I was just looking in the latest Heavy Duty mag at the current ride-away prices for 2011 models in Australia and New Zealand. Amazingly, the two countries' prices are almost identical in dollar terms for their own country's dollars. Currently, there is 1 Kiwi Dollar to 80c Aussie and it has been roughly this level for a very long time. Therefore, a $30,000 Aussie Dollar bike will only cost you $24,000 Aussie Dollars in NZ. I am sure that the Kiwi dealers are making a fair profit. So where does the other $6,000 go???
A friend working in the Middle-East very recently bought a new 2010 Fatboy from the local dealership for Aus$19,500 ride-away. I'm sure he got a special price for a just superceded model but I'm also sure that the dealer made a fair profit.
A 2011 RockerC is listed in US at under US$20K yet it is Aus$35K here. Someone is having a lend of us. I understand that the Aussie importers have to allow for variations in the exchange rate without being realistically able to change prices on a monthly basis but this can only go so far before the buyers start to get annoyed. What really pisses me off is that our government seems to be protecting the sole importers by preventing any individual from buying their own bike in the USA and importing it with the same import fees as the importer (who don't pay retail prices!!). This is quite clearly restricting free market competition yet they continue to back the importer. The government continually promotes the "level playing field" of import competition and has reduced import rates for most products compared to 10 years or so ago however this has had zero effect on the price of Harleys. We don't make Harleys here so there was never any need to protect any local industry and there still isn't.
If it is a true "level playing field" then it would cost the same to buy a Harley here as it does in the US with the exception of a maximum of about $1,000 for freight.
The same thing goes for cars. I'm sure that the importers of Porsche, Mercedes, Ferrari etc are all living in very nice big houses thanks to the protection of our government (regardless of party) who allow the existing import policies to continue unquestioned. Personally, I would call it fraud. I don't have any problem with the 10% GST. There has to be some taxation for obvious reasons.
Sadly, we can all complain yet NOTHING will change and the pollies will continue to wonder why so many people just can't be bothered to vote.
Bugger'em!!
Missus bought a new Fiat 500 Drive away $29,000 AUD recently.
Same model being released in US $15,500 USD
Nearly $13K difference, love how we get ripped off in OZ!!
We have always paid too much and for too long we have let companies get away with it. Cant offer a solution though
Noticed the same thing Kiteman. Can only assume it's the exorbitent taxes we pay . . . . . .
Gotta agree with ya. You'd think with the current exchange rate the way is has been at the moment you could expect to pay a bit less for an American product.
I'm no expert but I think part of the problem for Australia is 1. We are bloody miles away and 2. We only have a relatively small population and therefore small consumer market. Add this to a pretty high cost of living and a little bit of "cause we bloody well can" and I think that is how they make up the gap. To make a business viable/profitable in Australia they usually have to bump the price up a bit to make up for the small number of sales (US 300 odd million people vs Aus 20 odd million). Its the same with cars as well. In the UK, the same car you pay 17,000 for here, can be picked up for 6,000 pounds which doesn't really reflect exchange rates. I guess another problem for international companies is even though the exchange rate might change, the cost of running the business in Australia doesn't.
None of that explain's why the bikes are cheaper in NZ though. Based on my logic, if anything, they should be more expensive, so there goes that theory . I'll just try an make up for it by ordering shit loads of parts from the US at half the price.
I was going to import an older HD from the US until I found out the HD fairy god fathers block the docks.
Was going to have to get it stripped down to parts just to get the import cleared. I agree the prices seem high to most other countries, and I realise the above reasons people have mentioned, but to stop us from have any other import options.... well thats a dictatorship, not a dealership right!?
Whats the "deal" stand for in dealer?
I think the bike prices are more of a problem for new riders, most of us who already own one dont really want to see new Softails or Dynas going out the door for under 20k, it would destroy 2nd hand bike values
I think we all realise that we have to pay taxes but with products, those taxes are usually removed for export. If an Aussie business sells to overseas then the 10% GST is not charged but there may well be a (retail or sales) tax in the receiving country. The rate will vary enormously. South-East Asia has absurd taxes like luxury tax on Harleys (and Mercs etc). A $35,000 bike here in Oz costs around $52,000 in Indonesia and $59,000 in Malaysia. That still doesn't make it right in my opinion. Usually, Import Tariffs are charged in order to protect a local industry although these have been reduced a lot in recent years. I'm not quite sure how the "level playing field" works when wages in China are around $5 a day. Eventually, the Chinese will get more rights and demand higher wages and Aussies will start building plasma TV's......... but don't hold your breath!
All I would ask for is fair market competition. If a TV is made in China it should cost "roughly" the same in UK or US or France or Canada or Oz. I think that it probably does. With Harleys, I dunno...... maybe it's a Luxury Tax that we are all paying on our expensive toys..........
Is there more than one importer of Harley, Porsche, Audi, Ferrari etc etc??? Perhaps someone can help me here.... If there IS only one importer then surely there is a conflict with the government's free market concept.
RED...... not sure what you meant about "oranges"..... did you mean the mention of cars?
cheers to all,
Red - that's the point I was trying to make. I don't give a fuck how much they cost BUT I can't see how we can be paying the same aussie dollar as Kiwi's are paying Kiwi dollars, other than EXORBITENT FUCKEN TAXES !
Philthy
Always been "Ph"ilthy Rodders but the name was taken on this forum . . .
it will never change
it is already changing since we can now import directly from the US for only a $4k additional cost.Can get a CVO for the price of a normal aussie one.
The flow of Imports is going to push the prices to more resonable level even for new bikes.
