TUMI in Oz
 

I have my heart set on a TUMI roller (22" w/suiter) and laptop bag. Having researched eBay, the cost of shipping is prohibitive from the US and so I am looking domestically.

To add to my woes, I am seeking some of the older Generation 3 stuff. Since I assume the TUMI store in Sydney has cleared out all their old stock, where should I begin my hunt and how much should I expect to be paying?

I got mine in HKG a good couple of years ago - cheaper than anywhere in Asia Pacific. It probably doesn't help you at this point. The Tumi flagship store is in the MLC centre in Sydney. They may be able to help.

US price plus shipping may still be cheaper, and under $1,000 it shouldn't attract duty. It may be worth trying a similar approach from Asian stockists.

I personally don't really like TUMI products as I find their quality is not that good (and it is made in China).

But I guess as my Ibank friends said, it is more of a banker wan*er thing (sorry if I offended anyone!)

Brands such as Manarina Duck are much better in design and quality.

Some Options
 

Coathanger,

Have a go at contacting some of the US companies such as Bretts and google a few others to see how competitive they are compared to eBay. I have ordered all of my TravelPro bags from Brett's and have not had any trouble. You might find dealing direct with a Tumi dealer may save you a bit on the freight vs what is charged on eBay.

Tumi makes a good bag - I have one - but i believe there are better bags out there in the 22" category. I would not buy another Tumi.

Currently I use two 22" rollers. I have a TravelPro P3 that is 16 months old and Qantas is trying to figure out where it is after 2 months of repair work. That bag has taken a hammering, but when it is ready to retire I will replace it with another LW Stealth.

The other 22" I currently use is Luggage Works Stealth NG. Had it for 6 months and it is with out doubt the smoothest rolling, best balanced bag I have used. Quality is top notch and you can repair/replace just about everything. Would buy another without question.

Good luck to you - I know how important it is to have a bag that works the way you want it too!

Love mine but wish they hadn't changed to the G4 (thanks to AA for losing mine).

Bought all of mine overseas as the Sydney retail is ridiculous, did manage to pick up some bits and pieces in the David Jones clearout but not seen anything else.

eBay is by far the best bet and even with the shipping you will save vs Aus prices....

The Sydney MLC shop is very helpful. Physically, it's a tiny shop, so I guess you can always ring if there's a particular model you want and they can order stuff in for you.

If you can find a cheap overseas shop that can send to Australia, then great. I seem to recall the Tumi site won't ship to out to Australia/NZ.

www.customs.gov.au ^

And for those of you willing to pay so much for TUMI bags (£200 for a rucksack ! :rolleyes: ) - and almost as much for the duty when its delivered, as tinybelle quite rightly reminds us ! - this I am sure will be of interest :-

http://www.tumi.com/about/index.cfm?fuseaction=tracer

Is Samsonite out of favour these days? They have been my favourite bags for a long time, and their newer designs are actually quite fashionable.

This makes no sense check out http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=5549 the key part being And also 120 USD doesnt equal to anywhere near 250 AUD anyway..

Specifically on Victorias Secret my old housemate used to order tons of the stuff all the time with no duty..

Or maybe I am missing something?

It's definitely $1,000 regardless of shipping method, including Fed Ex. We do it all the time. As long as it's listed with a pro-forma invoice there has been no problems to date. We don't use DHL, do I can't comment there.

The post office seems sometimes to be a bit fiercer than other point of entry customs checks.

I have had no problems ordering Victoria Secret or Grasse French Perfumes and being charged duty. Fed Ex into the UK on the other hand........grrrr.

yes I just checked myself maybe it has changed in the last 12 mths;
I have just sent an email to customs to ask the same question as I had a very in depth conversation with them about the carpet last year
and the 120us was PLUS DHL shipping maybe it was 150 I cant reemembr now but I just know I sent the stuff back as I was not prepared to pay 150 in fees :mad:

Ill let u know the outcome of the carpet as I absolutely loved it but not double!

Small tip, if flying inbound with something over the $900 allowance (say a computer monitor), declaring it, they will also allow the first year's depreciation if the the "box is open" and I have found them helpful in minimising duty.

I stand corrected and should delete my post if thats ok so others dont read my MISINFORMATION. :rolleyes:

i emailed custome as 5.30 last night and already have a very informed reply stating your findings of $1000!.

that is great service customs!
its not even 9am! :)