Buying kite gear in America

If you're going through Singapore, there's definately some money to be saved.
You probably won't get any warranty from the manufacturer once back in Australia though.

What I do want to know though (and invite comments from retailers), is why a brand "X" factory backed warranty is generally only provided in the country of purchase, rather than globally at any brand "X" retailer ??

Hey Gailforce,

Firstly, you may save a few bucks overseas, maybe even a few hundred, but remember, if it has a value of more than $1000AUD you will need to pay duty on it when you come through customs so dont forget to factor that in and the excess baggage you are likely to pay coming back from the US. Most US airlines are criminal with their excess baggage fees.

Kiteboarding is a small and competitive industry with most shops selling similar products at similar prices so what that means is it comes down to service and the relationship between the shops and yourself.

If you buy your gear overseas and come back to Oz and have a problem with it that needs warranty, I'm sure most reputable retailers will sort it out for you although I have heard of a few who aren't too kee and may make life difficult.

Don't expect them to fall over backwards for you when you denied them the chance of making a few dollars on the initial purchase. Your shop will support you and the community if you support them.

Example: Two riders return a bar for warranty, one customer bought his gear from the shop and the other, from overseas to save a couple hundred bucks. The retailer has only one bar in stock and the next shipment is due in 4 weeks. Guess which customer is going to get the bar???

It may pay dividends in the longer term to start to forge a relationship with your local retailer. They will always be willing to help their existing customers as we do with loan kites and boards, free tips and coaching at the beach, demos of new gear, advice on tuning and help with your gear new or old, free stuff from time to time and discounts. I think you will find that in time, this will far outweigh the benefits of a short term gain.

Just food for thought!

Good winds,

As far as I am aware flights to and from the US allow around 50-60kg of luggage. Anything above that is excess. I inquired for a flight to LA about a month ago and the travel agent told me that this is still the case but you better check. With a couple of kites and a board and a pair of boardies you should be fine.

If your carrying it in your luggage no one will ask you for import tax if you're not pointing out that you bought the gear overseas. Don't forget to take the price tag off

Hey Jev7337,

I'd seriously look into it with the airline, not the travel agent and measure your gear. All airlines have a max weight or cubic sizing whichever is greater. If your bag is larger than standard baggage like so many travel bags are, they measure the circumference and also the weight. If it falls into the circumference category, you may be slammed, even ifit is under your weight allocation.

Tina and I got smashed by Continental some years back after being dropped at the airport, our ride nicked off and we had no mobiles. The check in measured our bags and told us we needed to pay an additional $450 USD for our travel bags. We unloaded some stuff that wasn't essential and binned it , then folded the bags in half after some serious repacking and whittled our fees down to $240USD.

What do you think will cost you more to transport, 50 kilos of lead bricks or 50 kilos of feathers? Think about it. With fuel costs spiraling out of control, an airline is going to look at every angle to recover costs and keep weight down whilst transporting as much cargo as possible.

I have been stung a few times and it can cost heaps. If you are getting connecting flights, they can also double dip and you can get charged twice. Do your homework and don't believe a travel agent. Ring your airline and tell them the dimensions and expected weight and as for their opinion.

Good winds,

Hey Gailforce,

I bought 2 kites,board,harness and a new NSI Golf carry bag. I had used them for a month in Brazil and also some time in the States. I travelled with lots of different airlines and it always fell under their respective free limits. I also had one of the large Billabong travel bags.But of course you should check on the airlines website to confirm the limit.

My gear wasnt looked at by customs and I also had a new laptop which I saved $800 on and that has an international warranty. I have also had a kite shipped direct from the USA by shops and got them to put it down as less than $1000 without a problem. But make sure you send any warranty cards/receipts home in the mail!!

I havent had a problem with any of my gear and I saved a ****load of cash. In the end its up to you whether you want to run the risk something MAY go wrong or not.

I don't see why a local shop won't help you out with problems. What if you were a traveller? Ive had help in Spain,Brazil and the States from places I didnt buy gear from. Search the internet for the best deal you can get. Most places will throw in free shipping in the states if you buy loads from them.

Cheers....Brendon

Support your local kite shop ,
I can demo kites ,boards , get great advice tuning gear
You save a heap a money that way , and get want you really need
Not to mention warrany eg. Best , replaced my used kite with a brand new one .
Through my local kite shop , how good is that!

If you are going to buy brand spank'n new gear, I would say buy it at home. Not worth the hassle vs. money. The mark up in kites is pretty low, so everyone offers about the same price point, and I agree, if you fly here/ you should buy here, makes it very convenient when & if you should ever have a problem with your gear to get some assistance.
However...... to undo everything I have stated above.
Used gear in the US is really cheap, just so many more people over there who kite, and everyone is just as crazed to ride the latest and greatest, really nice gear is just dumped for next to nothing, and heaps to choose from. It really is a buyers market.
I have used the classifieds on ikitesurf.com, and have had great success, and have saved my self a bundle.
As far as travel goes, here is a link for all airline surfboard overage fees:
surfline.com/travel/boardbag_charges.cfm?id=15425

I have used space bags ( the ones that you hook a vacuum to, and suck out all the air, and it has significantly reduced the amount of volume my kites take up). I have never had any problems traveling with kites, however kiteboards are a different story. As soon as the word board is mentioned, will usually translate to $ at the baggage counter. Golf bags, or kiteboard bags disguised as golf bags I have had a high rate of success.

As far as spots to kite at in Hawaii and Cal., just depends where you are at. I am going to give another quick plug for Ikitesurf.com, they have a massive sensor network around the US ( including Hawaii ), with pretty much every major kite & wind surfing spot covered as well as a forecast for each kite spot. Their sensors update in real time, so you know every little gust and lull that occurs. Each sensor has a link with directions on how to get there. The service can be accessed with a mobile phone via the web, or wap, and it is under $20/ month. Saves a ton of time in driving around to each spot.

You would be crazy not to buy at least some of your gear overseas with the strong AUD. I have been doing it since I started kiting 5 years ago and have saved heaps, and to be honest the service I have had out of Hawaii with warranties and replacements is better than i have had here. As for being under $1000 and paying duties I think all of us can work out how to get around that small obstacle. One piece of equipment from kitesurfari that is worth noting is Dakine shorts, sell for $200 here, $44 over there, an absolute bargain. I can not believe the AUD is almost at parity with the USD, as Aussies we should be making the most it, if the retailers won't reflect it in the prices at the shops then we should protest by buying overseas.

Hey Bowski,

After checking some of the prices on Kitesurfari, they are selling last years model kites or about to be superceded stock. Yes it is a bit cheaper but only marginally, by the time you add on freight and duty there wont be much in it. I think if you contact your local retailer, if he has superceded stock, he will be able to sell it for similar price as the Yanks, maybe even a bit cheaper.

Do your homework here in Oz first. First appearances aren't all they are cracked up to be.

Good winds,

I've just had a brilliant experience with my local kite retailer (Briskites). Long story short, I've had some stitching come undone which looks like will be covered by warranty. So far, thats what's expected, however I was going to be without a kite this weekend and the wind looks promising on Saturday.

Briskites has loaned me a demo kite for the weekend so I don't stay home cursing and getting all bitter and twisted.

In my opinion, saving a couple of hundred bucks is not worth it in the long run when you miss out on the service. I will continue to buy my gear from Briskites because they have looked after me.