Where does everyone get their components from? (that sells to non-trade)
Golfsmith have a brilliant website but only for the US, the European one just gives you a crappy catalogue and says to buy from a supplier (which all look like independant club makers!)
Buying them over here is expensive. It's still cheaper to buy in the US. The cheapest way is to use forums like golfwrx and FGI golf. Lots of hobbyists sell used parts cheap and most will be willing to mark down value so you don't get hit with import duty.
If I have to buy anything new I use Tim at MyOstrichGolf. He's a great guy.
I don't know if it's ethical to post this here or not...if not, please let me know and I'll delete this post....
However, we do a fairly large business to the UK and Europe as a whole.... While our catalogue shows the most popular items, we do carry everything from the smallest and cheapest manufacturers to the most expensive and exotic Asian products.
Please feel free to enquire directly...identify yourself as a GM member and we'll cut you special price quotes.
For those who are dealers in the UK, let us know and we'll provide dealer pricing.
At this precise moment in time, and until the new GS UK catalogue comes out, buying from GS UK is mainly cheaper due to the extremely weak pound and the fact that the GS UK catalog prices were set when the pound bought more. From some of the pricing that I have seen thus far from my other suppliers we can expect to pay up to approximately 30% more if it is sourced from the USA, over their 2008 catalog price.
I don't know if it's ethical to post this here or not...if not, please let me know and I'll delete this post....
However, we do a fairly large business to the UK and Europe as a whole.... While our catalogue shows the most popular items, we do carry everything from the smallest and cheapest manufacturers to the most expensive and exotic Asian products.
Please feel free to enquire directly...identify yourself as a GM member and we'll cut you special price quotes.
For those who are dealers in the UK, let us know and we'll provide dealer pricing.
Thanks, having recently fixed the head back on my 3 wood and fitting new grips a while ago I have decided I may look at making my own clubs in the future.
I'm hoping that in time custom club making becomes as popular in the UK as the US so we can buy stuff without having to get it shipped over.
There are a lot of very good dealers and distro points in Europe. That do buy a decent amount of quality component products.
I firmly believe that the resason why the market isn't buing more is due to excessive price in the actual delivery of product.
If I were a dealer or distributor in Europe...or even had a small shop, that specializes in custom fitting, i would get together with a few more and create a buying group....then approach one of the better component companies...ala Geek, TourSwing, Alpha, Integra...etc
Then request that shipments get drop shipped from the foundry as opposed to being shipped to the states, pay custums, then rebox and ship back to the UK/Euro marketplace, go thru customs again...etc.
By eliminating a stop over, it would reduce prices dramatically to your marketplace and increase sales to your local dealers as well as the component company themselves.
This would not be practical if the orders being redirected were 1,2, or even 10 pieces...but, should a dealer order 50 or so heads of various sizes, then it would be a feasible and lucrative proposition.
I have approached a couple manufacturers with this idea (with me being a middle man of course...LOL...but I think everyone is afraid of being the first to try it.
I do have one manufacturer who thinks there could be potential in doing such a program....but it would require a "Meeting of the Minds" between a few parties...and orchestrating that has proven to be difficult.
I just received the "Go Ahead" from a Component manufacturer who will have the foundry Drop Ship directly to a dealer or buying group in the UK if they can put together a 50 piece order.
If any dealer is interested, please contact me privately.
The macleonard prices are quite decent. And great to see that they sell heads only, even the Nakashima stuff.
Another item of potentially interesting news: Hireko have just announced a UK distributor. Not clear at the moment if this UK outfit will sell components, or assembled clubs only. Link: http://blog.hirekogolf.com/wordpress/?p=715
You can also download the new 2009 catalogue from the Hireko site.
I'm currently playing the Caiman driver and forged 3w, and the Q2 irons. Amazing quality, my r7 TP irons, Rapture driver aren't getting a look in at the moment.
Indacup makes some valid points concerning double duties / taxes. A large number of eBay sellers are using the mail drop scheme and mail drop internet sites are growing daily at an enormous rate. It often works, but quite frequently a lazy seller simply assumes that his China supplier has shipped to his customer and fails to monitor the transaction. When things go wrong I hear the usual excuse "It's not my fault the goods are shipped from abroad." Some eBay sellers dishonestly state that goods are located in the U.K. when in fact they are often shipped from the other side of the world. As more and more sellers cannot afford to carry stocks mail drop trading appears to have a big future. So, it has benefits but drawbacks as well.
His next point concerning forming a co-operative (I use the word loosely) in order to add gravitas to a mail drop request:
It sounds good in theory but the reality of U.K. trade is that we live on an area of land no larger than one third the size of Texas. Component purchases are not only small but they occur at different times from a legion of different suppliers. Placing a bulk order at any one point in time would, in practice, be extremely difficult. Few customers are sophisticated enough, or demanding enough, to order components for custom build. Most simply purchase something which (often falaciously) appears to be good value off the shelf. Those that are demanding of world class components want them virtually immediately. UK customers would not wait a month until the next co-operative order was placed.
We have a totally different golf market to Japan whose buyers demand excellence and the credos of owning very expensive equipment. There are many exceptions but (I hear howls) the English golfer is largely uneducated golf wise. One simply has to compare questions raised on U.K. forums with those raised in the U.S.A. and elsewhere. The U.K. golf market largely demands cheap and cheerful, and wishes to remain blissfully ignorant. Yes, I know that there are some brilliantly knowledgable golfers in the U.K. I simply speak generally.
The supervening major problem at this point in time is that the pound has crashed in terms of the US dollar, and it is from the U.S. that most top quality components are sourced either directly or indirectly. By way of an example UST V2 LD shafts cost £99.00 last year. This year's list price is £149.00. Some of my my hard to sell £275. custom built drivers will in future cost over £400. when components held in stock are replaced. Unless of course the pound strengthens. I am old enough to recall when a pound purchased FOUR dollars. (The 1950s). Consequently most U.K. golfers honestly cannot afford world class custom built golf equipment.
I like the ideas but living in a small golfing community (in world terms) is a bit like manning a lighthouse on a distant rock and relying on the weekly boat to deliver bread. We have very little negotiating clout.
