Why I go to the US for most of my stuff

[kiwigeo]

Placed an order with Carbatec here in Adelaide last friday. Got an email today saying the order was being processed today - two (three if you include saturday) working days to start on the order??? I go to the website to check on progress and find that one item is on back order...thanks for letting me know.

Lee Valley would have had the items in the post by monday at the latest and the stuff would be here in a few days.

Come on Australian suppliers....jig your act up. If you havent got enough staff to run your mail order department then shut it down.

[Nick Payne]

Some of the local pricing is pretty outrageous as well - eg I was in Carbatec weekend before last and asked for the price on a Safe-T-Planer - it has just risen to slightly over $150. For comparison, StewMac's price is $US55, or about $A83 at the current exchange rate.

OTOH, I bought some Gotoh classical tuners from ALS a while ago as their price was less than the same model would have cost from StewMac.

[jeffhigh]

Yes ALS have very good service, excellent speed of processing and good comunication.
On the wood supply side Tim Spittle goes above and beyond to help.

Many of the online businesses in Australia are very poor.
Stock control, communication and notification of despatch are often lacking along with poor pricing.

Most of the vendors selling on Ebay here know they cant get away with being slack but some of the bigger shops.....

I ordered an item fom Allens, after 10 days nothing sent an email last friday, took all day to reply to the effect that they were out of stock, the supplier was out of stock, would be 1-2 weeks more.
It showed up on Monday, posted on the thurday, the day before they told me they were out of stock

[DarwinStrings]

Unfortunately I think I have to agree Martin but still I persist with Australian businesses and sometimes find the service on par with overseas. I have received many wrong orders and had to re-wait on the item which is annoying but being in Darwin you get used to having to get everything from somewhere else.

I stock some Gotoh stuff Nick, it may be a shade under ALS too but you would have to check on that, and the way the exchange rate is I'm not sure I will be able to keep it down in the future.

Jim

"I didn't do it" Bart Simpson and my 6 year old son.

[Paul B]

The problem is that the Oz market isn't big enough to support more than one or two big players. So they have bugger all competition and pretty much do as they like. Especially if they act like bunnings and put all the small guys (who offered great service) out of business. They offer shit service, shit products, but where else are you going to go?

If we had another 200 million people or so the market would be big enough to support a bunch of big players who all want to cut each others throats. Advantage us.

But, now we've got the internet and access to overseas markets that we haven't had before. Once confidence in online commerce improves, the big guys are going to find they do have some competition after all.

[Stephen Kinnaird]

But, now we've got the internet and access to overseas markets that we haven't had before. Once confidence in online commerce improves, the big guys are going to find they do have some competition after all.

Agreed. But until that point, we'll be happy to have those dollars coming here! Keep 'em coming!

Steve

[jmuller92]

im not sure what part of the population i stand for, but i am still happy to pay the extra buck for good local service. tim spittle is a great bloke and if ur looking for anything gutiar related he buy from him!

[kiwigeo]

Some of these local businesses arent very clued up. Im quite happy to pay a few more dollars for an item from the US if it means I get what I order and I get kept informed of progress of the order.

The bottom line is Im willing to PAY for good service <==== Australian suppliers take note.

[kiwigeo]

Jim,

Do you handle guitar parts? Let us know what youve got.

Cheers Martin

I stock some Gotoh stuff Nick, it may be a shade under ALS too but you would have to check on that, and the way the exchange rate is I'm not sure I will be able to keep it down in the future.

Jim

[kiwigeo]

So now I get an email telling me the HNT plane is on back order. Ive ordered the Gidgee plane but if thes nongs had any clue theyd contact me and ask if Id like to change the order to one of the other two woods this plane comes in.

[DarwinStrings]

I don't have a vast range yet Martin, I have just started and only stock stuff I use myself so far, I just bought in bulk and am selling off extras but I aim to slowly build it up. The web page is not in the Google index yet as it's only been up a few weeks. Learning to write a web page had me distracted from guitars for a while there too. It's good to be back amongst the saw dust.

I checked out that page on the Blackmore style scallop. Sebatiaan has the advantage of not needing to tape all the frets which is a good thing.

Here is the link to my web pages. Any suggestions on Web design and HTML would be good too....oops wrong forum i guess

http://people.aapt.net.au/~jimkate

Jim

[Stu]

Some of these local businesses arent very clued up. Im quite happy to pay a few more dollars for an item from the US if it means I get what I order and I get kept informed of progress of the order.

The bottom line is Im willing to PAY for good service <==== Australian suppliers take note.

I totally agree with Martin here.
It's amazing that we can buy from overseas, usually the U.S. and
have goods arrive on our doorstep faster than we can receive locally.

I'm one to prop up the Aussie businesses too, but some really need to step up to the plate when it comes to customer service prioritizing.
I've had many local buys where I've done the shopcart thing, and received an email that goods were shipped, only to receive my goods minus one vital piece of hardware...............erm..... that item isn't in stock and is on backorder.
To which I get the choice then to wait a couple weeks or a refund.
I want to know this stuff when I raise the order,
not a week later after chasing an explanation.

(Ooh.......I feel better now.)


Oh yes, Nice website, Jim.

cheers, Stu

[Dominic]

Martin, you might want to try a different Carbatec. The Sydney shop serves a larger market and seems to have a lot in stock and are very helpful. I can get things from them faster than ordering from my local shop. Usually a few days.
I have also found Timbecon in WA to be great for on-line shopping and up to the US standard.

It is a tough ask for our local guys though with such small markets. We really need fewer but larger players.

Dom

[DarwinStrings]

Thanks Stu

Soon I should be adding some Australian made "Swansdown"(very soft cotton) buffing wheels and some high quality buffing compounds made to keep cool and suit the types of finishes used on instruments. It is also made in Australia and should be a good Menzerna replacement.

Jim

[sebastiaan56]

Being an aussie in business it gives me the shits to see posts like Martin's. Not Martin, I dont blame you mate but the crappy service from some of these companies is the last thing our economy needs. That said there are some good ones, maybe we need a section in the Suppliers where we can post them,

some Aussie suppliers Ive had good dealings with, ALS, Guitar Woods, Carba Tec Sydney (one block away), Carrol's Woodworking and McJing.

[Tigermyrtle]

I have to agree with you Sebastiaan I pride myself in giving good customer servise, but I can not say that about some suppliers here in Australia. But all said and done we still live in the best country in the World.
Cheers Bob,

Being an aussie in business it gives me the shits to see posts like Martin's. Not Martin, I dont blame you mate but the crappy service from some of these companies is the last thing our economy needs. That said there are some good ones, maybe we need a section in the Suppliers where we can post them,

some Aussie suppliers Ive had good dealings with, ALS, Guitar Woods, Carba Tec Sydney (one block away), Carrol's Woodworking and McJing.

[kiwigeo]

But all said and done we still live in the best country in the World.

Second best

[Paul B]

But all said and done we still live in the best country in the World.

Second best

Tasmania isn't a country Martin. It's part of Australia too.

[Tigermyrtle]

Thats Ok Paul, there is alot of people out there that dont know tassie is part of australia & that we are smarter we have two heads & two brains.
Bob,

But all said and done we still live in the best country in the World.

Second best

Tasmania isn't a country Martin. It's part of Australia too.

[kiwigeo]

Sorry Bob but Tasmania was actually originally attached to New Zealand.

[Tigermyrtle]

Hi Martin, Having been to New Zealand I know its a beautiful place but home is where the heart is plus I like the timber here.
Also the Mainland of Australia once once part of Tasmania.
Cheers Bob

Sorry Bob but Tasmania was actually originally attached to New Zealand.

[Paul B]

Sorry Bob but Tasmania was actually originally attached to New Zealand.

And it left to come to Oz too!

[Tigermyrtle]

Good one Paul.
I met a Kiwi in hobart a couple of weeks ago, a friend told me that he was a Taxidermist and when I said how do you know that.
He said well he Stuffs sheep.

Sorry Bob but Tasmania was actually originally attached to New Zealand.

And it left to come to Oz too!

[Stephen Kinnaird]

Well, perhaps it will hearten you to hear that a number of us U.S. blokes do some shopping in Australia! There's just some wood that CAN'T be bought here...or at least in the quality that youse guys get.
Sooooo.... we write, or call, or otherwise beg TimS, and he always comes through. Great service, fair prices and excellent product.
A business model that is a model for all business.

Forvige me, I'm getting all weepy...

Steve

[sebastiaan56]

That OK Steve, quite a few of us get emotional when we think of Tim