Wild boar grill replica
JK Freak
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 647
Likes: 1
From: The Secret Land Of Inspector Gadget
My LOD mid-width cost $995 plus $995 shipping plus 25% of the combined total in import duty. My MBRP sliders cost $370 to ship plus tax on the combined total. Everything I've ordered for my JK have cost me 2 - 4 times what a US Jeeper pays. Then I go to the gas station and fill up with diesel... for $150 a tank. And all that after paying $1000 road tax and $1000 insurance. 
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 419
Likes: 1
From: Ottawa, Canada
I agree, at times it does seem like we get taken advantage of at home.
Let me give you an example and I'll use MBRP.
I live in Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, in Canada. MBRP is located near Gravenhurst Ontario, cottage country as us Ontarians call it. Thier product gets placed on a truck, the truck then proceeds south on hwy 400 on route to the US to deliver product. This truck literally drives right by my driveway, I could see it going down the HWY if I walk to the end of my driveway. The product is manufactured less than one and half hours where I live. Now, I got into any online or store retailer here in the GTA and I pay over $200 more for the same product than I would in the US. I can buy it in the US, ship it back here to my house and still pay less than if I bought it here. Why? That makes zero sense.
So to the OP's point, I too would take a 60% discount off a comparable product to stick to the guys who rip you off in your own backyard.
This being said, its the American/Canadian Manufacturers who need to wake up and realize, charging excessive premiums that are unjustified to their "bread and butter" clientele who live in their backyards is a thing of the past because offshore companies can produce similar products of similar quality for the fraction of the cost and consumers will exercise these options.
I went through this with my Corvette and American Racing Headers VS XS Power, an offshore company. ARH whined about about how these guys made an exact replica of the ever popular ARH for the Corvette for 50% of thier cost and claimed inferior quality. Any and all independent tests and reviews revealed no such things. In fact, XS Power has become one of the more popular brands for Corvette headers over the past couple of years and many installers and professional tuning shops are now selling and supporting this product for this customers.
So I will say regardless of where we live and who we wish to support, its not always possible and as a consumer, you should feel zero obligation to pay more for a locally made product when you can get something just as good, or damn near close for a fraction of the cost somewhere else. Me, I will never feel this sort of guilt for anyone or any company. And I dont think anyone else should either.
Let me give you an example and I'll use MBRP.
I live in Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, in Canada. MBRP is located near Gravenhurst Ontario, cottage country as us Ontarians call it. Thier product gets placed on a truck, the truck then proceeds south on hwy 400 on route to the US to deliver product. This truck literally drives right by my driveway, I could see it going down the HWY if I walk to the end of my driveway. The product is manufactured less than one and half hours where I live. Now, I got into any online or store retailer here in the GTA and I pay over $200 more for the same product than I would in the US. I can buy it in the US, ship it back here to my house and still pay less than if I bought it here. Why? That makes zero sense.
So to the OP's point, I too would take a 60% discount off a comparable product to stick to the guys who rip you off in your own backyard.
This being said, its the American/Canadian Manufacturers who need to wake up and realize, charging excessive premiums that are unjustified to their "bread and butter" clientele who live in their backyards is a thing of the past because offshore companies can produce similar products of similar quality for the fraction of the cost and consumers will exercise these options.
I went through this with my Corvette and American Racing Headers VS XS Power, an offshore company. ARH whined about about how these guys made an exact replica of the ever popular ARH for the Corvette for 50% of thier cost and claimed inferior quality. Any and all independent tests and reviews revealed no such things. In fact, XS Power has become one of the more popular brands for Corvette headers over the past couple of years and many installers and professional tuning shops are now selling and supporting this product for this customers.
So I will say regardless of where we live and who we wish to support, its not always possible and as a consumer, you should feel zero obligation to pay more for a locally made product when you can get something just as good, or damn near close for a fraction of the cost somewhere else. Me, I will never feel this sort of guilt for anyone or any company. And I dont think anyone else should either.
No wonder dollar store are mostly owned by immigrants... Give em to us north americans, and they'd be called 5 dollars store for the same products.
Sent from my C6616 using Tapatalk
Last edited by Da10A; Mar 7, 2014 at 02:43 PM.
JK Freak
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 620
Likes: 5
From: Zug/Switzerland
Hey, don't tell me. My LOD mid-width cost $995 plus $995 shipping plus 25% of the combined total in import duty. My MBRP sliders cost $370 to ship plus tax on the combined total. Everything I've ordered for my JK have cost me 2 - 4 times what a US Jeeper pays. Then I go to the gas station and fill up with diesel... for $150 a tank. And all that after paying $1000 road tax and $1000 insurance.
My LOD mid-width cost $995 plus $995 shipping plus 25% of the combined total in import duty. My MBRP sliders cost $370 to ship plus tax on the combined total. Everything I've ordered for my JK have cost me 2 - 4 times what a US Jeeper pays. Then I go to the gas station and fill up with diesel... for $150 a tank. And all that after paying $1000 road tax and $1000 insurance. 
JK Newbie
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: United States
i bought one off ebay a few months back
#1 it is fiberglass NOT the poly material WB is made from
#2 it is basically a mold of the stock grill and they mold the top section to look like the WB grill
#3 as the guy above posted no holes, no clips, etc
#4 fit was ridiculous i had to do so much work just to get an OK fit
#5 packet back in the box and ate $50.00 in return shipping
#6 lesson learned
IMHO dont buy it!
#1 it is fiberglass NOT the poly material WB is made from
#2 it is basically a mold of the stock grill and they mold the top section to look like the WB grill
#3 as the guy above posted no holes, no clips, etc
#4 fit was ridiculous i had to do so much work just to get an OK fit
#5 packet back in the box and ate $50.00 in return shipping
#6 lesson learned
IMHO dont buy it!
JK Newbie
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Norfolk VA
JK Newbie
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: United States, Las Vegas
LOL i own an Land Rover and a Audi, we have the same issue here in the US with non-US cars as you do in the UK/EK with jeeps. $250 for a MAF? yep ripping me off all the way back to the mother land. $30 air filter! $500 for a AC line!!!!! How about $50,000 for a 24 year old land rover defender that i can get in the UK for 5k, and i can get the TDI one too!!!!! Yep apparently if you choose to own a car that not made in the county you live in then its all pretty much of a ankle grab after that. I really dont miss the petrol prices from home either, there is no fixing that.
UK by birth, US citizen by choice. (and the weather is better here too)
Cheers
Dave
UK by birth, US citizen by choice. (and the weather is better here too)
Cheers
Dave