buying uhlmann/allstar equipment in france,

[outlawsteveoaos]

i've been fencing foil for a good 3 years now, and i think i'm finally ready to put out some money to buy some descent stuff,

so here's my situation, i have family in france, and i can have them order a jacket and knickers for me, and have it mailed to the u.s., i just wanna make sure that buying it there would be a lot cheaper,

some of the websites that i've seen so far are a little confusing, anyone know about how much money in american dollars i would be spending if i bought either 350 or 800 over there? and do you guys know any good european websites that my family could purchase the equipment at?

appreciate the help,

outlaw steveo aos

[Inquartata]

I'm not sure it would be any cheaper. You still have to exchange dollars for euros somewhere along the way, unless they're going to give the stuff to you as a gift. And they will have to pay the VAT, which we escape by ordering from outside the EU. You will avoid the markup by the US vendors, but I'm not sure how it all nets out.

Here's one good European website:

http://www.fechtsport-langenkamp.de/html_en/start.htm

[oiuyt]

You can avoid the VAT by ordering from any of the European vendors and having them send the equipment to you (outside the EU) rather than to someone in the EU as well. Ordering from Lagenkamp or directly from Uhlmann (both are willing to ship to the US) should be significantly cheaper than the same equipment from a US vendor, and, from what I've heard, from any French vendor.

No need to route through your French relatives and doing so will actually add to the costs.

-B :)

[jjrenaud]

i've been fencing foil for a good 3 years now, and i think i'm finally ready to put out some money to buy some descent stuff,

so here's my situation, i have family in france, and i can have them order a jacket and knickers for me, and have it mailed to the u.s., i just wanna make sure that buying it there would be a lot cheaper,

some of the websites that i've seen so far are a little confusing, anyone know about how much money in american dollars i would be spending if i bought either 350 or 800 over there? and do you guys know any good european websites that my family could purchase the equipment at?

appreciate the help,

outlaw steveo aos

here in France, the price for allstar and uhlmann products are very high because the seller make a lot of benefits on the products, the easiest and cheaper way for you will be to order directly to Germany, some of the allstar dealer accept easily to sell to other country

[wbowman]

The main thing about ordering from Germany is to order enough stuff to amortize the shipping cost -- which tends to run about $30. If you're getting a uniform -- especially a good one -- you should still save money even with the cost of shipping. You might consider throwing in some small items, like some extra screws, wires and springs, as well. That way when you need THOSE, you're not paying extra to have them shipped.

[Alain]

The main thing about ordering from Germany is to order enough stuff to amortize the shipping cost -- which tends to run about $30. If you're getting a uniform -- especially a good one -- you should still save money even with the cost of shipping. You might consider throwing in some small items, like some extra screws, wires and springs, as well. That way when you need THOSE, you're not paying extra to have them shipped.

They're right: unless you're ordering a huge amount of stuff, it's probably better to get something a little closer to home. As already pointed out, the dollar isn't doing so well at the moment, and shipping costs are just silly. Your safest bet is probably to go for LP or Duellist - you'll pay about the same about, and get it sooner!

Happy shopping

[outlawsteveoaos]

wow lots of feedback, thanx for all of the advice, really appreciate it, everyone have a good holiday?

outlaw steveo aos

[oiuyt]

They're right: unless you're ordering a huge amount of stuff, it's probably better to get something a little closer to home. As already pointed out, the dollar isn't doing so well at the moment, and shipping costs are just silly. Your safest bet is probably to go for LP or Duellist - you'll pay about the same about, and get it sooner!

Happy shopping :)

Ordering from England is NOT better than ordering from Germany unless you're specifically looking for the English manufacturer. The dollar's slide vs. the euro has mirrored its slide vs. the pound. Shipping from Germany and shipping from Britain to the US I'd expect to be similar.

For what it's worth, while I was UMass we placed 2-3 orders a year with Uhlmann. Shipping generally ran ~10% of the order total. Ordering from Germany when we started was a no-brainer ($0.88 == 1 euro) as Uhlmann equipment was roughly the same price as the entry level equipment from BG, Blade, PC, etc. Now with the change in currency rates ($1.35 == 1 euro) it merely makes sense if you're looking at getting top-quality equipment.

-B :)

[Alain]

Ordering from England is NOT better than ordering from Germany unless you're specifically looking for the English manufacturer. The dollar's slide vs. the euro has mirrored its slide vs. the pound. Shipping from Germany and shipping from Britain to the US I'd expect to be similar.

For what it's worth, while I was UMass we placed 2-3 orders a year with Uhlmann. Shipping generally ran ~10% of the order total. Ordering from Germany when we started was a no-brainer ($0.88 == 1 euro) as Uhlmann equipment was roughly the same price as the entry level equipment from BG, Blade, PC, etc. Now with the change in currency rates ($1.35 == 1 euro) it merely makes sense if you're looking at getting top-quality equipment.

-B

- Precisely: when I said 'closer to home', I meant it for you guys in the States! As you say, ordering stuff from Europe isn't the best of ideas if you live on the other side of the Pond.

[oiuyt]

- Precisely: when I said 'closer to home', I meant it for you guys in the States! As you say, ordering stuff from Europe isn't the best of ideas if you live on the other side of the Pond.

Mmmm, my point actually pretty much is not in agreement with either half of your statement here. Britain is NOT closer than Germany in real terms in this context. The question is how much it takes to ship and how long it takes. I suspect that in both of these dimensions that Britain and Germany are nearly identical.

As to the second part, what I was saying was that it used to be a no-brainer that ordering from Germany WAS the best of ideas and that now it is sometimes, but not always, the best idea. It's still a good enough idea that UMass places all of their team orders with Uhlmann. I feel that large orders or orders that are comprised in large part of higher-end equipment are likely to be worth European sourcing.

So not so precise afterall.... :)

-B :)

[outlawsteveoaos]

cool thanx guys,

outlaw steveo aos