Why are Airsoft Weapons, so expensive in the UK?

[naf456]

Has anyone noticed? Where being screwed! Airsoft weapons are alot cheaper in the USA then the UK.

For example. I'm actually looking for my first GBB pistol. I like the look of several ... I have a price range upto around £70-£80

I like the look of the Army Detonics Combat Master.

@Airsoft World : http://www.airsoftworld.net/army-detonics-combat-master-gbb-pistol.html

it's on clearance- supposedly huge savings... buy now ~£75 ~£85 to paint it two tone.

@CRW-Airsoft : http://www.crw-airsoft.com/detonics-combat-master-silver-by-army-r45full-metal-1670-p.asp

Not on clearance or special offer. $68 which in GBP is equivent to £45 , with VAT ~£54

Next Example. A WE Hi-Capa Dragon 7 :

@Airsoft World : http://www.airsoftworld.net/two-tone-red-we-hi-capa-dragon-7.html

~£120

@Red Wolf Airsoft : http://redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/ProductDetail?prodID=20498

$130 , equivalent to ~£102 inc VAT

Next a Rifle : G&G CM-16 Raider-L

UK £135 : http://www.zerooneairsoft.com/product_info.php?cPath=268_318&products_id=6084

USA ~£120 http://www.shortyusa.com/airsoft.html?http://www.shortyusa.com/cart/viewitem.html?UID=1366932500-77.99.48.160&RID=0&NL=&II=3121&CA=0&searchstring=

Okay.. so it may be not THAT much of a difference, but it's still a difference nevertheless...

Hahaha, some of these websites though.... I wouldn't even buy a parking ticket from.

Oh, and to hit 2 birds with one stone. what's a great gas airsoft pistol? GBB or NBB, I'm not picky. I just want it to feel nice - no candy bar wrappers for bodies...

I'm looking at the HFC 125 ... it's well under my price range. And it looks good for a first....

sorry if this gets asked over and over again XD

 

[naf456]

I bloody love that WE dragon XD

 

[Tariq]

UK government... TAX

add 20% and postage to all those foreign prices and they'll be around the same.

 

[sp00n]

try looking up the standard black G&G CM16-L http://www.zerooneairsoft.com/product_info.php?cPath=268_318&products_id=5774 £124 not bad

take you pic of the answeres (tax, currencies bla bla) .... if you want something now!!! ... its gunna cost

 

[bigshep]

Tough titties to be honest. Any hobby is a money pit, and airsoft is not that expencive to be honest. £200 will get you a good gun, a few mags, battery and charger. Another £50 should get you a basic set of kit including boots and another £30 will get you a surplus tactical vest. So for around £300 you can get full kitted out then only have to pay skirmish fees and bb costs.

In comparison to:

paintball

golf

photography

video gaming

pc gaming

cycling

girls

its bloody cheap

 

[Sam_G]

Its all about import costs.

As for over all costs its all about looking for a bargain!

 

[Mack]

The reason there so cheap in those shops you have mentioned is most airsoft guns are made in china, Japan or Taiwan. Those shops won't be paying huge import and tax fees or postage rates.

 

[Chippins]

Tough titties to be honest. Any hobby is a money pit, and airsoft is not that expencive to be honest. £200 will get you a good gun, a few mags, battery and charger. Another £50 should get you a basic set of kit including boots and another £30 will get you a surplus tactical vest. So for around £300 you can get full kitted out then only have to pay skirmish fees and bb costs.

In comparison to:

paintball

golf

photography

video gaming

pc gaming

cycling

girls

its bloody cheap

Click to shrink...

I see your point, sort of, but it's not bloody cheap, especially when you 'get the bug' If you bought the low end stuff like the airsoft stuff you posted about for those categories (bar paintball and pc gaming) I reckon you would end up having spent a lot less.

 

[Airsoft-Ed]

The low end stuff for "girls"?

Makes it sound like you can just pick the best ones off a shelf or something, get the cheap one to save money on future related purchases!

Lolololol. Yeah right D=

 

[bigshep]

I was quoting low end gear for airsoft as well!

As I'm bored and killing time till I go home

basic golf set from American golf: £150, plus balls/tees and clothes, green fees at my local council course £30 a play

basic priced adult mountain bike from halfords £200 plus a way to transport it

basic price road bike from halfords £350 plus a way to transport it

basic digital SLR camera £200+

xbox 360 4gb £120'ish plus games, plus xobox live

dunno the price of girls these days as been married for nigh on 17 years, and the price of that keeps rising each and every day.

So entry level airsoft is the equivalent to entry level for each of these, but if you get bitten by the bug of those then it is also very easy to spend a hell of a lot more. So people who bemoan the price really need to compare it to something else before bemoaning said price of entry level airsoft.

 

[Monty]

They're cheap compared to how much they were 10 years ago.

 

[Richard65]

Back to the original post about the price difference between the USA and UK. It is not just aiorsoft guns - look at cameras, computers, clothes etc etc.

The USA is a far bigger market with even greater competition between stores. The UK will only import a fraction of say G&G guns than the USA and so get less discount. It is also difficult to compare prices as not all USA quoted prices are inclusinve of their sales tax which can vary from state to state.

Do you remember all the debates about why cars were more expensive in the UK that in Europe and the problems people had obtaining a right-hand drive car from a European dealer for personal import - it used to be possible to save hundreds (even thousands) of pounds by buying in Europe but the manufacturers/deaslers tried hard to stop you doing it . They made you wait months for the car and then tried to say the warranty would not be valid in UK.

 

[Hibernator]

In the examples you gave the price difference is about £15 - £20. If you buy the gun from a UK a store and it's broken/DOA or fails during your first skirmish, they will fix it or replace it.

You will find that most foreign stores won't be interested in helping you at all if there's a fault with the gun. Even if they are going to help, you'll have to ship it back to the US yourself at great cost. Think of the extra £15 as a warranty!

 

[AK47frizzle]

Well, you can blame the government for raising the VAT to 20%, bloody ridiculous shambles.

 

[Ian_Gere]

They're cheap compared to how much they were 10 years ago.

Click to shrink...

You're right. 10yrs ago you would have to spring for Nando's. These days you can get away with a Skype convo!

Joke.

Yeah Ed, I was thinking pretty much the same and imagining what any of the women I've maintained a connection with would say to being described as a "hobby" Foot, Balls, please allow me to introduce you...

Edit to add: have you checked the shipping cost from CRW? Leave it airt geezer...

 

[naf456]

Yeah, my examples weren't brilliant. I have seen a couple which now which are like £89 over here, yet $55 in the USA.

I bought my Motorbike for £300 - so spending the same on an airsoft gun just doesn't seem right to me....

I mean ... the gearbox , clutch , starting motor , alternator, braking system, .... Motorcycles are by far more complicated, and use ~10x more metal...

Then again, how big is motorcycling compared to Airsoft? pretty huge....

And the manufacturing processes of the components of these weapons must be pretty hi-tech.

I'm just a tight wad...

 

[Tariq]

Motorcycles are by far more complicated

Click to shrink...

Well.. I'm not so sure.

I know how and why a motorcycle works, and how to make one. But for the life of me cannot explain the TM hop

 

[Mike636]

Also you have to factor getting it from Taiwan, to get to the UK you have to travel through the Suez Canal and a vast amount of pirate territory, so costs go up whereas America is practically round the corner

 

[shaunphillips96]

It depends on your personal income at the end of the day with what you can afford. there are all kinds of guns on the market from shit spring guns to magpul etc. i do like the fact that america have cheap products but its unfortunate that you really need to be resident of the USA to take advantage as to get the product here it would cost £30-£50 in some cases, so this is why they can charge higher prices in Britain because a lot of the manufacturing industry is in other countries. i think somebody should make a few more British companies, they would be better build quality and costs would or at least should be considerably lower than imported goods.

 

[shaunphillips96]

the manufacturing process is'nt very complicated, the gearbox is cast aluminium on most which is a simple and fairly cheap process, and the rest of the parts are made out of small pieces of steel or plastic such as the gears and piston. most of the cost may come from paying someone to machine these parts and throwing it all together on an assembly line. in true reality if you were to make an airsoft gun yourself, you would come in at well clear of the retail price they go for, the circuit board inside your tv remote is complicated than an airsoft gun however airsoft guns are more likley to go wrong, adding more expense to your weapons as many of you know. you are better off buying an expensive £300 quality gun with parts that need barley any tuning or upgrading because the price of parts will bring a budget aeg up tot approx. the same as that of a higher quality and priced version however it is more hastle to fit the budget gun with new parts when the other is done for you.