Eric,
is the retail price for stihl chainsaws set by Stihl?
or is it a % markup based on the wholesale price?
If so who sets the wholesale price?
If the wholesale price is different between the U.S. and Australia why is it different?
Is it different because Stihl say so?,
or is it different because our federal government has placed a large import duty upon the item?
As i said before
i don't know the answer, it was just a guess that it's a federally imposed import tax that makes the difference.
Does the extra $$ go to Stihl, or into the federal revenue of our country?
I think we need some definitive proof!
Not just speculation.
As for differences in manufacture,
i have no idea if they
do or
do not make the saws differently.
I was only going on what my local bloke told me ( he has never bullsh*tted to me before, but that doesn't mean that someone hasn't lied to him and he is just passing on what he believes to be true!)
I will be seeing him early this week so i will ask him these questions.
As for your last comment your not implying Germans are arrogant are you?
Regards Simon
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Sean,
I have never compared the work that Eric does with work carried out by the Islanders, please read my posts again.
I understand your anger at the work being carried out by these "hacks".
but unfortunatly,
they are in the same industry.
The big difference is obviously the quality of work performed.
It makes no difference whether you are a certified arborist with years of experience, or if you are fresh off the banana boat with a chainsaw and a prayer.
The Islanders are still service providers like you and me!
(they are just providers of very poor service)
The comparison i was making was,
if you are a customer who chooses to use the service of an unqualified, uninsured person who pays no tax.
You are probably doing so to save yourself money, unfortunatly the saving
you make comes at a cost to
your local service provider
who is qualified,insured and pays his taxes.
It's the same if you buy your saws offshore, you are making a saving at the cost of your local dealer, it is irrelevant whether he is rich or poor.
Or whether the wholesale price he pays is different to his counterpart in the U.S.A.
Again, i am not trying to pass judgement on anybody as i am the first one to try and save a buck or two.
I am simply trying to point out the difference between Economics and Morality.
These are the same economic principles that big business and insurance companies use when they make everyday decisions concerning us.
For example;
James Hardy moving their operations offshore so they could try and avoid their obligations to their former workers who are suffering from asbestos related diseases.
Choice 1 - Moving offshore will cost them
Choice 2 - Staying in Australia and paying compensation will cost them
Their economists are the people who advise them which one of these decisions will cost them more!
It is then up to the board of James Hardy to make a decision on which way to go.
As a corporate company James Hardy have no obligation to make a decision based on morals.
They only have to appease their shareholders.
It was cheaper to move offshore, so thats what they did.
I hope this debate is all in good fun
Regards Simon.