Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 24

Thread: UK to SA price difference

  1. #1
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,346
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 254 Times in 209 Posts

    UK to SA price difference

    why are we getting so badly punished here in south africa?

    why i ask...a fluke 1653B multifunction tester
    south africa - R33000.00
    UK - R8000.00

    hilti GX 120 ME
    south africa - R8000.00
    UK - R3200.00

    I purchased some equipment a while back and the amount of money i spent... i could have flown to the USA had a 2 week holiday purchased the equipment and returned and it wouldnt have cost what i paid for it here in south africa

    the only reason i purchased it here was for the warranty and backup service...i am not gona mention the companies name but i can tell you now i will never make that mistake again.

    something i dont understand if you buy for example a hilti product in china the warranty should be valid world wide at any hilti branch...next time i spend more than R10 000 on a product i will shop worldwide first.

  2. #2
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,346
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 254 Times in 209 Posts
    and by the way those south african prices are after my discount excuding vat...UK prices advertised prices.

  3. #3
    Diamond Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    6,329
    Thanks
    426
    Thanked 978 Times in 795 Posts
    Who quoted you on the Fluke in south Africa?

  4. #4
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,346
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 254 Times in 209 Posts
    our local fluke agent.

  5. #5
    Diamond Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    6,329
    Thanks
    426
    Thanked 978 Times in 795 Posts
    Interesting...RS Electronics is usually the most expensive - Judging by his prices your agent must be buying from RS, marking-up and reselling to you...

    Have you tried Comtest or Measurement Group?

  6. #6
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,346
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 254 Times in 209 Posts
    i see they have it for R27489.81 ex vat

    that is still a R19000 difference in price...more like a 200% + markup...on a price sold in the UK already marked up...any way you look at this we geetting the short end of the stick.

    someone mentioned that when products like this arrive in the country they dont mark it up a percentage they just mulitply it by a figue...some products are multipled by anywhere from 2 and up

    now i know what i am doing wrong in my bussiness...buy equipment in south africa...causing my overheads to become unrealistic...i need to start importing...

    i am considering importing second hand test equipment like companies do with imported engines and gearboxes...import hordes of second hand test equipment and flood the market at reasonable prices.

  7. #7
    Diamond Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    6,329
    Thanks
    426
    Thanked 978 Times in 795 Posts

    Cool

    This guy's in Cape Town.

    http://www.e-test.com/

    He has been doing it for years. He also rents the gear out. I needed a logic analyzer and simply got it from him for a month. I've dealt with him over the years and he's great.

    South African prices - this is a very interesting topic. The local resellers need to learn a hard lesson and it is that the only way they can stay in business is by adding value. We can get onto the internet and buy anything from anywhere simply by using a credit card. It is said that we should support local industry but it is rather problemaic when you are paying through your nose. I bring most speciality things that I need in myself. Take your Fluke for example, if it were to break you could simply send it back to the UK, have it repaired and have it returned to you. I've brought in two printers from Japan and the one is going back for repairs.

    The customerbase for high end testgear is very limited and I suppose that it is mostly large companies. The municipality doesn't mind paying R30K for the instrument if everybody quote the same. Of course the little guy like me and you are not willing to pay these prices.

    There are so many examples of this pricing nonsense - cars, DVDs, movies, Apple computers (now there's a mafia - the distributor also owns all the retail stores), etc.

    I refuse to pay the prices, they can keep the cars, my 10 year old car is fine, I haven't bought s DVD or been to a movie in years and they can keep the Apples. The days of distributors milking the public are gone - Viva credt cards, the internet & uncapped ADSL.

  8. #8
    Moderator IanF's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Jhb
    Posts
    2,679
    Thanks
    197
    Thanked 529 Times in 405 Posts
    Here is one reason the UK economy is 864.5% larger in a much smaller country. Source wolfram alpha. I see this a lot in printing when I see what the US printers pay for colour print costs compared to what we pay, and a big part of this is SA is just small. My outlook is as long as my competitors pay the same then it will be fair. But it is never that simple.
    Only stress when you can change the outcome!

  9. #9
    Platinum Member desA's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    South East Asia
    Posts
    1,023
    Thanks
    512
    Thanked 126 Times in 99 Posts
    SA business has a captive market & wants megabucks with each sale. I have had quotes that are 3 times the SE Asian price.

    If you have cash-in-hand, it could very well pay to purchase off-shore. It would pay for the plane flight. Just check the customs fee, if requested on arrival.

    Too many comfortable cartels operating in SA.
    In search of South African Technology Nuggets(R), for sale & trading in South East Asia.

  10. #10
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,346
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 254 Times in 209 Posts
    i think a lot of people are still scared to pay someone for something they cant see or collect directly....when we can overcome this fear...these cartels we talk about will shut down and go under.

    i give you an example hilti dont have a branch in durban any more it is just basicaly a big hilti sign with a few machines on show...but when you go try buy consumables or anything from them you cant buy off the shelf you have to order thru the rep...here the catch for every delivery you have to pay R80 freight charge no matter how small the package...so for me this doesnt pay...i would rather just go to builders express or somewhere like that and purchase fisher plug which work better than hilti plugs because you can remove them...for some unknow reason hilti plugs are easy to install but man try take it out...the screw head alway strips even if you you a phillips.

    a friend of mine buys everything off shore...he said the only thing to be careful of is using south african postal service...chances are it will be stolen before it gets to you...not the supplier fault...so use a reliable frieight company and pay the little extra for peace of mind.

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Retail / Wholesale Price - Please help!
    By Wolf in forum Marketing Forum
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 10-Nov-10, 05:47 AM
  2. [Article] COSATU's Response to Eskom Multi Year Price Determination (MYPD2) Part 1
    By BBBEE_CompSpec in forum South African Politics Forum
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 15-Dec-09, 04:16 PM
  3. [Question] Gas Price
    By Faan in forum General Business Forum
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 18-Jul-09, 05:00 PM
  4. Mr Price ordered to withdraw misleading ads
    By Eugene in forum Marketing Forum
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 11-Aug-07, 04:20 PM

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •