looking for 135x16 LR #19,20,21

[mikesc]

Lot of French distributors sign up non French manufacturers to "exclusive distribution deals"..selling in the French market requires being extremely proficient in the French language..and it is a hard language to learn ( especially if one is coming from a language that doesn't attribute "masculine" and "feminine" properties to all words arbitrarily ) , so to get some sales in France that they otherwise would not have got, the manufacturers sign the "sole distributor "deals..Then the distributor just buys a start up minimum order stock and it is like a licence to print money, prices are multiplied  by 2 or 3 at each step of the chain, so if the national distributor has secondary distributors ( who frequently keep no actual stock ) and they sell to retailers, we get ludicrous prices..or we import the stuff ourselves from neighbouring countries, or direct from the manufacturer..

Two cases in point..

I bought a semi-domestic / artisanal machine, Kachiran 4048D* a couple of years ago, manufacturers price around $200.00 ( and they will sell you just one ) ..UK retail price ( rebadged as "Silver" ) is equivalent to $400.00..German retail price ( re-badged as Gritzner ) equivalent to around $500.00..The UK and German distributors buy from the manufacturer Karchiran in Iran..they use English to communicate..The French "distributor" buys their "Silver" machines from the UK ( with an "exclusive distribution deal " ) they retail them themselves, and they supply other French retailers..at an equivalent price of just over $1000.00 and some of their retail partners charge $1200.00..The French individuals who could read English bought theirs from the UK for a few years, then the UK distributor under pressure from the French distributor threatened to shut off the UK retailers that were supplying France if they continued to sell to France, the French individuals now buy from French retailers who are next to the border with Germany, and who go over the border to buy from the German distributor each time they get an order from France, they retail their machines at around $800.00 in France..a bobbin case for the machine goes for around $150.00 in France, or around $25.00 from Holland via the web..plastic bobbins for it are €1.00 each in France..and €3.00 for 25 from Holland..

* The machine is an exact clone of the Pfaff select 4.0..

Example #2 A local professional sail maker I know bought a long arm Durkopp Adler machine with Efka variostop and "jog" type system full pneumatics etc..From the Durkopp distributor in France, cost him €15,000.00 ( around $20K ) .. he then saw whilst on a visit ,the identical machine , same set up, in Holland six months later at a Durkopp distributor there, price €8000.00, ( around $11,000.00 ) ! he loves the machine, but swears he will never buy from the French distributor again, their after sales service is shocking , he has to call in a freelance machine mechanic because the French distributor either doesn't  show when called out, or shows and then spends hours on the thing and still can't get it to run correctly, but charges full hourly rate ( €150.00 per hour .) with mileage and expenses anyway..Machine is two years old now, next machine he buys , I'll go with him to Holland and interpret between him and the Dutch ( who of course speak English, but not French )..I didn't ask him ( I was at his place, his sail loft is  about 5 kms from me, two days ago ) how much he pays for his needles

 

There is "reasonable profit", and there is "outright price gouging"..

Edited June 9, 2016 by mikesc

[gottaknow]

I should have never looked at what leather workers are having to pay for needles. The more sources I looked at, the more irritated I became. I won't make that mistake again.:)

Regards, Eric

[Uwe]

It's time to launch "Eric's Needle Emporium LLC" to support formerly gouged leathercrafters.

[gottaknow]

1 hour ago, Uwe said:

It's time to launch "Eric's Needle Emporium LLC" to support formerly gouged leathercrafters.

That thought actually crossed my mind. A reasonable mark-up on small quantities is to be expected. I don't consider 300%-500% mark-up reasonable. 

Regards, Eric

[Hockeymender]

2 minutes ago, gottaknow said:

That thought actually crossed my mind. A reasonable mark-up on small quantities is to be expected. I don't consider 300%-500% mark-up reasonable. 

Regards, Eric

If you ever start one, sign me up, would buy my needles from you. I like to support the "little guys" rather than the big suppliers. 

[Darren Brosowski]

On 07/06/2016 at 11:52 PM, gottaknow said:

I can't believe how much these small resellers charge for their needles. I pay $13.50 per 100. Yes, I buy high volume, but still even at my price, my supplier makes a profit. Huge markup.

Regards, Eric

Who the hell is your needle supplier?

 

I cannot buy good needles wholesale for that price. The GB needles in smaller types such as the 135X17 are not generally made in Germany or it would say so on the packet. Cowboy Bob said on one thread that they are made in India.

They are good needles but I prefer the "DOTEC" needles from Taiwan.

10 packs are always a lot more expensive as the package and the machinery to get them into the package are expensive

[CowboyBob]

The GB needle prices do vary some,the small 16x231,257 are something like Eric says, with the larger 135x17 costing more with the leather points costing more than round points.The GB's used to be made in Czech Republic,but now have moved to India,we sell a lot of them & the quality still seems to be the same.

All needles come in boxes of 100 which you can buy @ a better price usually then buying a pk of 10 @ a time.Since then we are stuck with an open pick,but we've been doining it for years

 

[gottaknow]

13 hours ago, CowboyBob said:

The GB needle prices do vary some,the small 16x231,257 are something like Eric says, with the larger 135x17 costing more with the leather points costing more than round points.The GB's used to be made in Czech Republic,but now have moved to India,we sell a lot of them & the quality still seems to be the same.

All needles come in boxes of 100 which you can buy @ a better price usually then buying a pk of 10 @ a time.Since then we are stuck with an open pick,but we've been doining it for years

 

The GB quality hasn't changed. They did start relabeling some of them. The most common needle in apparel is the 135x7. They removed it off their label for some reason.  I had to call my supplier and make sure something wasn't messed up. They actually still have the old Singer 1955 on the label though. I use their titanium needles in my felling machines. I use Schmetz when I have to and they're fine for my lockstitch machines, but I definitely prefer GB on my chain stitch and bartackers. My Reece 101's are timed to the GB and will break the Schmetz. Scarf is a different shape. 

Regards, Eric