I really want to put together a Warmoth build (love their options, especially for necks) but I checked out the shipping estimates and it's going to cost about $140(US) to ship the parts to Australia. Not to mention the exchange rate between AUS and the US at the moment. So, if there are any other Australians who are into custom guitars, where do you get your parts from? Unfortunately all the reputable custom dealers are US based. Warmoth, Musikraft, USACG. Musikraft seems the most reasonable in terms of shipping. About $60 apparently. That's still in US dollars though. The exchange rate is real bad at the moment. I might just have to cop the shipping cost because I cant find anything like Warmoth or Musikraft that is Australian based.
Where do Australians get their stuff?
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stratamania
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There are some Australian members of the forum, so one of them may answer if they see your post. They use Warmoth parts for certain, other choices I could not say.
In the meantime exchange rates do fluctuate so sometimes it can be a benefit to you and other times not.
I am in the UK, so also have to pay whatever the shipping is, and then there is customs. But the parts are worth it and top quality.
In the meantime exchange rates do fluctuate so sometimes it can be a benefit to you and other times not.
I am in the UK, so also have to pay whatever the shipping is, and then there is customs. But the parts are worth it and top quality.
I'm an Aussie :headbang:Hunter said:
All my guitar builds have been Warmoth. :icon_thumright: Highly recommended !!
But I got all my builds done a few years ago when the Aussie $$$ was on par with the US $$$$ :icon_biggrin:
So all my necks & bodies are all from Warmoth. (lost count)
http://www.warmoth.com/
Had 1 custom order body.
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=19269.0
Had this custom order body and neck.
(ordered separately because went over the $1000 that we are aloud to import before taxs come into affect)
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=20346.0
Rest of my builds were off the Warmoth showcase.
Here's one of my favorite guitars from the showcase.
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=17679.0
Have bought stuff from
Stew Mac ... http://www.stewmac.com/?gclid=COn3rYXv9MMCFQMGvAodDCEAbg
Plus ...
Guitar parts resource ... http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/
:dontknow: That's about it.
Warmoth is quality stuff indeed, was like xmas as a 10yo when opening all those deliveries. :blob7:
Can't speak of those other places you mention as I've never bought from them.
Good luck :icon_thumright:
When ya see the quality of Warmoth, you will forget about the shipping costs.
We do have it a bit better off than some Euro countries ie: import taxs.
$1000 bucks before you get hit, I kept all my orders under that.
Hope that helps in some way.
Cheers
ccasion14:Thanks Updown, that's some helpful stuff to know. So as long as my order is under $1000 AUD I won't have to pay any import duties or taxes? That might work out for the best then because Warmoth only charge about $80 to ship a neck alone. So I can get that then order a body later, or find one locally. I'm only doing a very basic Tele build anyway. The neck is the main thing I want custom.
There's an Australian parts dealer call Realparts.com.au and they seem to be tied in with Allparts. They have standard Tele shaped bodies that I assume are sourced from Allparts. Has anyone had any experience with Allparts bodies? What are they like? Would it fit a Warmoth neck (with Tele heel size, obviously) without too much trouble?
There's an Australian parts dealer call Realparts.com.au and they seem to be tied in with Allparts. They have standard Tele shaped bodies that I assume are sourced from Allparts. Has anyone had any experience with Allparts bodies? What are they like? Would it fit a Warmoth neck (with Tele heel size, obviously) without too much trouble?
Cagey
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Allparts is wholesale a distributor - they don't actually "make" anything. So, bodies, necks, hardware, etc. all come from someone else. Also, they tend to discourage retail sales by charging substantial premiums for their stuff. You can often go to a retail brick & mortar outlet and get lower prices for the stuff they source than they sell it for directly because those guys know they need to be competitive.
You Aussies pay ridiculous prices for things because there's no easy way to get there from here. You actually have better import/duty/VAT/stupidtax punishments than most countries, but getting the stuff to your door is a real test of will.
You might want to check out USPS (United States Postal Service) pricing. They're widely disparaged for poor service, but they also charge substantially less than most shippers do. In my experience, they're usually about half of what anyone else charges.
You Aussies pay ridiculous prices for things because there's no easy way to get there from here. You actually have better import/duty/VAT/stupidtax punishments than most countries, but getting the stuff to your door is a real test of will.
You might want to check out USPS (United States Postal Service) pricing. They're widely disparaged for poor service, but they also charge substantially less than most shippers do. In my experience, they're usually about half of what anyone else charges.
sixstringsamurai
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Hunter said:
Sounds like it's time to roll out a kickstarter to build the first AUS parts supply Co.
Make a living of what you love man...
Correct :icon_thumright:Hunter said:
Yep up to 1000 aussie $$$ for any items.
Shipping costs are not included in that $1000 bucks. Just the goods !!
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:redflag: Remember that Australian Customs only consider the cost of the goods and DO NOT consider and/or take the cost of freight for assesing the parcels.
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The law requires that all goods — whether second hand or new, commercial or private — are subject to the assessment for duty, Goods and Services Tax (GST) and other taxes and charges and the goods are checked for community protection risks. When goods with a value exceeding A$1,000 are imported, the importer may be required to pay duty, GST and other taxes and charges. These goods must be declared to Customs and Border Protection on an import declaration.
If your goods have a value of A$1,000 or less, no duty, GST or other taxes and charges are collected unless the goods are tobacco and/or alcohol products.
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stratamania
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It sounds like Australian customs has some common sense, in the UK paying duty on just about anything imported from outside the EU including shipping isn't quite such a fair system.
Jumble Jumble
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Hmm. Now you're an admin, I think it's probably a good idea to ease off on the political digs. Set an example and all that.
musicispeace
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Even with shipping and duties its still a good option. I don't know what an off the shelf new Fender costs in Oz but when I compare what they cost here and the quality to what I have spent on my Warmoth build and the difference in parts and quality I definitely have a better guitar.
Re-Pete
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Updown said:
I agree with a LOT of what Updown has commented on already. I built 3 Warmoths but did so when Aus$ was high value against US$. When Aussie $ falls down below 80 US cents you really have to crunch your sums & see if same parts can be had locally for a better to-your-door price than from overseas.
On the issue of the magic Aus$1000 value for Customs/GST, I'd add that this is generally only applied when you have the items posted to you.
If you hurry up the import and get it sent by International Courier like UPS, FedEx etc. the value magic figure is MUCH lower & the Courier Company will act as your Bond Agent, do all the paperwork & add the relevant Customs duty/GST. I think it's as low as Aus$400 if you import via Courier/Bond Agent. In that case, you not only pay the Govt fees but also pay the Bond Agent commissions too.
So be careful, postage is the way to go if you can trust the postal services from the exporting country & the Australia Post, but it takes longer than via International Courier.
I do not know how long this system will remain with Customs Collections. There has been a lot of political speak about taking the free level much lower, as Aussie retailers say that they can't compete with overseas online purchases. The truth be known though, a number of these same Aussie retailers are selling LAST year's models of whatever product they sell & often at the price THIS year's product sells for (full price) overseas. They obviously would like you, as an Aussie purchaser, to buy from them in a monopolised market.
bazza spock
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Hi I registered to comment here.
I didn't realise postage to Aus. would be so high - as OP says. I too am in Aus. I absolutely LOVE to muck around with the custom builder web pages on Warmoth and was actually just starting to formulate a guit body and neck I'd be into buying.
One possibility would be to have a look at a forwarding service liek : http://www.shipito.com/shop-pricing
I don't know if that'd be any cheaper or not. If warmoth's shipping within the US (ie. to the forwarding company) was free, that'd definitely help.
It is a pain how much some shipping can be to Oz and it's definitely a factor when I look at things on ebay. I don't know how their 'global shipping program' works but when sellers are in that it can sometimes be as cheap as 30-40 US$ to get a whole guitar to Australia.
I didn't realise postage to Aus. would be so high - as OP says. I too am in Aus. I absolutely LOVE to muck around with the custom builder web pages on Warmoth and was actually just starting to formulate a guit body and neck I'd be into buying.
One possibility would be to have a look at a forwarding service liek : http://www.shipito.com/shop-pricing
I don't know if that'd be any cheaper or not. If warmoth's shipping within the US (ie. to the forwarding company) was free, that'd definitely help.
It is a pain how much some shipping can be to Oz and it's definitely a factor when I look at things on ebay. I don't know how their 'global shipping program' works but when sellers are in that it can sometimes be as cheap as 30-40 US$ to get a whole guitar to Australia.
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