I've been finding more and more recently that Aussie business' really don't seem to like communicating by email or have useful websites properly catagorising and pricing products.
Why do I have to phone to ask for the price on something? If I phone around ten places I'm still gonna buy from the cheapest place so why can't I find this out from their web page?
Almost all Yankie, Uk and European websites have full listings of stock with descriptions and currently pricing so you can compare prices there and then. Job done. Come on Australia shake a leg 馃憤
annosL 路
hear hear, especially bein way out west, net's the easiest馃憤
colonel mustard 路
Agreed!!
vw54 路
pick up the fone much more plesant to talk with some one
Phil74Camper 路
Does anyone have the time, or the HTML/Pagemaker skills to make sites like that? Or the money to pay someone else to do it?
I guess the economies of scale are just bigger in the US and the UK.
Our Club Veedub site is overdue for a cleanup and redesign but I know Steve doesn't have the time and he's still learning Pagemaker...
djnee 路
I have to say that Aus is years behind when it comes to stuff like this (sorry!)
No prices on a shop website? Exactly what is the point of the website then!?? It's not just small companies either. For example, Autobarns website has a "Products" tab that hasn't been working for at least a year....just says "coming soon" or something. Useless.
I may as well get all my moans over in one go...lol
Another thing here is how long it takes to get stuff sorted. When we bought our house here it took Telstra 14 days to get our phone connected, then another 7 - 10 days for us to get the internet sorted. Took something like 5 days for our sim cards to get activated on our mobile phones. Foxtel install was about 3 weeks..The list goes on! We were used to next day service with pretty much all of those in the UK....maybe 2 - 3 days maximum.
We're used to it now though....but it really spun us out when we first arrived.
ringoschariot 路
I would have to agree that most Aussie business sites are useless, no excuse for not putting pricing etc on them.
My wife has just set up a business selling babygoods and she has an online shop, it took her a few days to work out how to set it up and load prices, pictures etc and she is clueless about anything computer related.
I think suppliers here have to realise that the world has moved on from "picking up the phone" and having a bit of yack when you want to buy something. The door is wide open for a smart supplier to open a proper web site and clean up in Australia, is it any wonder a lot of people here order VW items from overseas?
Beerboy 路
Coming from the UK 馃 shopping on sites like Just Kampers, vwheritage, german swedish french, and machine7 you just get used to it, also courier and parcel service is getting so competitive read cheap it enables you to buy it and it arrives on your door.
Places in the uk are fairly remote too (well not compared to oz) my folks place is a good couple of hours round trip to the GSF in exeter. I dont have the time.
I also would have thought that all the old arguments of the internet would be the same, less costs for the company, and 24 hour shopping, and less hassle of dealing with people. Oh and a picture is pretty helpful a lot of the time.
If I am buying service parts then I am not too bothered how I buy it or from who.
I have now re learnt to pick up the phone and know where to go to get what I need in and around sydney, and I must say get very good service from all.
I think there was a good point above where it is so much easier now to set up a website and store. Very click and play with some hosting companies.
matberry 路
There's too much to say on this subject, but as someone that does repair and sell parts, the 1st thing that comes to mind is that I like to offer the correct part so there is always some questions to be answered in order for the best and hopefully correct part to be offered.
I think some shops here dont actually have it in stock so price isn't always going to stay accurate, or cant keep up with the need to update thier site as often as is required.
Having said that I am presently looking into this area, but is the Oz market big enough???
psimitar 路
Wow, I was expecting to be majorly bagged for saying about this but very interesting to see that a lot of people agree.
Matt berry: I understand that if an item is out of stock then the price may well have changed but then this should be stated on the website.
Most people work the same hours that the shop is open so it's not always possible to spend 15mins on the phone asking for availability and price and then have to do this again if the price seems unreasonable. Like $45 for a gearlinkage coupling. Bloody ridiculous. Even on an exchange rate of $2.50 to the UK pound it shouldn't be more than $30 and OEM not aftermarket.
As for getting the right part, well thats down to the product description. It may take a while to do the first time round but once it's done it done. The ID of a 64 torsion bush is never going to change.
I agree there are some parts that an unfamiliar would be wise to call about but not that many.
And I know the UK/European market is bigger but lets say I did a deal with VW Heritage to open an online store in Oz. Fully priced except for specialty items it may very well succeed.
Pardon my groan please but I, probably like most people, only have my evenings to investigate things and work on my project so it can be quite frustrating. 馃槈
Sides 路
Hey, this is a really interesting topic, and something I've been wondering about for a while.
I'm an IT geek and so will happy spend hours researching stuff on the net, yet I won't make a phone call about a part. Partially I feel dumb or rude making a 30 second phone call "how much for an X". Call me lazy or whatever, but you know I'm the one with the $$$ so really the shops should be making an effort to extract it from me, not me going to effort to spend it.
Keeping prices updated on a site, well that was something I learnt in 1st year uni 15 years ago... so most so called "web developers" should be able to set it up using current software pretty easily. Yes it's a bit more involved than what the "build your own website for dummies" books cover, but it wouldn't (shouldn't) cost a motza to get a pro to do it for you. Even something simple like "keep this Excel spreadsheet updated, and the site updates itself from there" is really all most places need.
And Matt, you're right about market size... although not guaranteed worth it I still the think the first to crack it will gain a niche in the market, at least until the others catch up.
It's widely known that Australian's are early adopters of technology... so why are we so far behind on this one ???
psimitar 路
Sides wrote:Hey, this is a really interesting topic, and something I've been wondering about for a while.
I'm an IT geek and so will happy spend hours researching stuff on the net, yet I won't make a phone call about a part. Partially I feel dumb or rude making a 30 second phone call "how much for an X". Call me lazy or whatever, but you know I'm the one with the $$$ so really the shops should be making an effort to extract it from me, not me going to effort to spend it.
Keeping prices updated on a site, well that was something I learnt in 1st year uni 15 years ago... so most so called "web developers" should be able to set it up using current software pretty easily. Yes it's a bit more involved than what the "build your own website for dummies" books cover, but it wouldn't (shouldn't) cost a motza to get a pro to do it for you. Even something simple like "keep this Excel spreadsheet updated, and the site updates itself from there" is really all most places need.
And Matt, you're right about market size... although not guaranteed worth it I still the think the first to crack it will gain a niche in the market, at least until the others catch up.
It's widely known that Australian's are early adopters of technology... so why are we so far behind on this one ???
Dude, If you know the web page side of things then I'll have a word with some UK companies and see what the go is? What do you reckon?
I knew that one of the easiest ways to keep prices upto date was to link to a spreadsheet. How my old company did things. Once the pro had set the basic page up then the rest was kinda copy and paste. Anyhow, there ya go. It's not hard. 馃槈
matberry 路
An Oz VW shop in Sydney tried to get a web site happening....4 times, each time spending 4 days taking and editing photos etc and then not getting any results from the web designer. Now a deal linked to a US supplier.....now surely that can be done, I order from some in the states where it's all too easy.
alien8 路
matberry wrote:I order from some in the states where it's all too easy.
That's the guts of it.
Its all to easy to buy from the US sites. Most of the time its shipped just as quick as ordering over the phone over here.
I don't really care about an online VW supplier being in Australia.The world is just a small place these days.
grumble 路
Matt i"m like you i like to have a chat to the customer and then advise that this is what I have and this is what available,but this is also hard when people ring just to do a comparison of prices between you and an unknown quantity,I sell what i consider good parts for a reasonable amount,it has taken me about 40 years to aquire this buying network and people expect me to then tell them where I am purchasing my parts so that they can take advantage of this experience.An example of this was at Old Bar when a stranger asked where I purchased various parts,i didn't reveal this source and he said I wouldn't buy them from you anyway even though they were a reasonable price and cheaper than advertised by a big company.I have a small one man business and try to help all of my customers but I do not have the manpower to put a website up.
matberry 路
grumble wrote:Matt i"m like you i like to have a chat to the customer and then advise that this is what I have and this is what available,but this is also hard when people ring just to do a comparison of prices between you and an unknown quantity,I sell what i consider good parts for a reasonable amount,it has taken me about 40 years to aquire this buying network and people expect me to then tell them where I am purchasing my parts so that they can take advantage of this experience.An example of this was at Old Bar when a stranger asked where I purchased various parts,i didn't reveal this source and he said I wouldn't buy them from you anyway even though they were a reasonable price and cheaper than advertised by a big company.I have a small one man business and try to help all of my customers but I do not have the manpower to put a website up.
Exactly.
matberry 路
alien8 wrote:The world is just a small place these days.
Yep
Sides 路
All valid points.
I've found though that bringing in from the US... even if I don't get hit for customs or GST... costs about 10-15% on top for shipping.
So... part of my wondering was, is it really true that Aussie businesses can't bring parts in and on-sell for around that 15% ???
There are a few good Aussie online places, just not ones catering to VW (more the ricer and racer crowd). I'd definitely support a local business if it worked out the same price wise, or even slightly more...
3amigos 路
i do all m yadvertising on the net...100%...best thing ever馃槀
helbus 路
4 days delivery from UK or the States is usual.
matberry 路
helbus wrote:4 days delivery from UK or the States is usual.
Sometimes.....I'm presently waiting for some engine parts for over two weeks where from the same company has been 6-7 days twice before. Never assume anything 馃槀
psimitar 路
grumble wrote:Matt i"m like you i like to have a chat to the customer and then advise that this is what I have and this is what available,but this is also hard when people ring just to do a comparison of prices between you and an unknown quantity,I sell what i consider good parts for a reasonable amount,it has taken me about 40 years to aquire this buying network and people expect me to then tell them where I am purchasing my parts so that they can take advantage of this experience.An example of this was at Old Bar when a stranger asked where I purchased various parts,i didn't reveal this source and he said I wouldn't buy them from you anyway even though they were a reasonable price and cheaper than advertised by a big company.I have a small one man business and try to help all of my customers but I do not have the manpower to put a website up.
I like chatting about VW's and the likes too but those places I have phoned haven't been interested in a chat. What do you want? yes we have it. This much, do you want it. Got better manners from a website.
I agree that you shouldn't give out your hard earned sources. Just from what you've said I take you to be a nice bloke and if I had the expertise I'd make a website for free for you to help your business.
What I'm getting at is having a reputable company you can do business with either by phone or internet. US and UK companies have spent many years building their reps like CIP, Airkewld, VW Heritage, Machine 7, CSP, Wolfberg West and so on. If they started to use cheaper, low quality stock people would very quickly stop using them.
I think the main thing here is being able to order something on a saturday arvo when you find that you now need that thing you just broke and can quickly order it on the net and have piece of mind that it'll be on it's way come Monday.
Another way to think of it is the business being lost by Australian companies due to not keeping up with the times. I'd love to buy Australian but not if it's more expensive and less user friendly than an overseas reseller. I work hard for my money so like to make it go as far as possible 馃檪
hellbugged 路
yeah phone and talking to people is great until it becomes a fulltime job just to answer the phone ringing off the hook with questions that don't lead to sales and subsequent income to the business.........you would have experienced that Matt 馃憤
.......makes a website look good
68AutoBug 路
vw54 wrote:pick up the fone much more plesant to talk with some one
Yes,
ringing the US via the phone thru the internet is the way to go at least no phone bills... ..
I like to see whether I'm buying German [G] Euopean[E]
Brasillian [B} Mexican [M] USA [US] made parts
so these suffixes are excellent and are used by some sellers..
I would also Love to see some company Brasilian names so when i find some OK parts I'll buy those...
as even some VW do Brasil parts are crap...
and I'd rather leave the mexican parts for the mexicans..lol
to have a professional website done costs a Mass of money...
I have seen some aussie shops trying to do websites, but they seem to get half done...
I would like to know that I am buying German or Brasilian oil change kits... I don't want to pay the same for both.!!
I prefer to buy parts that are made in the USA....
Mat and others have said they have found good sources for parts... Well, We need to know what you are selling at what prices...
as you kn0w many people just ring up someone who happens to have a mexican or brasillian Muffler etc very cheap.
and they ring You [Mat] etc and get a price... they then hang up and tell all their mates how expensive You are...
If that muffler takes two days to fit and then rusts out in 18 months... some remember that You sell quality stuff and it costs more... and others still buy the crap... lol
many VW owners have all sorts of chinese/taiwanese/mexican etc aftermarket parts that just don't fit....
they really cannot be sold on... as You know they won't fit..
Generally speaking - when ordering by fax - email or phone -
You don;'t really know what quality Your parts will be...
there are some good brazillian parts out there... but how to pick out the good factory out of all the bad ones????
cheers
LEE
vw54 路
I prefer to buy parts that are made in the USA....
not much of that nowdays
BiX 路
I think there are pro's and cons of aussie companies doing websites.
While Matt and co have a a valid point about not wanting to release knowledge about theri suppliers etc if they are not going to get a sale, there is a flip side as pointed out about spending all day on the phone.
Many vw nuts, know what they want (and have good knowledge to back this up).... from something simple ie a gasket kit to things more complex. Simple things are great bought from a website, and australian companies need to understand this. Even to more complex things, some people may buy from a website (Say heads for a new motor), in which case the aussie companies loose out again.
I have a good basic knowlegde of VW's there are many things I will buy from a website either from my own online research or from talking to more experinced people (not VW shop people). Then there are things that I want to sit and dicuss with a expert and in this case I go to my regular, respected machanic and talk to them about it.
71dub 路
have bought parts on line form both states and uk .usually find couple of emails back and forth to make sure of corrct part then parts sent and arrive at resonable time have bought parts localy find it just as easy to pick up the phone and ask
Yogie 路
I did shop around on the different US sites for the best price. Now I just order everything from the one place as it is easier than working out if this shop has this item a little less than that shop etc. I would much prefer to buy from an Australian shop as long as I could see the photos of the parts and read an accurate description of the part and where it is from. The Australian shops need to realise that they will expand their circle of buyers in this way as well. How many people around the world would also look at the website here and buy just as easily as from the UK or USA?
Yogie
Uber Kafer 路
Living in the west Oz I am envious of you guys on the east coast, at least the big heavy items wont cripple you in freight costs! but as for everything else I am just as comfortable buying from US, UK, or Germany, as the delivery times to WA are no different than to WA from our eastern states. To be honest, its way more convenient over the web, re stock availability, full descriptions, price. I wish I had these resources 30 years ago when I built my first bug.
grumble 路
psimitar,i can understand what you are trying to say and where you are coming from,unfortunately I do not have the time or the manpower to run a website,i enjoy my job and customers.Over the years i have built a good clientelle with a strong VW following,this unfortunately interferes with my free time when I am trying to slow down.If you would like to buy into a viable business this is your chance.馃憤 cheers Les
barls 路
tell me about it even ive got to book in 2 months in advance and i occasionally work at grumbles in my down time from my current job. also i do his tech support and i refuse to build a web page the other son is better at that.
psimitar 路
grumble wrote:psimitar,i can understand what you are trying to say and where you are coming from,unfortunately I do not have the time or the manpower to run a website,i enjoy my job and customers.Over the years i have built a good clientelle with a strong VW following,this unfortunately interferes with my free time when I am trying to slow down.If you would like to buy into a viable business this is your chance.馃憤 cheers Les
I'm glad you enjoy your job and customers. There aren't all that many that can truely say that these days.
Where abouts in the country are you? A VW business is a tempting idea 馃檪
Cheers,
Mike
psimitar 路
ah, I just Googled Taree. You're NSW. Miles away from Brissy but I can also see why your clientele is pretty good. From what I've learnt the VW scene is bigger and stronger in NSW than QLD.
Probably if I was down your way I'd buy from you too. Still, a VW business 馃榾 Hmmmm.......
68AutoBug 路
Many of the aussie shops don't like giving out prices on VW parts
as it depends on where the parts came from [made] and How much they cost them....
You can buy cheap taiwanese/chinese stuff that doesn't fit...
or Good quality more expensive parts...
so, a website can tell you all these things...
where a 30 second phone call won't..
most aussie shops prefer you to tell them what you want and they will give You the total cost...
and this is what we have to do sometimes...
and then wait for the post to see what quality parts You have received... or crap... lol
cheers
LEE
MY68VW 路
I don't think many people/businesses in Oz that run their own site actually spend time on the net to know how people use it, they are to busy running a business. The young and net literate don't own businesses yet and dad/boss/partner wont listen to their ideas.
Most Aussie don't have good internet connections (comparitive to OS), if they do they live in the city and shop on foot.
It seems our "out back" folk are much more internet savvy than city folk. Just say you live in Shark Bay WA, you're so far from anywhere it doesn't matter were in the world stuff comes from.
At the end of the day I need to save any dollar, so wont hesitate to buy OS. If I need it quick I'll order local but call first to make sure they can pull it off a shelf and describe the box. It may be businesses don't see improvment in sales due to a web site. I don't think it will remain that way.
馃憤 Good thread. Agree on most points, but don't think even a brilliant online Aussie VW marketplace, would 'clean up' - once a broken part is fixed or replaced with quality it's gonna last another 40 years, where's the return market? Henry Ford was in the car manufacturing game to sell spare parts not to sell good cars. VW on the other hand.
psimitar 路
MY68VW wrote:I don't think many people/businesses in Oz that run their own site actually spend time on the net to know how people use it, they are to busy running a business. The young and net literate don't own businesses yet and dad/boss/partner wont listen to their ideas.
Most Aussie don't have good internet connections (comparitive to OS), if they do they live in the city and shop on foot.
It seems our "out back" folk are much more internet savvy than city folk. Just say you live in Shark Bay WA, you're so far from anywhere it doesn't matter were in the world stuff comes from.
At the end of the day I need to save any dollar, so wont hesitate to buy OS. If I need it quick I'll order local but call first to make sure they can pull it off a shelf and describe the box. It may be businesses don't see improvment in sales due to a web site. I don't think it will remain that way.
馃憤 Good thread. Agree on most points, but don't think even a brilliant online Aussie VW marketplace, would 'clean up' - once a broken part is fixed or replaced with quality it's gonna last another 40 years, where's the return market? Henry Ford was in the car manufacturing game to sell spare parts not to sell good cars. VW on the other hand.
Once you have established yourself as a reliable reseller of quality parts and are well known throughout Oz then you are more likely to be used then other businesses with poor websites but are local. This is where the Oz businesses are losing out because people are firstly going OS for parts due to better pricing and quick turn around.
It's an untapped market in many markets in Oz. The businesses seem to be of the mentality that if you phone or come to the store then you will end up buying there due to laziness of not trying elsewhere. The public is now moving towards the mentality that if they don't like the prices or can't find what they think should be in the store that they are then less likely to ever use that store again and maybe only in emergencies. I only use supercheap cos they are a 5minute walk from me and even then only for things that Bunnings don't have, which is right next door.馃檪
Cheers,
Mike
psimitar 路
68AutoBug wrote:Many of the aussie shops don't like giving out prices on VW parts
as it depends on where the parts came from [made] and How much they cost them....
You can buy cheap taiwanese/chinese stuff that doesn't fit...
or Good quality more expensive parts...
so, a website can tell you all these things...
where a 30 second phone call won't..
most aussie shops prefer you to tell them what you want and they will give You the total cost...
and this is what we have to do sometimes...
and then wait for the post to see what quality parts You have received... or crap... lol
cheers
LEE
For pricing I understand if you don't have the part in stock cos due to international exchange rates the price may have changed but that doesn't stop you saying 'Not in Stock' on your website but if it is in stock then why oh why can't it's price be displayed? all you do is update the price when you have to re-stock and this is just updating a spreadsheet that almost anyone can do these days.
It really does depend on the shop too as some I won't even call again cos they were so unhelpful or just rude on the phone. Politeness costs nothing but can make you money 馃檪
Cheers,
Mike
flipflopsurfer 路
I've had this gripe for several years, either the description is generic and doesn't differentiate between years, so you have to ring or there's no price, so you have to ring.
I rarely buy anything from this country any longer, I find it quicker and cheaper including shipping in the US, for instance, queried an oil pump from a well known shop in Sydney $103 delivered, the exact same pump cost me $61.95 Aus to my door, took 5 days. I even ordered some bits from Jake Raby, not known for cheap bargains, I got a whole clutch fork conversion kit, clutch fork, sleeve, release bearing and bush kit, cheaper delivered than the quoted price for a standard clutch fork here. I think shops like to think they have a captive market here and they do to some sense because they are still in business, maybe people don't trust the internet and overseas shipping, I don't know, but I've never had a problem with it. I even bought one of my splits off Ebay US, sight unseen, all original and complete, picked it up from the port and drove it home, all for $3000.
For all of us that live some distance from the a vw shop you would actually use, there is no point in orpdering from this country, it takes roughly the same time to get here unless you pay for express and there's no guarantee you'll get the part you want.
3amigos 路
. I even bought one of my splits off Ebay US, sight unseen, all original and complete, picked it up from the port and drove it home, all for $3000.
.
would like to hear more.
from start to pick up ..if u can
psimitar 路
Well I think I might have to see what can be done about this. Maybe a poll to see who would find it useful to have an Oz web based VW company that is well priced and easy to navigate.
If there's enough interest then I can look into it but if not enough interest it makes it a risky venture 馃槈
Cheers,
Mike
Dero 路
Approach a US shop like CB, or V dub parts unlimited, CIP1 etc... see if theyed be interested in a aussie arm... they have the website, database stocking system sorted, or ask if you can purchase there complete webshop setup... see if theyd supply wholesale to you etc pfft there are heaps of options out there for decent web shops. Obviously ontop of that you need warehouse storage etc...
to be honest I think if we had any of the above store here is Aus they would do fine 馃檮 all it take is one, and it wont be long before everyone has to change there tack and have to compete.... 馃憤
some shops will do fine running the way they do now due to lestablished customer base... though I think webshops are the future and a far greater way of reaching more people, hell you can have 50 ppl all shopping the same time where is you can only have one person on the phone, unless you have 50 staff ppl to answer 馃槈
flipflopsurfer 路
3amigos wrote:
. I even bought one of my splits off Ebay US, sight unseen, all original and complete, picked it up from the port and drove it home, all for $3000.
.
would like to hear more.
from start to pick up ..if u can
It's quite a simple process. I wouldn't use an australian agent to initiate it, the ones I spoke to were far to keen adding up costs and extras rather than the fine details, like location, vehicle type, etc.
When you find a US agent, and there are hundreds who do VW's, speak to the receiving agent here, if they seem a bit blase about the process, ask the US guy to find someone else. Ask the seller to send you a pic of the vin for the import approval, apply for approval, as long as you have it before the vehicle lands in Oz, it's not needed for loading and shipping.
Once it arrives be prepared for AQIS steam cleaning it once, maybe twice, AQIS inspectors must have different standards than normal people, mine was cleaned twice and it still had half a farmyard unnderneath.
Customs will inspect it for valuation, at the time and I don't think it's changed, it gets valued at the market price in Australia rather than the price paid. Mine was valued at $350, it had shabby paint, but it was a running, driving, complete 57 panel van. I think I paid a couple of hundred bucks duty as they add the price of shipping onto the vehicle value, most other countries I've shipped to, take the shipping away as it's an expense, but lucky us, they add it on.
Insurance from wherever on the chassis number, permit to drive an unregistered vehicle, done.
alien8 路
flipflopsurfer wrote:
3amigos wrote:
. I even bought one of my splits off Ebay US, sight unseen, all original and complete, picked it up from the port and drove it home, all for $3000.
.
would like to hear more.
from start to pick up ..if u can
It's quite a simple process. I wouldn't use an australian agent to initiate it, the ones I spoke to were far to keen adding up costs and extras rather than the fine details, like location, vehicle type, etc.
When you find a US agent, and there are hundreds who do VW's, speak to the receiving agent here, if they seem a bit blase about the process, ask the US guy to find someone else. Ask the seller to send you a pic of the vin for the import approval, apply for approval, as long as you have it before the vehicle lands in Oz, it's not needed for loading and shipping.
Once it arrives be prepared for AQIS steam cleaning it once, maybe twice, AQIS inspectors must have different standards than normal people, mine was cleaned twice and it still had half a farmyard unnderneath.
Customs will inspect it for valuation, at the time and I don't think it's changed, it gets valued at the market price in Australia rather than the price paid. Mine was valued at $350, it had shabby paint, but it was a running, driving, complete 57 panel van. I think I paid a couple of hundred bucks duty as they add the price of shipping onto the vehicle value, most other countries I've shipped to, take the shipping away as it's an expense, but lucky us, they add it on.
Insurance from wherever on the chassis number, permit to drive an unregistered vehicle, done.
How does one go about finding a US agent?
flipflopsurfer 路
There used to be a good list of shipping agents on the samba. I shipped mine 6 or so years ago now, when a lot of splits were leaving the US, loads of shippers were offering good cheap service. I seem to remember seeing an ad recently in just cars about shipping from the US, the contact was a muscle car crowd here.
alien8 路
Cheers flipflop馃憤
psimitar 路
Ye, there is a fairly new mustang resto garage in Brissy that import direct from the US. Fraid the name escapes me 馃槈
vorsprungdurchtechnique 路
I have purchased almost everything for my bug from CIP in the US, Machine 7 and VW Heritage in the UK because every site I have visited in Oz is embarrassingly poor. And to be honest the customer service over the phone at many stores has also been below average and the prices often crazy. It's really short sighted for Aussie companies to make excuses, the first company that offers something like Machine 7 will be firing on all cylinders. There's a great opportunity here, somebody go for it.
Beerboy 路
a great thread and a good discussion
machine 7 has built up its internet reputation probably the same as heritage from good customer service over the phone and at shows.
The service I get from all sydney shops is second to none.
No problems at all. In fact I like the personalised service
Australia is not the uk and not the Us and to be honest thats why I am here ;-)
But I do also like to buy on line, and get it the next day without driving out.
psimitar 路
So I was talking with my wife about setting up a business to sell parts over the web and it became apparent that I am going to have to find the companies that supply the likes of CIP1, Machine 7 and VW Heritage as although they could supply me it wouldn't be that much less than if I was buying as a private buyer. This would make me more expensive especially if having to pay the dumb import taxes. Maybe this is why Aussie prices are 15% higher than OS???
Things like bearings and seals I could probably source in Australia but body panels, window rubbers etc would all have to come from OS suppliers.
I will continue to research this but one of the biggest killers could possibly be the import tax. Dunno we shall see.
And To Beerboy. Yes this is Australia and it is better than the US and UK in many ways but that doesn't mean that companies can't be more up to date than they currently are. If Halfords can list 80-90% of it's stock online then why can't Repco, Supercheap and Autobarn?
Plus Halfords is open till 8pm most nites so us none tradie workers can pop in after work to get things. Handy just like Bunnings.馃檪
Cheers,
Mike
Beerboy 路
don't get me started on halfords. great business model.
I used to travel 20 k's to get to halfords now they have built 2 more and they are like both only 5k away.
Can't amagine why anyone would want to buy online from halfords. Thats probably me. But then I go to a old skool car parts place that is an idependant as it has a better range is cheaper and the service is excellent. I would never ask any of the kids in helfords for advice.
Then I am talking about a lot of choice very close.
I actually don't know what you can buy on line from halfords
flipflopsurfer 路
Halfords is a fantastic shop for non vw specific items, GSF is very good for vw and porsche stuff, especially 944 discs and calipers. I found heritage and their sister shop SSP quality to be a bit suspect at times and the prices can be horrific, their BMD pulleys are double what you can buy them for in the states.
I also thought about the webshop for several years, but I was a little concerned that people would be put off about the prices being higher although the quality of parts would be better.
People don't always buy or want the best, for instance, I've seen people restore vans (i'm a kombi person) using schofield panels, everywhere you read, they are shocking, thin and don't fit, but it's so easy to get Klassicfab or Autocraft, I won't use anything else. I shipped a box of autocraft panels from the UK, cheaper than it cost me for schofields here and even cheaper than Autocraft here and it was a big box, jack points, outriggers, inner, outer sills, etc
Unfortunately I don''t think there are enough people who will see the benefit of quality parts to make it viable. It is a pretty finite business, there aren't that many vw's here compared to the UK or the US, the rolling business would be pretty small.
vorsprungdurchtechnique 路
So only poms have grasped the concept of the internet?!
T-34 路
IN2VWS wrote:IMO, it is a conspiracy to piss off the Poms that come here. If the businesses started doing internet business like they do in the UK, then that might open the flood gates for immigration from the UK. 馃榿 Can't have that now, can we?
Mate, I recon that it EXACTLY the reason - as there's no other logical explanation.
Me - I'm an ex POM, and I totally agree with the difference between UK and here, trying to order stuff here is like trying to draw blood from a stone.
And it doesn't matter if you try and do it by email OR phone, OR if you phone them to let them know you will email them - I've been trying to get a (substantial $$$ value) order placed for the past 2 weeks with no reply at all. So much so that I've now decided to use a different supplier and guess what - the same response....
NONE!!
Don't these people want to earn a living????
I've been told that the reason most Aussie VW businesses don't have online prices is that it's too much work to keep updated, but being a software engineer it's simply not true - the same excel sheet / access database etc that you use to keep your stock prices / levels etc can be the same one used to drive your website. it's easy - you just need to invest the $$$'s to set it up.
My guess is that there simply isn't the turnover in the Aussie VW scene to make it worthwhile investing the $$$'s
Due to frustration, I actually looked into fixing the whole issue myself earlier this year - i lined up a vendor discount with one of the major UK suppliers (mates of mine), and then set about drumming up some interest from buyers here in Aus to get the first order together. I had the capital to import a containers worth of stuff without having to collect cash up front from buyers. I could even make quite a big $$$ saving when compared to the existing vendors. My idea was to start an online store - people can order online, minimal overheads - the savings passed on to the end user. I could even get classic fab stuff.
But funnily enough, there was exactly ZERO interest. Like I said, I don't think that is enough turnover to support it.
That said, I do totally agree with Beerboys statement -
Australia is not the uk and not the Us and to be honest thats why I am here ;-)
I also love it here (in SA) as it's nice and laid back.
But... and this isn't a very big 'but' ...there 's being laid back and then there's can't be effin bothered, and that's what it's starting to look like to me.
I'm about ready to place the order overseas, and it's not for want of trying to deal with local (and interstate) suppliers. The way i see it is that the retail business is part markup and part service - is it too much to ask for people to return phone calls and answer emails??? I think not.
(Rant over)
馃榾
psimitar 路
T-34 wrote:
IN2VWS wrote:IMO, it is a conspiracy to piss off the Poms that come here. If the businesses started doing internet business like they do in the UK, then that might open the flood gates for immigration from the UK. 馃榿 Can't have that now, can we?
Mate, I recon that it EXACTLY the reason - as there's no other logical explanation.
Me - I'm an ex POM, and I totally agree with the difference between UK and here, trying to order stuff here is like trying to draw blood from a stone.
And it doesn't matter if you try and do it by email OR phone, OR if you phone them to let them know you will email them - I've been trying to get a (substantial $$$ value) order placed for the past 2 weeks with no reply at all. So much so that I've now decided to use a different supplier and guess what - the same response....
NONE!!
Don't these people want to earn a living????
I've been told that the reason most Aussie VW businesses don't have online prices is that it's too much work to keep updated, but being a software engineer it's simply not true - the same excel sheet / access database etc that you use to keep your stock prices / levels etc can be the same one used to drive your website. it's easy - you just need to invest the $$$'s to set it up.
My guess is that there simply isn't the turnover in the Aussie VW scene to make it worthwhile investing the $$$'s
Due to frustration, I actually looked into fixing the whole issue myself earlier this year - i lined up a vendor discount with one of the major UK suppliers (mates of mine), and then set about drumming up some interest from buyers here in Aus to get the first order together. I had the capital to import a containers worth of stuff without having to collect cash up front from buyers. I could even make quite a big $$$ saving when compared to the existing vendors. My idea was to start an online store - people can order online, minimal overheads - the savings passed on to the end user. I could even get classic fab stuff.
But funnily enough, there was exactly ZERO interest. Like I said, I don't think that is enough turnover to support it.
That said, I do totally agree with Beerboys statement -
Australia is not the uk and not the Us and to be honest thats why I am here ;-)
I also love it here (in SA) as it's nice and laid back.
But... and this isn't a very big 'but' ...there 's being laid back and then there's can't be effin bothered, and that's what it's starting to look like to me.
I'm about ready to place the order overseas, and it's not for want of trying to deal with local (and interstate) suppliers. The way i see it is that the retail business is part markup and part service - is it too much to ask for people to return phone calls and answer emails??? I think not.
(Rant over)
馃榾
So as you've already tried you think it a waste of time? I do find this strange that there is an option for Australians to buy quality parts at far more reasonable prices than local businesses and they don't want too?? That is just bizarre.
Well if Australia doesn't wish to keep it's money within it's own country then so be it 馃檯 We may be a smaller VW fraturnity in Oz but I would of still thought it a good idea.
Is there a way to do a poll on this forum to get an idea of who would find a parts website useful and actually use it?
PartyHatCentral 路
I guess if the general concensus as shown in this thread is to not support domestic suppliers, perhaps our local clubs should be seeking sponsorship from the likes of cip1 and VW Heritage overseas to support our local shows?
colonel mustard 路
PartyHatCentral wrote:I guess if the general concensus as shown in this thread is to not support domestic suppliers, perhaps our local clubs should be seeking sponsorship from the likes of cip1 and VW Heritage overseas to support our local shows?
I certainly don't speak for everyone here, but this is my view, I mean no offence to anyone in this post.
Above I believe you are refering to the sponsorship of the 2010 drag racing by mick motors? I think that many people appreciate this, and are aware that it is very unlikely for businesses outside australia to sponsor it. This however does not mean that people will go out of their way to support an aus based business.
More importantly than that however, people want to buy from somewhere cheap, with GOOD quality products/ trusted names, and - less and less people want to travel to a store to buy items, they are less interested in face to face, due to our society becoming fake..... [- facebook proves you haves friends, but when they see you in real life, they dont want to talk to you at all....] Hence why buying online is appealing, and its only appealing when a website is setup well - I.E cip1 (photos, description, Price! in/out of stock).
PartyHatCentral 路
Hi Colonel, no I am not referring to any particular show / event / sponsor at all, but I do personally (as a VW club member and a VW show-goer) think it is a point that no-one else seems to have raised. My 2c anyway...
Sides 路
Yeah - fair question I reckon, but at a guess I'd say that the amount of stuff that the US and UK sites ship to Australia doesn't even register on their radar.
Then again, Cip1 does have a "show prices in AUD" setting on their site... anyone know if that's always been there ???
Altho I think Aussie places miss out with their internet sites, there's still nothing like having a local VW parts place for those "oh crap" moments that seem to happen way too often.
馃憤
vorsprungdurchtechnique 路
I'm from the UK too so it seems they're doing a great job of upholding the age old tradition of winding poms up! I here what everyone is saying, I tried ordering a beam from Classic Veebub in Sydney for 10 days and could not get a reply by email or phone. Other companies were similar and as you say, it's was like trying to get blood out of a stone when asking what bushes etc I might need to complete the job. Credit where credits due, Micks Motors really were helpful over the phone but I'm baffled why they and everyone else use their domain name so heavily in their adverts only to lead to you a site which gives you not much more than a phone number! I too have run an online business and know how managable it is to do, if I had the vw parts knowledge I'd start up a business in a flash. I think we've made our point now! 馃槀
psimitar 路
Wow, the last 4 replies!!! Where to start....
Colonel Mustard, I agree that out of country sponsorship is highly unlikely and in house/country sponsorship is highly valued but if Aussie business' were more readily available then this would help their revenue and hence their ability to sponsor. The world persay is becoming more 'fake' as you put it but I'd love to be able to pop to me local VW supplier on a Saturday arvo to get the bits I require for sundays garage time. Trouble is that the Aussie way of life hasn't kept up with the corporate monster. Most of us poor bastards have a work a full day and week to pay for sky rocketing mortages/house prices and so we cannot pop down the local shop in the arvo to get the part we need. This means most folk only have the evenings, gone 5pm, and the weekends to do our shopping. With VW suppliers they are too small to pay for an employee for a Saturday and/or Sunday and this is where a fully functioning website comes in useful. Yes, you may not get your part until Tuesday morning but it's ordered and on it's way cos it was shown in stock. Back up and running by Tuesday nite without having to spend Monday arvo travelling half way across town.
Living in North Brissy I think Mick motors are very good with their email and phone responses but a more involved website would help even more.
Partyhatcentral: the above kinda covers what you have said
Sides: I agree with you but again, if you work a 8-5 day then you can't get to your local VW supplier. As for CIP1, they offered to supply an Aussie site but for profitablility our web price would still be higher than an individual buying from overseas. Only way you may draw even is the shipping cost. Machine7, VW heritage and CIP1 actually do a fair trade from us Aussie/ex pats so they are quite happy to keep doing this.
Vorsprungdurchtechnique, can I call you Mr Audi for short?
Being an Ex-pat myself I know where you are coming from. As for Vintage in Sydney, highly unimpressed 馃槵 Incomplete pricing on the website and complete lack of replying to emails for a genuine wish to buy the parts. Well Mick's Motors got your money matey cos he was far more helpful and is even going to replace my bushes for gratis cos the suppliers tolerances were off for that batch. Bloody good bloke and so far the only Aussie supplier I will stand behind. Maybe if the QLD clubs band together Mick we can help pay for a website upgrade to expand your business?
I love this country and I love my VW's but buying parts is a true pain in the keister 馃槈
Beerboy 路
to give some counter to this my friend who has just brought a KG in from the Uk and is new to the scene is getting good email response from vintage and vicsbahn.
When I fist came here 5 years ago, internet was in its infancy compared to the uk. Ebay searches in .co.uk would get back like 7 /8 pages where you would only get three here. Thats all changed you can get just about everything on ebay.com.au now.
My point being is that internet take up and awareness has definately grown. So what happened some years ago could well have changed massively?
great thread by the way
Yogie 路
I don't think you could start an internet based parts business and expect it to just boom. It would take time for people to get used to it being there and to trust the quality etc. There are always people around this country restoring something at any given point in time and I think it is getting busier for things like that as well so in the long term, they would get business from here and also probably from NZ and maybe even the Pacific islands and nearby Asia as clients and possibly even from further afield. Then you would also get the people that are just needing parts for replacement etc.
I think it really needs a shop that is already in business to add this to their armoury though. When they look back in 5 years from starting a PROPER web based site, I am sure they will be getting 2 or 3 times at least the turnover they now get.
Yogie
psimitar 路
Beerboy wrote:to give some counter to this my friend who has just brought a KG in from the Uk and is new to the scene is getting good email response from vintage and vicsbahn.
When I fist came here 5 years ago, internet was in its infancy compared to the uk. Ebay searches in .co.uk would get back like 7 /8 pages where you would only get three here. Thats all changed you can get just about everything on ebay.com.au now.
My point being is that internet take up and awareness has definately grown. So what happened some years ago could well have changed massively?
great thread by the way
Quite true matey. Aussie websites have grown in the last 5 years. Bout same time I came over here.
As for Fleabay, well I prefer dealing with people on the Aussie forums and either Aussie business' or UK/US ones due to the prices on fleabay being highly inflated for what is on offer. You do get bargains but a fair bit of the stuff is truely overpriced.
Tis a good thread tho 馃槈
Yogie wrote:I don't think you could start an internet based parts business and expect it to just boom. It would take time for people to get used to it being there and to trust the quality etc. There are always people around this country restoring something at any given point in time and I think it is getting busier for things like that as well so in the long term, they would get business from here and also probably from NZ and maybe even the Pacific islands and nearby Asia as clients and possibly even from further afield. Then you would also get the people that are just needing parts for replacement etc.
I think it really needs a shop that is already in business to add this to their armoury though. When they look back in 5 years from starting a PROPER web based site, I am sure they will be getting 2 or 3 times at least the turnover they now get.
Yogie
Yea, trying to start from scratch would be a risk and certainly take time to build a reputation. It would be preferable to invest in a company already with a good rep and client base and build it's web abilities. I think if this were to happen then a majority of the business that goes to CIP1 and the UK would remain in Oz. There are always to be specialty items, like brake conversions etc, that would be bought from overseas but then we have Volksconversion for these items too. By the looks of this thread there is definately the market there. 馃槑
HotRodMatt 路
psimitar wrote:Yea, trying to start from scratch would be a risk and certainly take time to build a reputation. It would be preferable to invest in a company already with a good rep and client base and build it's web abilities.
Well CBB have certainly put a good foot forward with them beginning to move all of their stock, prices, availability and ordering online.
Not just off the shelf parts but also some of their custom pieces and even engines.
vlad01 路
colonel mustard wrote:Agreed!!
Very Agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+9000
psimitar 路
HotRodMatt wrote:Well CBB have certainly put a good foot forward with them beginning to move all of their stock, prices, availability and ordering online.
Not just off the shelf parts but also some of their custom pieces and even engines.
Yep not a bad start by CBB. Vintage need to stop with so much 'price on asking' items. You buy stock for x amount you sell it for Y amount and when you buy more stock in the new stock reflects the price you bought it for so no excuses there. Also there blanket shipping costs are a rip off.
Mick Motors I personally find more helpful but really wish the prices were on their parts listing so I don't have to keep phoning to know how much I need to save for something but their service has been excellent so far 馃檪
So come Aussie companies help the consumer out 馃槈
Oh and has anyone noticed that supercheap finally have a fully listed products website with pricing. Bloody marvellous 馃榾
warb 路
HotRodMatt wrote:
psimitar wrote:Yea, trying to start from scratch would be a risk and certainly take time to build a reputation. It would be preferable to invest in a company already with a good rep and client base and build it's web abilities.
Well CBB have certainly put a good foot forward with them beginning to move all of their stock, prices, availability and ordering online.
Not just off the shelf parts but also some of their custom pieces and even engines.
nice, never noticed... cheers.. thats some good work there.. www.cbbvw.com