Does anyone know why...

[Rupe]

Some of my Stihl gear is made in America, all bought from dealers.

 

Sure there is some trade between US and UK, but they are seperate businesses essentially.

[Tom D]

I don't think there is a minimum wage in the US, they only get 2 weeks holiday a year, they dont have the same company pensions etc that we do and there isnt the same h&s stuff. This makes a big difference to the costs of making and selling something, just look at how cheap the chinease can make a saw.

[b101uk]

Aren’t most items in the USA in shops shown without tax due to the different state tax & federal tax placed on each item at point of sale or inter-state sale hence why they look so cheep, after all if the price included taxes then they would be even cheaper as exports are exempt from state tax & federal tax at point of sale given they are then taxed hear with import duty & VAT

[Mesterh]

I think a lot depends on the market. If Stihl can charge more in the UK and get away with it then why not?

 

I remember yonks ago taking to a customer about nothing interesting until he piped up about buying a camera (pro photographer or something!) anyway he was trying to buy some camera in the UK and it cost say £2000. He went direct to Canon to buy through his business and he could buy it for say £1700. He then found somewhere in the middle east selling it for say £1000. He asked Canon why this was etc etc and there answer was nothing to do with tax's vat etc it was just down to the fact that they could sell them for more money in the UK than in India.

 

I would hazard at a guess that most companies do this. I'm sure the strength of the pound does make some difference.

 

Put it this way I've charged less to do a tree job for someone I thought couldnt afford the 'real' price, not a lot mind but it was less.

 

I may have also charged someone more than the 'real' price if I think they would pay it.

[Ian C]

Its called RIP OFF BRITIAN.........simples!

 

A lot of stihl gear now is made in china, blowers and domestic says and hedge trimmers were coming out of china the last time i spoke to a stihl guy. We do have more reg and bull to contend with and that will push the price up.

[Justme]

- The company therefore demands that sales have to be made in person by a dealer (also helps Stihl look good from a H&S point of view; like they are ensuring a thorough handover of product)

)

 

 

Having just bought one from a dealer I would like to saw what tosh that is. He did not ask if I knew what I was doing or show me how to use anything.

 

It was here's the saw (after it was test run & set up but not in front of me) what else do you need & pay the money.

[djbobbins]

The point I was trying to make is that I can't go on the web and buy a Stihl saw from a US seller and have it shipped to the UK.

 

Controlling distribution in this way is one of the key features of maintaining price discrimination.

 

"- The firm must be able to prevent or limit the resale of the goods or services in question by consumers paying the lower price to those who pay the higher price. In some cases, resale is impossible due to transaction costs (e.g., transport costs from high to low price areas), while in others firms adopt contractual or other measures to prevent arbitrage between consumers (e.g., prohibition of resale as part of terms of sale)."

 

Basically I'm peeved 'cos I feel like I'm getting overcharged for something, even though a commonsense part of me is still telling me it should be better value for money than two cheap saws.

 

Could be worse though, I checked the prices of a couple of places in France (am going on hol in a few weeks and wondered whether it'd be better to buy over there) and they are even more expensive than in the UK. Sacre bleu!

[Rupe]

The point I was trying to make is that I can't go on the web and buy a Stihl saw from a US seller and have it shipped to the UK.

 

 

 

But you can't go on the web and buy a saw from a dealer here either. They are not allowed to post them out.

 

If you did buy a saw (or anything else) from the states the import duty would be high enough to make it not worthwhile. Getting someone in the states to buy you one and post it as either used or as a gift would be the only way round it.

 

Mates of mine buy wakeboards from the states so they get the latest models half the price that they would be here. Someone buys them, gift wraps them and adds a card saying happy birthday. Works a treat!

[Al Smith]

Ha we complain too about the prices . The ones that really complain are the Germans . Further more from what I hear on the net often times prices in Norway are twice what we pay in the US of A .Then too a Honda made and sold in Japan costs more than in the US .I have no idea why .

 

FWIW some of the Stihl products are made in Virginia Beach Va ,stateside .

[djbobbins]

Ha we complain too about the prices . The ones that really complain are the Germans . Further more from what I hear on the net often times prices in Norway are twice what we pay in the US of A .Then too a Honda made and sold in Japan costs more than in the US .I have no idea why .

 

FWIW some of the Stihl products are made in Virginia Beach Va ,stateside .

 

Out of interest, since I'm guessing you've got more experience of US purchase taxes than I have (!) can you confirm an assumption of mine?

 

I'm guessing that the price shown here:

 

STIHL USA - Online Dealer Website

 

of $299.95 for the saw with 16" bar is the price I'd pay to leave the store with saw in my hand.

 

Is that correct or are there additional purchase taxes to pay?

 

If the prices on the web are "real" then even including UK import tax, VAT and an estimated $40 to ship the item to the UK, it is still (no pun intended) £80 / nearly $130 dollars to source the saw in the US and have it shipped.

 

Out of interest the duty and VAT applies even if the item is a gift shipped into the UK, but not if it is bought into the UK in person by someone as a gift.