What to ship, and the (not great) quality of stuff in Perth

[sunshine]

We find the average quality of most things here to be quite poor. As an example the quality of things in B&Q in the UK is head and shoulders above its equivalent store here - Bunnings. We found the safety aspect of Bunnings stuff shocking - nails that break half way into the wall, tools that don't have basic safety mechanisms, as Druid said in a post here, spades that bend like a blade, and it all costs more than what we'd pay in the UK. Quality does seem to be an issue here, someone said the market here seems to thrive on cheap and cheerful (didn't seem cheap to me and I certainly wasn't cheerful after seeing the quality). If you're shipping, I'd recommend getting all that you possibly can.

[portlaunay]

Surely in these times of international trade sub-standard goods are available anywhere? I'd think geography has little to do with it?

Cheap, inferior, poor quality goods are available everywhere and if this is an important factor in your purchasing decision then perhaps undertake some research and gravitate towards trusted brands or those proven in independent reviews?

I may be wrong but I can't imagine tool manufacturers have an Australian market product and a different European market product, surely there are simply minor variations such as voltage, cabling etc?

[portlaunay]

To add, I don't understand the point of the survey. In comparison to what? Are you wanting to compare like for like or an arbitrary assessment of products with a similar functionality? Power tools or hand tools? Task specific or merely equivalent tools at a similar price point?

 

I bought a B&Q proprietary branded drill that lasted three holes before the chuck exploded. The replacement didn't work at all and the third began smelling of melted rubber after six months. In contrast I bought an Hitachi drill here and it's awesome, it drills holes as expected and hasn't killed me, how should I answer?

 

Like Druid I also had a (Chinese made), shovel bend on me. I returned it to Bunnings and the staff advised me that I should have bought Australian. Under their advice I did so and it performs as admirably as any shovel I've ever owned.

[Druid]

Surely in these times of international trade sub-standard goods are available anywhere? I'd think geography has little to do with it?

Cheap, inferior, poor quality goods are available everywhere and if this is an important factor in your purchasing decision then perhaps undertake some research and gravitate towards trusted brands or those proven in independent reviews?

I may be wrong but I can't imagine tool manufacturers have an Australian market product and a different European market product, surely there are simply minor variations such as voltage, cabling etc?

 

Never bought a spade that bends or chrome plumbing fittings that just won't seal, even with plumbers PTFE tape, it's not like you get a choice of fittings at Bunnings, they are just there, the spade I did have a choice, I bought cheap & cheerful in the UK, it's worked well for ten years, and it's probably still working, I gave all my garden tools away when I left, this one I've had for a year, it's just gone to be recycled in the annual ' bring out your dead' collection, I also don't remember having stainless steel that rusts in the UK! This is just the start of a never ending list of tat.

[ali]

I've not found a problem, although it's my hubby who lives at Bunnings and is the DIY and garden person of our family. I don't hear him complaining so I'm assuming it must be ok

 

ETA - are you just talking about stuff from Bunnings?

Edited June 11, 2014 by ali

[Arwen]

Been here 9 years and can honestly say never had an issue with anything we have bought.

[7cdb]

If you a tradesman and not a DIY "expert" you know decent kit when you see it,I have never bought anything from B&Q as it is overpriced crap in the main. As port and lemon says do your research and buy the best you can afford and it will last.

[verystormy]

Only bought one tool since being here. A power drill. Went to bunnings and a long chat with one of the guys who went through the pros and cons of each option against what I needed it for. Went with what he suggested and being very happy with it. Wasn't the most expensive, but not a cheap one. Based on the very occasional use I need it for, he didn't recommend I bought the most expensive.

[JasonM]

I was going to ask something simular about what to bring, however seeing as it could be months possibly a year yet i think i will wait until nearer the time before asking what is highly recommended to bring, what to not bother bringing. Things can change so much in that time.

[AmandaP]

I love Bunnings! There is also Masters (similar products - only opened in WA a year or so ago). You can get rubbish and you can get quality - it all depends on what you pay, like anywhere. That being said, and I have just mentioned this in another thread, I do think the quality of clothes here is, in general, not particularly good. You can get fabulous clothes, but you will pay through the nose for the really good stuff. I still buy a large proportion of my clothes from M&S online (free delivery) because I honestly don't think you can beat the value for money.

[Laz]

I love Bunnings! There is also Masters (similar products - only opened in WA a year or so ago). You can get rubbish and you can get quality - it all depends on what you pay, like anywhere. That being said, and I have just mentioned this in another thread, I do think the quality of clothes here is, in general, not particularly good. You can get fabulous clothes, but you will pay through the nose for the really good stuff. I still buy a large proportion of my clothes from M&S online (free delivery) because I honestly don't think you can beat the value for money.

Can I ask if you pay for UK online purchases with a UK bank account? We used to live in Dubai and I had changed all our UK banks to our Dubai address. So when I purchased online I couldn't put in a UK address (no fields for international address) so I couldn't use a lot of websites.