Buying direct from USA

Prospecting Australia

Help Support Prospecting Australia:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Jul 14, 2013
Messages
110
Reaction score
16
I was looking at detectors in usa and found that they are nearly half price! anybody bought one from usa ?
 
Only problem is if you buy Garrett your warranty is not covered in Australia if that's where you live?

I aslo found Garrett detector is USA for real cheap but contacted Garrett head office in Oz and they said they don't cover the warranty as it was bought overseas.. EVEN tho they are made by them!! which is annoying
 
Yes I do it all the time.

You can use shipito for a US address and get things mailed there then you can forward it on to here.

You could even save more if you shop for a 2nd hand detector on the US Auction site.

I have a GMT arriving shortly which I paid $550 Aus a week ago including shipping.

Its a one owner deceased estate and had the serial checked by Jimmy S.

I should get that back if I decide to sell it and its a method I use to test a few different brands.

Brands you could look at include Fisher, Teknetics and Tesoro.

If you need a Garrett detector repaired you could always contact the man himself - Phil who is based
in SA.
 
Yeah I buy lots of prospecting stuff from the US and other things . I like to buy aussie when I can but its difficult when I feel I'm getting ripped off all the time. A lot of equipment from the us costs only 25-30% of what it does here so even if you pay $200 for postage you still come out well on top. If anyone is after Old man Emu shock absorbers ( aussie made) you can re-import them from the US and still save about a $100.
 
Yeh I did miss out on saying that I do buy buy stuff like my sand scoops and other thing from US as its half the price even with delivery but electronic stuff its risky cause as I mentioned with Garrett its not covered but I cant say on other products like Fisher Minelab etc if its the same on warranty's? lol
 
A couple of things to think about, if a detector bought new from the US, and is still under warranty (assuming it is transferable), it will have to be shipped back there for any work, generally at your cost. Personally, warranties don't really bother me. A lot of second hand detectors I buy are well out of their warranty period anyway, so if something goes wrong, then it will be going back to an Australian dealer for repairs, or I will have a go at the repairs myself (I find that sort of stuff fun).

I tend to like simple and hardy detectors that can pretty much go through their warranty period and beyond with pretty much no issues. A lot technology that has gone into many of today's detectors leaves little choice other than to pay for repairs, or just to bin the detector and cut your losses if out of warranty, not something you want to do with a $1000+ detector.

Hence why I like solid and easy to repair detectors like Tesoros and some of the older Whites. There have been stories of grief from owners of detectors like the x-terra series having screen and control issues out of warranty, and the cost of fixing them simply outweighs the overall cost of the detector.

Wear parts on tesoros and some of the Whites can be generally limited to control pots, switches, coils and cabling, some of which can be easily replaced, even for the amateur. Although Tesoros have a lifetime warranty, it is not transferable.

The reason I bought second hand, and bought garrett detectors, is that I am fortunate enough to have the Gold Mining Centre here in Adelaide for any repairs, so cheap and convenient for me.

If I ever bought from the US again, it will always be a detector that I would be prepared to work on, or at least pay a few $$ to bring up to scratch. But in saying that, if the detector was advertised as in working condition, then that is what I would expect, though there are some safeguards in place should the transaction go pear shaped.

I wouldn't buy an expensive second hand detector from the US ($600+), simply too much at stake if there are any major issues, and quite frankly, too much bother to deal with after the fact. Anything cheaper than that I can live with, especially if the detector is half the price of a second hand Australian unit (Wolfau's recent GMT as an example). That gives you some leeway should ot require some repairs. Second hand detectors in Australia always tend to be way overpriced, simply due to the small local market, and the miniscule numbers we see cropping up on places like ebay, compared to 100's of detectors we see up at any one time in the US. How many times have I seen 705's and Eurekas being sold for near new prices on ebay oz!

So do your research, and always ask plenty of questions to to the seller. Often it is the info they leave out that is more important than the info they supply with the item. Things like import taxes and duties on any item over $1000 will also often make a good deal seem not so good. If you do go down that track, ensure you do your homework on hidden costs before committing.

Always confirm shipping costs with the seller before bidding, as the shipping cost on the listing may be for general international shipping, and not specific to Oz. If the seller is not forthcomimg with info, leave it and look elsewhere. Also insure your package, or insist that the seller offers it in the purchase price. Always remember, if it is too good to be true, then it usually is. ;)
 
I'm about to buy a garrett atx from USA. $2100usd vs $3400aus...
Will garrett Australia do any repairs (not for free under warranty) if required?

Are there others that can repair if needed ?

Thanks
 
Vk3laj said:
I'm about to buy a garrett atx from USA. $2100usd vs $3400aus...
Will garrett Australia do any repairs (not for free under warranty) if required? at additional cost

Are there others that can repair if needed ?

Thanks
 
Agree with Jaros there mate. Give Garrett Australia a call, but I can't see why they wouldn't honor their world wide warranty.

Would be a bad look for them., and bad publicity over here wouldn't be something they'd want.

Cheers Wal.
 
Garrett Australia is the Australian dealer for Garretts
And not a division of Garretts USA.

Phil at the Gold Mining Centre in SA is a qaulified
Technician who was the main Garrett dealer in Aus
For a very long time and can do repairs as well.

Hope this helps.
 
Just recently i went searching for the Garrett Ace 250 manual and couldn't find it anywhere. I contacted Garrett U.S.A. via mail and within a day had a reply with the new manual in my letterbox exactly 1 week later-FANTASTIC. service.
Jaros
They will help.
 
Under Australian law warranty must be honoured by the manufacturer. The manufacturer however does not have to supply a refund only to remedy/repair/replace faulty goods. Seeing as though Garrett have an Australian agent I can't see how they could deny their statutory obligations to warranty guarantee regardless of country of purchase (overseas purchases & imported goods are covered under Australian law).
 
The Garrett dealer here in Australia is a reseller of
Garrett products no matter what the trading name is.

The manufacturer is Garrett who are based in the USA.

If i buy a detector from the usa how is the Australian
Law going to make a US company comply with warranty
Related issues based here in Australia?

Unless there is some sort of consumer law treaty between
Both countries could'nt the usa company ignore any such
Requests? And if they do how will they be made to comply?
 
Ham radio equipment is the same. Icom, kenwood yaesu , won't honor warranties if it wasn't purchased in Australia
 
Wolfau said:
The Garrett dealer here in Australia is a reseller of
Garrett products no matter what the trading name is.

The manufacturer is Garrett who are based in the USA.

If i buy a detector from the usa how is the Australian
Law going to make a US company comply with warranty
Related issues based here in Australia?

Unless there is some sort of consumer law treaty between
Both countries could'nt the usa company ignore any such
Requests? And if they do how will they be made to comply?
According to their website Garrett Australia appear to be a branch of or distributer for Garrett USA & approve dealerships here.
Garrett said:
Garrett Metal Detectors is a long established quality renowned brand with yet further potential especially in Australia. Dealer applications are currently being accepted by Garrett Australia for all regions and states in Australia.

GARRETT IN AUSTRALIA

Garrett products are distributed throughout Australia by Garrett Australia. We will continue to deliver the quality products and service that the Garrett brand stands for and has stood for since 1964.

If you have any inquiries about Garrett products in Australia please use ourContact Usform
The dealers/resellers are:
http://www.garrettaustralia.com.au/dealers/

Garrett Australia about us page:
http://www.garrettaustralia.com.au/about-us/

Enforcement of overseas companies is obviously harder but does occur. Some fines for warranty breaches:
Hewlett Packard $3m
Optus $3.6m
Apple $2.25m

If Garrett were to breach Australian Consumer Law they can/could be fined & one would imagine non compliance would remove their right of trade in Australia.
 

Latest posts

Top