(let me know if I've left you off and I'll edit this post)
I haven't dealt with any of them yet so can't comment personally but what I've read on them is good.
International stores that ship to NZ
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These are stores I've personally used:
Skates on Haight Got my first longboard there about 2 years ago. Back then service was OK, Price was good. Shipping was good. Selection OK. I've been back to look a few times and their prices are OK but shipping seems to have gone up quite a bit (~US$100)
Skate America Got a popsicle of them about 2 years ago. Service was not so good. Take a long time to answer questions. Price was excellent. Shipping was OK (about US$30 for a shortboard). Selection was terrible for longboards (but wasn't looking for that). Again, shipping has gone up a bit since then.
Boardsports Got an Evo off them about 18 months ago and S9 trilam about a year ago. Service was great on phone, not so good by email. Price was excellent. They used to do discount codes in concrete wave magazine which can be quite substantial. Shipping price is probably the best I've found. Selection is somewhat limited, but if they have what you want they're awesome.
The Longboard Store Jennifer was really helpful getting some parts for me. Service was excellent.
Mile High Skates Mark DOESN'T ship to NZ, but I had a friend going to Denver on business so got him to pick it up for me. Service was great. Price is excellent. Selection is OK. Shipping to Denver was free.
Sk8 Kings Got an AXE off them. Service was excellent. Price is competitive. Shipping OK. Selection is quite specialist (slalom).
So Cal Skate Shop Got a pool board about 6 months ago. Service is excellent. Good responses to email. Price is competitive. Shipping is good (~US$50). Really good selection of old-skool gear.
Purple skunk Just ordered a Neversummer eclipse. Price is competitive. Service is excellent. Shipping is a bit expensive, but I suspect they may not be doing the volume some of the other stores are. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'll update when it does. These guys also give CW readers a discount.
Shipping
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The fastest I've had a board arrive is on Fedex. Ordered on a Friday, arrived the following Wednesday. Fedex is WAY more expensive than US postal service.
USPS International express IMO is the best value for money. Shipping is generally about $60 for a complete anf that includes insurance and tracking. My older orders would generally arrive within 8 days. Recent orders have arrived withing 6-7 days of ordering.
I haven't used UPS
Hope this is useful to you all
__________________
Gravity always wins
Last edited by Joe; 01-27-2008 at 01:28 PM.
Reason: Added extra link
The one US store that I would add to that list is The Longboard Store. I got a few orders off them in 2006 and early last year. Their service was excellent and their selection has grown over time. The shipping was a bit on the high side but they started discounting this for me when I started ordering more. Door to door was usually about 7-10 days. Highly recommended.
I now order from a wholesaler in LA and shipping is mostly Fedex, who have great tracking. On average I usually have the goods within a week of ordering. Its like Christmas every time a box arrives.
I have made purchases from The Longboard Store, Skates On Haight, Mile High (when Mark shipped internationally) and [url=http://www.SolidSkate.com] for delivery to me in Christchurch.
I can't recommend Jack and Wen at SolidSkate.com highly enough - whether buying a complete, or parts, the Robinsons are helpful, informative, stock a great range of products, pack and dispatch promptly, and keep you informed during the process. Freight has been entirely acceptable (USPS), both cost and delivery time, wise (have ordered Friday, received delivery Tuesday by USPS!)
Friends I have recommended SolidSkate.com to have enjoyed similar experiences - [url=http://www.SolidSkate.com] are the biz.
Ive used Daddies, =good fast shipping make sure you ask for what you want dont asaume they know., if you dont ask for spacers/ raiser on completes you wont get them.but good company.
purple skunk= good people to deal with and fast shipping.
rayne= good first order but packing could be better, still waiting on another deck 6/8 weeks
Landyachtz= good people to deal with,
hi all! quite an interesting read, how much did the shipping of daddies cost/purple skunk? i live in the philippines so i figured it might be of a similar rate, oh and where there any length restrictions?
hi all! quite an interesting read, how much did the shipping of daddies cost/purple skunk? i live in the philippines so i figured it might be of a similar rate, oh and where there any length restrictions?
length restriction to new zealand is 60". i hear australia is a lot less, hence they cant get the dancer in and want to go through NZ. crazy. check with your customs in manila. if you need something, i can help you out. always happy to help fellow pinoys. also, i'll be in touch before i head over in case some of you want me to bring gear in.
[quote=kookyfish;886392]Ive used Daddies, =good fast shipping make sure you ask for what you want dont asaume they know., if you dont ask for spacers/ raiser on completes you wont get them.but good company.
purple skunk= good people to deal with and fast shipping.
rayne= good first order but packing could be better, still waiting on another deck 6/8 weeks
Landyachtz= good people to deal with,
rayne boards are awesome. 6-8 weeks is a bit long. im still waiting for our first batch of decks. look forward to the demon seed though. this time i'll use faster shipping.
length restriction to new zealand is 60". i hear australia is a lot less, hence they cant get the dancer in and want to go through NZ. crazy. check with your customs in manila. if you need something, i can help you out. always happy to help fellow pinoys. also, i'll be in touch before i head over in case some of you want me to bring gear in.
ayt, thanks for the info and help, im thinking of getting a dervish or crail trucks.. still saving cash though but im already planning the purchase way ahead in the future
Getting some stuff tomorrow. Fedex International Economy, ordered last Friday night, so six days and that includes 2 days in Australia!
I got my suppliers to compare shipping prices. For the 15kg box Fedex was the cheapest by about $US20 but the most telling thing was that they said that they find Fedex a lot more reliable. Apparently USPS tracking isn't as good and while they rarely lose a package when they do it can be months before it turns up, if ever.
Online stores who ship to NZ
