Tikka prices in Ireland/UK

jingojonson

http://gunivore.com/rifle/tikka-t3x-review/

Read it and weep! Even with vat etc etc its obvious that we're getting
screwed here by GMK. Its a feckin Euro rifle FFS!

juice1304

You have to take the number of rifles an American importer is going to be buying into account in comparison to those in the UK, That makes an enormous difference in cost with regards to firearms. Most of the prices, however, fall in line with those in Europe.

tac foley

A few years back I was on the phone to a very nice lady called Rosemary in the HQ of Sturm, Ruger Inc. of Hartford Conn. She reminded me that annual sales of Ruger products - ALL Ruger products - that were sold in UK amounted to a good deal less than the Labor Day weekend sales of one store in Houston TX.

Most places here on mainland UK that are offering the TX1 for sale are looking for just less than £600 for it.

photosmart

I don't think of that - it's really interesting.   I suppose prices make sense if thats the case as its probably a lot of effort to make any money in the Irish market as we're so small

jingojonson

I hadn't thought of that -  but another way of looking at it is that a CZ is a similar price to a Tikka in USA (I think but am open to correction) whereas here Tikka sell for a premium - maybe 20 - 40% more on a like for like basis. That's what has me thinking that they make very high margins in Ireland/UK. I suppose its down to demand for their products.

Cass

I have thought the same thing for years and some times there is a case for why firearms and accessories including ammo is more expensive here and sometimes, not often, it's not as expensive as elsewhere.

I made this example a few years back:

Cass wrote:

The Savage TRR-SR took my fancy a couple of years ago. Price in the states was $449 with the most expensive place i could find them asking £495. The cheapest quote i got here, even from a dealer with them in stock, was €895. That was just under $1,200 at the exchange rates at the time. When i asked why the huge price increase i was told taxes. So i done some checking.

To import the rifle in myself, pay the necessary taxes, duties, and even including the once off export fee from the states the cost was €650. All in

Then in same mouthful i also noticed this:

Cass wrote:

As a matter of interest/fact Nightforce scopes (to mention one brand i checked) are cheaper in Ireland than England, some European countries, Austrailia, etc, etc. Average price is about €1,895 while in the UK they are £1,895 to £2,000 (€2,150 to €2,300), and in Australia you get hit with import fees like the states so the Aussie price tag will go up by over 30% and that doesn't include shipping, etc.

Cass wrote:

Checking around for a CZ i was after and while checking prices i noticed the rifle in Ireland is costing, on average, around the €575 mark, but in the UK they start at £550 (€645) with some places asking £650 (€750) for it. Seems we're not doing too bad on some stuff, price wise.

All that being said i still don't get the sky high price on some stuff. I know dealers here have a hard time when it comes to actually getting the money for firearms due to our licensing system, and that each dealer can set their own price which varies wildly depending on where you buy, but some prices are seriously high even compared to other Irish dealers.


The most recent case, for me, was in the last few weeks i seen an Irish dealer with a firearm that i've wanted since it wad announced. I knew it wouldn't be cheap and it's more of a wish list item. in the states the price is $2750 (€2380) so i knew it would be expensive here, but i nearly shat myself when i got the price of €4,150 ($4785). Almost double the American price.

tac foley

photosmart wrote: »

I don't think of that - it's really interesting. I suppose prices make sense if thats the case as its probably a lot of effort to make any money in the Irish market as we're so small

Add to that, as I understand it, that most of the guns for sale in the RoI have come over from the UK anyhow - all that costs money.


My local Cabela's in Springfield sells an average of about sixty guns a day of all kinds.



Both SAKO and Tikka are considered to be premium brands, along with Mauser, Blaser and Sauer, and since they are all imported, attract a premium price tag. However, because of the relatively large numbers involved, those prices are still a good deal less than those encountered in UK and Ireland. Add to that that Oregon doesn't have any kind of sales tax [whoopee], and you can see why they look at prices over here with a rather incomprehending eye.

LONG DRAG

jingojonson wrote: »

http://gunivore.com/rifle/tikka-t3x-review/

Read it and weep! Even with vat etc etc its obvious that we're getting
screwed here by GMK. Its a feckin Euro rifle FFS!

I imported a Sauer 404 direct from Germany, saved 700 euro, better in my pocket than Gmk,or UK supplier.

gunny123

LONG DRAG wrote: »

I imported a Sauer 404 direct from Germany, saved 700 euro, better in my pocket than Gmk,or UK supplier.

Its good if you can do that, but as i found out buying spares for a machine tool, when i tried to buy them in Germany, they refered me back to the irish agent, who i think was a direct descendent of Dick Turpin :mad:.

LONG DRAG

gunny123 wrote: »

Its good if you can do that, but as i found out buying spares for a machine tool, when i tried to buy them in Germany, they refered me back to the irish agent, who i think was a direct descendent of Dick Turpin :mad:.

I broke a pice of the SUM scope mounts and dealt direct with Germany, more than helpfull with the replacement part at no cost go direct.

BryanL

After the Brexit vote and drop in value of sterling, the cost to UK distributors to buy products in Euros went up. They pass that on, so it also cost Irish people. Post brexit I'd expect a lot of distributors to lose their existing UK and Ireland franchises and for it to split into Uk and separate Irish distributors.
This may bring some consumer savings or benefit for someone in Ireland.

meathstevie

BryanL wrote: »

After the Brexit vote and drop in value of sterling, the cost to UK distributors to buy products in Euros went up. They pass that on, so it also cost Irish people. Post brexit I'd expect a lot of distributors to lose their existing UK and Ireland franchises and for it to split into Uk and separate Irish distributors.
This may bring some consumer savings or benefit for someone in Ireland.

Or how to get rode twice on the same currencies.

gunny123

BryanL wrote: »

Post brexit I'd expect a lot of distributors to lose their existing UK and Ireland franchises and for it to split into Uk and separate Irish distributors.
This may bring some consumer savings or benefit for someone in Ireland.

You must be joking, no matter what happens the price only rises, look at the price of petrol.

badaj0z

It is not just Firearms related. It goes back in history to which political party you supported and how you acquired your exclusive import agency. Have a look at the way car importers were set up. It was always clear that cars that were imported by company owned by the manufacturer(e.g. Ford), were sold at prices that were similar to those in the UK or mainland continental countries. Cars that came through an Irish owned agent, cost much more than the UK equivalent. It is the well known IROF,(Irish Rip Off Factor). You can blame the War of Independence and the Civil War if you want. Remember also that import duty and VAT, or sales taxes, were applied on the importers marked up prices so the purchaser was doubly screwed by the importer and the Government.

tac foley

Here's a reminder that over here [or up there, whatever] in the UK, the price of any imported item is made up like this, but please note that I've never imported any kind of a firearm.

Let's say, fer'instance, that a gun from the USA costs an even $1000.

It has to be shipped and insured - say $250.

Ka-ching = $1250.

It arrives in the yUK, and is instantly 'awarded' an import levy of 20 percent, based on the total so far.

Ka-ching = $1500.

That sum is then converted into UK £ at today's rate of $1.28/£1 = £1172.00

Then the dreaded 20% VAT is added, calculated on the TOTAL cost so far.

Ka-ching = £1406.40

It is now at the distributors, say, for example, the previously-mentioned GMK. Being a US-made rifle, it has to be proofed to be sold in Europe, or any of the CIP-compliant countries - NOT to make money, but to comply with the law of the land - adding around £50.00.

Ka-ching = £1456.40.

They add their usual mark-up, said to be at least 25%, to be charitable.

Ka-ching = £1820.50.

It goes to the eventual dealer, who hopes to sell it to you with HIS usual mark-up of at least 25%, if he is being generous.

Ka-ching = £2275.63.

If you live in Ireland, North or South, it then has to get to you, one way or another, usually via your local RFD, who makes a charge for his time and energy - how much that costs is an unknown to me, but I'm sure that many here can provide a figure.

So you can see how the original rifle, that cost a mere $1000 in the USA, can suddenly cost a small fortune, or even, in Cass's case, a fairly large fortune.