.

Supporting the online industry is only driving another stake into the retail industries coffin.

Once you understand how big this issue really is.

You may or may not think twice about purchase online or offshore.(That is your choice)

I'll leave you with one question.

How would you like if someone was to undercut your job @ have the cost ?

All I can say is support your local store before it dissapears.

cheers

Zed.

[Onajewagain]

I dunno which way to go with this, I like to support my local tacklo. Love going in there and chatting to the guys, I do buy all my lures and terminal tackle there (well, apart from lures I can't get there) but I tend to buy the pricier items like reels from O/S. At the end of the day its my money I worked hard for it so I want to get the best 'mileage' out of it and if that means hitting an O/S store I will. Always worth checking though with the local to see if you can't get the item a bit cheaper.

All though sometimes, by the time you factor in shipping the costs can become quite close.

I saw this posted in the thread: Also, most of the on line goods are fakes How so? Big call saying 'most' and would love to know where you got this from? The US online shops (wont name them, moderators would have to OK) are all genuine and most of the Japanese ones are too.

Regards

Windy

I'll clarify that. Most on the online auction site are fakes. I.e daiwa and osprey gear and some shimano and Shakespeare gear too.

A friend got a touch up with buying team daiwa lures for a really good price. Problem is the osprey lures he grabbed were identical.

Also had someone buy a dropshot from a USA store, which was a fake confirmed by our local tackle shop. Giveaway was "class" was spelt wrong. Good copy and honestly not a bad rod, but still a fake.

There are some good ones online, but if you buy and pay for something you haven't touched and played with, it can often lead to disappointment.

[abecedarian]

I'll clarify that. Most on the online auction site are fakes. I.e daiwa and osprey gear and some shimano and Shakespeare gear too.

A friend got a touch up with buying team daiwa lures for a really good price. Problem is the osprey lures he grabbed were identical.

Also had someone buy a dropshot from a USA store, which was a fake confirmed by our local tackle shop. Giveaway was "class" was spelt wrong. Good copy and honestly not a bad rod, but still a fake.

There are some good ones online, but if you buy and pay for something you haven't touched and played with, it can often lead to disappointment.

Nowadays with paypal you're fairly well protected if it's a fake. Chances of that happening if you buy from a reputable place with good feedback isn't high though, I personally have had several very good experiences with rods and reels.

I've had mixed experiences buying from local tackle stores. Some I find fantastic, give great deals and are well worth supporting if possible. On the other hand there are some tackle stores full of arrogant sales people trying to push the product that gives them the best profit margins rather than what you the customer actually wants. I personally wouldn't shed a tear if those stores go out of business.

I do feel sorry for those good stores though, it's tough when they have limited room to move in terms of price due to import duties and supplier costs. While ever these costs are high the local guys will never be competitive and still make enough profit to survive.

[Matt]

Ahhh well, Auction sites are a different kettle of fish. Online Stores Vs Auction Sites, two different things really. I rarely buy from Auction Sites anymore as yes, like you mentioned, you sometimes get dudded and there can be questionable value on genuine items too. However Online Stores are generally (please note I didn't say all) pretty safe, especially those with long standing names and have descended from Shopfronts.

Zed, what you say is true to some extent but hardly a 'fact'. Its bigger then even that, the changing nature of global economies. Protective economy is a questionable tactic etc etc. But, like you said not the forum to discuss it

Cheers

Windy