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July 16, 2008
[ SHOPPING IN HONKERS ]
HERE AT IMAGING WE HAVE HAD A BRILLIANT GET-RICH-QUICK BRAINWAVE. We reckon that there’s big money to be made from an online shop called stuffyoucantget.com.au that specialises in doodads that you need but are not stocked by any retailer in this backward country.
Take, for instance, the white balance lens caps that we mentioned in a recent article. All attempts to track down these useful gadgets in local shops led to a blank. If you do manage to get through to a salesperson you spend minutes describing what you’re looking for. Then you listen while they explain – patiently, as though to a dim-witted child – that there is no such thing. And there’s no point in looking at any retailer’s web site because they will be out of date and incomplete.
Go to eBay and type in “white balance lens cap” and stand back. There is any number of Hong Kong vendors ready to do business. You can buy any size cap to fit any lens. Average price is about $8, including postage. We ordered three. They arrived in a few days.
We needed a wireless remote release for the Imaging Nikon. $51 all-up from HK for a very good third party device because we couldn’t find anything comparable in Australia.
Last week we tried in vain to find replacement foam ear pads for a Sony headphone set. The official Sony spares supplier offered to import pads for $18 each plus postage. This is for a headphone set that costs $35. We ordered four pairs of pads from HK for a total of $10.
And local retailers wonder why grey importing is flourishing. Anyone who goes into a shop and lays down ready money for an expensive camera would be well advised to check out the prices offered on eBay. The price differences are big but there are risks. Usually the warranty is not effective in Australia. You should be charged GST when the item arrives and that can close the gap between HK and local prices. But the reality is that consumers can now shop anywhere where the deals are best. It’s called globalisation.
Imaging would rather buy locally. Businesses, jobs and the balance of payments are at stake. But the local shops won’t stock low-margin items and their web sites were all made in 1948 and never updated. Many do not publish prices on their sites.
One of the keys to the transformation of shopping habits has been PayPal. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has released a draft ruling that would stop eBay, the owner of PayPal, from forcing customers to use their payment system. The eBay/PayPal combination is so big that the ACCC is concerned about the “anti-competitive effect” of the PayPal-only policy. But it is interesting that the complaints are coming from the vendors and not from the buyers. Vendors can lose up to 2.4 per cent of their price through PayPal fees, which presumably will result in increased prices all round.
However, PayPal is a boon to cyber-shoppers. You are not giving your credit card details to an unknown seller and, as eBay claim, the opportunity for fraud is diminished. In fact, without PayPal we here at Imaging would not dare to buy from Hong Kong.
Now, let’s get started. First, register www.stuffyoucantget.com.au
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[FOOTNOTE: A couple of visitors have sent bewildered emails asking where they can find "www.stuffyoucantget.com.au" My apologies. It was meant as a joke. Just a way of getting into the story. There is no such web site. But if the idea appeals to you then go for your life.]
Posted by terry at July 16, 2008 11:24 PM
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www.cameraaction.com.au
Updated every day, several times a day with latest prices and includes a huge range of accessories. eCommerce enabled, last update TODAY.
Shop local.
Posted by: Rik Evans-Deane at July 21, 2008 11:20 PM