Hard times everywhere ?

[calooker]

I deal with several dudes in the US sourcing and supplying spares on a regular basis, as well as a few locals’ suppliers. Maybe this is a rant, but what the hell ????
The local guy's stock has almost completely dried up and hardly have anything in stock anymore, the stuff they have has become pricey and quality...... let's not go there.
Issues with stuff from the US is quality, when you pay for it you get it..... there is cheap quality too but I avoid it AMAP.
Been having some pricing issues over the past months with suppliers in the US, prices climbing all the time, it's become difficult to quote on an item, and lately actually lost money, and seriously considering stopping this altogether, I don’t make much out of this, not that I'm in it for the money, if I was I would be better off begging on the side of the road.
Problem is that if 1 or 2 US Dollars is added to an item or I'm charged extra in the shipping, it doesn’t sound like much to them in the US..... WTF I have to multiply it by R7.5, you do the sums.
I sent the suppliers a mail regarding these issues this is they have to say:

Well Rui, the economy sucks ATM and times are tight...things are no longer as cheap as they once were.... I didn’t have to pay shipping from WW before and now I do, so now we have to factor that into every order on our end too...trust me when I tell you I completely understand where you are coming from but there is nothing I can do. Costs have gone up everywhere on everything and we are trying to do our best to keep prices as low as I can but we have to keep doors open too. When you figure out the WW just add a $1 or $2 to every price and you will get your price if it’s a bigger item that will increase the shipping a lot then add a few more dollars...that's if you can't wait for me to get back to you. Same with CB & Scat stuff...just add a little bit the retail. EMPI and Bugpack you get a little bit better deals on but again I have to pay shipping to get all this stuff here and when you are not selling as much you have to cover your costs to get the parts here by raising the prices a little bit.

"I wish I had better news for you Rui. I know you have been a good buddy & customer for a long time but like I said before, prices went up and so ours had to go up too....times are tight over here and it sucks. All of my regular customers are getting charged retail now since things have gone up...no one gets special pricing anymore, there is no room to move between what we pay and what we retail things at. I have always done our absolute best to keep our prices as low as we can. That's why it’s hard for us to give discounts on some items since we are already as low as we can go.

[Dirk]

Sounds like the guy is being honest, and he is absolutely right, it sucks.

But I'd rather pay a little more than see you stop your whole trade thing here.

Honestly, if it means I need to add R50 to the bill in order to cover the additional $4.00 to get an item from you... I'm going to have to gulp it down.
It's a sad fact, but we have to face it... Air cooled VW's are not cheap anymore!

If things keep going the way they are, there might come a time when it would be viable to manufacture parts locally again.

[ZeroAxe]

I can think of a time when I was younger....(dare I say it out loud? Erm........... better not, might just start a flame war again), under certain *ahem* "people" , things were MADE in SA, not simply imported. And when I say "things", I am referring to the 'market', not only AC stuff.....

[Blitzkrieg]

I can think of a time when I was younger....(dare I say it out loud? Erm........... better not, might just start a flame war again), under certain *ahem* "people" , things were MADE in SA, not simply imported. And when I say "things", I am referring to the 'market', not only AC stuff.....

You should have said it aloud,we would have much fun with certain people on this forum who still live in the past, as evidenced in another thread

[dsan]

"It's a sad fact, but we have to face it... Air cooled VW's are not cheap anymore!"

f#Ck, it's about time many people woke up and realised this wasn't the case anymore. I've just seen an ad for a bug in London (1303, decent condition) for 8k. A new bug is 2k, do the maths.

Thing is, many here still romanticize about the bug being cheap, you know, a couple of bucks for an engine blah blah. This was also when men thought wearing short khaki shorts was sexy, mullets were cool and it was ok to treat people of colour like dogs. Times have changed, ok maybe some still think the mullet is cool but there's f**k all we can do about them lot anyway.

Rui, if they build it, they need the parts. Don't sell yourself short.

[jmvv]

Rui

You render a service and you are entitled to it that it remains worth your while. You have the benefit of not carrying large shop overheads and I have realised that you pass those savings on to us.

So, if the price you pay fluctuates, then the customer price fluctuates.

If I have to pay more for my order, just let me know and I will transfer the additional money.

It is high time that people realise that even though the newest car (1978) is now 32 years old, the parts and labour to maintain them is priced at 2010 levels.

[Blitzkrieg]

"It's a sad fact, but we have to face it... Air cooled VW's are not cheap anymore!"

f#Ck, it's about time many people woke up and realised this wasn't the case anymore. I've just seen an ad for a bug in London (1303, decent condition) for 8k. A new bug is 2k, do the maths.

Thing is, many here still romanticize about the bug being cheap, you know, a couple of bucks for an engine blah blah. This was also when men thought wearing short khaki shorts was sexy, mullets were cool and it was ok to treat people of colour like dogs. Times have changed, ok maybe some still think the mullet is cool but there's f**k all we can do about them lot anyway.

Rui, if they build it, they need the parts. Don't sell yourself short.

Quote of the week goes to dsan

Modifying/customising/building any car is not cheap. Period. Add to this the inherent nature of cheapskatedness that a lot of SA people have, then it's no surprise to see why Aircooled VWs go overseas...

[Ron&Gill]

Why is what I got shot down for saying 6 months ago being echo'd now? What's changed, did we wake up, did we?

[fig]

Why is what I got shot down for saying 6 months ago being echo'd now? What's changed, did we wake up, did we?

No, I've been saying that for four years, and so have others.

[JamesD]

I've just dropped over 25 grand into my drive train and i'm still going. You know what the funny thing is, THAT IS STILL CHEAP!

Cam belt replacement on a 1998 A4 - R8000
Clutch replacement on said A4 - R12000

I have a friend that has paid more than that for rings and a head on his jeep. Fiat palio cost over 10 grand to fix the engine.

a new oil pump with full flow filter for a beetle is about 900 bucks and you can install it yourself. Now imagine how much you going to pay to have a new oil pump put into your modern plastic piece of junk that will be worth less than the beetle in 6 years time?

Yes i will Shop around for the best prices, but i will also fork out if need be for the parts!

is a beetle still cheap, YES IT BLOODY WELL IS!

Recon engine for a beetle, 6 - 10 grand normally. Recon engine for a shit brick modern car? 15 grand and upwards.

Just heard a story this morning, Audi TT dropped a CAM belt, 60 grand damage. You can Build a monster Beetle engine for that.

No matter what, your beetle is still the cheapest form of motoring.

Please complain about part prices some more, You pretty much just a #$%^!@# retard then. Your basic parts aren't expensive!

I used to also cough and choke when i heard prices until i saw what it costs to have modern car serviced. For the same price you can do hectic upgrades to your beetle instead. and at least drive something you passionate about and that turns heads unlike a run of the mill plastic car that will be finished and disposable in 10 years time.

Edit: One thing i have also realized, you dont always pay for just the parts, you also pay for the service rendered. Rui has helped me find what i needed and always gotten the things ASAP. In my world, that is worth something. My first port of call is always Rui, and if i have to pay for that then i will. I have always wondered how much he makes on these parts and clearly its not enough!

Edit 2: Looking at current prices i'm even contemplating dry sumping, so it will cost 7 grand or so, whoop-di-do. A sump, just the stupid casing on a 2006 A4 is like 4 grand or more! my farther has cracked 2 and had them replaced.

I drive a beetle by choice! I could go out now and get any car i want basically, but i'm happy with my beetle!

[sarel.wagner]

I drive a Jag.... Ja ja I know.... Brake fluid change, coolant change, gearbox oil change(auto box) and rear diff oil change R8400.00 including labor, no parts only fluids :/ Go figure. New autobox ~ R60k

Rgrds

[Klippie]

RUI, I think that most people on this forum is willing to pay the extra. Not everyone imports parts and you provide sort of insurance for people like me who does'nt know fokol about importing. So what if you prices go up by R100 to R200. For me and alot of other people it is still worth it,

[calooker]

I started the sourcing of parts for a simple reason, It was so bloody difficult to get stuff locally and hated being ripped off and given a lot of BS. Made many contacts in the past 20 years or so, which helps in avoiding some shady suppliers or individuals, and there are many out there, and yes, so called customers too.
I try keeping it simple so that costs are kept to a min. just what I was looking for back in the day.
This service was not available then, so decided to give it a go myself. My brother keeps telling me I'm an idiot, as I have no idea on how to make money, his favorite quote "you should not feel guilty of taking someone’s money, the more you can get out of them the better you should feel" I don't see it that way.
I always asked myself why these dudes locally couldn't just give me good service and or advice etc. I know they are in the business of making money and need to pay the bills, but seeing people being ripped off, and I personally saw it, many times, to being told that it's a trade secret or experience costs money and all the BS that comes with that attitude, I landed up doing what I do.
Yes I make a little money out of this, which helps me to buy other aircooled goodies that the wife doesn't need to know about I will always give advice where I can and always put myself in the other person's shoes. I think, that this attitude is appreciated, and it's all the satisfaction I need, as I do this for the passion not the money. I will rather not sell an item that I know is shit than do it knowing that it's not right. And I will always advise a buyer where I can, as there is things one should avoid and over time I have come to know the items or suppliers to avoid, I try support every one locally but I know who and what, and I advise accordingly.
I know there are a few individuals that think I make tons of money, all I have to say is if you can get it elsewhere with better advice and price then that is what they should do.
Several years ago I was even fingered by a so called restorer for killing his turnover, WTF but that’s for another day.
I love this aircooeled passion I have, it’s been like this since I was 14 and I will do what I can to keep it alive.

[fig]

Viva Rui VIIIIIIIIIIIVA!!!

Rui, you provide a great service to this community with a great attitude. I'm sure the majority of your customers would not be happy if they thought you weren't making reasonable money for the great service delivered.

We all know prices only go upwards, and anyone who bitches about your prices doesn't deserve the service.

[karmakoma]

Rui, yes, we could probably get most of the stuff ordered from overseas ourselves, and maybe save a couple of dollars, IF we have made the right contact, and IF we get lucky with an auction/special/whatever, BUT, you summed it up with two words: experience and advise. SO keep at it, there are many of us that appreciate the advise more than you know, and as mentioned previously, don't mind paying a little more, when you do all the work.

In fact, I will go so far to say that if you are not making your fair share out of this, you better up your prices, if you don't, you will not be motivated to do this anymore, and I will have to start going through the schlepp of dealing with customs, order tracking, GAINING experience in who sells good stuff/bad stuff (and this could get expensive fast!) and all that jazz. I prefer my current order tracking system - sms to Rui, is it here yet?! - yes, fetch friday at office . My kind of system.

as an aside, these last 6 months, we are experiencing stock problems with the suppliers in our industry as well, looks like everyone cut down on inventory levels, and woke up too late to the fact that the economy is actually slowly improving...