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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2011 4:44:30 GMT
Hello I wanted to know if anyone ordered from this site www.roninswords.com.au ? Also I was thinking of getting an Akio Hattori Katana, as they are all pretty similar just a few dozen dollars difference between the prices. This is not about Ronin Katana's. This is a completely different website.
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Post by Vestri on Oct 3, 2011 14:27:28 GMT
Yea, Id like to know too - I live in New South Wales, and the owner lives in Queensland. He told me a few hours ago that he has a storage house in Canada.
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Oct 5, 2011 5:49:16 GMT
Hi Guys, Im from Victoria and I ordered an Albion Crecy from them a few months back and had no problems, answered all my queries and kept me up to date with my order. The only issue I would say is that you have to email them to get the current price, but I was very happy and would recommend them.
Cheers - Paul
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Post by Darksword Armory on Oct 20, 2011 6:42:06 GMT
I deal with Adam, the owner of Ronin Swords, all the time...Great guy ! you really have nothing to worry about when dealing with him. He has integrity, stands by his customers and is simply a great guy.
Eyal Azerad Darksword Armory inc.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2011 9:40:36 GMT
I've ordered from Ronin Swords before, I currently have another item on order with them now. Adam is really helpful, I called on the phone, he took the time to help me decide which sword suited my needs. He notified me when my order was shipped, received the order as promised. He's always been helpful with any questions I've asked, like the others have mentioned, he's a great guy. Would definitely recommend them too!
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Post by bloodwraith on Oct 20, 2011 12:04:25 GMT
The only thing that would stop me from ordering from this guy is the price. Now I am not the sort of person looking for something for nothing but his prices are often two or three times the price if one procures it from the US. Although for some of the longer pieces that are a nightmare to get in he seems like a viable option.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2011 13:18:02 GMT
Maybe it's because we dont live in the US, where you guys get swords for a pittance then have the nerve to whinge about how you're not getting the world for $300!!! :lol: It costs us well over $100 just to ship a sword from the US to Australia, and then there's all the regulations and fuss about importing a sword. You might want to read this from the Cold Steel website, who refuses to ship here to individuals: www.coldsteel.com/shippingrates.htmlOrders to Australia & Denmark
We have suspended all shipments to Australia & Denmark, due to multiple seizures of our products by your country's Customs Department. We suggest you contact your Customs Department for further information. Cold Steel is not aware of, or responsible for, the laws and customs regulations of countries outside the United States. So, that being said, since we cannot be certain that an item will get through your customs department, or not, we can not and will not be responsible for the legal status of any Cold Steel product being shipped to your country. Our policy for international shipments states that if the item is stopped and shipped back to us, we will refund for any undamaged merchandise only we do not refund for any shipping charges. If an item is confiscated or destroyed by customs, we are not responsible and will not process any refund, or attempt to replace that item under warranty. Because of this dramatic increase in seizures by Australian and Denmark Customs, we have suspended all shipments there. This is to insure that our customers are not out the amount of money often substantial amounts of money for any items confiscated. We have run into this issue before with regard to several different countries and their customs departments. A customer is sure that an item can get through customs and be delivered, only to discover too late that is not the case. We would love to sell and ship any of our products to you, but we want to insure that you receive it with a minimum of difficulty. We are sorry that we cannot help you with an order at this time, but our hands are tied regarding this matter. As things change, so will our shipping policies to Australia & Denmark.So, you were saying? ...
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Oct 20, 2011 16:34:59 GMT
The prices are pretty right, like I mentioned above you just have to email Adam for the current price, he also states this on his web site. Think the prices shown are back when our $ was worth about 70cents and now it's about $1.04
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Oct 20, 2011 16:48:07 GMT
Bloodwraith actually lives in Australia... and is thus very familiar with the cost of buying swords overseas. If the swords are under the stupid short length restrictions for shipping down under... then you likely can still save money buying from a USA shipper. I have sold and shipped many swords to folks in Australia... often costs about 60-80 USD and have not had a single one seized by customs yet. So I'd agree with 'Wraith... if they are asking 2-3 times the cost that swords could be found from a USA based seller, you'd likely be better of buying from that USA based vendor and paying 60-80 bucks in shipping, you'll still come out ahead. Unless, as he mentioned, you looking at a long sword or two handed sword... something too long to ship to OZ cheeply. Edit: For example, I just looked at the site and they sell a H/T EMSHS for 425... which is at least 250 more then it normally sells for in the states. Even assuming 80 bucks in shipping you save a ton buying it from a vendor like Kult of Athena and the like.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2011 8:35:12 GMT
Paul who commented earlier would confirm, in Victoria we have the tightest state sword laws in the country, on top of our restrictive customs - importing is not the easiest option for us Aussies down here without jumping many bureaucratic hoops, it's much easier in the other states. Also, I've ordered other items from the US, that don't exceed the length limits, but the weight raises the shipping costs considerably. Sometimes it's easier to pay a little more and be done with it.
The "two or three times the price" is a bit misleading though, it depends on the cost of the sword. For a cheap $200 sword, your shipping cost is going to add $100 to the price, a 50% increase, and then adding a bit of a margin for the seller - we don't sell the volumes they sell in the states, smaller market, you might be looking at $350. Do the same thing with a $1000 sword and the difference in price reduces drastically...
It all ultimately depends on how much your time is worth, and how much hassles you're prepared to go through, and time spent chasing up government paperwork. Sometimes it's easier to pay the extra money and get the job done. Each to their own I guess!
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Oct 21, 2011 10:19:03 GMT
The prices are pretty spot on I recently priced a Albion knight and the insured delivered price to my door was only $80 different between going direct with Albion or with Adam.
As I said above and written on Adams site the prices shown are not correct, you have to email for the current price.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2011 12:30:46 GMT
I check with him when ordering too. Prices are quite good!
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Oct 21, 2011 14:36:04 GMT
I've shipped, in the past three years, about 10 swords to Australia. Katana and Arming swords and the like... things that fit under the length limit. The last one was an Atrim type XII I shipped to forum member DeepBlueDave. Not a single sword ever got hassled by customs, and not a single sword ever cost more then 80 bucks for me to ship. So If I'm looking at something that can be bought for 175 and then shipped for 80... vs paying 425 for it... that is a savings of 170 bucks... and I don't even know if the 425 price one the site included shipping, so it might be even more savings. Anyone who wants to spend 170+ more then they need to for a sword... more power to em... but that will never be me.
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Post by Vestri on Oct 22, 2011 5:40:11 GMT
Agreed - Ive been to 4 Aussie sites and YES I can tell you I did the math and there is always a 25% differnece at minimum (Including shipping) AND up to 200% mark up differnece at the maximum I've seen.
For example, I saw a Hanwei selling in the US for (jsut for arguments sake) about $350 bucks, with $70 shipping.... versus one site I saw asking for $990 with god knows what for shipping. Id like to call that more than 200% mark up.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2011 6:10:57 GMT
That's why we wait for things to be on sale here in Australia or really shop around !
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Oct 25, 2011 6:31:45 GMT
Man, those AU shipping rates/laws are effing brutal. I hope you can get something you like.
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Post by Vestri on Oct 25, 2011 9:31:27 GMT
Well, I would be more sympathetic if the laws didnt work. In Melbourne in the state of Victoria, there has been a history of some seriously vioilent gang behaviour, and in Sydney, there have been some isolated drug related gun violence but it ended up with a lot and I mean a lot of arrests in the 1990's. Because of the knife crime in Melbourne, the State government was pressured by a lot of movement groups to suppress "concealed weapons."
In Sydney, because of the serious gun crimes across the country, the State government made a recomendation to the Federal government to do a gun recall and make rifles highly restricted and hand guns almost impossible to find unless you buy it from a smuggler or you steal it from cops. So two unlreated gang violence resulted in two different laws.
Like I said, I WOULD be more sympathetic if the laws DIDNT work.... And they seem to have reduced gun and knife crime to almost isolated cases only. I mean, for the last 2 years, the Aussie news for Bar and Pub violence was mostly ppl using glass bottles etc. Where as in the 1980's and 1990's there was a lot of knife related and gun related violence. Its ALMOST (and I use that strongly) almost unheard of now.
Having said that, I think the Victorian laws are too rough on Katana's. In Sydney, Customs told me that things like Tanto's and MAYBE Wakisashis will ALWAYS be checked at the border and the receiver and sender background checked. If the package is deemed a "Concealed weapon" its seized unless the person has a permit. And to explain the difference, I was able to buy a Tanto for a friend with a normal sized Tsuba, and that was checked and cleared, but Customs told me that if I ordered that Tanto that had no guard, so it could be easily slid into a sleeve, then thaat would be seized. So there is a fine line in Sydney and other parts of Australia.
EDIT: Katana's by federal Australian law states they fall under "Traditional weapons" so as long as Customs can see its for ornamental, or Dojo purposes, they will release it. Thats why in the state of Victoria, if you cant get a permit for personal use, you have to get recognition from the local clubs that use "traditional weapons" and most of the time, thats pretty difficult on its own.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2011 10:11:17 GMT
You might not be aware, the crime stats were faked, the big debacle recently that toppled the police chief in our state was partly related to doctoring the crime stats. The reality is the laws have made no difference...
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Post by Vestri on Oct 25, 2011 10:28:07 GMT
Last I checked though, news reports have seen huge drops of knife crime across the state of NSW. Dont know what it did for VIC, but it works, even the gun restrictions slowed (not stopped) armed robbery, and in the 90's it was sky high in Sydney.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2011 12:02:39 GMT
The media reports are questionable, the national government statistics are more objective. You should check the statistics for gun crime from the ABS, as anlysed and published by the SSAA. It's not the case as reported. majority of firearms related deaths are actually suicides here. Government acknowledged this and used the excuse that they were trying to reduce the suicide rate in Aus by removing the tool people used. Stats show suicide rates didn't drop, but the methods used changed, that's all. I believe the levels of gun crime were reducing on their own before the national gun bans. To make matters worse, gun crimes actually increased after the bans. The statistics actually contradict the claims! See the figures here: www.ssaa.org.au/research/2000/20 ... -tape.html In the 90's it was crazy in Sydney and Melbourne because of the organised crime running rife, and the corruption in the police force was at its peak too in these two states, that's what the TV series "Underbelly" was based on. It wasn't due to armed petty crims or the general public running around with guns. Anyway... This thread is about experience purchasing from a sword vendor, not a discussion about Aus laws, let's not derail the thread!
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