niznai

Not really. But there is truth in what you're saying. On the other hand if overheads and tax and so on manage to somehow build up to overtake the price of shipping halfway around the world, then I think it is poor bussiness management. In Australia it's just shops holding a captive market for ransom as it is with everything else, actually, with the difference that other industries have domestic equivalents the government is trying to protect with commercial barriers. As for R/C there is no excuse other than a bizzarely poorly organised importer/distribution/retail system. Hobby shops that manage to elude this system and go out on their own are the good ones and they compete successfully against e-bussiness.

I agree, the competition with e-bussiness is tough but I think this is a stage we have to go through and the way of the future. Whoever fails to adapt will not survive in the global market. Local shops are about to learn the lesson.

timmay70

iTrader: (5)

You cannot race your car in the mail or on the internet (although, you couldn't tell that with all the keyboard jockeys on this forum). Remember that when you aren't supporting your local shop/tracks. Without the pain of paying their overhead, you may not have anywhere to race. Support where you race, tracks don't survive on race fees alone.

niznai

I am not suggesting we start a war on the local shop. Far from it. But I take it you don't know the situation of Australian retail prices and what we pay here for cars you get over there for acceptable price (which by the way you complain are total rip offs).

Just to give you an example, in Australia we have to pay about 700AU$ for a Corally RDX Phi09. That is about 574US$ converted at today's rate. But that is not a relevant picture. Think about it as if you had to pay the same as us, only in US$, because our average income is equal in figure to that of the US (you have an average gross household income of about 2500US$, we have about the same only in AU$). So you see, you have to pay for a Corally 480US$ which is about 1/5th of your income, whereas we have to pay about 700 which is over 1/4 of our income for the same car. Keep in mind this is a direct result of taxes and tariffs and overheads and generally speaking of distribution inefficiency, not exchange rates, etc.

Here is my situation:

I race at a club. Racing is organised by club members (of which I am one) and only sponsored by some shops (they give us a discount of 10% in their shops, that's the sponsorship). We still pay membership and that money pays for everything we need. We rent our own space comercially at market price. And last year when I went to one of the local shops that appeared on our sponsor list they refused to give me the discount on the basis that their prices are not inflated like some of the other shops on the list. As if that was my fault (I don't work in R/C nor have any affiliation with it other than enjoying it as a hobby). So you see, I am not very much in love with local hobby shops who don't even care about what I would like to do (I give you my word of honour, I do quite often walk in the shop and try to buy things and they are trying to discourage me, like they hate seeing customers in their shop "no, we don't stock that, or that, or the other one" they don't even offer to order something in!). The other day someone looked at me like I was having them on when I asked for a diff thrust bearing. They said they never heard of "thrust bearing" What was that? And the guy was someone my age, not some pimply teenager. Recommended by the others as the car expert in the shop. I left in dismay after trying to explain what the thrust bearing was and telling them that real cars have them, perhaps they repaired their car ever? And that's the story with that shop (and others very close). Every time I go there and try to buy something they don't have it or never heard of it. Let alone they're the most expensive around. Trust me, if the hobby shops around here disappeared tomorrow nobody would know. They are focusing more on cheap crappy RTR mainly offroad stuff and that's it. Soon they'll stock chinese copies of cheap RTR off road stuff!

And to finish I only know of one club propped by a shop but that's in Adelaide. And that shop is one of the best because they import all their stuff directly and sell it in their shop. No overheads, no tax this and tax that and a million idiots who don't have a clue what they're selling and fat chicks doing nothing around the desk. Those guys race the stuff they sell and they know it inside out, and their prices are on par or better than overseas (HK, Taiwan, etc), plus they do telephone orders and ship interstate overnight. Such service is rare in Australia. That's how they stay competitive. That's the lesson others still have to digest.

rosko

i'd like to see mugen give it a shot

sudhar93

iTrader: (5)

yokomo is launching its Yokomo BD5P

rckenny2000

iTrader: (9)

I wouldn't be surprised if the big guns bring out their new cars for the race in Vegas. Just my 2 cents

HarryN

iTrader: (2)

I agree!!!! I am done with RC Driver and RC Car Action. I've had it! They obviously show that they are only in the off-road crowd and that is it.

I love off-road as well, but the bias has to stop.

They won't be getting my money for renewal. It's sad, but if they want to alienate me or keep talking about a subject of off-road, they can do it to their crowd.

cyclone x

iTrader: (3)

just get xrc

or8ital

iTrader: (38)

Why? That is just a rock crawling magazine now.

HarryN

iTrader: (2)

Exactly, it is shifting to the off-road scene as well.

Danny-b23

iTrader: (3)

Off-Road guys probably were saying the same thing when TC's first came out.

liljohn1064

iTrader: (17)

Back on topic. The Losi JRX-S Type R is still a great car. It was/is still ahead of its time in my opinion. The reason it doesn't win championships is because Losi does not sponsor professional drivers in the same capacity as other manufacturers. They lost all of their big guns to sponsored rides. As such, people don't buy this high quality build it yourself kit. If you're careful of what batteries you order, you have no lipo fitting issues. With the new aftermarket layshaft and spool that are out, the car is competitive just about anywhere. They also make the new weight easily without any weight reduction. Except for the Tigermoth, they have the best center of gravity on the market. A couple of common sense mods, like shortening the axle shafts so they don't catch barriers and the parma hard foam bumper to protect front carries and turning arms and breakage becomes normal. With this in mind, why should they put a new car out? Try one, you will not be disappointed.

SpidarX

iTrader: (3)

How come HPI no longer produces high end touring cars under their main brand...instead of under the hot bodies brand?

Dan

iTrader: (75)

Probably because they didn't want to dump resources into two top of the line cars that will eat into each others sales.

tc3team

The more you use your trackside shop, the better chance you have of a trackside discount... It works for me!