Why do we have to pay more in the UK?

[Big J]

Maybe BECAUSE everything is more expensive, everything is more expensive?

 

It's a bit "economics trippy", but since all the living and trading costs are higher for UK outlets, they have to charge more to pay for their running, living, treat costs??

 

Just a thought? Or maybe we really are paying too much. So much for a European common market place....

 

We pay more, but we don't really get paid much more, especially when you factor out East Germany (again, just using Germany as an example due to familiarity).

 

In the UK, you just seem to spend all your time working to earn money to pay for overpriced housing and equipment, whilst paying more than anyone else in Europe for diesel (diesel in Bavaria was 70 pence a litre), working with a public that has no understanding of silviculture, a society that takes all the worst aspects of health and safety to the nth degree (just toured a trailer factory employing over 100 people, forklifts buzzing around everywhere, hoists, overhead cranes, robotic welders - no unnecessary H&S signage or anyone wearing PPE they didn't need) and all the time in a climate that has to be the worst in Europe. Couple that with some of the worst new (and old) housing in the Europe, a burgeoning class of people who have no interest in real work and for whom thieving from the hard working is acceptable, dreadful overcrowding, a creaking transport network that sees no new investment and did I mention the truly awful weather?!!

 

I bloody hate the UK sometimes. I wonder why on earth anyone wants to come here.

[Stephen Blair]

Seems like a good price to me, what make and model was it?

[Pete Mctree]

Someone has to invest in a business to sell these machines - fisrst buy them (and a boat load of spares), import them, advertise, pay a salesman, run a showroom, fund a website, have the expertise to help with any issues etc etc etc & after all that they would like to make a profit.

The "middleman" is often more valuable to us than we give them credit for

[Steve Bullman]

Spot on Pete

[shavey]

Yes I got too agree too with Pete on this as an importer myself there are a lot off unseen costs tooo cover, but my motto has been a little profit and often

Where as there are some who do realy cream it off

[josharb87]

Its not Rip off Britain, although you may feel it is.

 

Its about strength of economies for a start. When i came to sweden 6 years ago, the pound was weak, around 10 kronor to the pound, making buying kit from the UK cheaper than what my local dealer (stihl/husqvarna) could buy them in at. now its 15 kronor to the pound prices are on par. back then it made it look like rip off sweden! After all, how could it cheaper to buy swedish products in foreign countries???

Look at the discounts dealers will give you without asking on some kit like chainsaws compared to RRP, I remember one APF a dealer saying he was making £4 per saw profit, sod that!

As Mick Dempsy, it varies country to country tree kit is typically 25% more than the uk, vehicles too, 2nd hand tippers are 4 times the price as in the uk, beer 2-3 times, meat is more.

I now buy my climbing kit from germany not the uk (rubbish choice here)...perhaps their currency is weak at the moment?

 

The distributor will have a deal with the manufacture, they've got to take on any crap with warranty, breakdowns, unhappy customers etc. If you buy from germany, and the kit goes wrong, will the uk dealer help you or just say tough luck??

 

So do you take the risk and save some money or support the UK economy, jobs etc, instead of moaning about it?

[Ty Korrigan]

Not quite, things vary from country to country.

 

All tree surgery stuff and vehicles are horrendously expensive here (France) in comparison to the UK.

 

In France I found my tractor winch to be less expensive than the U.K as well as both of our John Deere tractors.

The Husky top handle was much cheaper here but aside from that I've not many other examples.

Hurray for internet shopping!

Ty

[Daniël Bos]

Someone has to invest in a business to sell these machines - fisrst buy them (and a boat load of spares), import them, advertise, pay a salesman, run a showroom, fund a website, have the expertise to help with any issues etc etc etc & after all that they would like to make a profit.

The "middleman" is often more valuable to us than we give them credit for

 

I think the op was comparing retailers, so a retailer in Germany vs one in Gb? So they would both have the cost of stock, spares, etc.

The only difference that I can see is transport cost may be different depending on where the machine was built? But not That much different!

 

 

 

I often buy kit abroad, but can't find a good supplier in either Germany or the Netherlands than can get anywhere near UK prices for chainsaws.

 

UK second hand cars are way cheaper than their equivalents in NL.

 

I'm sure there's heaps more stuff that's much easier to get/ cheaper here in the UK, swings and roundabouts.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

We pay more, but we don't really get paid much more, especially when you factor out East Germany (again, just using Germany as an example due to familiarity).

 

In the UK, you just seem to spend all your time working to earn money to pay for overpriced housing and equipment, whilst paying more than anyone else in Europe for diesel (diesel in Bavaria was 70 pence a litre), working with a public that has no understanding of silviculture, a society that takes all the worst aspects of health and safety to the nth degree (just toured a trailer factory employing over 100 people, forklifts buzzing around everywhere, hoists, overhead cranes, robotic welders - no unnecessary H&S signage or anyone wearing PPE they didn't need) and all the time in a climate that has to be the worst in Europe. Couple that with some of the worst new (and old) housing in the Europe, a burgeoning class of people who have no interest in real work and for whom thieving from the hard working is acceptable, dreadful overcrowding, a creaking transport network that sees no new investment and did I mention the truly awful weather?!!

 

I bloody hate the UK sometimes. I wonder why on earth anyone wants to come here.

 

[john432]

Seems like a good price to me, what make and model was it?

KGD 800 - EH/SA - KGD Forstseilwinden

 

Have had a rough quote from local Palletways they could collect from Germany for less than 300 quid. Uk dealer basically told me to buy it from away ,than give me an explanation as to why the price differance!