Good or Bad Experience Buying Direct From Apple Store?

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › Good or Bad Experience Buying Direct From Apple Store?

1 | 2 | 3

495 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 27

#752353 28-Jan-2013 22:55

mattwnz:

Possibly not, but if there are no NZ business to pay taxes, then either we have to borrow more as a country or slash services. :

I don't think tech retailers are big either way with the economy - I'm still going to shop for groceries locally!

I do find it quite interesting when I was on Australia, how much people over there are all for supporting aussie owned companies. I believe it is similar is the US. But in NZ we don't seem to care so much, and it comes down to price.

I lived in Oz and found it utterly bizarre - to the point that they will buy rice grown in the Murray Basin which has a serious water supply problem over that grown in INdonesia. Frankly a lot of was straight racism as far as I could tell - it's one the things I don't like about OZ

If you are buying from amazon, then there is no CGA protection. The extra you pay for GST is sort of like buying an extended warranty.

Amazon cares about their customer service - they are known to have superb customer service. Dick Smith and Harvey Norman are both covered by the CGA and both are regularly on Fair Go for flouting it. It's not the GST I'm talking about here BTW - I'm talking about some electronics (not Apple) and software which is almost double in NZ compared to the US - that's called profiteering - it's more he distributors than the retailers - but of course the retailers and the govern are happy to go with the bigger margins.

I help authors publish their books - DIYPublishing.co.nz

lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 27

#753611 31-Jan-2013 08:24

Thought I'd finish this thread - I orded the iPad on mon am - it was at my door by Wed 1:30pm - pretty impressive!

I help authors publish their books - DIYPublishing.co.nz

trig42

5893 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2100

ID Verified

#753638 31-Jan-2013 08:54

That's great service.

Obviously Apple have good stock of the iPad Mini, and are keeping it for online rather than putting into the retail channel for their partners. No retailers have good stock (if any) of the Mini. Eventually, when Apple is no longer the absolute must-have, this will backfire on Apple. I heard of one national retailer that got an allocation from Apple of 90 16GB Minis, for their whole business.

Dunnersfella

4100 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 887

#753667 31-Jan-2013 09:37

Apple allocates stock based on the retail chains performance.
So, if you get the new iPad Deluxe (or whatever a new model is called) and you only sell a few, then the next allocation you receiver will be tiny... even though demand may now be through the roof!
However, a store that sells out on day one will be re-stocked via the allocation with the same or more items.
Basically, it means a store can't stop selling their products during the year, or they simply won't be given the stock during the times that they really want it (Christmas for instance). They could place an order for 5000, but if they haven't had a good sales history, they may only receiver 8...

And as to why Apple's NZ importers would supply on-line customers over bricks and mortar stores?
Easy.
They often have to pay a back-end rebate to their retail stores, whereas sending products out via courier, direct to customers, will most likely be more profitable.
Of course, as other posters have highlighted, this whole approach only makes sense while Apple continues to be so dominant in selected segments of the marketplace.

nickb800

2735 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 829

Trusted

#753685 31-Jan-2013 10:09

lissie: Thought I'd finish this thread - I orded the iPad on mon am - it was at my door by Wed 1:30pm - pretty impressive!

Did it come from Sydney or China? (You can usually tell from the courier tracking website)

lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 27

#753703 31-Jan-2013 10:34

nickb800:
lissie: Thought I'd finish this thread - I orded the iPad on mon am - it was at my door by Wed 1:30pm - pretty impressive!

Did it come from Sydney or China? (You can usually tell from the courier tracking website)

Ex Sydney - via Auckland

I help authors publish their books - DIYPublishing.co.nz

Apple TV

Stream your favourite shows now on Apple TV (affiliate link).

khull

1245 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 133

#753729 31-Jan-2013 10:53

Dunnersfella: Apple allocates stock based on the retail chains performance.
So, if you get the new iPad Deluxe (or whatever a new model is called) and you only sell a few, then the next allocation you receiver will be tiny... even though demand may now be through the roof!
However, a store that sells out on day one will be re-stocked via the allocation with the same or more items.
Basically, it means a store can't stop selling their products during the year, or they simply won't be given the stock during the times that they really want it (Christmas for instance). They could place an order for 5000, but if they haven't had a good sales history, they may only receiver 8...

And as to why Apple's NZ importers would supply on-line customers over bricks and mortar stores?
Easy.
They often have to pay a back-end rebate to their retail stores, whereas sending products out via courier, direct to customers, will most likely be more profitable.
Of course, as other posters have highlighted, this whole approach only makes sense while Apple continues to be so dominant in selected segments of the marketplace.

Also, resellers often have no idea what combination of SKU's they receive on launch products. They will literally receive an unmarked (TNT) shipment and will be instructed to sell them on the day. If it arrives early, there will be instructions to the manager on how to handle the items.

lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 27

#753743 31-Jan-2013 11:09

So why do retailers carry Apple products? There must still be money on the bottom line (possibly from the preipherals?) - otherwise they wouldn't bother.

I don't understand why Apple doesn't just under-cut resellers - that's what PC manufacturer do - and I do generally expect a discount for buying online

I help authors publish their books - DIYPublishing.co.nz

wellygary

8830 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5312

#753749 31-Jan-2013 11:17

Dunnersfella:
And as to why Apple's NZ importers would supply on-line customers over bricks and mortar stores?
Easy.

They often have to pay a back-end rebate to their retail stores, whereas sending products out via courier, direct to customers, will most likely be more profitable.
Of course, as other posters have highlighted, this whole approach only makes sense while Apple continues to be so dominant in selected segments of the marketplace.

Also Apple NZ ( really a state branch of Apple OZ) has a two tier distribution system,

It supplies the large trans-tasman chains ( JB and Dick Smith) directly,
but others have to deal with the NZ distributor ( used to be Yoohoo^h^h^h bee, now Exceed)

So smaller local sellers have their product rationed even more by the local distributor

khull

1245 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 133

#753790 31-Jan-2013 12:30

lissie: So why do retailers carry Apple products? There must still be money on the bottom line (possibly from the preipherals?) - otherwise they wouldn't bother.

I don't understand why Apple doesn't just under-cut resellers - that's what PC manufacturer do - and I do generally expect a discount for buying online

it gets people into the stores and customers ask for them. Often people will buy an iPad with a case for example. They still pull revenue in regardless. Businesses are not run just on profits. Revenue and turnover are better indicators

trig42

5893 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2100

ID Verified

#753806 31-Jan-2013 12:48

lissie: So why do retailers carry Apple products? There must still be money on the bottom line (possibly from the preipherals?) - otherwise they wouldn't bother.

I don't understand why Apple doesn't just under-cut resellers - that's what PC manufacturer do - and I do generally expect a discount for buying online

The margins on Apple products are so slim, when Dickies and JB do 10% off, I heard (from a good source) they are making nothing at all on them.

If Apple undercut their resellers (partners), then they would cause the resellers to not want to stock Apple, and eventually, as demand for Apple wanes, Apple will have no more resellers, or very unhappy ones.

Sony do not undercut their resellers on the Sony website, I don't see why Apple should.

Apple TV

Stream your favourite shows now on Apple TV (affiliate link).

mattwnz

20522 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4798

#753832 31-Jan-2013 13:05

Really the question that needs to be asked, has anyone had issues getting the online apple store to honour the CGA , when a product has failed after the warranty has run out. That will tell you how good they really are. I have found in general all computer retailers are as good as one another when it comes to purchase, as products are usually shipped directly from the supplier anyway.

Kyanar

4089 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1684

ID Verified

Trusted

#753904 31-Jan-2013 14:22

wellygary: Also Apple NZ ( really a state branch of Apple OZ) has a two tier distribution system,

It supplies the large trans-tasman chains ( JB and Dick Smith) directly,
but others have to deal with the NZ distributor ( used to be Yoohoo^h^h^h bee, now Exceed)

So smaller local sellers have their product rationed even more by the local distributor

There's actually competition in the supply chain now. Ingram also stocks Apple.

mattwnz

20522 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4798

#753914 31-Jan-2013 14:33

lissie: So why do retailers carry Apple products? There must still be money on the bottom line (possibly from the preipherals?) - otherwise they wouldn't bother.

I don't understand why Apple doesn't just under-cut resellers - that's what PC manufacturer do - and I do generally expect a discount for buying online

I think they stock them because they get people through the doors, where they can upsell on other things as well as accessories, or even persuade them to buy another brand over apple. Apple is probably the top brand int eh world for electronics. I know someone who went into a retailer to buy an ipad, but came out with a samsung tablet.

mattwnz

20522 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4798

#753929 31-Jan-2013 14:54

khull: Revenue and turnover are better indicators

Although better indicators of what? If a company is making a loss, it is hardly sustainable. When they make losses they are actually selling the product for less that they are buying it in for plus costs associated with selling the product, such as the overheads of running the business. It can only last so long. Often it is done in areas of high competition, and as a way to get market share by trying to drive out the competition by undercutting them on price. The hope for these businesses is that the competition goes out of business, and they are left to then sell their products at a higher margin. But this doesn't seem to happen that much. Although we now seem to have less competition in the retail electronics market, than we did a year ago with buyouts of different brand and stores in high street/big box retail stores..

1 | 2 | 3