Ger wrote:
Out of curiosity, I have compared the price of just the knob in US Dollars at today's rates i.e. $7.95 in the US, $20.78 in Rip-off Britain.
I'm not go to be taken for a mug. I'll just make do with the old style handle.
Why not just order from a kayak shop or dealer in the USA and have them ship to you via FedEx or UPS? You'll pay the import duty ( if there is one) to the carrier. One hint I can give you is to order all the parts at once, from one source. That way you only pay one shipping charge, and only one of the recurring handling charges the freight forwarders charge to handle the customs clearance paperwork for you. Here, that's usually about $ 25 added to the cost of the shipping.
Will Austin Kayak accept non US bank credit cards and ship UPS? Most likely. If not, there are work arounds. Other vendors. Ship FedEx instead. Use bank transfer for payment, etc. but most US vendors will take care of this.
If you want, I can send you the name of the Hobie dealer in Florida that we use. I have imported two kayaks and a trailer so far from them. I've had them Fed Ex me turbo fins, an inflatable patch kit, etc. and it's been great service.
In fact, I have used the Florida dealer despite the fact that we have a Hobie dealer here on the island. He just doesn't seem to be intereseted in kayaks. I get better service from Florida.
Hey, I have to do the same thing in reverse to buy parts for my two 2005 Land Rover Defenders. They are not allowed to have Land Rover Defenders in the USA, that are newer than 1996 models. We have two 2005's and I do all my own maintenance. So I have to order my parts from the UK. It's a bit of a pain to work through the first time or so, but after you get the hang of it, it's not so bad.
Like I have a choice.
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Island life in the Devil's Triangle:
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