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Buying Overseas

edited January 1970 in Accessories
Has anyone had any experience with this company?

http://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/

I noticed some positive feedback about them on HB, and was wondering if anyone has dealt with them here in Australia?
Any feedback or comments are welcome.

They have great prices for machines and grinders, but my interest is in their accessories. I do not want to start a debate about buying machines overseas, and the pros and cons that go with it. I think we are educated enough here to know the pitfalls and make up our own minds.

My main interest is their range of Illy cups.

http://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/store/product696.html
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Comments

  • No experience with them, but will watch thread with interest.
  • Me to as I was originally looking at buying the Epoca through them :) :rofl: looking at that photo I was thinking "where are the cups".
  • Hello all, Yes we have had experience with them. We bought a Macap M4D from espresso coffee shop in early December 2010 to take advantage of the dollar back then. Rating - 5 stars......... or maybe 6. I had been trying to deal through someone in the U.K. who right royally stuffed us around, got out of that situation and found these guys. The only M4D they had was chrome stepless but took the plunge. Deal and transaction done literally overnight, freight consignment number so we could watch it travel the world like a stolen garden gnome, and arrived on our doorstep around 8 working days maximum. Further pleasure, we weren't home but, UPS (I think) or whoever it was then took it to our local post office for us to collect, rather than back to their HQ at Alexandria - happy days for us westies.... My grinder has a European plug, but I just went to Dick Smith and got an adapter and have never had a problem with it. Freight was 75 Euro but the package weighed 11 kilos and the box is LARGE - much larger than you would imagine. and they put that box in another box - so it doesn't say expensive grinder on the outside. I'm sure you are aware that you knock the VAT off the web prices when calculating your cost. The VAT is automatically knocked off at checkout. All in all, our experience was brilliant so I do highly recommend them - but that is based on one experience...... you can't expect to hang me on that one... Good luck Chris
  • I've used orphanespresso for a couple of things and found them great to deal with. They do Illy cups :) http://www.orphanespresso.com/Espresso-Cups-Glasses_c_229.html
  • Prices seem great. Pity about having to pay import duty when it arrives here in Oz.
  • amounts below aud$1k dont have duty imposed on them iirc so if you find something you want thats below the amount, go for it lol
  • I have ordered several items worth more than 1k from o/s and never been charged duty, even with paperwork clearly stating the correct dollar value. Of course with such orders you should expect to pay duty and not be so lucky. For everything under a K, meh, what duty...
  • Pardon my somewhat curmudgeonly post below, but I'm just in a grumpy mood right now. Reading Riders post above reminded me in regard to VAT that I have seen whinges recently (not here thankfully) regarding overseas purchases that suggest Australian retailers get a rough deal because they have to charge GST and also that the market for 240v coffee appliances is small compared to the 110V market. Just for the record, both statements are false. All European countries now charge VAT (which is exactly the same as GST) and many US vendors charge sales tax (which actually is a larger impost on the retailer since they can't claim an input credit). I am  not sure how many other countries have a GST/VAT component to pricing, but it is not unusual. As Rider notes though, when selling overseas, the vendor does not need to charge the tax (yes Aussie vendors get this break too). Most markets for espresso coffee machines (and, in all likelihood, 'serious' grinders) are 220/240V, North America is one of the few places that run 110V and they are not big on espresso, even though it is more common than it used to be. Don't get me wrong, there are challenges for Australian business (not just retail), but making provably false statements weakens any other arguments someone may then make. I see such statements and it lowers my opinion of the poster. Or am I the one that is making up facts to suit myself here???
  • on 1334406763:
    Pardon my somewhat curmudgeonly post below, but I'm just in a grumpy mood right now. Reading Riders post above reminded me in regard to VAT that I have seen whinges recently (not here thankfully) regarding overseas purchases that suggest Australian retailers get a rough deal because they have to charge GST and also that the market for 240v coffee appliances is small compared to the 110V market. Just for the record, both statements are false. All European countries now charge VAT (which is exactly the same as GST) and many US vendors charge sales tax (which actually is a larger impost on the retailer since they can't claim an input credit). I am  not sure how many other countries have a GST/VAT component to pricing, but it is not unusual. As Rider notes though, when selling overseas, the vendor does not need to charge the tax (yes Aussie vendors get this break too). Most markets for espresso coffee machines (and, in all likelihood, 'serious' grinders) are 220/240V, North America is one of the few places that run 110V and they are not big on espresso, even though it is more common than it used to be. Don't get me wrong, there are challenges for Australian business (not just retail), but making provably false statements weakens any other arguments someone may then make. I see such statements and it lowers my opinion of the poster. Or am I the one that is making up facts to suit myself here???
    I think ya spot on but I'll get a mate who imports all the time to check this over.  These guys make up misinformation because their livelihood relies on customers beating a path to their door as opposed to clicking on Amazon.  I don't know why they just don't come out and say "yes it's cheaper.  But not much cheaper and I have your back when something goes wrong.  Also it worth keeping me in business because I'm a font of knowledge and a hell of a nice guy".  Seems to work for our sponsors here  :thumb:
  • UNM, Your post holds true, but relates more to 'over yonder'. Having said that, I applaud you for having the balls to preempt any such crap filtering in here, as it is all crap. It is a global market and they have to learn to live in that market. Other industries have, I can provide personal experience in two of them if needed. Well said mate. Rider
  • First of all, thank you to all that have contributed. I hope many others will join in. Yes, we are part of a global economy, and all retailers have to accept it. The number of people choosing to buy offshore is going to increase, and internet retailers worldwide are gearing up for it. I think we should encourage it as much as possible. Many sites sell products that are not available in Australia. The Australian market is small, and it is expensive to do business here. I am not asking retailers to justify their prices, everyone is entitled to make a living. If I do not see value in an item for sale, I will seek it elsewhere. Why?? Because I can.... Anyone saying that I must buy local to help save Australian jobs is full of it. That shipped sailed a long time ago when the majority of manufacturing went offshore. Food production, on the other hand is something that should be encouraged locally, as much as possible. I support small business as much as possible, but I do get peeved at seeing many items (not just coffee related) a lot cheaper overseas. I know of many people that now do collective buys to reduce freight costs. Items like grinders are a classic example of goods being imported. Is the risk worth the saving? In some cases it certainly is. As to espresso machines, I think the risk is worthwhile if the item is over $4k here, or something specially made for a niche market. But that is my opinion only. For the Australian market, I believe the only difference between EU and AUS is the plug. If I am wrong, then I am happy to be corrected. I do not believe they change the spec of the machine just for the Australian market. I remember many years ago when Jura machines were being heavily promoted at home shows. The retailer admitted that they had to change the plug themselves in order to sell here. They were EU spec. Laptops, cameras and phones are all sold everywhere and designed for travel. They have universal power adapters that accommodate a variety of voltages. Warranties should be worldwide, and I believe (hope) that this will happen soon. There are Australian camera retailers who actively compete against overseas pricing, working on volume and add-ons to make profit. By offering advice, excellent service and matching price (or trying to); they have succeeded in retaining sales. Retail is an ever changing beast. Internet forums are a valuable research tool. My daughter just bought herself a laptop. Research was done, and she narrowed her choice to a particular unit. An internet forum discussed it in detail, and prices were openly talked about. At Xmas, DSE had it for 25% off, but had sold out. She went to Domayne and got it when they had 20% off everything. Moral is, she knew what she wanted, and got it when the price was right. I did point out to her that certain products are always on sale at certain times of the year, and astute shoppers are well aware of this. Few pay full RRP any more, and to be honest the suggested RRP is only a guide. The majority of people today are careful with their spending, and do a lot of research on the internet before buying. Providing helpful comments and options should be encouraged. So, please contribute in any way. Apologies for the late night rant ( I am waiting for teenage guests to depart).
  • Just wanted to add: This is not about saving $40 or $50 on a purchase under $300. Purchasing overseas to save this amount is a waste of effort, local warranty wins every time. Asking a local retailer to match overseas pricing is cheeky, and rejection should be expected. Compromise in between, might be an option. :stir Unfortunately, in retail, the customer who comes in and drives the hardest bargain, is usually the one who will come back time and again for after sales support. :tearhair: :tearhair:
  • I often buy low value items overseas. For example a mini USB to micro USB adapter for $0.99 delivered to my door from China. I just bought some Maxell batteries (which I was amazed to see were shipped from Aus). Warranty for such low value items is not an issue. Now this got me thinking again... The way I see it, Chinese businesses are setting China up as the future logistics management centre of the world. It it not just about manufacturing, or retail, but also about control of  distribution. This certainly has potential to cause economic issues for other countries, not least because of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). If enough items are shipped from China to other countries with limited flow in the other direction, the costs our nations bear in delivery becomes difficult to sustain and puts severe pressure on our local postal services.
  • on 1334418548:
    Asking a local retailer to match overseas pricing is cheeky, and rejection should be expected. Compromise in between, might be an option. :stir
    I asked proscan who are Fujitsu's distributor for Australia why their prices are so much higher than the US.  The S1500 model is $394.99 on Amazon with free shipping in the US might I add.  Proscan are $544.55 EX GST and doesn't include shipping!  Cheapest I can find in Australia is MWave $567.90 Inc GST and then add shipping.  Proscan basically said "I am not sure. You would have to ask Fujitsu." It's not worth buying from overseas due to the excessive shipping for big items.  My Vario was the same too, the distributor has it priced way to high, and then retail outlets need to make a profit too.  In the US it retails for $469.00 and here it's $680 Inc GST :(  Lovely grinder, but they could sell more if they just got realistic with the prices.
  • I've only just skimmed the above roughly so may be a little off track however............ One reason you will find that some goods cost more here than in the US, is the type of marketing employed to sell the items. You may find that in the US (item dependent), the importer is selling direct, and all service work is back to the importers base. Over here, established importers have reseller and service networks "around the place". Importer sells it to them, so they can onsell it to you from their showroom in your town ( where you can actually feel and touch and maybe even play with before buying.....). So there are extra margins involved. When you knock out the perfectly legitimate "middle men" offering you that local shopfront and service, you no longer get to go down and play with the thing....and will have to buy direct from perhaps hunderds or thousands of k's away with the usual lack of after sales service that involves. This is nothing more than a simple explanation of what gives in certain situations. So....if we want the lower prices, you have to accept lesser service by knocking out the retail sales and service tier in the industry (whatever industry you may be talking about). It is happening right now in the coffee equipment industry, and appears to be a natural progression in the modern world in which we live. Importers expand their activity to sell direct, and retail goes out the back door or off shore. Also, waiting waiting waiting for govt to wake up to all the lost revenue in duty and taxes in this country and start stopping everything at the "virtual" customs border at ports of Sydney and Melbourne, to charge everything above a nominal value a proper Customs Clearance charge. What nominal value do you want the threshold to start from? Say $500.00....or $1000.00 ?? That will go somewhere to increasing grey import costs to retail buyers in the country, but it wont do much for knocking out pieces of the tax paying, person employing retail sector, nor the loss of convenient localised service networks.
  • Okay, so complying with Admin's request Moving house in the next 3 (hopefully) to 4 weeks. No gas in the street or area.... Have decided on induction cooktop. Local price, walk in see it, $2300. Local interweb price $1917 plus delivery. Buy overseas price $1189 plus delivery air freight and insurance to our door making $1350. IF we get hit with GST as per Muscles post we may not, we are still making a substantial saving. Did this with our M4D grinder and have never suffered a glitch..... Why wouldn't you?
  • I totally agree Rider but the playing field is not 100% fair.  I think is fair to balance up against local marketplace, so all imports should pay gst regardless of price (a loophole which is hurting local business).  I think the other misconception at the moment has been the exchange rate we have seen over the past 5yrs with us floating above parity against the USD.  Local businesses I suspect have not passed on all the benefits to the consumer and have pocketed some of this as easy profit.  As the dollar heads south against the USD, the benefits of shopping OS may not be of benefit but I bet you the marketplace ramp up prices on stock they brought with a higher dollar and cry poor to the consumer!! We all shop around for the best bang for buck and it is a free world, so yep I would do what your doing but it also comes down to risk assessing also - is it worth the hassle if shite hits the fan? For the coin saved can I get it locally serviced if it craps itself and still be in front?  Their a couple of questions I often ask myself. I had a situation on Thursday with a coffee business wanting $25 for a 1kg delivery with regular Aust post. I was happy to pay $10-14 but $25 tipped me over and I went another Sydney based company who sold me the same product for the same price and free shipping...  At the end of the day people can judge and make comments on your decision but remember the golden rule - its your money and you can do what you like with it.
  • The way I view shipping from overseas is why do the local people *deserve* my money? If they are value adding, providing after sales support, and actually doing *something*, then sure, I'll buy it (as would be the case with a coffee machine). If I'm having to buy, say a digital SLR camera (which I did recently) and it is $600 for camera + lens from overseas, and $980 best price in Australia, why on earth would I buy locally? If the lens or camera break, I can replace one, and still be better off than the initial cost would have been in Australia. GST is such a small portion of this issue. People say it hurts the local economy, but noone should get money for nothing. "Traditional" retailing is something that the large corporations expect to be able to do and just carbon copy their business model over and over again as a licence to print money, with no innovation. Yes the cost of doing business in Australia is high, but all that is saying is that we are above just buying in things, adding a stupid margin, and selling it for a profit. It doesn't help our economy long term, and doesn't do anything towards creating manufacturing jobs, technology jobs etc, as all the stuff people are buying is made/designed overseas already anyway. The government needs to stop trying to impose levies, tarrifs etc and let the TRUE value of the market work itself out (two examples spring to mind - 1) up until recently, QLD had a 4c per litre subsidy on fuel. Now that has been removed, and it's swung the other way to a carbon tax. 2) 44c/kWh lead in tarrif for solar, now, next to nothing).  Let people see the true cost of things, and our manufacturing industries etc might actually be inclined to do a cost benefit analysis on moving forward, but when policies of the government of the day can change consumer demand for a product by 1000% overnight, why would anyone bother?
  • Hey guys, you want a laugh? Our induction cooktop started out from Budapest, Hungary, went to Charles De Gaulle, France....... ....then to Vienna, AUSTRIA...... and then...... back to Charles De Gaulle  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl: oops......... now in the UK so hopefully it doesn't take another side trip to Vienna  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:
  • Having explored the overseas options in the last week or so it seems very viable to import bigger ticket items like espresso machines. Sure there is risk with transit damage and no doubt people will jump on the "what about warranty" bandwagon but, warranty is either full parts only, all parts and labour through a thrid party or full refund. What that boils down to in reality who knows. I'm sure there are more than a few Australian Consumer Laws that offer protection as well. After all, as others have said, it's a global market and one can spend their money wherever one wishes. Looking at importing a popular machine into Australia from the UK. The machine has a RRP of $3500 here. I can have exactly the same machine landed on my door, with all duties and GST paid for $ 2500 ( $300 of which is shipping). A well known drop shipping company can do it to my door for the same price. This is without haggling. Now the thing that I want to know is how much is the true cost of these machines to the retailer. The UK retailer isn't giving the machines away and would be making good money on them. The same applies to the drop shipping company. So just how much of a mark up is there on the same machine from the Aussie retailer ? Obviously it's $1000 minimum ( the difference between self import and Aus retail) but I suspect its closer to $ 1800 as the "exclusive importer" of the brand into Australia would get some pretty damn hot wholesale pricing from the manufacturer. Further more, any retailer or representative of a brand should be happy to support that brand regardless of whether they sold the machine or not. After all, that is their job and commitment to the brand. Car dealers don't give a bugger where you bought the car from but any of them will happily do warranty repairs or sell you spare parts. It's all about the brand. Maybe if things were priced more realistically here, there would be no need to shop elsewhere. A little bit of profit on a large turn over is better than a lot of profit on a little turnover. After all, return service is king - draw them in with a very good price and they will return for parts, service and upgrades and maintain brand loyalty. Sting them and they will look for alternatives be they a different brand or a different source. I think having exclusive importers is just plain wrong and the fact that other Australian distributors are selling the same machine for less than the importer they distribute for just means the market is ripe for getting the best deal possible, where ever it is.
  • on 1371289166:
    Obviously it's $1000 min imum ( the difference between self import and Aus retail) but I suspect its closer to $ 1800 as the "exclusive importer" of the brand into Australia would get some pretty damn hot wholesale pricing from the manufacturer.
    Don't always assume the importer is getting a better price than you are...with coffee machines, I guess it's likely, but with most consumer electronics etc, it's generally far worse.
  • True, but the price for the machine only in the UK is $ 1694 Australian + shiiping + GST & duties. Cheap ? my oath it is. A lot of money being made by someone.
  • on 1371289884:
    True, but the price for the machine only in the UK is $ 1694 Australian + shiiping + GST & duties. Cheap ? my oath it is. A lot of money being made by someone.
    Hmm if someone had enough coin, import say 5-10units and hit the local market..... Side track exclusive business set ups... Hmm reckon that would rock the local dealership hey! 
  • Jonty  :stir :stir  :rofl:
  • on 1371291864:
    Hmm if someone had enough coin, import say 5-10units and hit the local market..... Side track exclusive business set ups... Hmm reckon that would rock the local dealership hey!
    Careful...electrical regulations and change of plug required.
  • on 1371297916:
    Careful...electrical regulations and change of plug required.
    I never said is was commercial sales... ;)
  • on 1371297916:
    Careful...electrical regulations and change of plug required.
    Pffft, change yourself of use a sparky, $5 per machine
  • on 1371291864:
    Hmm if someone had enough coin, import say 5-10units and hit the local market..... Side track exclusive business set ups... Hmm reckon that would rock the local dealership hey!
    Pity the fool! Thought about this one seriously because I don't want property investments.  Have to invest in something other tan the stock market!!  Diversification!  It's a mugs game unless you get lucky with the buyers/repairs.  For every machine I've ever owned bar one Ive needed quite serious after-sales fom my sellers.  In two of the five serious espresso machines I've owned (not Krups) I've had replacements due to serious issues.  I am the softest of users and am anal about care and usage... imagine the stresses some idiots put on their new toys!!  Moreover, I would hate to pick up the phone and have me on the other end wanting warranty/service.  Pity the fool!
  • I think you're a machine jinx Brett  :rofl: :rofl:
  • on 1371302612:
    I think you're a machine jinx Brett  :rofl: :rofl:
    That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said...  :rofl:
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