Australian builders

[Gerry in Oz]

Hi to all we downunders,

I would like to share with all my Oz builder colleagues a very positive experience which I have had shipping my QB kits to Brisbane.

After the obvious gathering of quotes one company, Blacklink Logistics came out a good 15% cheaper. With the usual trepidation of, you get what you pay for, I called Natalie Chalmers at Blacklink and BINGO! that was the end of my problem.

She really does provide a “one call and it’s done” service. Effectively the next operational contact was when she emailed me (2 days ago) with all the attendant fees GST freight etc all rolled up in one account which I paid online and before I could blink the truck arrived at my front door with all my early Christmas presents being gently lowered to the driveway in front of my garage.

And to top it all off Natalie is a total delight to deal with. She remains your single point of contact throughout the entire process and she does EVERYTHING. How simple is that!

So, for all those planning a Vans (or anything else for that matter) shipment to Oz, my unreserved recommendation is to call Natalie Chalmers at Blacklink on 02 9524 7777.

For more details PM me.

Gerry Gledhill
RV-8 Empennage plus
all QB kits in garage.

[AJ85WA]

Thanks for the info.

[rjtjrt]

Gerry
Thanks. This sort of info is always helpful to other builders.

John

[chrish]

Thanks for the info. I have about a year to go with study for a degree and then I should be ready to start (probably a 14 slow build).

If you don't mind, could you give a ballpark figure for freight? Did you price what a slowbuid kit would have cost in freight? Happy if you pm me if it is considered against forum rules or etiquette to post prices publicly.

Cheers,

Chris

[Gerry in Oz]

Hi Chris,

No I didn?t get any quotes on the slow build because I decided on the QB quite early in the process. My QB kits are clearly dimensionally larger and due to the additional amount of crating (which Vans do very well) are quite a bit heavier. On the other hand, as I shipped my QB fuse, QB wings, Finishing kit, Firewall Forward kit and prop, all in the the one shipment, there was an economy of scale. Further, you will pay about $350 in port fees every time you get a box from Vans (except the Empennage as that comes via post) So as I did it all in one go I only paid that once.
Vans publish crate sizes and weights on their web site and will, in all likelihood do that for the 14 in the fullness of time. I can PM you with the actual numbers I paid if you like but as the two projects differ in concept it is unlikely to be very relevant. GST and freight are the killers for we Oz builders and those numbers are very roughly the same.

Cheers,

Gerry.

[chrish]

Thanks Gerry,

So, in very rough figures, freight is going to run about 10%, then another 10% GST. That is close enough for me to do the rough numbers on total costs.

Good luck with the build!

Cheers,

Chris

[rgmwa]

Originally Posted by chrish

Thanks Gerry,

So, in very rough figures, freight is going to run about 10%, then another 10% GST. That is close enough for me to do the rough numbers on total costs.

Good luck with the build!

Cheers,

Chris

And don't forget the exchange rate. The dollar was $0.82USD when I ordered my RV-12 empennage, wings and fuselage in 2010, $0.92 when I ordered the finishing kit, $1.02 when the avionics arrived and $1.04 for the engine a few months ago.

Also the way you pay makes a difference. Ozforex was easily the cheapest when compared to the banks (either bank transfer or credit cards). The banks consistently offer less than the Ozforex exchange rate, and they hit you with substantial fees for transferring your money overseas. For new customers, the first two transactions with Ozforex are free (and that was all I needed for the avionics and engine).

[chrish]

Originally Posted by rgmwa

And don't forget the exchange rate. The dollar was $0.82USD when I ordered my RV-12 empennage, wings and fuselage in 2010, $0.92 when I ordered the finishing kit, $1.02 when the avionics arrived and $1.04 for the engine a few months ago.

Also the way you pay makes a difference. Ozforex was easily the cheapest when compared to the banks (either bank transfer or credit cards). The banks consistently offer less than the Ozforex exchange rate, and they hit you with substantial fees for transferring your money overseas. For new customers, the first two transactions with Ozforex are free (and that was all I needed for the avionics and engine).

Great tip on ozforex, really appreciate it! Knowing my luck, however, the dollar will slide just prior to me being able to start

[PeteM]

Thanks Guys for some very valuable information. My first post here following many years of lurking. I'm just getting ready to order a 12 kit. Still trying to decide if I should order the emp kit first and see how I go with it before ordering the bigger value items.

Cheers
Pete

[rgmwa]

Originally Posted by PeteM

Thanks Guys for some very valuable information. My first post here following many years of lurking. I'm just getting ready to order a 12 kit. Still trying to decide if I should order the emp kit first and see how I go with it before ordering the bigger value items.

Cheers
Pete

Great retirement project, Pete. No harm starting with the empenage. Just expect to be ordering the next kit shortly thereafter.