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| Modelzone | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 25 2013, 08:19 PM (2,031 Views) | |
| AndyT | Jun 27 2013, 10:15 PM Post #21 |
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Sound the klaxon twice and dive the Submarine!
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What was that code you could have put on imports to avoid duty? See my Helps? post too |
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| heraldcoupe | Jun 27 2013, 10:19 PM Post #22 |
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Advanced Member
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No duty on kits, just VAT payable https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff/commodities/9503003000 Cheers, Bill. |
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| AndyT | Jun 27 2013, 10:22 PM Post #23 |
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Sound the klaxon twice and dive the Submarine!
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Thanks Bill |
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| peebeep | Jun 27 2013, 10:41 PM Post #24 |
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Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious
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Thanks for the clarification Bill, apologies to Rich! peebeep |
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| Mentalguru | Jun 27 2013, 10:43 PM Post #25 |
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Owned by Jen
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One also has to remember the huge discount the importer gets fro mthe manufacturer at source, for buying in bulk. I imagine for say 100 kits- maybe 45%? even 50% So remember any import uties will be a percentage factor of THAT price, NOT the retail price. |
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| desmojen | Jun 28 2013, 07:22 AM Post #26 |
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Iwata Goddess
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You can disbelieve the exchange rate all you like, it doesn't stop it being a major factor in pricing. The other major factor that has lately been pushing import prices up is shipping, which has made importing smaller amounts of kits almost prohibitively expensive. It's true that the exchange rate has moved a little in our favour recently, but as with the price increases, the trickle down effect of that will take a while to be noticeable to us as end purchasers. It isn't just modelling that has been affected, the price of Japanese made parts for my mountain bikes (Shimano) has risen dramatically in the last few years. And Amerang don't import them. Jen. |
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| Mentalguru | Jun 28 2013, 07:28 AM Post #27 |
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Owned by Jen
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Another one really annoying thing about this- is that when I (regularly) needed replacement parts for my kits, the ever friendly and immensely helpful Simon at Amerang would always help out the very best he could.. I hope he is going to be ok.
Edited by Mentalguru, Jun 28 2013, 07:29 AM.
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| Walrus | Jun 28 2013, 10:14 AM Post #28 |
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A bristle short of a full brush
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Can't help but be cynical about that Jen Don't have a lot of faith in trickle down theories Money only ever seems to defy gravity! |
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| Drewe | Jun 28 2013, 10:29 AM Post #29 |
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Amused To Death
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What on geds green earth are you doing to those poor models to "regularly" need replacement parts?!? Do you build them with a mallet and welding torch?
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| desmojen | Jun 28 2013, 10:48 AM Post #30 |
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Iwata Goddess
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I know what you're saying Walrus, but in fact, the retailers shielded the buying public from the exchange rate rises for quite some time. I know most of you think I'm talking shit, but if you ever see Vince at a show, just ask him. Unfortunately for us consumers, I do think that fuel price increases and the subsequent shipping cost increases will have a bigger effect long term than even the Yen thing has..... Jen. |
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| peebeep | Jun 28 2013, 11:21 AM Post #31 |
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Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious
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What Jen said. I've discussed this on several occasions with Vince and he will tell you that a combination of exchange rates, shipping and warehousing make it impossible to import stuff from Japan and be able to sell it here at a price that is not eye wateringly expensive. That's not to say there's no truth in the notion that prices reach a level and tend to stay there, but the bottom line for traders is turnover and if it ain't shifting there's little option but discount, with a reduced likelihood of re-stocking. peebeep |
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| Walrus | Jun 28 2013, 01:10 PM Post #32 |
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A bristle short of a full brush
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Have to agree with you and Jen regarding the traders. This is a concern for sure. We can complain about the prices as consumers and decide not to buy. That leaves the traders with expensive kits on their shelves doing nowt for their cash flow. If you look at the 5 year exchange rate charts, there was a catastrophic plunge at the time of the banking crisis. Since then there has been an arc of comparatively mild recovery slowly dropping away back to about the level of where the improvement started. Appreciate time lag for pricing etc and Vince knows more about the business than me |
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| Boffin | Jun 29 2013, 12:49 AM Post #33 |
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Sorry, but £30 for a pair of RAF Mustangs in 1/72 or a 1/72 Osprey for £40 doesn't float my boat. With the likes of Airfix and Revell raising their game, and reinvigorating their product lines, the far East manufacturers need to reassess their pricing structure. Do they want to shift units or try to make a large profit off of small volumes? If they are making small profits off of the current prices, they are going to suffer a deficiency of demand. |
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| Drewe | Jun 29 2013, 07:57 AM Post #34 |
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Amused To Death
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No, the *importers* need to reassess their pricing structure. The native pricing of these products is entirely reasonable! I just got two Hasegawa Eurofighter Typhoons from Hong Kong for £41 including postage. Ordering ONE from Hannants would have been £39.99 plus another £4 or so p&p. So the pricing in Asia is just fine. I don't know how often we can go over the same ground? Japan/Asia is the huge majority of a company like Hasegawa 's market, exports to Europe or America are almost irrelevant - if they stopped tomorrow the impact on hasegawa's bottom line would be negligible. I'll be getting a couple of Ospreys, but I won't be paying an importer, they'll be on the plane from Hong Kong. It's NOT the manufacturer, it's the importer, and Hasegawa don't control those mark ups, and likely have less than zero interest in doing so, they get the same money per item whether it's purchased for £15 from Hong Kong or £40 from lowestoft. Indeed, they made twice as much from my two £15 Typhoons as the would have from one £40 Typhoon. The importer may have lost out, but with the fact that it's jut as easy to order from Asia as the UK these days, frankly, I couldn't care less. If Amerang go under it has zero impact on my buying habits because I don't use them anyway. Sorry to be blunt but there it is. The manufacturer is not the problem, look closer to home. And then buy from Asia. |
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| Mentalguru | Jun 29 2013, 08:05 AM Post #35 |
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Owned by Jen
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With respect Drewe- you re indicating that there is no longer room for a national importer. Your argument leaves no room for anyone- including yourself to make any money from the cut bare transaction. If you were doing this for a business, how much would you charge to bring those kits in for someone else? I'm sure I don't need to expand on this theme- but for yourself you can understand the myriad costs involved to start up a bricks and mortar business to do just this. And don't even think about being the official importer with all the stresses and cash flow issues that would entail. So I can only assume you mean that the day of the UK importer must be dead- because as we slowly all go the Hong Kong route, then it has to pass. Edited by Mentalguru, Jun 29 2013, 08:05 AM.
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| Drewe | Jun 29 2013, 08:52 AM Post #36 |
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Amused To Death
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The day of the UK importer he may well be dead, I don't know. What I do know is that I'm not going to click a mouse button to purchase something for £40 when the same combination of clicks will bag EXACTLY the same thing for £20. If I have the means (credit card, PayPal) to make that choice, why on earth wouldn't I? I'm not even necessarily suggesting the importers are overcharging once all the overheads are considered, I'm just saying that if those overheads price that product, through that importer, out of MY financial comfort zone, then I'm going to seek alternatives or go without. This isn't bread or milk, nobody's getting ripped off because none of this stuff is essential. I'll happily pay £10 for a superb piece of steak from a local butcher that would cost half that from a supermarket. Because my expectation is that the £10 piece cut just for me will be significantly better than the precut, vacuum packed and not properly aged piece from the supermarket. My money, my choice. The Typhoon? £40 gets me EXACTLY the same product that less than £20 did with some research. Frankly I'd be an idiot to pay the higher price (accepting that I'm not a rabid modelling philanthropist!) I even source most of my Trumpeter stuff direct from China now. I generally only save a pound or two over UK prices, but again, same mouse clicks, same product, same delivery to my door, and often getting it before it hits the UK. I have no problem with the importers pricing, and I have no particular desire to see them go under, but for me, and I suspect many like me, they don't really feature on my purchasing landscape because the global market I have ready access to makes other, cheaper options available to me with no more effort. Sorry if that makes me seem mercenary, but I'm just tightening my belt like we've been told to! Edited by Drewe, Jun 29 2013, 09:05 AM.
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| dave v | Jun 29 2013, 09:19 AM Post #37 |
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Hi Guys, have to go along with Drew on this one, my mate Mike C over on britmodeller, has posted something that bears out the importer mark up thing. Originally Hannants advertised the Eduard Royal kit of their Spitfire at £90 plus, suddenly the price is now £69 wonder why, still stupidly expensive, but it bears out the point of overpricing by the importer. I have only just started ordering from abroad as at first i was worried about giving my credit card details, but i have found like many others its cheaper to buy from abroad, why pay double the price when you dont have too, seems like false economy to me, also i have found that the delivery time is in some cases quicker than the english post, so whilst i use certain dealers here in the uk, if the product is noticably cheaper inc postage then thats the way foreward as far as im concerned. As like most people especially us pensioners(no were not all on £50,000 a year) we have to get the best value for money, so if that means uk importers loseing out so be it. Dave |
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| Mentalguru | Jun 29 2013, 11:29 AM Post #38 |
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Owned by Jen
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I agree with both you guys. However it is a shame the world is going this way. One only has to look at the latest tax fiascos regardign the likes of Amazon, and we se that ultimately it does us no good at all. If all our mortgages and fuel were at sensible levels, we would not be pushed to go this route. It is just food for thought though. |
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| peebeep | Jul 11 2013, 11:38 AM Post #39 |
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Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious
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There is a very interesting article here. The original founder of Modelzone, David Mordecai, is looking to buy back the company. His comments on the way the company has been run since he left it 12 months ago are very illuminating. peebeep |
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| Walrus | Jul 11 2013, 11:48 AM Post #40 |
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A bristle short of a full brush
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Also an announcement by Hornby http://online.hemscottir.com/ir/hrn/ir.jsp?page=news-item&item=1538274749317120 http://www.hornby.com/news/2013-product-delays-and-modelzone-announcement/ |
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