US Dollar and Buying from Overseas Suppliers

[RobPNW]

If you're in the US sometimes you find a piece of gear significantly lower priced from an overseas dive shop but often times the shipping kills the deal. The dollar has been on a steady uptrend lately which has made things in little more interesting. Couple that with the fact that some overseas shops are not subject to some of the price fixing restraints we see from manufacturers in the states, and you end up with even more leverage. If you're looking at a $50-100 dollar item, maybe not worth playing this leverage game. But if you can save $1,000 on a $3,000 drysuit and it costs $100 in shipping, well, that's a bit different lately. The exact example is something I'm an keeping my eye on, especially if it's a situation where, if something goes wrong with the gear, it would normally be handled by the manufacturer vs the shop itself.

Example of a transaction I just made as an experiment... looking at some premium masks. Found one that would normally retail and be subject to US price fixing at around $190. Found it on sale, and with the exchange rate, for $50 at an overseas shop. Even with $23 in shipping it was $73 out the door or about a $117 discount. I won't mention particular shops but did a quick search here and some of our overseas friends said they had good experience with the shop. I already got an email from them saying it was shipped in less than 24 hours.

Any thoughts?

 

[Marie13]

Other possible issues:

Warranty

Will the seller ship to the US? Sometimes the manufacturer restricts sales area. Other people have reported this?

 

[Lorenzoid]

For something as expensive as a drysuit, consider picking it up while vacationing. My wife and I bought Santi drysuits from a European dealer for half what the retail price (~$3k each) was in the US, and then when we left to return to the US we received a VAT refund at the airport. So it was tax free. We "did the right thing" and declared our purchase at US Customs, and the tariff was reasonable. (Actually, Customs' computer was having a technical issue, and the agent said "screw it" and let us pay zero and simply thanked us for doing the right thing by declaring it.)

That said, when we discovered the suits needed modifications to fix some size issues, the foreign dealer was not cooperative, blaming Santi for the problem, and Santi blaming the dealer or distributor. Those were our first drysuits, and when we needed replacements we patronized our local-ish Santi dealer. They cost an arm and a leg, but if anything had even been the slightest bit wrong I know our dealer would have fixed it immediately, without question, at no additional cost.

The value of a local dive shop that backs up what it sells and will do whatever is needed to "make things right" should not be underestimated.

 

[RobPNW]

Other possible issues:

Warranty

Will the seller ship to the US? Sometimes the manufacturer restricts sales area. Other people have reported this?

Good points, I have added things to a cart thinking I was getting a smoking deal before to only find out at checkout that shipping to the US was restricted. I guess the warranty issue would be related to whether the shop is considered an "authorized reseller".

 

[BoltSnap]

The value of a local dive shop that backs up what it sells and will do whatever is needed to "make things right" should not be underestimated.

Yes, most important!!!

 

[RobPNW]

For something as expensive as a drysuit, consider picking it up while vacationing. My wife and I bought Santi drysuits from a European dealer for half what the retail price (~$3k each) was in the US, and then when we left to return to the US we received a VAT refund at the airport. So it was tax free. We "did the right thing" and declared our purchase at US Customs, and the tariff was reasonable. (Actually, Customs' computer was having a technical issue, and the agent said "screw it" and let us pay zero and simply thanked us for doing the right thing by declaring it.)

That said, when we discovered the suits needed modifications to fix some size issues, the foreign dealer was not cooperative, blaming Santi for the problem, and Santi blaming the dealer or distributor. Those were our first drysuits, and when we needed replacements we patronized our local-ish Santi dealer. They cost an arm and a leg, but if anything had even been the slightest bit wrong I know our dealer would have fixed it immediately, without question, at no additional cost.

The value of a local dive shop that backs up what it sells and will do whatever is needed to "make things right" should not be underestimated.

Would you consider SeaSkin an exception to your rule based on the size of the discount and that it's custom?

 

[Lorenzoid]

Would you consider SeaSkin an exception to your rule based on the size of the discount and that it's custom?

Tough decision. I have long thought about getting a Seaskin as a backup suit. I like SeaSkin's fairly automated ordering form, where there can be no possibility of miscommunication of my measurements or options. The Santi was semi-custom, but all communication between me and the European dealer was by simple email. Even though I sent the dealer a scan of a hand-completed copy of Santi's measurement form, Santi got some measurements wrong, and the boots were wrong, almost certainly due to miscommunication between the European dealer and me and/or between the dealer and Santi. (A distributor was also apparently involved!) I'll never know for sure, because neither the European dealer nor Santi would show me copies of exactly what they communicated between them regarding my suit order. The dealer and Santi dragged their feet, each blaming the other, and the dealer finally gave me a small discount for my troubles and expense getting it all sorted by Santi's USA division (a corner in the Halcyon building in High Springs, FL, but I digress). Sorry--still ranting after all these years. Yes, maybe SeaSkin is an exception to my "rule."

 

[RobPNW]

I could probably read hundreds of pages of posts and find this answer out but I wonder what the typical issues are with the SeaSkin suits if any that people have. For me, if they are DYI fixes in general that one can take care of with basic skills and little cost, I would definitely consider it an exception. If on the other hand, they are workmanship or design issues, that's another story entirely.

 

[RobPNW]

I see in Fedex, my $190 Apeks VX1 UV mask that I bought for $73 shipped is now moving

 

[rick00001967]

i personally have never bought anything from overseas. but i have dealt with many u.s. dealers (i am in canada).
even with our sh**ty exchange rate to the usd, sometimes it is still worth buying from across the border.
in the years the rate was really good it was a no brainer.
when a new reg sells for 600 here and 200 on sale in the u.s., the exchange stills makes it worth while, and i could care less about the warranty. just one example.
it is a real shame when i can buy gear cheaper from another shop than i can from my own. and i work there. lol