Another rant about retailers

[DanBow]

The gas arrived, for my now beloved P226, this morning. So I'm sat, still in my PJs, gassing up and loading BBs to shoot them across my living room.  Out of the 3, supposedly leak free, mags that I've got 2 leaked! Badly leaked! I've stripped them down as far as I can, I now have a valve tool winging it's way to me, and oiled vales and o rings. Incidentally, the only oil I have is Wahl hair clipper oil. It seems to be ok but time will tell! One of the leaky bastards now seems fine. It was leaking from the exhaust port, so a liberal drop of oil and a poke with a wooden coffee stirrer to get it moving and it now seems to be holding gas, again time will tell. Or I'll drop them in the sink and look for bubbles!

Now, to get to my rant. The 3rd leaky McSqueeky needs a new base O ring. After a bit of interneting I came across a kit, specifically for P226s. It's British made from a company in Stoke on Trent. (I was in SoT on Monday, you might have read my other rant about shops in the area! lol)  "Brilliant" thought I, "I'll buy it direct from them to maximise their profits" 

10 bleeding pounds and 50 pence standard delivery!!!!!!!! The kit is only £14!!!! 

 

Or, I get it off eBay, with free delivery for £17.10

 

Or, I get it off Amazon, with free delivery for £16.99!!!!

 

I know we're only talking a few quid but really! I will try to support British manufacturing and commerce whenever I can that just feels like a piss take! 

 

Now the obvious choice here is, if they have a trade counter, to drive there and buy it for the advertised £13.80 but I'll be damned if I'm ever going to Stoke on Trent again! We'll, the theatre there is quite nice but that's it! Drove away on Monday with a very sour taste in my mouth.

 

Thanks for listening/reading, rant over.

 

Stoke on Trent, sort your shit out!

 

There!

[Cr0-Magnon]

Negative Airsoft showed his method rejuvenating mag o-rings in one of his videos and it honestly works in 99% of the cases I've tried it for. Especially when the mag isn't ancient, like here.

[DanBow]

7 minutes ago, Cr0-Magnon said:

Negative Airsoft showed his method rejuvenating mag o-rings in one of his videos and it honestly works in 99% of the cases I've tried it for. Especially when the mag isn't ancient, like here.

 

I do follow him but, probably as a newbie, I've not seen that one. Was it a specific video or just mentioned on a normal one?

[Sewdhull]

I have fixed this sort of leak by holding the valve in and putting silicone oil down the top open rubber seal so it makes it way to the bottom.

Add a little gas after.

You need to vent the mag properly afterwards to get rid of the oil.

[novioman]

I sell quite a lot of small parts on here, posting is bloody expensive. I only ever post by a sign for postage for security, and that’s from £4.60 even for 2nd class. 

[DanBow]

5 minutes ago, novioman said:

I sell quite a lot of small parts on here, posting is bloody expensive. I only ever post by a sign for postage for security, and that’s from £4.60 even for 2nd class. 

 

I know that it's expensive but they can sell the part on eBay, with the associated charges/fees, using the same postage service for cheaper than selling it themselves! If nothing else it's just a lazy way to do business, having a flat postage fee, for everything! 

 

It's just happened again too. I dropped one of my mags and broke the feeding lip. It is cheaper to buy the part for £7 with free postage, off eBay, than it is to buy it for £4 with £7 postage from their own website.

[ak2m4]

38 minutes ago, DanBow said:

It's just happened again too. I dropped one of my mags and broke the feeding lip. It is cheaper to buy the part for £7 with free postage, off eBay, than it is to buy it for £4 with £7 postage from their own website.

 

Yes it is a problem with some sites sadly.  Some retailers are restricted in what kind of mail services they can offer, i.e. they need to reach a certain quota in order to keep getting their discounted rate.  

 

Does the eBay listing use Royal Mail and the website a courier?  Faster vs Slower could be the price difference?

[DanBow]

21 minutes ago, ak2m4 said:

Does the eBay listing use Royal Mail and the website a courier?  Faster vs Slower could be the price difference?

 

I'm not sure but its the same retailer so i would presume its the same service.

[Dan Robinson]

We get it with a certain boiler spares supplier - their ebay shop is cheaper than their website.  

[Sewdhull]

I want some aep pinions. Begadi are have them in but it's 18euro post, the parts are something like 3.5 euro

I'll wait and see if I can get a shopping list

[ak2m4]

@DanBow what's the product on eBay?

[DanBow]

5 minutes ago, ak2m4 said:

@DanBow what's the product on eBay?

It's a feeding lip for one of my P226 mags.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134804360008  £6.99 free postage. Seller is trading as Bravo Three but is Bullseye Country Sport.

 

https://www.bullseyecountrysport.co.uk/kj-works-airsoft-magazine-feeding-lip-for-p226-kp-01--02-11111-p.asp £3.99 plus £6.99 postage. 

 

 

 

[Daveoc33]

18 minutes ago, Sewdhull said:

I want some aep pinions. Begadi are have them in but it's 18euro post, the parts are something like 3.5 euro

I'll wait and see if I can get a shopping list

I think action hobbies use begadi as a supplier. It may be worth seeing if thry can order what you need the next time they place an order with begadi.

[ak2m4]

they do state on eBay they use 2nd class RM but last time i used them it came 1st class.  i imagine they just keep their shipping simple, doesn't make much sense though to be cheaper on single parts on eBay.  I don't use eBay much anymore since the fees got past 15% and the scamming went through the roof!

 

I used to offer 1st class shipping for just £1.50 but sadly a few too many "package never turned up" when in fact it did pushed me to moving to a more expensive service.  

[Colin Allen]

14 minutes ago, DanBow said:

It's a feeding lip for one of my P226 mags.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134804360008  £6.99 free postage. Seller is trading as Bravo Three but is Bullseye Country Sport.

 

https://www.bullseyecountrysport.co.uk/kj-works-airsoft-magazine-feeding-lip-for-p226-kp-01--02-11111-p.asp £3.99 plus £6.99 postage. 

 

 

 

Orders made directly with Bullseye arrive as rapidly as those from AK2M4.  They are slightly slower through eBay.  

Postage through eBay is not free; they are including postage (£3.00) in the price; they have a flat rate postage charge (£6.99) for direct orders.

The reality is that you are always going to pay a disproportionate amount of postage if you make very small orders.  It is not exactly a huge amount or unexpected, so I am not sure why it is something to moan about.

 

[DanBow]

24 minutes ago, Colin Allen said:

Postage through eBay is not free; they are including postage (£3.00) in the price; they have a flat rate postage charge (£6.99) for direct orders

 

Yes, postage may not be "free" but its still £4 cheaper than buying direct!

 

26 minutes ago, Colin Allen said:

so I am not sure why it is something to moan about.

 

because it's my damn right to moan! I'm British! 

[_K4MF_]

8 minutes ago, DanBow said:

because it's my damn right to moan! I'm British! 

 

Coming soon to a TV near you...

 

[Rogerborg]

Yeah, Bullseye is peculiar like that. I like them as a seller, but always check the total price from their site versus eBay.

 

It is rather peculiar that they're posting out the same part from the same stock for less, via a 3rd party ordering service that takes a further cut and makes it easier for customers to claim the money back.

 

It seems like buying from them direct means that you're effectively paying them to run their own website and stock management service, as well as listing on eBay.

[DanBow]

Just now, Rogerborg said:

Yeah, Bullseye is peculiar like that. I like them as a seller, but always check the total price from their site versus eBay.

 

It is rather peculiar that they're posting out the same part from the same stock for less, via a 3rd party ordering service that takes a further cut and makes it easier for customers to claim the money back.

 

It seems like buying from them direct means that you're effectively paying them to run their own website and stock management service, as well as listing on eBay.

Yes, exactly. It just doesn't make sense! They are pricing themselves out of their own website!

[Sewdhull]

2 hours ago, Daveoc33 said:

I think action hobbies use begadi as a supplier. It may be worth seeing if thry can order what you need the next time they place an order with begadi.

Thanks for that, I shall enquire.

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

6 hours ago, Colin Allen said:

I am not sure why it is something to moan about.

If you have been, are going to, or are threatened with having to go to Stoke on Trent, you have plenty of reasons to moan.

 

Even the vague reminiscences about Stoke that this thread has bought on have made me monumentally bad tempered.  

 

As for round seals, buy a selection of thicknesses of Viton from eBay and get a set of punches.  I'm making Brembo F08 calliper seals tomorrow.   

[Colin Allen]

4 hours ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

If you have been, are going to, or are threatened with having to go to Stoke on Trent, you have plenty of reasons to moan.

 

Even the vague reminiscences about Stoke that this thread has bought on have made me monumentally bad tempered.  

 

As for round seals, buy a selection of thicknesses of Viton from eBay and get a set of punches.  I'm making Brembo F08 calliper seals tomorrow.   

I was there recently :(.  It is a deeply depressing place and a classic example of how successive governments have failed to react to the loss of traditional industries.

[Cannonfodder]

I've noticed one of these today thanks to Patrol Base. On their site nuprol bocca tracers are £40 or £50 depending on colour (also black ones are out of stock) plus a minimum £7 for postage. Meanwhile their amazon page has the black ones for £45 with free postage.