Date: 28-03-24  Time: 18:03 pm

Author Topic: How come?  (Read 4064 times)

dickturpin

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,603
    • Main bike:
      FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
How come?
« on: 31 January 2017, 10:03:37 am »
How come I can buy a box of 100 fuses in a nice plastic divided box, and get them shipped all the way from China for £2.50 when just two of the same fuses on a piece of card cost £1.89 in halfords???

davebike

  • Cager in Training
  • Posts: 20
    • Main bike:
      FZ6 04-06
    • - C90 CUB
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #1 on: 31 January 2017, 10:52:44 am »
You answereed your question Halfords = Halfrads
Sadly the great british public prefer the smart clean Halfords to the little old shop with old guy who know lots behind the counter

Example headlamp bulbs H4  as a trader I buy in 10 fro £13 inc VAT   I sell for £5 each  and cover warentee
Halfords sel the same bulbs fro £12 to £18 depending on who knows what but lots still go there !

 
Fazer FZ6 2004 Honda C90 cub
Professional mechanic  IAM member
Davebike1@gmail.com

celticdog

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,705
    • Main bike:
      FZS600 98-99
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #2 on: 31 January 2017, 10:53:01 am »
How come I can buy a box of 100 fuses in a nice plastic divided box, and get them shipped all the way from China for £2.50 when just two of the same fuses on a piece of card cost £1.89 in halfords???

Yep, it's a bummer- what a rip off. We call them halfrauds on this forum for good reason. Occasionally you get a good deal with some items. Halfords used to sell car parts and accessories,
if you go into a store now it's closer to 50% floor space for cycles and cycling accessories, that's where they're making their money. They're not interested in motorists. Maplins are another lot of rip off merchants, I really don't know how they stay in business.
Treat everything in life the way a dog would- if you can't eat it or foc it, forget it.

dickturpin

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,603
    • Main bike:
      FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #3 on: 31 January 2017, 10:59:27 am »
Yet if we try to post something to China it'll be more than £2.50 postage!!!

Dudeofrude

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,345
  • Rude, Crude and Tattooed
    • Main bike:
      FZ1 Naked Gen2
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #4 on: 31 January 2017, 11:36:50 am »
Yet if we try to post something to China it'll be more than £2.50 postage!!!
Yeah I've never understood that either. I've bought and received many things from for less than £5 all in yet I sent out a set of brake levers from Lincolnshire to manchester and they cost me £7 just in postage?  Craziness, just shows the level of greed in western society 😫😫

darrsi

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 10,648
    • Main bike:
      FZS600 00-01
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #5 on: 31 January 2017, 01:28:47 pm »
They're on a win win as well, 'cos if it's faulty, or just shite, there's no way you're gonna splash out to return stuff, you'd just bin it.
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.

Graham53

  • WSB Pack Hound
  • *****
  • Posts: 710
    • Main bike:
      FZ1 Faired Gen2
    • - FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #6 on: 31 January 2017, 03:48:19 pm »
Yet if we try to post something to China it'll be more than £2.50 postage!!!
did anyone see guy Martin china programme where he went to some port or another ( biggest in world ) and it is now apparently cheaper for a company in Scotland to send its fish by boat to be filleted in china and then by boat back to London than it is to do it in this country.
China ,slowly taking over world trade one shipping container at a time

Kenbob

  • Weekend Warrior
  • ***
  • Posts: 214
    • Main bike:
      FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #7 on: 31 January 2017, 08:05:43 pm »
 China doesn't send your item out as an individual item.
They are  packaged with hundreds of other items in a large cardboard box and that box is sent to a collecting house with hundreds of other similar sized boxes.
 Boxes are opened and individual items that have been prepaid in china are then posted to you.
China huh!

Graham53

  • WSB Pack Hound
  • *****
  • Posts: 710
    • Main bike:
      FZ1 Faired Gen2
    • - FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #8 on: 31 January 2017, 08:15:17 pm »
China doesn't send your item out as an individual item.
They are  packaged with hundreds of other items in a large cardboard box and that box is sent to a collecting house with hundreds of other similar sized boxes.
 Boxes are opened and individual items that have been prepaid in china are then posted to you.
China huh!
About 36 million full container loads a year leave china that's a lot of items in boxes in bigger boxes

Kenbob

  • Weekend Warrior
  • ***
  • Posts: 214
    • Main bike:
      FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #9 on: 31 January 2017, 08:25:24 pm »
Trust me I see them, some of them.

Graham53

  • WSB Pack Hound
  • *****
  • Posts: 710
    • Main bike:
      FZ1 Faired Gen2
    • - FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #10 on: 31 January 2017, 08:33:50 pm »
The worldwide shipping statistics are not surprising that china and us are top 2 for export GB not even in top 20 but for imports GB no7 in world
In EU Germany unsurprisingly top in both imp and exp but GB 2nd in imports but only 7th in exports

celticdog

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,705
    • Main bike:
      FZS600 98-99
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #11 on: 31 January 2017, 11:15:20 pm »
The worldwide shipping statistics are not surprising that china and us are top 2 for export GB not even in top 20 but for imports GB no7 in world
In EU Germany unsurprisingly top in both imp and exp but GB 2nd in imports but only 7th in exports


That's about right Graham, globally we make and sell fcuk all but we're addicted to buying and selling everyone else's cheap sh1t. What a foccin' system  :crazy
Treat everything in life the way a dog would- if you can't eat it or foc it, forget it.

tommyardin

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,836
    • Main bike:
      I don't own a bike
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #12 on: 01 February 2017, 02:00:35 am »
They're on a win win as well, 'cos if it's faulty, or just shite, there's no way you're gonna splash out to return stuff, you'd just bin it.


Totally agree, I bought from China what was supposed to be X Mini Speakers.
I have had the X Mini's before they are brilliant little speaker and you can daisy chain several together and get a really full sound out of them.
Trouble is my daughter keeps nicking them, so I bought these two from China, they were delivered after about two weeks they really look the biz plug then into my iPod and now I see why they were only half the price of the one I bought before. They are a complete fake, they were never made by X Mini, they are really tiny sound and the cones buzz like a demented wasp.
As darrsi says it would cost me a small fortune to send the buggers back with insurance on them, and a lot of returned stuff never gets there, Missing in transit do you have insurance Sir. In the bin with them.   

Bretty

  • WSB Pack Hound
  • *****
  • Posts: 753
    • Main bike:
      FZS600 00-01
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #13 on: 01 February 2017, 08:31:41 am »
We call it Halfrauds... but we've all been in and we all continue to go there, because you know they have what you need, usually in stock, or at a nearby store on their website. You pretty much know the quality of what you're getting and can return it if it's not right... and for this you have to pay a premium, as a UK retail outlet will always have higher overheads when compared to the chinese. I don't mind paying £2 for a couple of fuses, if I can get a job done for this afternoon. My time is also at a premium and a 4-6week wait isn't always acceptable. It's horses for courses.
I always advocate supporting your local shops and the garages you like. Support it or use it unfortunately.
-suck-squeeze-bang-blow-

BBROWN1664

  • Administrator
  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 13,065
  • Should get out more!
    • Main bike:
      FZS600 00-01
    • - Tracer 900
    • View Profile
    • My website
Re: How come?
« Reply #14 on: 01 February 2017, 08:51:30 am »
the only time I used to go to Halfruds was on a Sunday afternoon when all the other places like Eurocarparts were shut. Now my local Eurocarparts are even open on a Sunday so Halfruds only get used if I need a tool that Screwfix don't sell.

As others have said, years ago you used to go in there and the place would be full of bits to fix cars (about 70% of the total space). My local one had a second floor (30% of the space) that was used for the cycling stuff and motorbike stuff too. Now you go in to the local megastore version we have instead and its 30% cycle stuff, 30% chav bling, 10% baby seats, 10% camping shite and the last 20% split between tools and car parts.
Another ex-Fazer rider that is a foccer again

lew600fazer

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,253
  • There is only one form of racing, road racing.
    • Main bike:
      Other
    • - 2017 MT-09 Tracer ABS
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #15 on: 01 February 2017, 12:58:55 pm »

Not just Halfrauds, I need a new charging cable/battery to charging dock for my Urban 2 Tom Tom.  Ebay £12.60+£12.00 postage
TomTom Uk £6.98 + £2.50 postage, Tom Tom France €14.95 +€ 3.98 postage. Now how is it that Tom Tom are a Dutch company and yet they can sell goods in the UK at 1/2 the cost than you can buy them for here in France(well this item anyway) Looks as if I will be shopping from there UK site then, even if I have to get it posted to my brother in the UK and get him to post it on to me here in France. I will still  save about £2.00. The £2.00 is not the issue it is just being fucking ripped off that does my head in.
MT-09 Tracer for those who no longer can handle a BIG boy Fazer

BBROWN1664

  • Administrator
  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 13,065
  • Should get out more!
    • Main bike:
      FZS600 00-01
    • - Tracer 900
    • View Profile
    • My website
Re: How come?
« Reply #16 on: 01 February 2017, 03:11:48 pm »
Around 30 years ago I worked for an airline as an apprentice. A couple of the other apprentices were looking for funding for an initiative they had come up with. This was the plan.

Get a Range Rover built in Solihul ordered from a dealer in the USA with UK spec
Get the Range Rover shipped to the USA
Pay for the car in $$$
Ship car back to the UK
Pay import duty
Sell car
Make ££££

Daft as it may seem, it would have made them about 10% on each car


Another ex-Fazer rider that is a foccer again

Graham53

  • WSB Pack Hound
  • *****
  • Posts: 710
    • Main bike:
      FZ1 Faired Gen2
    • - FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #17 on: 01 February 2017, 04:22:29 pm »
They're on a win win as well, 'cos if it's faulty, or just shite, there's no way you're gonna splash out to return stuff, you'd just bin it.


Totally agree, I bought from China what was supposed to be X Mini Speakers.
I have had the X Mini's before they are brilliant little speaker and you can daisy chain several together and get a really full sound out of them.
Trouble is my daughter keeps nicking them, so I bought these two from China, they were delivered after about two weeks they really look the biz plug then into my iPod and now I see why they were only half the price of the one I bought before. They are a complete fake, they were never made by X Mini, they are really tiny sound and the cones buzz like a demented wasp.
As darrsi says it would cost me a small fortune to send the buggers back with insurance on them, and a lot of returned stuff never gets there, Missing in transit do you have insurance Sir. In the bin with them.
I think that's the con , if you look on flea bay it always says from china seller accepts returns at buyers expense and it will cost more than you paid for it so you don't bother , I wonder how many flea bay purchases from china end up in the bin instead of going back.
Also China do not enforce world patents or copyright so they can and do fake everything from a mini speaker to a Range Rover and all in between.
Check the amount of iPhone 7 on sale in eBay that say no fingerprint ID from china then see how many idiots have bought them even apple store in china is fake selling fake apple goods ... mental

Dudeofrude

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,345
  • Rude, Crude and Tattooed
    • Main bike:
      FZ1 Naked Gen2
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #18 on: 01 February 2017, 06:12:45 pm »



Also China do not enforce world patents or copyright so they can and do fake everything from a mini speaker to a Range Rover and all in between.
Check the amount of iPhone 7 on sale in eBay that say no fingerprint ID from china then see how many idiots have bought them even apple store in china is fake selling fake apple goods ... mental
[/quote]

Yeah but who's the silly ones in that situation? The ones that pay £500+ for a branded product just because said company says that's what it's worth,  or the one buying the same product Sans branding (aka fake) for a fraction of the cost because that's what it actually costs to produce.
If all these companies didn't take the piss with their prices then people wouldn't buy fake copies.
I know you get what you pay for with certain things but most of the time you pay a serious extra chunk just for branding

BBROWN1664

  • Administrator
  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 13,065
  • Should get out more!
    • Main bike:
      FZS600 00-01
    • - Tracer 900
    • View Profile
    • My website
Re: How come?
« Reply #19 on: 01 February 2017, 06:16:29 pm »

Yeah but who's the silly ones in that situation? The ones that pay £500+ for a branded product just because said company says that's what it's worth,  or the one buying the same product Sans branding (aka fake) for a fraction of the cost because that's what it actually costs to produce.
If all these companies didn't take the piss with their prices then people wouldn't buy fake copies.
I know you get what you pay for with certain things but most of the time you pay a serious extra chunk just for branding

Its the muppets who think they are getting a cheap iPhone when they are actually getting an Android phone and wondering why the thing doesn't like iTunes etc :pokefun
Another ex-Fazer rider that is a foccer again

Dudeofrude

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,345
  • Rude, Crude and Tattooed
    • Main bike:
      FZ1 Naked Gen2
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #20 on: 01 February 2017, 06:18:33 pm »

Yeah but who's the silly ones in that situation? The ones that pay £500+ for a branded product just because said company says that's what it's worth,  or the one buying the same product Sans branding (aka fake) for a fraction of the cost because that's what it actually costs to produce.
If all these companies didn't take the piss with their prices then people wouldn't buy fake copies.
I know you get what you pay for with certain things but most of the time you pay a serious extra chunk just for branding

Its the muppets who think they are getting a cheap iPhone when they are actually getting an Android phone and wondering why the thing doesn't like iTunes etc :pokefun

Haha yeah but then they realise they were lucky as they have ended up with a decent phone instead of another shitty apple product 😉😋

mtread

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 3,003
    • Main bike:
      FZS600 02-03
    • - Triumph Speed Trip & Tiger 800
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #21 on: 01 February 2017, 07:09:51 pm »
Quote
Haha yeah but then they realise they were lucky as they have ended up with a decent phone instead of another shitty apple product
:agree

mickvp

  • Global Moderator
  • GP Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,247
    • Main bike:
      FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #22 on: 01 February 2017, 07:26:50 pm »
Yeah but who's the silly ones in that situation? The ones that pay £500+ for a branded product just because said company says that's what it's worth,  or the one buying the same product Sans branding (aka fake) for a fraction of the cost because that's what it actually costs to produce.
If all these companies didn't take the piss with their prices then people wouldn't buy fake copies.
I know you get what you pay for with certain things but most of the time you pay a serious extra chunk just for branding

to be fair to the likes of apple etc, they HAVE to charge more for the product. the amount the item costs to make is only one piece of a much larger puzzle. remember they also need to cover the overheads involved in having numerous walk-in stores around the world where you can go in and get a problem seen to immdiately (i.e. a better level of customer support), and they also need to cover the huge R+D costs involved with designing and developing a new mobile. China just wait till it hits the market, buys one and pulls it to bits and then clones the parts to make the same thing - no shop, no R+D = huge savings in the total cost.

Same problem with the likes of halfords, your paying the premium to get the product there and then, if your fuse blows and you havent had the foresight to buy a box online in advance online (and for etc. your lights have packed in), then they have got you by the balls and you will need to pay what they want. again the ovrheads involved in running shops with staffing etc need to be paid for somewhere.


I think the prices Halfords charge are fair for what it is, it only seems expensive when you compare it to some online shop that is being run from someones shed with no overheads to worry about.

Dudeofrude

  • GP Hero
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,345
  • Rude, Crude and Tattooed
    • Main bike:
      FZ1 Naked Gen2
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #23 on: 01 February 2017, 07:40:34 pm »
Yeah and that's a fair enough point with companies like halfords but apple made 7.8 BILLION in 3 months!! They could sell their phones at 1/2 the price and stI'll make 3.7 billion. Fucking disgusting

Graham53

  • WSB Pack Hound
  • *****
  • Posts: 710
    • Main bike:
      FZ1 Faired Gen2
    • - FZS 1000 Gen1
    • View Profile
Re: How come?
« Reply #24 on: 01 February 2017, 09:40:10 pm »
Yeah and that's a fair enough point with companies like halfords but apple made 7.8 BILLION in 3 months!! They could sell their phones at 1/2 the price and stI'll make 3.7 billion. Fucking disgusting
Samsung phones ain't cheap either and some of theirs spontaneously combust 🔥