Frank Condelli writes:
He tells me the cheapest way he can
> find is air freight and it is going to cost....
**** Frank, that guy was blowing smoke. I suppose he's not used to doing
international deals, and didn't want the hassle. The stuff can be shipped
surface. Takes a lot longer than air freight, but doesn't cost nearly as
much, either.
I haven't bought any car parts from England, but I've bought stuff for
my `73 Norton motorcycle. I have in my hands an invoice for some odds
and ends for the bike; 59 pounds worth of stuff. ( By pounds I mean
british currency, not weight: the stuff was admittedly all small and
light ). To which they added on 16 pounds ``package-posting-insurance''.
I seem to remember the stuff arriving about a month and a half after
I ordered it. These particular guys were set up to take charge cards; I
called them up at the cheapest time: had my parts list and charge card
in hand and arranged the whole deal for a $4.00 phone call. The VISA
organization took care of the money exchange, they did it at the current
exchange rate, with NO SURCHARGE.
Of course, shocks are much much heavier than the stuff that I bought.
The point is that if you have light stuff, and are willing to wait for
surface delivery, then parts direct from Britain can be a good deal.
My Norton parts came to me at about a 40% discount as compared to buying
them in town, even counting the shipping. Of course, I would be S.O.L.
if I got the wrong parts or needed warrantee service.
- Jerry
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* Jerry Kaidor jerry@tr2.com, jkaidor@synoptics.com *
* KF6VB *
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