Overseas Online Shops
10 September 2011 - 11:03am
Any suggestions?, Want to buy a pair of La Sportiva Makalus.
10 September 2011 - 4:48pm
#2
Sierra Trading Post has lots of old model Scarpa boots for sale.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/product/listing/?filterString=search~scarpa%2F%2F2
I've got boots off them before, not problem, no duties or anything.
10 September 2011 - 5:35pm
#3
11 September 2011 - 5:48pm
#4
Not overseas but on sale for a reasonable price:
http://www.mtoutdoors.co.nz/categories/Footwear/Mountaineering-Boots/
29 September 2011 - 3:48pm
#5
Yeah dude, Sierra Trading is for real! I got Italian Perwager handmade double skin old school boots that would have cost here $800+ for about $390 landed. No taxes or duties on sporting goods under NZ$400 ( also no GST) Over NZ$400 and youre dead man! The deal is including shipping costs, so watch out! After your first purchase you get some hefty discounts I found...
29 September 2011 - 7:57pm
#6
good luck, the makalus have been superceeded with the karakorums now. two versions - karakorum, and karakorum pro (male / female). maybe someone has old makalus on sale ?
29 September 2011 - 9:49pm
#7
That's totally false, DanP. The Makalus are alive and well. A simple search of LaSportiva's website will show that. The karakoram series is quite a different boot. There is a karakoram mens and women's version, (does not have a toe welt, and is more of a heavy-duty tramping boot) and a karakoram pro, with a toe welt.
30 September 2011 - 5:36am
#8
Makalu's have been around for a long time unchanged and they will either fit (ha ha) or mangle your feet there is no middle ground
30 September 2011 - 8:41am
#9
I've got lady 38"s for sale :)...you don't sound like a lady though, but worth a try.
30 September 2011 - 10:32pm
#12
Oh, if so, my bad. Bad beta from the outdoor shop assistants. Maybe they're not importing anymore(?)Seems the shops in Wgtn no longer carry makalus bit do have karakorums anyway. Then again, I've had shop peeps tell me you can't get half sizes on la Sportiva rock shoes then pulled 41.5 miuras out of my bag.
Hope u find some boots anyway.
2 October 2011 - 10:53am
#13
Shop guys (and girls) are notoriously bad...I went into a shop in Wellington looking for a TNF Verto jacket (as reviewed by the Climber a few issues ago) and was told that TNF doesn't sell current-lineup stuff in NZ, and that I'd have to wait until 2012 if I wanted one, only to find from Kester that the reviewed had purchased his jacket in NZ...
The makalus are at least still in the 2011 lineup for North America
7 October 2011 - 10:53am
#15
Just heard from a local outlet that Black Diamond is going to chop shop retailer wholesales prices on some items to help them compete with online competitors.
Ordering from the 'states is probably your best bet, but I have been told that NZ customs is cracking down on that sort of thing and you could end up paying almost the same price as you would have here. All of the websites will tell you when you try to order whether or not they can ship that particular item overseas (deals with distributors vary). Pick a company (EMS, REI, Backcountry.com, MEC, Backcountrygear.com, Mgear....) that has a 100% return policy - just in case anything goes wrong you can recoup your costs without a problem.
To avoid duties, find a friend, any friend who is over there and have him/her ship the boots to you as "used" items. Becuase they are boots, they will be subject to a customs inspection on the way in.
Or get a travelling friend to pick them up for you and bring them back with him/her.
I'm all for supporting local shops - but it's kind of a catch-22 when their prices are so absurdly high when compared with north america/europe and the kiwi dollar is so strong.
in the rain