wetsuits in oz

Well, I just wanna know how much they were trying to charge for those booties?

"dropped them 10% straight up. Saved me a 6 pack" really has me wondering about surf rep's economics...

Now I'm a pretty blue collar kinda guy, so I like my beer, and I like to save money. My local sells me a six pack and I pay maybe $15. Anybody see where I'm going with this? Yep, I may be blue collar, but I still understand math. For Mr sales rep to save himself a six-pack, those booties were selling for $150, and yet he wants to defend an industry that will sell booties for $150 to somebody that can't bargain that price walking in off the street???

Soooo many holes in your argument Mr "I don't rep for the surf industry anymore"

barreldogs, do you haggle the price of beer ?

serious, do you go into LiquorLand and demand a 10% discount ? what about the BP servo ? Telstra ? the rate on your credit card ?

Sid, I reckon you're twisting it a bit.

Do you haggle the price on prescription medicine?

And without getting into the aforementioned price-fixing/gouging/collusion debate, the products and services above are price inelastic. Do you think people gleefully pay for a six-pack, or their phone bill or $1:50 a litre of fuel?

I've never asked for a discount for any wettie bought online as I'm already well aware I'm getting it for a good price. The same goes for anything bought online really.

You're from the Goldy too right? Do you remember Old Bill's bait and tackle shop up at Labrador? I never asked for a discount from him either and I was there probably twice a week. Went there for years.

But, I sure as shit can't drop $600-$700 on a steamer when I know I can get the exact same one for half that.

zen, 1. wasn't really asking you, just offering a comparison. 2. don't take any percription meds, so dunno, you must have me confused with someone else, can't think who, but she might have wabbit ears, a shitty nappy and bad vaginal rash. 3. we are all free to shop around. 4. just askin. 5. bought 3 blank cotton tees and 2 hoodies online from gildan the other week, 70 bucks, stoked.

but the last time I was behind a wog arguing price in a tackle shop, I offered to pay for his demanded discount just he would shut up, fuck off, and I could get served and go fishing. also give the guy behind the counter a break.

and barreldogs, after decades of extensive voluntary research, I can comprehensively, irrefutably confirm...

-I like my beer, [and] I like to save money-

... are contradictory terms.

:-)

That's cool man and I wasn't insinuating anything regards medicine. Another example then, does anybody haggle the price of razor blades? Those things are bloody expensive but we swallow it and pay for them (unless you sprout the Malloy bros look).

Ha, don't worry about the wog in the tackle shop, I know it too well 'you give me half price, I pay cash now'.

But try and get a discount off a new wettie in one of those megagiantsupadoopa surf emporiums. Bambi behind the counter will give a nervous flutter of her stuck on purple Roxy lashes and then run over to check with Cody, her 19 year old supervisor.

He'll come back with all the authority that only half a dozen strategically hung lanyards command and say 'sorry mate, just can't do it'.

that's why you go to someone like Hodgey's in vic or southern man in nsw.

can't say I've tried swallowing razors, expensive or cheap.

last year, when I had me ankle ops, they gave me oxycodines, but they made me feel crook, so I sold most 'em to some smackies for 30 bucks a pill and dealt with the pain... they don't call it hillbilly heroin for nuthin. they told me if I'd been given oxycontins they would paid 80.

Well, I just wanna know how much they were trying to charge for those booties?

"dropped them 10% straight up. Saved me a 6 pack" really has me wondering about surf rep's economics...

Now I'm a pretty blue collar kinda guy, so I like my beer, and I like to save money. My local sells me a six pack and I pay maybe $15. Anybody see where I'm going with this? Yep, I may be blue collar, but I still understand math. For Mr sales rep to save himself a six-pack, those booties were selling for $150, and yet he wants to defend an industry that will sell booties for $150 to somebody that can't bargain that price walking in off the street???

Soooo many holes in your argument Mr "I don't rep for the surf industry anymore"

By: "barreldogs"

I think you guys are missing his point which is quite clear, read it again.

BTW just for interest sake I did a quick search online for Xcel drylock booties Aussie price $90 same booties in USA just over $60

Now 10% saving only adds up to $9, please let me know where I can get a six pack for that my local shop is closer to double that.

My best mate manged a proper surf shop for years, I got a % discount but I know for a fact on most items he could not just give a 10% discount to just anyone it would all come down to timming and amount bought if they needed to clear the winter or summer stock yes, but generally no, obviously the higher the price the more room for discount, or to throw in something.

I still have a good relationship with my local surf shops and know the staff and owners, if I buy a board even if second hand, they still will do me good deals cheap lleggys or deck grip, even thrown in, but only on there own line, not big name brands.

I actually bought a pair of booties a while back and I got a discount but I never asked for it, I still buy things like that locally but wettys are different, its either buy one locally for $500+ or buy online and get it half price or get a winter wetty and summer wetty.

Fins, I'm getting into the addiction of different ones and I think ths is also a thing where we are getting screwed and I will do shopping online.

Why we should anyone get screwed on price supporting bricks and mortar shops in Australia when they can buy way cheaper on-line in and outside Australia ..... e.g.

1. top quality non stick wok purchased on line in Australia for 45% of the RRP in Myer & DJs.
2. Brooks running shoes purchased on line from the UK for 67% of RRP in Australian shops.
3. Bike computer purchased on line from the US for 58% of Australian RRP.
4. Latest (not last season) O'Neill wetsuit purchased on line from the UK for 61% of Australian RRP.

Local retailers do have higher costs than overseas business but some of those costs are not defendable in the face of global competition. For starters these mega shopping centres we have here lock retailers into unrealistic long-term rents. Retailers here have to be lean and smart and need to restructure themselves on the ability to change shape/size quickly if they are to survive.

-For starters these mega shopping centres we have here lock retailers into unrealistic long-term rents.-

ah, now we're to the crux of the matter.

does anyone here realistically think the commercial activity generated in aussie commercial premises supports the property values.

no chance, the retailers get bent over too, no lube.

cash rates...

Aust 3.5%

UK 0.5%

EU 0.75%

US 0.25%

Sid, save your economics lesson for people who care about economics. As a surfer who surfs, all I know is that I can purchase the same product at about a 50% reduction and delivered TO MY DOOR for free.

That comment that you spewed about property values...commercial premises...blah blah blah. Who gives a fuck? The fact remains that I can buy an Aussie product overseas for cheaper than here in my own country.

Now that we're at the crux of the matter....

true,

then I'd say we have a problem.

continue...

@sidthefish..are you a pom? are you sypkan? are you br? you sound like all three! i shall await your reply..with unreliable excitement!!

no, no, no, and not exciting.

solly to disappoint.

and for the record, SA is the pom-iest place I've been in Aust. joints full of geezers.

I know it's a can of worms but I'm going to open it again. Can anyone recommend an online store for wetsuits?

If your talking online overseas you just have to search and search (different phrases) to find the specials then see if they will sell it to you as some wont sell brands like Rip curl to Aussie but some do, or you can use a forwarding company, the good deals seem to aways be on the real winter wetsuits 4/3 and 5/3 or 5/4, ( i bought a 5/3 bomb from europe and saved about $300+)

Generally doesn't seem to be as much to save on 3/2 etc although time of year can be a factor

last spring i searched and searched online OS for a E bomb 3/2 and to be honest i ended up buying it online in OZ from www.dextersurf.com.au as even though i could have got it a bit cheaper from OS (even with shipping cost), but once id factored in colours(i don't want a crazy coloured wetty), hassle, warranty etc it wasn't really worth getting from OS

I personally think its a good idea to also support them as they seem to be the only place in Australia selling wetsuits at a fair price.

have been searching and searching online for a wettie also, 2x2 long arm steamer theres plenty avail in short sleeve -also they all have chest zips..... get fucked, 58 yrs of age i wanna slip into my wettie on a winters morn with ease and not have to go through 10 mins of yoga moves to get the thing on.....! 2x2 LONG SLEEVE BACK ZIP ALL BLACK STEAMER .any tips thanks.

I'd suggest picking out the type of wetsuit you want then hitting your chosen search engine with '(insert wetsuit title here) United Kindom Price' or some such.

This will give you a selection of stores, prices etc to choose from and then it's just a matter of asking if they will send the wetsuit to you; and if so what are the postage costs.

This has worked out very well for me in the past.

Indo is right though - Dexter Surf are selling suits from OZ at reasonable prices and for current styles. Well worth a look.

Don't get me started on Fins though - the markup on those babies is almost as bad as wetsuits...

@udo - I hear ya. I'm just a wee bit younger than you, and got talked into getting a chest zip 'Bong steamer. I try to surf for about 3 hours at a time to make the drive to the beach worthwhile, but now I have to allow enough energy left over to get out of this thing. Haven't as yet had to drive home in it ('cause I couldn't escape), but nearly.

Thanks guys. Definitely a mission sifting through the sites. Had a look at Dexter but they don't have a 4/3 in my size. Found savings of about $250 on what I am after compared to buying here so it's worth the effort.

Even though I'm currently based overseas, I buy my wetties from Freakfish in the UK. Great service too. Check out last season suits and you can save a bundle, including delivery. Not sure if they deliver to Oz though.

Rushy and Udo, I thought I was the only one who had trouble with Chest zips. It got to the stage where I would drive home so the missus could help me get it off over my shoulders. It's embarrasing to ask a mate for help:)

I'm returning to back zippers.

Checked out dexter surf, great prices. But I think I will keep buying mine from the local surf shop, because as a loyal customer I pay the dexter price and if I need to take it back under warranty that's all I do, no postage,no follow up calls, the shop does all that for you.
How many stories do you hear of a suit bought online having warranty issues, The online seller does nothing for you, they direct you to the manufacturer, who will just brush you off, where the same suit sent to them by a retailer will be dealt with pretty quickly as they want the retailer to remain loyal and move a few hundred wetties for them the next year, they could not give a rats about your piddly little single sale on the internet, loyalty filters down.
20 years ago I looked at a tag on a surf brand t-shirt and asked the owner why he had such a ridiculously high price on it(rrp). He said because occasionally some non surfer would walk in slap it on the counter and just pay, and if you buy it I give you the discount that makes you feel special.

Thanks Zen, Checked them out and yes they freight to Oz at about 12 pounds, not bad for postage from England. Just got to go through the list to see if they have what I'm after.
No chance of me getting a discount at a surf shop Crustt, the only things I've ever bought from one is the occassional wettie on sale and wax, that's it, my boards are direct from the shaper and once a year someone throws me a pair of boardies for Xmas, no loyalty program for me

I get my boards from a shaper too, buy wax by the box and I'm in vicco and I don't need boardies, I only go into a surf shop to by a leggie or a wettie.
You'll curse the day you need that leggie on that epic day cause you broke one in the morning and there no surf shop for miles, if any.

Or, you could buy a couple of leggies online for the price you would pay for one at City Beach or some other mega-surf emporium.

And you would always have a spare;)

That's all fine but by the time you use/need them, they're out of warranty. Also I am talking about places where there is actual surf.

I dont think we need to worry about surf shops going anywhere, because these days surf shops are really just expensive clothing shops, thats where they make there money to survive, the problem with surf shops is they can sell the clothes at crazy marked up prices and the more expensive it is the cooler the kids think it is, while as soon as any of these brands get bought out and sold cheap they loose there cool like Mambo for example.

Problem is they also want to charge similar crazy mark ups on, fins, leggys, wettys because they all take up valuable clothing space.

Then we have the boards that realistically are at the other end of the scale and underpriced for how much time, labour etc goes into them and then they take up even more valuable clothing space.

Then theres the thing that for a surf shop to make money they need the clothes, but for them to be a real surf shop they need boards, wettys and other surfing things.

Maybe im being a bit cynical?