Pettiboner
Well-Known Member
I agree with you. But I am tempted by the thought of an agent who is insured. But again, thats still all hassles and no sales.
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Learning "GREY MARKET" the hard way.
- Thread starter Pettiboner
- Start date
catman13
Senior Member
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2011
- Messages
- 435
- Location
- oregon usa
- Occupation
- refrigeration engineer/excavation contractor
you could have gone to CAT or John deere and bought 2 nice machines and had them running or sold in 2 weeks for that money and save a year of head aches . i have seen a lot of junk in this country i would only sent to china as SCRAP
Pettiboner
Well-Known Member
No argument there. I coulda darn near bought a new one!
I don't see how you have any advantage over the chinese contractor in the smaller city that is looking for an excavator, and has cheap mechanics and dismantled machines to keep it going? I see how Japan exports machines, and why somebody would buy a grey market machine from Japan. I'd have no problem with a used Toyota from JAPAN, but I wouldn't buy one from the third world that's had a hundred million passenger miles over dirt roads, or a bus that's been cobbled by every mechanic in every village between Quito and Cali.
John C.
Senior Member
I've worked for a couple of gray market venders who did millions worth of imports. The key to all imported machines is to have a trusted colleague on the ground in the country of origin. Both companies I did work for used pickers in the Japan and other Asian markets to hunt out machines suitable for export to the US. They would also bird dog the machines through cleaning and load out to the US. Both companies only used RORO shipping. Dirty machines can't be hidden in a container that way. The Port of Seattle did have a cleaning area in the nineties but I don't know if it still exists. You had to pay a trucker to move the machine there as well as the cleaning company. It wasn't cheap but was much cheaper than shipping the iron back overseas. I am surprised at your bad luck on the cleaning because not a lot of containers get opened and checked at the port. I suspect there might have been something in your paperwork that alerted the authorities. Maybe they thought you were bringing in murder hornets or something.
The thing that made the import game work was not the cheap machines. It was the currency exchange that drove the gambit. Once that got more even, the grey market game went away for the most part.
The thing that made the import game work was not the cheap machines. It was the currency exchange that drove the gambit. Once that got more even, the grey market game went away for the most part.
skyking1
Senior Member
After reading your story I cannot comprehend why you would consider going back for more. It sounds like a gambling addiction to me.
Pettiboner
Well-Known Member
Thats a pretty good analogy actually!
The truth is though, after wasting countless hours at RB auctions looking for something 1/2 decent to buy, and watching rabid crowds paying twice what the junk was worth (in my opinion) it became clear to me that there is a supply problem here in Canada. Every farmer wants a machine. The used domestic construction equipment supply is just not enough to fill it.
Truthfully, highly unlikely I would do it again. The profits just get eaten up too much with all the hidden costs and as John C says, with the currency exchange closing the gap, it just doesn't seem to be worth it.
AND...
This is all still ignoring the OWNERSHIP issues of grey market junk.....
You trying to flip equipment as a hobby? There's easier ways to make money. Lol
I've been keeping eyes on auctions for a while. Seems like the best deals are on ironplanet.com and bidadoo on ebay. They auction off a lot of rental company equipment. And there's been lot of decent deals on there. I know, because I've bought multiple pieces of equipment there. Though this past year has seen price increases too.
I've been keeping eyes on auctions for a while. Seems like the best deals are on ironplanet.com and bidadoo on ebay. They auction off a lot of rental company equipment. And there's been lot of decent deals on there. I know, because I've bought multiple pieces of equipment there. Though this past year has seen price increases too.
Pettiboner
Well-Known Member
I was going to dabble in it but covid also changed things at work so the free time I had for such endeavors has disappeared as well. So Skata, agreed, there are many and much easier ways to make money, as I have LEARNED!!!
But.......
I am keeping my eye on it.
Ironplanet.... isnt that also RBrothers?
Ritchie bought ironplanet recently. Though they still seem to cater to rental equipment.
Pettiboner
Well-Known Member
Whole Heartedly AGREED!!!
It seems clear that WORST of their inventory is sent to unsuspecting suckers like myself.
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skyking1
Senior Member
it reminds me of the adage about aviation. You know how to make a small fortune in aviation?
Start with a large fortune!
Pettiboner
Well-Known Member
Quite the opposite!!!!!!!! Do you own a bank or something!?
The bank OWNS ME!!!!
Welder Dave
Senior Member
Don't worry about import crap from China, you got your American made Pettibone hoe all fixed up ready to dig.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
RB's biggest site (Nisku/Edmonton) is where I'm at. They run the gambit from new machines to complete junk. Lots of business closures bring good machines with full maintainence records and history. Still need to inspect individual machines though. They will tell you where most machines came from. Was at one auction where they must have had over 20 huge oilfield bed trucks. A couple tandem tandems too. Huge!