hello everyone

as the heading says , what can we do and what should we do

buying from then is always one thing  but ??


sahil

What we do in Qatar to support the local shops is this :  most of us look at online prices and the landed cost of any item, and if the local dealer has it for 10% to 15% higher price, we still buy it locally. 

These shops also help carry the torch of the hobby, and it is our way of paying back.

i was thinking some sort of only positive feed back system where one points out what one likes in terms of the pricing,product and would like to see more of those items in an particular store

sahil

QuoteWhat we do in Qatar to support the local shops is this :  most of us look at online prices and the landed cost of any item, and if the local dealer has it for 10% to 15% higher price, we still buy it locally.

These shops also help carry the torch of the hobby, and it is our way of paying back.

yep that's what i have been doing! and update n suggest by friend to do the same

N what about a list of where to buy what kinda thing 

sahil

Nothing prevents anyone from commenting about their experiences with any store in this forum.  However, we do need to bear in mind that these are human-beings who run these stores, and each one probably has a different objective, and each one's circumstances are definitely different.

So we need to remember the following while we make comments....

1) We need to keep it mostly "positive only" (just like you said), otherwise it can get ugly real quick. Just highlight the good aspects, and ignore the down-sides.
2) Remember that this is the primary lively-hood for some. We need to allow for some margin, and not compare directly with online stores outside.
3) We need to keep customs and shipping charges in mind.
4) The big stores outside India purchase in bulk, and our stores are not capable of doing that.
5) Where the local stores should shine is customer service, and being active in the community.

Well said Anwar In fact this hobby is now possible (for ppl like me) ONLY because of the local RC sellers and they have made a great impact by bringing a costly hobby down to very affordable levels. Truly RC for all ppl who like this hobby 

It is not the bulk buys that helps the shops abroad. The duties and taxes of our government are the killer. Being a shop we have to be overboard and cannot escape duties as in some individual shipments. For example I considered carrying some items like gyros and governors, but even with zero profit margin the cost goes over US/HK prices. I don't want to carry stuff that is priced way over international prices, so had to drop the products. The cut that the govt gets is ridiculous given that they are not putting in any effort.

True Rajesh it really hits when you talk about high end products especially  since the govt levies  are huge and anyone getting them as individuals can get away with lower duties