Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 00:32:40 -0800
Reply-To: Steve Coseo <vanagonlover@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Steve Coseo <vanagonlover@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: UPDATE on SOUTH AFRICA PARTS...PLEASE READ...
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Good words here. Thankyou. And more power to the professional vendors.
I've used Busdepot.com quite a few times, and The Skylight Guy as well.
Treated extremely well by both. My SA wheels came from John Wessels
(euromog) who was very nice, very professional, and had wheels when no one
else did. For 50 bucks cheaper as well.
My intent was as I stated. I've searched and searched for a website, vendor,
ANYBODY, that could supply me with SA wheels, a decent rear spare wheel
carrier, and a grill, and that actually had them in stock. This vendor in SA
emails me back, and I was merely inquiring as to interest. Hard to believe
that it was so threatening..
Id be happy to foward what I find out to a vendor who can offer these
products at decent prices.
-steve
seattle, wa
>From: ThingGuy@aol.com
>To: vanagonlover@hotmail.com, vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
>Subject: Re: UPDATE on SOUTH AFRICA PARTS...PLEASE READ...
>Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 01:27:16 EST
>
>If you can bring in parts and offer them at a good price then don't let
>anyone try and stop you. This is a free country and there are no
>restrictions on this list as to who can be a vendor and who can't.
>
>Now on the other hand, if you have never imported items before and are not
>familiar with US Customs, Brokers, shippers, marking and Country of Origin
>requirements, then you best leave it to professionals, or those of us who
>took the time and risked our money to learn.
>
>You will also never get rich off selling on this list. Yes there are many
>vendors on this list, but the list alone isn't enough to support a full
>time
>business. The market is much larger than just this list, and much larger
>than the internet. You need to market your items to a much broader range
>of
>customers. A good example of this is The Bus Depot who started on this
>list
>and has grown their business.
>
>I applaud those that developed the products and took the risks. The SA
>Vanagons are a slightly different breed and it took some brave folks to buy
>the parts and figure out how to make them work.
>
>I think most of the Vanagon SA products you find here for sale are readily
>available from distributors here in the US. I can tell you from
>experience,
>that it is always much easier in the long run to source your products
>through
>distributors than to import them yourself.
>
>Who is responsible for product liability from any item you import is a gray
>area. Normally you are not responsible for items you sell as long as you
>are
>not aware that they are defective. However when you import items from
>firms
>in other countries that have no legal representation here, you may end up
>with the liability if someone was injured due to a product you sold. The
>injured party will go for the easy money, and product liability insurance
>is
>near impossible if not extremely expensive for items you do not
>manufacturer
>and import from other countries. Your only option to protect yourself is
>to
>incorporate.
>
>As a listmember, and a vendor, I can offer this advice. Never invest or
>spend more money that you are willing to loose. If you import a container
>full of SA Vanagon brake pedals and lug nuts only to find that they don't
>fit
>on US models, then you are stuck with useless parts and are out the money.
>
>And if you send money to a listmember who wants to be a vendor and sends
>you
>a pile of parts to retrofit your US Vanagon with SA Vanagon parts and can't
>guarantee that they will fit, or doesn't provide you with the instructions,
>then you get what you deserve. You may want to consider paying a little
>more
>for piece of mind.
>
>Just giving you a few things to think about.
>
>
>Steve Lashley
>'66 Westy
>'74 Campmobile
>'93 EV MV
>http://EuroCampers.com
>314-614-0750
>Importing German Side Tents, Fiamma and Paulchen bike racks and other
>accessories for
>Bus, Vanagon and EuroVan
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