# Gear up from the U.S.!



## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

The exchange rate is getting better again folks, US94c today so get your shopping lists out!

I still think it will go past the 1:1 though!


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## beardys (Jun 23, 2007)

i've been watching it was .90 about 2 weeks ago... i will be placing orders this week!


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Interesting phenomenon. Australian economy is going gangbusters because of all the soil (minerals, coal etc) that we're selling to booming asian countries. US ecomony is in doldrums because it was dependent on loans to people who couldn't afford the repayments. The resulting interest rate differential (high here, low there) leads to a flood of money into Australia so the exhange rate improves.

This has happened before but in the past it meant a couple of things. Tourism is hit hard as foreigners find it too expensive to come and locals find it cheaper to do the same thing overseas. Retailers experience a boom as they lower the prices of imported goods or importers make a killing by not passing on the saving.

Enter the internet. Rather than waiting for retailers and importers to clear stock purchased when the exchange rate was poor, consumers look at the ever increasing price differences and purchase more from overseas. Retailers suffer and have to lower their prices and put pressure on importers to be more responsive in lowering theirs. The big danger for retailers is that, if they don't respond quickly enough, consumers will become accustomed to foreign purchases and will maintain that behaviour, even after the interest rate differential disappears and exchange rates return to what they were. This is in addition to the effect of higher interest rates on the discretionary spending of about the one third of us with mortgages. Being a local retailer sucks.

The really interesting thing will be to see if the effect on retail prices will be to lower the inflation measure or whether there will only be a noticeable lowering of prices in areas that aren't included in the measure. If this pressure of internet purchasing does lower the inflation measure then raising interest rates will have beome more efficient, inflation will fall more rapidly than otherwise and interest rates will follow. Has the internet made our economy more efficient?


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## sitonit (Dec 29, 2006)

After several warranty issues over the last year which incurred large costs for freight (except when my local tackle store fixed gratis) and lots of time and messing around I am starting to wonder about the benefits of shopping OS starting to think i would rather give old mate down the road an extra few hundred a year for the service and because I'd rather help a local than some yank i've never met and if he's like the ones i have..................


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

Gatesy said:


> I prefer to buy from Japan because i couldn't imagine having to buy something from someone like Kraley :twisted:


Then buy from someone like me. Some people think I'm Canadian, you know :lol:

I guess it's time to start up that fishing gear export business.


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

gra said:


> To finish up, they gave me another quick whip about why I should have paid double and bought it here instead of the US, then the sign-off line - "We really appreciate your business."


My dealings thus far with Lowrance in Australia have convinced me of the validity of dealing directly with the US. It was far quicker and far cheaper (less than half price) for me to buy the new transducer I needed from the States, than to get one delivered from them (in Lane Cove, Sydney) to Bias (in Lane Cove, Sydney) according to Navico. I ended up telling Bias this, and telling them if they wanted a sale, they'd better get up the importer pronto. I absolutely wanted the item on the same day, and ended up paying twice the price, and picking up the item myself from the importer because their courier would take a week to get it 2.4 km. Roll on the global state - isn't this what free trade is supposed to be about anyway? There's got to be some advantage for going and fighting other people's wars.

I do buy most of my gear locally (even fancy Jap tackle), but if the local merchants are going to act the fool, I'm happy to treat them as same. Maybe if they stopped trying to get rich from a low volume of high priced items, they might even manage to get rich from a high volume of reasonably priced kit. I'm still a staunch supporter of my local tackle shop, but he doesn't treat me like an idiot. Needless to say, I've just bought my new Lowrance X67C from Basspro (they didn't take much convincing).


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

Oh, my order of Pakula Dojo Peche lures turned up express post YESTERDAY... 10 days after I ordered them from 3 suburbs away!!

My Cabelas jacket turned up on the 21st, 7 days...

Had to get extra lures for SWR on the way.. got lots now...


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## Redfish (Apr 25, 2007)

It's been said many times before on this forum. I feel sorry for the local guys. When shopping for low end GPS and sounders, more than a few places said to pick them up off eBay. Some didn't even carry them as the margins were too small. No wonder the importers get so testy when you bring stuff in. Go the aussie peso!


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

I was chatting with my local tackle shop owner after noticing the new Penns at a similar price I paid on the net, he explained he had been giving suppliers a hard time about their prices and reinforcing just how many sales he knew he was loosing to the web, and that if they wanted him to stock their gear they would have to make it competitive enough or it just was not worth his while.. Seems they might just be starting to listen... Or notice the drop in turnover!


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## grimo82 (Jan 16, 2007)

Anyone know of any good US sites for shimano gear??

im after some eggbeaters and a 2spd TLD30.


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## sitonit (Dec 29, 2006)

cheap shimano aspire on ebay at the moment
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... :IT&ih=025


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

> Anyone know of any good US sites for shimano gear??
> 
> im after some eggbeaters and a 2spd TLD30.


Cabelas !!!!  and just about anything else you might need.


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## ronotron (Nov 27, 2007)

cabelas? really? i have found a few other US sites with much better prices, and of course there is always the ebay stores....

not sure if i am allowed to post commercial websites on here


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

ronotron said:


> not sure if i am allowed to post commercial websites on here


If it relates to a bargain that we all can benefit from and you have no link with the company I believe it's OK, but don't worry, if it's not the Mods will let you know like a wife you never knew you had!


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## Sparra (Nov 3, 2007)

gra said:


> This is a great time to relay an experience I had just this week. I have been, and still am quite a supporter of the "buy from overseas and take the risk " theory. However, last weekend my 2-month old Eagle 320c shat it's dacks. Even though I know the answer I still sent the email to Eagle asking the what the chances were of a local warranty repair, given that the Australian importer is a wholly owned subsiduary of Lowrance anyway. The reply was terse to say the least. Not even a "Dear Gra" to start the 2 paragraph lesson on why I should not have talked the American seller (Basspro) into shipping overseas. Apparently they're not supposed to do that as part of their distributor's agreement. Then of course came the kicker, the $50US return freight to be paid _before_ they would inspect the item, which is more than Basspro charged to send it here in the first place, plus the freight to the US, plus a service fee if they figured it out to be my fault.
> To finish up, they gave me another quick whip about why I should have paid double and bought it here instead of the US, then the sign-off line - "We really appreciate your business."
> 
> Now, I aint really crying about it. All this stuff is too be expected and I always knew it to be this way, but, purely for the sake of clarity - they really mean it when they say it has to go home for warranty, and now I really am at the point where I'm only going to be marginally ahead financially.
> ...


When I buy gear locally and it mucks up I take it back to where I bought it and let them deal with the problem of sending it away and getting it fixed...Couldn't you have sent the sounder back to Basspro and let them get it fixed and sent back to you????

Cheers...Sparra


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## grimo82 (Jan 16, 2007)

ronotron said:


> cabelas? really? i have found a few other US sites with much better prices, and of course there is always the ebay stores....
> 
> not sure if i am allowed to post commercial websites on here


Yeah i had a look at them - they dont seem that cheap given current specials in Aus i would buy local

post up sites, i dont think it voilates commerical regs if its not your own business, plenty of users post links to businesses with good deals etc.


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## milansek (Apr 20, 2006)

guys don't think tackle and sounders . i just done a deal for 3x harley Davidson and a 73 corvette and might put some hobbies in just to fill the container :lol: 
milan


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## polylureosis (Jul 24, 2006)

milansek said:


> guys don't think tackle and sounders . i just done a deal for 3x harley Davidson and a 73 corvette and might put some hobbies in just to fill the container :lol:
> milan


Didn't see those available on basspro :shock:

Although you could just about fill a container with the lures that are on the way 8)


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

Hey Ken

where did you get that SPAM CAN from - I just love the stuff !!!! Although do they do that size in SPAM LITE !!! As I need to shed a few KGs at the moment !!!

Woppie


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

Crikey!

I just checked the exchange rate on my computer :shock: :shock: :shock: US$325=Au$3.215 I wonder If I can hold Apple to it and start spending!!


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

All good thanks Ken, just one scar. Hey I used your Barlings stubby cooler today. It works, and it's in good hands!


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## Robdog (Aug 12, 2007)

Hi All,
Recently purchased 2 rods from BCF online took well over 2 weeks to arrive. At same time purchased 2 reels from Cabelas who had delivery sorted in one week from US. Makes it hard to buy locally with great exchange rate and excellent US service.
Rob


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