I'm in Oz not USA, I don't buy much from MM but here's my 2c worth:
I used to bring stuff in from, prices were good but freight was always a killer. And, this is getting worse. Also parts Quality is going south and UK is a long way away for returns.
So now, I buy local where possible. This has the advantage that if the part is a dud, it is replaced without more freight and drama. In some cases, local suppliers have arranged for Quality parts to be made here to replace imported rubbish.

Bbecause my nearest Mini shop is a wholesaler/importer, their prices are cheapest in Oz due to the bulk quantities they buy and ship seafreight. I could have bought a pair of adjustable front tie bars cheaper there than importing (but I didn't check, haha).

If we don't support our local suppliers, before long they will join the dodo.

Having been thrown off this board twice for pointing out the value in (sometimes?) avoiding MM prices I think I'm qualified to comment..

Like with any decision involving choice, the answer is "it depends".  The price of any item is made up of a number of components.  

For a buyer who arrives (physically) at a Minishop in the UK, the price consists of the OEM price + dealer markup + VAT.  There are some incidentals such as fuel, maybe parking charges or, in my case, a tube ticket but lets not get too complex.  And these charges are pretty much replicated wherever you buy anyway....

The same buyer in the US has basically two choices; go to a shop or buy remotely (order by telephone, I'net or even ordinary physical letter - delivery by USPS or courier).  

The personal shopper is faced with OEM price + (original) dealer markup + freight + customs duty (usually on landed price so you pay duty on the freight cost as well) + seller markup (usually a percentage of all of the above).  The mail order shopper at the US supplier pays all the above + courier/delivery charges.

The same US shopper ordering from the UK  avoids the US seller markup, the double shipping and (in every purchase I've done) customs duty (although at something like 2% this is not really significant).

The main wrinkle is freight.  Freight is always charged by weight. However, for bulky items they use "cubage"; ie they measure the physical dimensions and then apply a cubic inch to pound conversion factor. This means it costs the same to ship 10, say, door panels as for 1.  This is where you win out with the local supplier.  

When it comes to the bottom line all you can do is visit all the sites, add up the charges, pay your money and take your choice.... 

The internet at least provides a source of quality review that we didn't have back in the day...  But just remember; everybody stiffed someone at some time.  So read reviews critically.  

In the end you make your choice and live with it...

Cheers, Ian

If the dollar devalues against the pound the price of mini parts sold by US suppliers will also go up as most of them come from the UK. If the US suppliers maintain the same margin as they currently have then the price difference between US and UK suppliers will be the same. The only way the price from US suppliers would go down is if they cut their margin or had parts made here.

I have dabbled in selling parts in the US for the last 10 years, and it is a tricky thing to do.
With careful sourcing (I only sell parts I've used and will continue to use) from trusted suppliers, bulk shipping and no-frills trading, it is possible to bobble along reasonably well but not get rich.
To counter that I too occasionally buy stuff from Mania as they carry things I can't get here.

Yes, prices for parts on the shelf and available in the US have to be higher than the sticker price in the UK, as they have already been shipped across the Pond and had import duty paid on them.  They are, however, available to local people or folks at shows where a trade stand is set up without any extra cost involved.  Internal US shipping has gone up astronomically in the last few years, and the traditional method of selling parts is under threat to a certain extent.  

The relatively high value of the Dollar vs the Pound is a major contributor. 
While it may be cheaper to ship direct from the UK at the moment, the time will come when the Dollar drop in value again, and above $1.75 the courier option starts to look a bit iffy.  What the traders don't tell you is the hidden burden of import duty and the threat of Use Tax.  Couriers don't always hit you with the fees, but when they do they can soon mount up, and if the IRS gets wind of you importing parts they will sting you again.
Hit $2.00 again and the days of direct buying will be well and truly gone.  I know my pricing system is geared to juuust about work at that level, and I'm sure Don has a comfort margin built in, but it very soon becomes too expensive to use a courier.

At $2.00 to the Pound, will you guys buying direct still have any old school traders left to turn to ?

One aspect of this forum I don't like is you can't give good info about alternative sources for mini parts, everyone that does tip toes around the elephant in the room. I get it, MM hosts the site, a lot of west Coasters have same day service and have personal relationships with MM, but for me there are alternatives that geographically and monetarily make more sense. When UPS ground takes 5 days from Cali and DHL takes 3 from the UK and the same product is in the box for less delivered, my question is, really? I have done and will continue to do business with MM but when it comes down to it, money talks and bs walks.

To say that I don't care what the "experts" say is pretty rude, and a disproportionate response. I have personal relationships with many of the experts on this forum and I don't disregard their opinions. If you want to have deeper discussions on this, Jemal, you have my email address. Lets not siderail a good thread.


BUT THAT ISN'T THE POINT OF THIS THREAD

The real point is that some domestic prices are unrealistic, or some parts aren't available domestically, and sometimes you just have better warm fuzzies with another company's customer service.   And that's ok... So how do we help a member of the community get the best experience when they have to buy overseas? We come together in a thread like this and tell our personal experiences. I dont buy cheap parts... I buy the same exact part at a lower price because I have tools like the internet that let me be a better consumer. 

WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!  Yes the industry is changing, like MANY others. "Loyalty" to someone that helps you with valuable information is almost a thing of the past, and folks (like Mighty Mouse apparently) think nothing of taking an expert's time, then 'googling' right around him or her, and finding the parts from someone without an address, any inventory, and certainly no EXPERTS to help you stay on the right track.  If you are one of those that thinks that's just fine, then you are contributing to the demise of this hobby.  The internet has quite a down side, as we can plainly see in the west, with the Chinese quality of life eroding ours as sure as Google coming up!!!  Or Alibaba or whatever the hell they try to censor their population from.   The days of stupid governments are numbered!  Just look at ours!

Yeah, I order electronics components for hobby stuff, and it all depends on how the vendor ships it... some stuff I get from the states and it took a few tries to nail down the cheapest method... as stated some of the couriers nail you with a big brokerage fee on top of duty and whatnot... When I order stuff from china, it is usually packed lightly (stuffed in a padded envelope or a hastily crafted "box"), but it always gets here intact and usually as a "gift" on the paperwork. takes for friggin ever to get here but cheap cheap components and no surprise fees ever.

I think one of the only things I have ordered for the Mini from the UK is the budget carpet kit (my parents actually ordered it for xmas one year)... I recall it being expensive to ship, and next time i will be ordering the super-deluxe-extra-nice newton carpets. never again those budget kits...

cheers,

jb

I just dug through my old emails/invoices and when I had to buy panels, I went overseas to the other big name. I bought all heritage panels including a bonnet, two wings, the left inner wing, a front panel as well as a new chrome bumper and maniflow LCB. That and a bunch of smaller stuff. The shipping total came to 150 pounds. Thats 222usd in todays money. Wonder if things have changed in shipping since 2007 and the prices are that much higher for shipping.

Shop around though. I have found that even with the high shipping prices (ok, maybe not 1000 clams), you can still save money looking around. Just remeber that you need to compare apples to apples, especially when it comes to panels. Some may be pricey bacuase they are better. Where budget allows, go with genuine stuff.

shipping can really get you, so make sure the vendor has experience and will understand how to avoid the costliest pitfalls. Even so, if you need to return a part that overseas postage then has to be applied (by you) twice.

regarding very large, fragile things like body panels, the real advantage to ordering locally is they take all of the risk regarding damage during shipment (if you order from overseas, you know, to save money, that works against you if it arrives with a big dent in it)

Body parts purchased locally look really expensive until after you figure those things in.

I just bought 2 wicker baskets that fit under the rear seat. Hand made in England. Could not find them anywhere else. The 60GBP price, when I added exchange rate, shipping and the bank charge for sending the bank draft, ended costing me almost $200 Cdn by the time they got here. The baskets are fantastic and the craftmanship is superb...the price adds up when you include all the extras. BTW....if you are importing to Canada....do NOT use UPS...the brokerage fee they nail you with is about $50...plus any duty or taxes involved. Have the seller USPS it to you. 

I needed to buy a rear 1/4 for one of my MGF's, nobody in North America sells those...
Shipping was about $700, so I augmented the order with a bunch of Mini stuff (sorry Minimania) that was simply cheaper when you removed the cost of shipping the items by themselves. I justified it by saying "I'm paying for the crate anyway, may as well fill it.

Duties and taxes and Airport fees were another $300, but I still "saved" money

Meh. Buying domestic is great, but even then, I shop around. In this age, you're blind if you think customers aren't looking to Google to find the same part for 200% cheaper. I know that a thousand more people will completely ignore your question because they think they "owe" minimania something for hosting this forum, but the truth is that this forum is one of the biggest contributors to their revenue stream, and a post every now and then saying that common sense will show that Google can find a part cheaper isn't offensive in my book.

That said, I buy almost all of my parts form overseas. UK, Australia, Japan, etc. I still buy domestic when it's advantageous.

The cheapest parts almost always come from over there and I'm totally OK with paying a bit more for shipping because I buy most things in large orders. The large orders help me save on shipping, and the substantial savings make buying 90% of my stuff domestically almost useless. If you buy from a company that already ships to the states (and most do) then all you do is tell them your address and it shows up on your doorstep. You aren't obligated to pay VAT (Value Added Tax) in most cases, so ensure you aren't charged it. You may pay a customs/duties charge, but even when I buy $2500 in parts from GB, I've never paid more than $22 in customs/duties. It's usually like 7% of the shipping tops. And I hardly ever get charged it anyway if they go with a big international shipper like DHL.

like i said, i always buy in the states.buuuuut some times the host's prices are...

what's the right word? lol. however i'll be waiting fo the free shipping.

I am sure that almost everybody on this forum will recommend buying from our host. Minimania sometimes has special deals and discounts (even free shipping) that you can take advantage of. Another option is buy from the forum members themselves

i've always bought stuff in the states.what is the process for buying overseas?

what about customs or duty? does the stuff come directly to your address?

i was gonna buy some panels from mini sport, but the shipping came out to a grand.

i almost passed out.are there no more slo boats anymore? fill me in.