i love eBay...

[Smiler]

Just to be clear here, I would never attempt to buy anything like a 1m long ball screw from China. I am not stupid and realise shipping chrges alone will be double the value of the item. I would certainly not risk the sort of money I've spent with Zapp on eBay purchases abroad. What gets my goat is when buying from UK companies, you almost think they are doing you a favour by selling you their goods. If Gary stocked a pendant even at 20% more than I bought mine from I would have bought it from him but sad fact is he don't sell 'em and they are as rare and costly as hens teeth when you can find someone who will stoop to sell you one. Even if I had been hit by the VAT, it would still have been MILES cheaper than I could have bought one here. As Gary says, it is a calculated risk but so is any purchase, UK or worlwide.

Not having a go at Gary at all, service has always been A1 and Zapp can't have too wide a range of stock in these times so he is forgiven for not stocking the exact items I want to buy ;).

Regards, Jeff.

[Gary]

I have spoken to Hedds about their encoders and noticed the Pendant in the catalogue.
But never got any further than that.
The only things i am going to be adding to my range in the next few months is rack and pinion, motor mounds and also looking at making Seig X# CNC conversion kits, but this will be once i convert my own, so god knows when that will be.

Just to be clear here, I would never attempt to buy anything like a 1m long ball screw from China. I am not stupid and realise shipping chrges alone will be double the value of the item. I would certainly not risk the sort of money I've spent with Zapp on eBay purchases abroad. What gets my goat is when buying from UK companies, you almost think they are doing you a favour by selling you their goods. If Gary stocked a pendant even at 20% more than I bought mine from I would have bought it from him but sad fact is he don't sell 'em and they are as rare and costly as hens teeth when you can find someone who will stoop to sell you one. Even if I had been hit by the VAT, it would still have been MILES cheaper than I could have bought one here. As Gary says, it is a calculated risk but so is any purchase, UK or worlwide.

Not having a go at Gary at all, service has always been A1 and Zapp can't have too wide a range of stock in these times so he is forgiven for not stocking the exact items I want to buy ;).

Regards, Jeff.

[Smiler]

Pity about the pendant really, I always seem to be ahead of the curve where Zapp is concerned ;)

I sympathise totally on the transport costs issue. On Friday I ordered 2 lengths of 20mm x 6mm 304 stainless flat to make a simple carpet edging strip for a spiral staircase. Material came to 25 quid plus the dreaded. They didn't have it in Glasgow so it needs to be shipped to them, £30 please. Oh and there is another £30 to drop it in to Arran Haulage (company who delivers to the island) and then AH sticks on another £70 to deliver it to the island. 2 lengths of flatbar, £130 delivery and we haven't even picked up a hammer yet!

Gets even better if you need something galvanising. Delivery cost to Glasgow, delivery to the Haulier, delivery to the island, delivery back to glasgow for galvanising (and now as it is a finished job it is bigger so price spirals), delivery back to the island. The last job we sent over cost over a grand in just delivery charges (Small spiral staircase). It has got so bad that it is cheaper to use the highest grade stainless steel over here for gates and railings than to have them galvanised. Hauliers here blame diesel prices but we've noticed that since the price of fuel went down, their prices have stayed the same or increased.

And in case you don't know where we are, Arran is only 14 miles from the mainland, including the ferry journey I can be in glasgow in 2 hours from home, it's not like we are in the middle of the Atlantic.

regards, Jeff.