Bachmann Prices

[Caddy]

Visited Hobbyone at Mt Gravatt today, they had received their first shipment of Bachmann wagons since the price rises. The new weathered version of the SR Brake Van, over $70! Same wagon in the UK 13 quid, what would you do?

 

I dread to think what new loco prices will be.................

 

Someone is making a "killing"

 

Anybody seen what the prices are like in Sydney or Melbourne?

[Baby Deltic]

Look on Ebay?

[Ian Hargrave]

It's taken me a little while to figure this topic out.I thought at first 'hang on,this topic has already been exhausted...and locked....elsewhere on this forum'.

   Can I respectfully suggest that you make it clear that you are discussing the situation in Australia......before confusion reigns. Thanks.

[Caddy]

Sorry everyone, was just so shocked with the price - did not really think about the consequences but assumed that posting the message in the Down Under RM section would mean that primarily Australian readers would see it and respond, plus my location is clearly shown as Queensland. 

 

I must admit though that I do not fully understand how a message is seen in the UK when it is posted, just getting a bit old but I do try to keep up. Not quite up to facebook or tweeting yet though.

 

Again apologies to everyone confused by the post.

[Mike Bellamy]

I must admit though that I do not fully understand how a message is seen in the UK when it is posted,

Many of us use the 'View New Content' facility which means that we can see every new posting since our last visit regardless of which section it is in - in fact I never go looking into each category, I just use VNC every time. Of course this means that I see a lot of rubbish and it has to be a noticeable title to create a bit of interest to make me click on it to see what the actual content is.

 

 

.

[Darth Vader]

The problem with buying Bachamann in Australia is that the local model shops have to buy from an importer/wholesaler who has sole rights to the Australian distribution of Bachmann models. This kind of monopoly leads to the sort of price gouging that we see in Australia.

Local shops cannot buy direct from Bachmann so there is an in built extra cost imposed by the wholesaler.

Most modellers that I know buy directly from the UK for this very reason

[Paul.Uni]

Visited Hobbyone at Mt Gravatt today, they had received their first shipment of Bachmann wagons since the price rises. The new weathered version of the SR Brake Van, over $70! Same wagon in the UK 13 quid, what would you do?

Where is it £13 in the UK? The cheapest I can find it is £21.21 plus postage.

[Caddy]

Many of us use the 'View New Content' facility which means that we can see every new posting since our last visit regardless of which section it is in - in fact I never go looking into each category, I just use VNC every time. Of course this means that I see a lot of rubbish and it has to be a noticeable title to create a bit of interest to make me click on it to see what the actual content is.

 

 

.

Thank you for that - had never noticed or realised what that was.........

[Caddy]

Where is it £13 in the UK? The cheapest I can find it is £21.21 plus postage.

Sorry Paul, you are quite correct - having a senior day, lot of difference between a 38-401 and 38-401a ....................................

 

[SRman]

Even so, if we in Oz buy from the UK, we get 20% VAT taken off, and the postage cost added on. That £21.21 translates very, very roughly to $AUS40 including postage, still a far cry from $AUS70 being charged locally.

Hornby retailers over here are also subject to the whims of a single wholesaler/importer, with the same monopolistic results.

Any wonder a lot of us buy direct from the UK (as mentioned earlier). We would very much like to support the local industry, but when we can buy nearly two models for the price of one by shopping elsewhere, there is no competition!

[St Enodoc]

Even so, if we in Oz buy from the UK, we get 20% VAT taken off, and the postage cost added on. That £21.21 translates very, very roughly to $AUS40 including postage, still a far cry from $AUS70 being charged locally.

 

Hornby retailers over here are also subject to the whims of a single wholesaler/importer, with the same monopolistic results.

 

Any wonder a lot of us buy direct from the UK (as mentioned earlier). We would very much like to support the local industry, but when we can buy nearly two models for the price of one by shopping elsewhere, there is no competition!

Even if I were prepared to pay twice as much to buy a model locally rather than from a UK box-shifter, the availability of stock is variable to say the least.

[altone]

Even if I were prepared to pay twice as much to buy a model locally rather than from a UK box-shifter, the availability of stock is variable to say the least.

 

That's the saddest part, not ONLY do we have to pay much more locally, but we are also lucky to see any of the rarer limited models and if we do it's usually months after the UK.

 

Point in case.

I walked into a local specialist store asking about a model soon to be released, which I could already pre-order from a Liverpool store.

They said they knew of the release but had to wait for the wholesaler to advise availability and couldn't pre-order.

 

So 2 choices, pre-order now from the UK, or wait until they're probably sold out there and see if I can be lucky enough to get one locally at a higher price.

Guess which one I picked.

 

I WANT to support the local guys and happy to pay a reasonable premium to do so, but they make it so hard sometimes.

 

I buy other (non railway) limited edition items from local stores on pre-order - stock worldwide is pre allocated so the stores can be confident my order will likely be filled.

(sometimes quantities are not exact)

One store I'm friendly with will even put me on a "waiting list" if I'm too late - in case someone doesn't come to pick up their order.

 

If something similar could be arranged for UK locos and rolling stock I'd certainly be buying more locally.

 

Oh, the local store mentioned CAN let me pre-order Australian products, so I'm thinking it's the manufacturers and/or Aus distributors that are the issue here.

 

Rant over

 

Gerry C

[DougN]

I have heard complaints about the wholesalers riding roughshod over the retailers creating restictive trade practices. All against the trade practises act. What does this have to do with us wanting a brake van... Well as every one says and I will point out above the comment about limited editions is a little bit out as we can not expect to walk in and buy a current release! Generally the stock holdings are very small and driven by what the shop expects to sell. So if you walk in to buy a J15 in LNER you might be extremely lucky as they may only be stocking or have left the BR crests! This is over and above the 50% over the exchange rate of purchase from the UK.

 

I don't believe the cost of doing business here in Australia is so draconian to justify an average of an extra 50%. As for the example of the J15 above it is about 100 quid from a UK retailer... I have heard that numbers as high as $300 locally for the locomotive. So to compare in australian dollars about 200 from the UK landed! Or 300 walk into a shop. This is why so many order from the UK. As the VAT is equal or lesser to postage and credit card fees. As is mentioned above this is why so many... I would say the great majority purchase direct from the UK. Traders such as Hattons, Rails of Sheffield, Kernow, Howes of Oxford, Modelfair. The list goes on happily send to australia. The other big one I see is the smaller kits and bits such as wizzard models, high level kits and mainly trains are so happy to put an Aussie address on the package as it is almost as easy to send to anywhere in London. We generally are happier to pay extra for the postage! This also generally goes for the impulse purchases for scenic stuff as well. If you are buying a loco a pack of trees is only a little bit to go ontop!

 

Maybe the local traders are seeing this lot as the death of the local market as we become more aware of the disparity in pricing. This is good old economics of supply demand and price triangle.

 

What do others think as the "reasonable" premium we would pay here in Australia for the same item! Generally I would think between 10 and 20% would be acceptable.

[Johnfromoz]

Sadly, I think its just another example of the 'Australia Tax' at work.  This country has been a victim of its own success, seen as having sailed through the GFC unscathed, its residents imagined as having 'loadsamoney'

 

Rarely buy locally, to avoid these rip offs.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Johnfromoz

[DougN]

John I would say it has been happening for more than the 5 years since the GFC. So yes it is the reason why we buy direct. I have another example of Jeans being directly comparable same manufacturer etc. Here in a mall about 100aud to a mall in LA or Hawaii.... About 35Aud that is the one can not fathom at all. So buy from the UK!

[Ross34]

I can understand the frustrations - I buy in the opposite direction  - Australian HO to the UK.

 

For instance the Trainorama 830 (something I would like, as I model the SAR) is $315 AU or £164 - that's before postage (and import tax, which in the UK is the closest you will ever get to being charged for somebody doing absolutely nothing)

 

So that comes to roughly - give or take - £200 - a lot of pocket money for 1 model. I have a choice of course so I  pick what I want carefully. Another difference is the like of Austrains or Auscision only sell in small limited runs - If I want a Bachmann loco a lot of the time I can afford to let it sit on a shop shelf till the price drops - supply and demand I guess.

 

I have ordered from the US in the past - it's surprising how much Australian HO ends up there...much cheaper.

 

But if you guys have a 930 or 700 going spare  .....

Edited April 28, 2015 by Ross34

[ozwarrior]

I imagine Hornby or Branchline don't mark up items from their UK warehouses. I'm probably being naive here but it's a shame a major retailer here could not act in a similar way with the manufacturers some how sweetening the deal for them. 

[SMR CHRIS]

The Australian wholesaler needs to realise that if all the Australian shop fronts disappear so with his profits and a good part of his business and may be his business as well may fail as well.

They seem to forget as a wholesaler you work on volume a retailer works on the single item sale.

 

The current Aus Wholesaler seems to have forgotten this.

I know some Australian hobby retail shops are selling Bachmann items with minimal Mark up just to get sales to keep the doors open in some cases no more than $10 to move the stock at the same price as online sales. That won't keep the local shop going with rent, power, wages to pay so we can have the convenience of popping down an getting a pack of rail joiners Saturday morning so we can lay that new siding to put the latest O/S Online purchase on.

 

Example the Bachmann Railway children pack.

 

I asked a local shop about pre release and was told it would be between $450- $500 and he said how can I justify selling that when a UK shop was listing pre release with postage to Australia for under $300 meaning the item would be less than what he would pay for it.

Seen as low as $275 after release.

 

As the local retailer said if he got just for shelf stock he would be stuck with it as it is over priced for what you get in the box.

 

Noted now Some local Ozzy shops have resorted to listing there's on flebay with free DVDs etc to try and shift at the $485 good luck

[faulcon1]

I buy locos, coaches and wagons direct from the UK. It really is too expensive to buy locally. As for other items I have to pre-order boxes of Peco code 100 streamline as my local model shop only keeps limited supplies. They are in western Sydney. New South Wales. They find that people only buy one or two lengths of streamline so if I buy a whole box they get upset. If I were to buy that same box from the well known exporter in Liverpool UK that box would cost me twice as much as buying here in Australia because they use a private courier service and it's delivered to my door.

But when I buy locos, coaches or wagons from that same Liverpool retailer they come via the ordinary postal route.

Scenery and modelling materials can be bought locally as the price for buying from overseas is the same. In the UK we don't have to pay VAT but once the airmail postage is included the price is near to even.

 

I'm very skeptical about buying on ebay as I bought from a shop a new Bachmann Nanking Blue Pullman here for $623.00 after they'd all gone in the UK and another seller here on ebay in Australia was selling exactly the same "never been opened" model for $1,200.00. A clear rip off. I sometimes wonder if unscrupulous people buy loads of locos, wagons and coaches just to sell them on ebay at hugely inflated prices just to enrich themselves. When buying on ebay it's always good to have a fair idea of the original price of an item before parting with your money otherwise you can so easily get ripped off.   

Edited June 16, 2016 by faulcon1

[FPH 603]

I can get a 4-CEP for around $200, but yet a 2 car class 101 is twice the price, DCC ready, no weathering. BLOODY RIP OFF IF YOU ASK ME!