IMPORTANT :R/C SUPPORT IN AUSTRALIA KEEP IT CLEAN AND SERIOUS PLEASE
 

DEAR CONSUMERS

Please voice your opinion about the support in Australia from dealers and distributors.

What do you think has to change in Australia to make this hobby better .

would the hobbiest buy product from Australia if the after sales support was strong and helpful and not buy from overseas .what do you guys expect from the companies who run the show in Australia

I would like to just get some feedback from the important people in this field the end user you guys.

lets see if we can make a change and make it better for all.

please keep it clean and keep it professional

regards Angelo

Its all about $$$.

Toy Traders can bugger off and let someone else deal with Tamiya. Worst importers ever that lot for RC.

Dan has summed it up: $$$$$$$$$$$$$

There is more money to be made out of Toys, than hard core nerds who want high priced gear for a discount.

Cant wait for the flames, lame thread................

ah never mind edit.

cant complain about Feral Batteries :nod:

I must say that I have had nothing but good service from over seas which annoys me a bit. If there were a local supplier who was reasonable in price gave the same service as over seas I would consider it serously. But to date for parts with my car you cant go past getting parts over seas

Its all about the $$$, RC shops should be able to compete with overseas but they don't, this is because they are greedy, they really piss me off how much they can charge. what we need in Australia is someone who will give us the same products at the overseas price

Rc Carnage,

They are greedy?

No, they have to make a living.............

Once you pay rent, power, wages, how much is left?

Do they make $300 off a B4 FT?

You are a Fool.

For once I find myself nodding to a post by the Fuhrer ( :weird: ) I work in a hobby shop, and (from my experience only) the markup seems to be with the importers. The number of times I've had customers telling me they "can get X brand truck for X dollars, and can I match it? " When I look it up, they are buying it OS for less than my cost price, so the answer is clearly no. As for making money, the shop has to turn a reasonable profit or it does not exist. Simple as that.

dan makes the main point you can save a lot of money buying stuff overseas for the basic reason no gst for smaller things its easier to but from the lhs but then i live in perth and i can get bob divey liquid mask in the counrty little own perth the lhs sell hundreds of shells but no maskings or liquid mask i know my lhs has been trying to get xxx main masks in fro me for the last 3 months and there is no supply in the country so i have to source liquid mask from the states costing me nearly 100 usd

so i think if the costs were a little low i know my lhs is very reasonable but cant compete with over seas sellers and there was a better supply / support in place more people would buy in oz


i must say the local sellers i have delt with have been aswome like feral and harris for cells if there has been probs its sorted and postage is super fast

but then other there are some in perth that just gouge us in the hobby my lhs will sell x product for a reasonable price and there are others that will sell the same thing for 50 60 dollars more there are people that work in these shops but come to my lhs to buy there stuff cos its cheeper even with staff discount

well theres my rant

shameless plug! :nod: :cool: yes i know it has nothing to do with the thread.... ;)

RC Hobbies
412 Parramatta Rd
Petersham, NSW
9564 0822
www.rchobbies.com.au

RC Hobby Hanger.
Shop 1, 13-19 Hogben St, Kogarah, NSW
telephone; 9588 1220

Adam Amos. This guy has the cheapest Sorex tyres in Australia!! i am 90% sure of this :D :sneaky:
RCTyres.com
http://www.rctyres.com/index.htm
http://www.rctyres.com

i'm only resorting to japanese overseas shops when i want the boutique JapSpec type brands now.

What you will find is that that real racers want a competitive pricing struture within Australia. I buy from both local and OS. I think that we as racers already know what to do and what not to do. So we dont want to pay a premium for knowledge (or lack there of).

The price difference on 1 part can be as much as 50%+ between the LHS and OS.. How can the importers justify this?? Yes i am in the import side of bussiness and i know what costs are involved. A premium of 10-20% MAY be aceptable, but not 50+..

Also at the retail end, the local hobby shops do not stock the parts, and take forever to get them in. (ive been waiting since August for an order, Not Acceptable! :flaming: ) They sold you the toy, but dont have parts support to back it up. That doesnt attract new people in the hobby, more like puts them off it.

I could go on for hours... Angelo,if you want an honest opion, PM me

Back up your products with spares. How many times have people had to wait for a "special order" for their parts only to have it take too bloody long for the shop to get the part in as the distro has none.

Lower prices. Money talks, and I don't give a rats if you have mouths to feed nor do I care about the family of the bloke behind the counter. If I can save a few dollars to go towards a carton of beer by shopping OS then I will. Its not my problem that aussie shops have higher overheads etc.

It has become a pain for me to shop instore in Aust. Either the shop hasn't had exactly what I wanted, or the price has been crazy. (how can a piston, sleve and rod kit be priced at roughly 80% of a new engine?)

I do buy stuff here, but usually its only minor. I actually got a truggy from a store in Sydney in the last few weeks, 500 bucks cheeper from their ebay store than the LHS around the corner from me wanted for one. The LHS didnt have any in stock either, and were reluctant to order one in for me as they would then have had to carry spares for me.

I personaly just cant justify the extra cost in buying here for what I would call poor service. However, if service was to remain at the current percieved level, then I would consider shopping at the LHS more if price was within 10-15% of what I could get it for online.



Cobra, whilst you are asking Q's, mind answering one? How many returns do you get on Nova engines? And what technical expertise goes into working out if any faults were due to poor running in, or manufactures defect?

I'm still a newbie at just under 12 months in the hobby but here goes:

1. $$$ - I have only bought from LHS but after seeing some of the prices I can get OS, I'm starting to have second thoughts. I'm all for supporting the LHS but if I can get a car kit for $300 less from an OS shopfront, im sorry but I know where I'm gonna go. I'd be interested to know what the markup is for the importers. Do aussie importers buy in smaller quantities, hence a higher per item price?

2. Support - I will forever buy parts from a LHS as long as I can get them then and there. None of this "I can order it in for you" stuff. If your gonna stock the car, stock the parts. Thankfully, my LHS does. Never had to wait for a part. Salespeople who point you in the right direction, not always the most expensive one.

3. Attitude - Coming from someone who's still learning, I don't want to be treated like im an idiot. If I have a problem, no matter how trivial or stupid it may be, the dude behind the counter should not patronise. This is especially true for the younger guys getting into it. Dad and his 12 year old kid don't need to be talked down to by a salesman who thinks he's awesome. And I don't want to be hassled. I do want to know about the features and what you stock, but as soon as I feel like im being pressured, im out.

4. Shop Design - Here's something I consider important. I see a lot of hobby shops that look like some dingy basement. You wanna attract new customers, don't crowd your store, use good lighting. A cramped, dark store looks like crap.