Why so expensive in the UK - Main Dealer Greed?

[Lazurus]

I recently needed to buy a replacement switch contactor, I wont mention the make of the bench saw as that would be unfair on the distributor. I contacted the main dealer as I was struggling to find a local electrical factors who could supply what I needed. Said agent indeed had the part and it was duly delivered within a couple of days at a cost of £79. In the mean time I found the same item from the German manufacturer, again delivered within a couple of days, the cost 3 euros plus 8 euros postage.
Now I am all for companies making a profit, but this seems an extortionate mark up on the wholesale price.I thought about returning the first one but as it had been fitted I felt a little dishonest to do so, and as they are date stamped I didn't want to chance returning the second in its place..... Lesson learned.

[ostosix]

Its this country I think. I bought some 3M bluetooth ear defenders from Amazon .COM for £45 including shipping and customs duty all in. Same model from Amazon .CO.UK was £100 +£8 shipping! Here in less than a week. There great by the way.

 

Also Chicargo pneumatic needle gun(descaler to some) around 100 quid same in UK amazon £250.

 

Thats why I hate it when people say when we leave the EU things will go up. Come on we already get ripped off being IN and I can't imagine it being worse off out. (sorry for politics)

 

Its getting daft when you can buy sustantially cheaper in the USA even despite a pretty poor exchange rate.

[Squaredy]

Yeah agreed, I get this quite a lot.  I downgraded my Norwood sawmill from ceramic blade guides to rollers and got the correct roller kit from USA about half the price I could have got it over here.  It was the identical part actually purchased from Norwood themselves so wasn't a cheap alternative.

 

And I needed a new carburettor for my Lucas Mill shortly before Christmas 2016 and the local Kohler dealer in the UK said he couldn't even order it for me until the second week in January the following year.  So I phoned a dealer in the USA who had exactly the correct original part on the shelf and shipped it the same day.  It left the USA on a plane on Christmas day and the only delay was with UK customs who faffed a bit, but it still arrived before the local dealer would even have ordered it for me, and was nearly £160 cheaper even with postage and import duty.

 

I don't know who is taking the mickey but someone is!

 

I remember some years ago a trend started of going to Europe to buy a new car.  It sounded like a bit of a faff but apparently a correctly specified right-hand drive car with plates and everything was in most cases several thousand pounds less just because it was ordered in Germany or France.

[Steve Bullman]

3 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

I remember some years ago a trend started of going to Europe to buy a new car.  It sounded like a bit of a faff but apparently a correctly specified right-hand drive car with plates and everything was in most cases several thousand pounds less just because it was ordered in Germany or France.

I have a mate who buys all his merc 3.5t vans from Ireland and makes a substantial saving

[shillo]

14 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

I have a mate who buys all his merc 3.5t vans from Ireland and makes a substantial saving

Weird, cant remember why but my brother in law who lives in ireland comes over here to buy his cars and recons he makes a substantial saving.

[timbernut]

I have a friend who bought all his kit (3 tractors, implements, unimog, truck) in Europe and says he saved a massive amount, not all new though

[josharb87]

I buy kit from the U.K. and make a substantial saving...

[PeteB]

Is this a case of swings and roundabouts? Wine is cheaper in France? Etc....

 

I confess to having a "hate" thing about Amazon. The idea than they can make billions here yet flick fingers at us all by not paying their dues prevents me from having ought to do with them! It isn't the Government that they are shafting, it is you!

[spuddog0507]

it pays to shop around, sometimes it can pay dividends, recently i was searching the net every evening looking for a particular hydraulic pump around 80cc per rev the pump on eaton vickers website £2780 plus vat as i was in no big panick for the pump i just kept looking then came across a hydraulic co that was closing got the pump i needed for £50 plus £15 carrige so as the saying goes patience pays.

my big pet hate is costa lot coffee only been once 2 coffees 2 buns £11.80 never again jar of coffee in aldi £2.09 for about 50 cup full and 89p for 4 buns.

[Graham]

I posted recently about a clutch problem with my Isuzu.  I asked a mate who manages a motor factor for a price on a clutch master cylinder; no problem £125 to you (pattern part).  I phoned Milner Off Road; £9.03 for a pattern part.

 

Someone is taking the p!55 somewhere.