Australia - th land of the bargain

  • Thread starter Thread starter rayc
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rayc

rayc

retroreprobate
I received an email from Zounds today. The lead item is the Rode NT1A at US$225.
I thought that sounded OK but, being that it's supposedly an Australian company I thought I'd suss out the price at the biggest online gear sellers in Oz.
I found the mic. Now, the AUS$ is worth a smidgen more that the US$ at present so that should mean a lower price, the seller is a volume dealer and these added to it being an Aus. company it should be a heaps lower price.
The AUS$ price???
AUS$550.oo
HOW????????
 
sad but true

it's cheaper to buy oz gear from overseas than to buy it here!

however, you should not be paying $AUS550 for an NT1A. Most places are selling them for about $AUS350.

Turramurra Music: $325
Allans/Billy Hyde: $325
DJ Warehouse: $335
Factory Sound $329
 
Its crap, I have put up with the overpriced stuff in OZ for years, but no more, the internet has changed it all.

In OZ gear is warehoused by middle man (names withheld so I don't get sued) that add about 30% to 50% to the price. In the US and UK companies warehouse their own gear and send it direct to the retailer. Effectively the retail in the US and UK is equal to trade price in OZ.

I have been looking at buying a Tascam X-48, US retail US$ 5,000, street price US$3850, OZ Price $7,150 (and this recently came down from $12,000) OZ$ = US$ now (actually a few cents better), both items come from Japan, so where is the extra $2,150?

Cheers
Alan.
 
I'm just curious where can I try my luck on buying cheap gear online where shipping is not too insane?
 
Vinzr said:
I'm just curious where can I try my luck on buying cheap gear online where shipping is not too insane?
Click to expand...

Here in the Free Ad forum.

But what are you looking for and WHERE do you live?
 
I'm looking for recording gear, mainly a microphone and I'm from Australia.
 
moresound said:
Here in the Free Ad forum.

But what are you looking for and WHERE do you live?
Click to expand...

Vinzr said:
I'm looking for recording gear, mainly a microphone and I'm from Australia.
Click to expand...

You should put that your from OZ in your bio for some people will suggest some gear etc. that is cheap in the US but 3 times as expensive in OZ.

Did you look in the free ads? There are 2 blue bluebirds in there for $380. that is a great deal!

And If you don't have a recording software down load and try Reaper.
 
rayc said:
... it should be a heaps lower price. The AUS$ price???
AUS$550.oo
HOW????????
Click to expand...

Its the same here in N.Z. I buy a lot of my gear from the U.S its way cheaper usually and generally arrives in 3-5 days. The only big expense is freight.
 
I do shop on ebay a lot, the Oz ebay has a better vibe than the US site and I have had very little trouble with sellers or buyers. I also shop via ebay to buy it now sellers in the US and UK (shops) that list stuff on ebay. I have aslo bought more stuff ftom these sellers direct later. Just watch out for postage charges with US and UK as some tend to try to over charge.

Another good place to shop for second hand in Oz is Gumtree.

I also shop around for new stuff in Oz via the main retailers web sites checking prices and specials against each other. There is also no reason why you can't buy from the usual us suppliers like Musicians Friend and Zzounds however sometimes they can't supply brands into other sales zones.

That's the majors, but there are a ton of smaller sellers out there who are good to deal with and have good deals, best to just search for the item you want and make contact with them.

One thing to watch out for is voltage issues, US is 110v so the item has to be multi voltage or if it's got a power pack factor in the $20 to $30 for an Oz one. The UK has the right volts for Oz 240v but again the power pack will need an adaptor.

Cheers

alan.
 
Vinzr said:
Does Zzsounds ship to Australia?
Click to expand...

I am sure a friend of mine bought something from them, drop them an email and ask? Sometimes they can't sell certain items across boarders due to brand restrictions but there are ways around this.

Alan.
 
Some of the cheapest prices I've found on the net is from a company by the name of DJNOW.

Don't know if you have that chain in OZ or not.
 
I try not to be in the market for particular pieces of gear at particular times, if I'm buying from retail stores in Australia.

If I can I wait until they have their annual sales and what not.

The increased AUD has helped, however. Case in point, I bought, from Billy Hyde and Yamaha 12 channel mixer and 2 Mackie Thump powered PA speakers at a 30% off sale about 15 months ago because I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I normally assume 15% of RRP is easily got, 20% if you push, but 30% is gold...

Cost me $2200. I checked the RRP of all items before buying. They were as per the tickets.

I was chatting to a friend who's also in the market for a similar PA and checked the current price at Turramurra music and found the whole kit and kaboodle for $1910....

That's a hell of a difference in 15 months seeing the AUD has only gone from $0.90 to $1.01 in that time... sounds like a lot of currency hedging going on in the original price...

And don't start me on Les Pauls... ridiculous prices we STILL have to pay here in retail shops. Don't mind buying electronics online, but not guitars...

****grrrr******
 
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