[krunchi]

any saving for combined post? i can join in on some ones order

[AckerDackerly]

I came across this thread over at LJ-10.com.

The Youtube video created by ARB is quite interesting!

Based on how it was created and the video content, I believe that:

A. The test is authentic

and

2. The ARB locking unit is far superior in construction to the Chinese knockoff.

This opinion is based on my limited knowledge of machining, metallurgy and sandcasting.

That said, consider this: a component machined out of a high-grade forged and treated steel blank will always be stronger than the same part created from a sand-cast blank (Note the rough surfaces on the gear teeth of the Chinese spider gear parts - an indication of sand casting).

It is FAR CHEAPER to make parts using foundry casting processes than to set up a machine shop with automated CNC lathes and milling machines like ARB ovbviously does. The benefits of having an extremely durable product far outweighs the increased price of the product.

The way I see it, there are no insane, rip-off profit margins at ARB. There IS a great product line available that is sold at a fair price.

Having owned and driven a vehicle with selectable lockers (Styr-Puch 710M), These devices are - in a word - INCREDIBLE when it comes to offroad performance.

YOU have to decide wether you want to buy some cheap Chinese knock-off and take your chances in the bush or buy the real thing and not worry. Right now, My Samurai has a Lockrite because I can't see spending that kind of money on a Samurai that rarely gets into a situation where I could use a selectable locker. It is a common-sense decision on my part.

If I won the lottery, then things would be very different!

[TheOtherLeft]

AckerDackerly wrote:

The way I see it, there are no insane, rip-off profit margins at ARB. There IS a great product line available that is sold at a fair price.

In the US they maybe sold at a fair price... but in their country of manufacture here in Australia they are a rip-off.

[BlueSuzy]

The price of arb's look like they have gone up in the US by just looking on trailgear website..

[zooky08]

I got my airlocker from the states for $950
They are only a couple hundred more in australia

[tonyevans]

zooky08 wrote:

I got my airlocker from the states for $950
They are only a couple hundred more in australia

Does that not seem strange to you? Dearer here where they are made? How long ago was it - before the dollar went up?

I think it is more a case of Whatever the market can bear and the guy's over there will not pay that much.

[tanshi]

I picked up a rear locker through lowrange about 6 months ago.

cost me 900 including shipping.

[zooky08]

Yea it's strange how they can sell them cheaper

[zooky08]

tanshi wrote:

I picked up a rear locker through lowrange about 6 months ago.

cost me 900 including shipping.

I got Rear locker 2 weeks ago and was $950 including postage
So they must have gone up in price a bit

[SierraDan]

It's alot to do with numbers. Our entire country has the same amount of people as New York!

So the amount of people buying them is different.
Say 1000 people a year buy them in Aus
Another 20000 are buying them in USA.
(random numbers)

[fordem]

SierraDan wrote:

It's alot to do with numbers. Our entire country has the same amount of people as New York!

So the amount of people buying them is different.
Say 1000 people a year buy them in Aus
Another 20000 are buying them in USA.
(random numbers)

I've heard that arguement and I'm not buying it - regardless of the market size, it does NOT cost more to manufacture a product in Australia, ship it to the US and sell it for less than you can sell it in Australia.

From the time you attibute it to market size - you're as good as telling me - you're ripping the Australians off.

The only acceptable excuse - which I have not heard suggested as the cause of the price discrepancy - is a taxation one.

[SuziBlu]

TAX, the silent killer, we have free trade with the States, so they not taxed to buy.

[Daz7]

SuziBlu wrote:

TAX, the silent killer, we have free trade with the States, so they not taxed to buy.

And we're not taxed to buy goods manufactured in the USA either.

All this talk is retoric anyway, those with the china lockers appear happy with em - who's broken one in real life? Do you expect ARB to make a vid and then say, hmmm... these china lockers aren't to bad for the money.

[SuziBlu]

They buy wholesale, no tax there, we buy retail, hmmmmm

[SierraDan]

I didn't say it wasn't a bullshit rip off. I'm saying it's cheaper there because it's guarantees alot more people buy them there and they get a shitload of money.

[Ruthless]

I'm just going to throw in mine chinasoong locker hasn't broken after giving it a flogging and because I've got the chrome Molly cv's it will load the locker up more and its going fine and I've just got another set of them to put in my mates patrol because they are soo good and if it breaks it breaks it's gone really well so far and because it has all the same tolerances as the arb ones I can get all the parts from arb if something breaks

[royce]

SuziBlu wrote:

They buy wholesale, no tax there, we buy retail, hmmmmm

nah pissoff

for AUS
Factory > road freight > Shop (profit margin) > 10% GST > End User

for USA
Factory > sea freight and road freight and clearance > Wholesaler? (profit) > Road Freight > Shop (profit) > Air Freight > End User

there is no way something can travel across the world TWICE, be subject to clearance and freight and extra handling and still be cheaper

Once apon a time I saw a list that said one level of ARB shop got lockers for $550, the next got em for $800 so no doubt when you buy a container of em you get a good deal

Wonder if the ACCC has ever wondered about how they do things? I guess they dont protect Territories like TJM though

[joeblow]

what the hell are you on about royce?

[royce]

That its impossible for something made in Australia to be cheaper to buy from the USA than it is to buy in Australia because of tax or some other stupid bullshit like number of people in each Country
The retail arm of ARB are taking us all for a ride and always have because till the last few years like everything we didnt know any better

[stockman]

royce wrote:

That its impossible for something made in Australia to be cheaper to buy from the USA than it is to buy in Australia because of tax or some other stupid bullshit like number of people in each Country
The retail arm of ARB are taking us all for a ride and always have because till the last few years like everything we didnt know any better

Exactly.

[joeblow]

For god knows how many years our dollar has been between 50-80 US cents. That gives them the benefit over us. Now that our dollar has been over the US one for over a month or so prices in the US are starting to reflect that. I have recently seen sites listing lockers nudging $1100 US!

Now, if you are a club member you can get a locker for about $1064 (or trade). Now, take the little tax our four eyed friend Johny introduced out of that equation. That works out to about $957 AUS. A fair bit cheaper than the US version.


Chinasoong have it easy......they have no overheads, no design, no development......that, combined with cheap material and processes equals a cheap product. Same goes for another aussie retailer who now outsources everything to China.

[woo603]

its not just ARB it seems to be everything I used to live in Thailand and you could get foodstuffs from Australia in the import isle ((so most locals don't shop there)SO LOW SALE OF STOCK COMPARATIVELY) and it was still cheaper then here. My little sister is in US at the moment i buy stuff online and get her to mail it to me example ACIS Keyano $239 AUD from sports store or $107 AUD delivered from US to my door

[jimbo_jones]

I have orded and paid for my locker was $590 delivered + $24 overseas bank transfer how long will it take to recive the locker?

[stockman]

Are you going to run it in the rear?

[royce]

joeblow wrote:

For god knows how many years our dollar has been between 50-80 US cents. That gives them the benefit over us. Now that our dollar has been over the US one for over a month or so prices in the US are starting to reflect that. I have recently seen sites listing lockers nudging $1100 US!

Now, if you are a club member you can get a locker for about $1064 (or trade). Now, take the little tax our four eyed friend Johny introduced out of that equation. That works out to about $957 AUS. A fair bit cheaper than the US version.


Chinasoong have it easy......they have no overheads, no design, no development......that, combined with cheap material and processes equals a cheap product. Same goes for another aussie retailer who now outsources everything to China.

Your currency claim means squat, its still converting back to AUD, if anything the 2 currency conversions are another cost to buying from the USA yet its still cheaper

I currently see the airlocker on lowrange for $826 USD so your story doesnt wash even if you add GST its $900 odd AUD as well as being freighted to the USA and had a probable 2 more hands marking it up its still less

Or have ARB always bought the components in USD from overseas factories like China? so now its costing them money in the conversion?

[joeblow]

And who is to say the cheaper lockers are not old stock?

[jimbo_jones]

stockman wrote:

Are you going to run it in the rear?

YEP i HAVE A ARB ONE IN THE FRONT ALRADY woops cap locks on

[skyman]

From an over seas opinion ARB has always been considered overpriced.

We always knew it as because ARB was the only place to get a selectable locker. As the prices came down on used diffs with e-lockers (factory) less and less people started buying ARB. Now that e-lockers are available for Toyota we just buy them instead.

Even when our dollar was very strong they were over $900-$1000 USD, and they never, ever put the price directly on the web site.

The reason vendors were not allowed to openly advertise the price, is because some vendors were selling them for less at retail, than other vendors payed to get them wholesale. If you called a preferred dealer you could get them $200 cheaper than other less popular dealers.

Maybe we don't have the disposable income that you have over there, but at $900 to $1000 they were considered overpriced, and reserved for the wealthy, or those who had more money than sense.

I don't know of anyone here local who could, or can afford and ARB, maybe we buy more of them here, but only because of how may people are in the states definitely not because they are popular.

I was really surprised when I signed up to AZ, how many of you guys had ARB lockers. I was thinking (sheesh these guys must have alot of money).

This is all just an outside perspective, from someone here in the sates who has always wanted an ARB, but will not pay what they want for them.

FWIW
I was looking for an older style ARB for it;s side gears, and you they are out of stock. So they are, and have been selling the new design here now.

[DropBear8]

Im probably wrong but it could be to do with competition as USA is alot bigger therefore higher chance that more companies are to make diff lockers so for ARB to still get a piece of the market they lower there price which decreases profit however at this decreased profit they are selling more lockers so makes up for it
Just my 2c

[fordem]

DropBear8 wrote:

Im probably wrong but it could be to do with competition as USA is alot bigger therefore higher chance that more companies are to make diff lockers so for ARB to still get a piece of the market they lower there price which decreases profit however at this decreased profit they are selling more lockers so makes up for it
Just my 2c

Did you do any research before you came up with that hypothesis?

Only ARB has the range of product that they do - no one else even comes close - TJM, Yukon, Kamlock, Eaton - in a nut shell - they have no competiton and that's why the price the product the way they do.