# Buying Australian: Tackle and Yak Gear



## punchanello (Oct 6, 2011)

I frequent a certain Bream fishing forum and am pretty disallusioned with what I see there.

Being critical of the performance or quality of certain products is instantly met with indignation, warnings and PM's by distributors, manufacturers, sponsored fisho's and the like, no matter how true. The very same people will often post trip reports that are nothing but product placement and spruiking (despite that being against the forum rules). In essence that makes for an atmosphere that is completely product driven and you are never sure if the information on the forum is genuine or simply advertising. I'm glad to say that I don't see the same thing here.

To extend that thought, I genuinely find that the vast majority of the fishing market here in Australia is completely exploitative. On the one hand we are encouraged to buy Australian, and on the other hand the vast majority of product is manufactured and imported from overseas with huge mark-ups slapped on by local distributers and retailers. One particularly well known national specialist fishing retailer is almost always at least 20% more expensive across the board than overseas options including freight.

IMO, the tackle industry needs to stop treating Australian consumers like walking wallets and start offering quality service, quality warranty and after sales service or they will lose market to overseas companies.


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

punchanello said:


> I frequent a certain Bream fishing forum and am pretty disallusioned with what I see there


I also frequent said bream fishing forum, and yes - it's becoming a joke. Something that I do wonder about is that this website has ~20 'site sponsors' - but there no longer seem to be any comp prizes or inducements for members. Which leads me to believe that the website owner is earning quite handsomely from this side of the site. Being a 'site sponsor' seems to earn one the right to spam the boards with thinly veiled advertisements. Equally frustrating are the threads entitled (for example) 'Which lure is best for water <1 metre deep'. These types of threads are populated by a procession of sponsored anglers suggesting that their sponsor's lure is the best. It's a real shame that a website which has been so good has gone downhill so badly. At AKFF we have lately had to remind a few sponsored anglers that this sort of 'promotion' isn't welcome here.

But I digress. Yes we seem to be stung severely in Aus for tackle. I admit to buying all my high end reels, and about half my lures and soft plastics directly from Japan or the US. I would like to support the local guy - but if I can get stuff for 25-50% less overseas (and that includes shipping!) why shouldn't I?


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

I go where my dollar gives me the best return, if that is online to the US or Japan then it's a simple decision, particularly while the AUD is strong against the greenback. I work too hard and too long to give good coin away in the name of supporting Australia. I know my OS purchases are potentially hurting local retailers but I need to do what is best for me with the limited budget that I have in this area.


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

BIGKEV said:


> ... I work too hard and too long to give good coin away in the name of supporting Australia. I know my OS purchases are potentially hurting local retailers but I need to do what is best for me with the limited budget that I have in this area.


Pretty much this.


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

BrettoQLD said:


> BIGKEV said:
> 
> 
> > ... I work too hard and too long to give good coin away in the name of supporting Australia. I know my OS purchases are potentially hurting local retailers but I need to do what is best for me with the limited budget that I have in this area.
> ...


I end up looking at it from a quality point of view. If I have $150 to spend on a reel, I can get much better quality from overseas.
I gave up caring when the dollar got strong and prices didn't go down.
The only times I go to the tackle shop is in an emergency or to pay for information. He gives me information and I buy something in exchange.

The bit I hate is when it ends up cheaper to buy a new reel from OS than to get one serviced here.


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

Squidder said:


> Equally frustrating are the threads entitled (for example) 'Which lure is best for water <1 metre deep'. These types of threads are populated by a procession of sponsored anglers suggesting that their sponsor's lure is the best. .


Ha! I just found that thread. I found it quite comical.

It could be worse though. They could hide their affiliation and instead come across like they're a little to in love with a particular product.


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## cobrat (Sep 18, 2008)

Yes, most fishing shows seem to be advertorials for lures, places, reels etc. Havent seen adventure bound for a while but that seems to have been free of this


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## mudpat (Feb 21, 2011)

I will support an australian manufactured product provided they are reasonably competitive. I will NOT support Oz retail stores selling overseas products because they are way overpriced. I hear the whining from them about import costs (blah, blah), small market (more bullshit). I can get top line Daiwa and Shimano product direct from Japan retail and still make a profit with an online store. A few business meetings in Higashi and I source them even cheaper. The retail stores in Oz are rapidly becoming as relevant as Harvey Norman.


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## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

BIGKEV said:


> I go where my dollar gives me the best return, if that is online to the US or Japan then it's a simple decision, particularly while the AUD is strong against the greenback. I work too hard and too long to give good coin away in the name of supporting Australia. I know my OS purchases are potentially hurting local retailers but I need to do what is best for me with the limited budget that I have in this area.


 i do not disagree woth what you have said here. I do offer another viewpoint; my local tackle store gives me reasonable prices for all gear, but the thing that is not quantified is the value of advice received. This is often given when i just visit without purchasing anything.

A lot of anglers are penny wise and pound foolish - for example - they will buy a great reel from overseas and then use it till it drops without doing maintenance. They therefore buy again, far earlier than they needed to.

It should also be noted that some fishing and kayak sites have lost there humour. If a joke is said about a sponsors product they suddenly come down on you. They have sold out. All sponsors know there product will be discussed both negatively and positively and this should not affect their sponsorship. if it does - their product is not worthy


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## scoman (Oct 4, 2010)

punchanello said:


> The very same people will often post trip reports that are nothing but product placement and spruiking (despite that being against the forum rules). In essence that makes for an atmosphere that is completely product driven and you are never sure if the information on the forum is genuine or simply advertising. I'm glad to say that I don't see the same thing here.


Except when StevenM is in full flight banging on about the mighty Kmart, Cash Converters or Four and Twenty Pies :lol:


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

eagle4031 said:


> BIGKEV said:
> 
> 
> > I go where my dollar gives me the best return, if that is online to the US or Japan then it's a simple decision, particularly while the AUD is strong against the greenback. I work too hard and too long to give good coin away in the name of supporting Australia. I know my OS purchases are potentially hurting local retailers but I need to do what is best for me with the limited budget that I have in this area.
> ...


Yep agree with you also and pretty much have the same stance as Keza on this. I know the guys at my local tackle store through avenues other than fishing as we dealt with each other professionally prior to his purchase of said store. He knows my stance on the purchase of OS gear we joke about it and he understands completely as I do go in there from time to time to catch up and pick his brains but I still leave the store with something, its not a big sale for them but they do get something each time I visit. So I'm basically going in their and indirectly paying for information.

One thing I do though is avoid the big chains stores like the plague, they are trying to monopolise and push smaller stores out of the market and will do way more damage to the locals than swithced on consumers purchasing overseas because the chain stores huge marketing budgets means the ordinary consumer heads straight to the place that they saw the last add on tv or bit of junk mail instead of going to the smaller specialty retailer as they would have in years past.

Kev


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

Why would you pay for advice when you can get it on forums for free?

I'll give you an example, I was supposed to go unfamiliar waters fishing the other week but it canned due to work. I had never fished there but I knew it was a tough fishery. I sent a bloke a pm asking for advice and he gave me a deadset goldmine that I could never get from a tackle shop in a town I don't live. (thanks anyway Dave  )

Pretty much, I get all my advice from people on here and likewise.


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

our local network is not quite as massive as the canberran hub.....


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

This was someone about 400km away from Canberra, Kev.



BIGKEV said:


> our local network is not quite as massive as the canberran hub.....


Why post this garbage? Are you realy that bored that you feel the need to make these underhanded snipes at somebody you don't know and possibly never will? Really what's your point? It's not funny, it's non productive to the current conversation and bordering on insulting.


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## breamingwithjoy (Oct 24, 2010)

Squidder said:


> punchanello said:
> 
> 
> > I frequent a certain Bream fishing forum and am pretty disallusioned with what I see there
> ...


You may recognise my name from that forum you mentioned and to be honest I hardly visit the place anymore. The forum is nothing more than a schill for sponsors to plug their products without fear of criticism. The double standards in the place are rife and the recent influx of sponsors has stripped the site of any useful _unpaid_ information that once was so freely forthcoming. Ironically the guy who runs the webshite makes very little from each of these sponsors (I won't say how much but it is embarassing) which given the traffic it gets is selling out for not very much.

As you did, I also digress, I buy stuff O/S but try to only buy items that I can't find locally. The tackle stores that whinge the loudest and scream "you don't get customer service from a computer" are often the least helpful when you are actually in their store. The guys that offer genuine customer service to even first time buyers and not just their mates are the ones that will survive.

The other problem I see is the lack of support for local online stores. Local online retailers are being denied accounts with major and minor distributors with the distributors claiming that bricks and mortar shops have threatened to stop ordering their product if they are seen to support online only stores. To me this is what will kill not just the Australian tackle stores but also the Australian tackle industry. If we can't compete online with the O/S stores buy supplying Australian online shops then we will never fulfil the needs of the time poor angler who would rather get his stuff online and Australian sourced if possible.

The tackle shops complain that they have massive overheads and the online only stores are going to put them out of business... So??? ADAPT! if you business model is no longer the most effective, your market share will be taken over by someone with a better model of doing business. Currently the best model is to have an online store in America and allow cost effective shipping to Australia. Through friends and users on another forum I have seen upwards of $10k feed through to ONE store in the USA in the last fortnight.

The industry as a whole has its head in the sand trying to fight "The Internet" which if you ask me is a losing battle.


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## punchanello (Oct 6, 2011)

I actually buy quite a bit from "australias largest fishing and tackle store.com" (no affiliation). I recently bought leader for $17 not on special.

This paricular leader was not available in the big general outdoor retailers. It was not available in the small independent fishing shop. It was available from a chain store with a big blue fish on the logo but at a $10 mark up. That basically sums up the problem with the choice of retailers I have access to.

*australias largest fishing and tackle store.com*: Quick delivery, Australian company. Decent service but you won't get that local knowledge.
*small independent fishing shop*: Good local knowledge but a bit old fashioned. Baito's with a very small range of average lures for example. Poor range.
*chain store with a big blue fish*: Basically they have almost everything from premium to cheapo regardless of brand. Charge like wounded bulls, have no customer loyalty program and trade on their marketing. When I was a little less knowledgeable I'd walk out of there with some ridiculous crap and they would have known it. Just piss in the customer's pocket and talk utter crap. Any sale is a good sale.

So basically, I would chose to pay extra at the independent if they had more of what I wanted even though I have no complaints about "australias largest fishing and tackle store.com". The big blue fish which is a symbol of everything that's wrong with the industry can GGF.

BTW, we need more quality Australian tournament bream lure manufacturers/designers. There is one in particular who make very good lures and helped me really start landing fish regularly, but their shameless smashing up of unnamed bream forum has turned me off somewhat.

I am a fickle angry man...


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## Ironbar (Apr 7, 2008)

mudpat said:


> The retail stores in Oz are rapidly becoming as relevant as Harvey Norman.


I don't want to hijack this thread but What's wrong with Harvey Norman? Are they no good either? Should I buy a new LCD TV from overseas?


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## punchanello (Oct 6, 2011)

Ironbar said:


> mudpat said:
> 
> 
> > The retail stores in Oz are rapidly becoming as relevant as Harvey Norman.
> ...


Over-priced. Service is also pretty crap from experience. They have an annoying CEO who complains that on-line retailers mean he can't continue his outdated, business as usual, super-markup model of retailing.


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## Ironbar (Apr 7, 2008)

punchanello said:


> Ironbar said:
> 
> 
> > mudpat said:
> ...


_overpriced_ I don't know mate. When I did buy something from HN they always matched any other price including prices that were cheaper on the net also got it cheaper by paying cash.

_Service_ Our TV didn't work anymore a few weeks ago, rang up the insurance company because we had a 5 year warranty, they gave us a new TV, same as the old one but it took nearly 6 weeks which I think was far too long.

_CEO_ totally agree with you. he's a big wingher, only worried about his own profit but then again he's got to deliver a return to the shareholders.


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## scoman (Oct 4, 2010)

koich said:


> This was someone about 400km away from Canberra, Kev.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Are not these sort of comments your speciality Koich?


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## scoman (Oct 4, 2010)

Yeah Maybe, but from what I can tell Big Kev's comment was meant to be funny too.


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2011)

I think you'll find that the post by koich was a direct quote of BigKev from another thread. It's a bit of to-ing and fro-ing between them.


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## scoman (Oct 4, 2010)

Noted


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

This is mantalk Scoey.


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

kraley said:


> koich said:
> 
> 
> > This was someone about 400km away from Canberra, Kev.
> ...


I thought it was funny too. I hardly think you'll get in trouble for that.

Didn't really pick him as the 'cut & paste' kind though.


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Some of the smaller independently run tackle shops have some interesting lures you cant get online or from the larger chain shops Especially some hand made lures. Always like to check them out when in a new location.
Dont have any loyalty to any shop, just get what I need from where ever is convenient........and dont take any notice of the sales assistants, cause they all talk shit. Best advise is from the locals while there fishing or at the cleaning table.


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

I've compiled a range of products I like to use, mainly built up from trial and error shopping in local tackle stores. Now I have that range I'll buy those particular products where they're cheap. I've spent 6 months trialling various brands of braid until I found a brand I was happy with. I now buy that particular brand from the US for 40% of what I would normally pay for it in a local tackle store.

I spend a fortune on fishing gear (relative to my disposal income anyway), I'm not sponsored and I don't have any contacts in the industry or any mates rates deals. As long as a store (online or otherwise) appears legit, I'll buy at the cheapest price.


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## paddlingfool (Oct 8, 2011)

Sometimes Aussie is better .I was looking for a sounder for the yak,found the Garmin 300C for $169 at Whitworths . Ordered it last Saturday ,it arrived today. When I opened the box ,to my surprise,there was a 400C, they had run out of the 300,sosent a 400 in its place.Now that is what I call service.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

paddlingfool said:


> Sometimes Aussie is better .I was looking for a sounder for the yak,found the Garmin 300C for $169 at Whitworths . Ordered it last Saturday ,it arrived today. When I opened the box ,to my surprise,there was a 400C, they had run out of the 300,sosent a 400 in its place.Now that is what I call service.


so the lot of them are only worth about $25.

I bought 6 chairs online which I'd seen in a store in Townsville. In the shop the were $220 each marked down to $180, and I thought the price was ok, but the mrs found them online, bought them and they arrived 2 weeks ago. They were delivered to my door by Austpost (out on the farm) and the delivered cost was $60 each! What are things worth? By the time you take out the postage of say $10-$20 each, assume 100% mark-up, how much extra are we paying for stuff that doesn't have a real lot of value? Sounders are an excellent example, surely theý don't cost much more to make than a cheap digital watch, just a bit more plastic?


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

occy said:


> Buying Australian is nigh on impossible in this global village we all live in. I bet most of you can't remember the last bit of gear you bought with a made in Australia logo on it. I do, and it was about five years ago I bought my Alvey yabby pump. They are made in China now.
> 
> But there is one particularly good piece of Aussie gear that everyone should have. It's called the Cooper nylon anchor, and it's perfect for yaks. When it first came out a year or so ago it was selling for around $59, only from the manufacturer. Then BCF started stocking it at $49, and they flew out the door, until last week the price came down to $34. Naturally I bought one.
> 
> I know everyone loves to hate the big multinationals like BCF, but in this case I reckon they done good.


Yeah occy, that's great, but $34 is still to dear for me and all the poor people so, before long, they'll have to make them in China so everyone can buy them, even the people that don't really need them.


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## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

scoman said:


> Yeah Maybe, but from what I can tell Big Kev's comment was meant to be funny too.


yep --- lighten up


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## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

buy australian??? evrything is so dear
my wife is australian - she costs me plenty


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

I tried to buy Australian. a guy from hunters Hill put up a post saying he had a garage full of fishing gear to sell but then went silent despite heaps of people asking him what he had to sell.


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## SharkNett (Feb 20, 2006)

Currently looking for new headphones for my mp3 player. Both models I am interested in (Sony and Sennheisser) I can get 3 pair delivered to my door from UK or US for the cost of 1 pair in Australia. With a difference like that why would anyone want to shop locally?
While I understand that its may not just the retailers at fault with rediculous markups by manufacturers and importers, if the Australian retailers want to stay in business they need to start demanding a better deal from their suppliers.


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## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

Scott said:


> I tried to buy Australian. a guy from hunters Hill put up a post saying he had a garage full of fishing gear to sell but then went silent despite heaps of people asking him what he had to sell.


yeah ---- difficult to shift some of that stolen gear
the cops also found his post


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## swabio (Aug 16, 2010)

It always cracks me up to hear old Gerry Harvey having a whinge at ppl purchasing online or overseas......... The Harvey family have made millions by fleecing the oz public with mark ups for years on items they import themselves......... Yeah sure not everything can be made domestically, but hey if it is good enough for them to import it from the lowest cost supplier, then why the hell can't the customer do the same......... Obviously Oz isn't exactly huge in the big tv realm, but there were a hell of a lot of independent Oz furniture manufacturers, cabinet makers etc that probably hated GH when he started importing goods and impacting on their businesses.......As far as I am concerned he can eat a bag of D**Ks


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

kraley said:


> gerry harvey at least actually sells the merchanise they supposedly offer, no?
> 
> how the hell does someone come on here and complain about that when they are involved in these kind of shenanigans?


Funny as........


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