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Trading Post Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 12/14/2006 11:47 PM
Posts: 1,
Visits: 0
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The truth has to be revealed that ready made blinds are an enormous threat to the blind manufacturing industry in Australia.
Did you know it is very common for the most expensive custom made blind to have equally the same amount of problems in the long run as a ready made blind, the average life of most blinds is between 5–7 years.
Possibly the largest secret blind manufacturers' in Australia do not want you to know when they are trying to sell you a custom made blind, is that every part of every blind is actually made in either China, Taiwan, Indonesia or Vietnam, to name a few.
For example, let us take a look at the componentry. These are the parts that are used to manufacture custom made blinds i.e. tilters, cord locks, rollers, pins, plastic end caps, brackets, fabrics, screws, cords, string ladders, chains the list goes on - but every one of these parts will be an imported product.
This means that every blind manufacturer in Australia is really an assembler and every custom made blind in Australia is actually made from imported parts and fabrics. When you come across an advertisement saying, our blinds are Australian made, you will know that this statement is far from the truth.
Purchasing custom made blinds will cost any where in the region of 50% - 300% more than ready made blinds and if you look after ready made blinds they will last just as long as custom made blinds.
So why are custom made blinds twice as expensive as ready made blinds? The answer to this question are the costs involved in assembling blinds in Australia and of course the high mark ups major suppliers put on to blind makers.
The reason I write this article is to dismiss the myth that ready made blinds are somehow inferior compared to made to measure blinds. The fact is ready made blinds have been subject to a lot of scrutiny from Australian manufacturers suggesting imported blinds will warp or fade. This is basically a sales ploy to discourage customers from buying imported blinds.
The reason blind manufacturers will want to discourage their customers from buying imported blinds is the fact that imported blinds is a multi million dollar business and more Australians are now buying these blinds as the industry becomes stronger and stronger every year due to the imports becoming better quality.
It does pay to research ready made blinds before you make your purchase. You will be surprised how many suppliers do not carry parts in case something may break.
A few companies such as Lincraft, Freedom Furniture, Bunnings, Kmart or any 2-dollar store do not carry spares so if you happen to break a tilter mechanism in a timber blind there may be not a lot you can do.
Diablo
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Trading Post Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 10/30/2008 3:05 PM
Posts: 13,
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This same thing is happening in the furniture industry.
Australian Made is really just "australian assembly". Ikea is pricing Australian upholstery out of the market with cheap chinese imports and not even hiring Australian assemblers - by using the marketing technique of "DIY assembly". Therefore the lounges that ARE Australian made are so much more expensive - and people don't want to buy expensive (even though it's better quality).
But I don't blame the majority of Australians for going cheaper. With cheaper prices you can buy more...and if the quality isn't there - that's ok, because Australians like to update all the time. There is no such thing as keeping a lounge suite until you are retired (partly because there are no places that have parts and that it is so poorly constucted in the first place that you wouldn't bother repairing).
But it's a sad state of affairs when an upholster has been working in the industry for so long and now can't find work because it's all dried up simply because we all prefer cheap over quality and Australian Made.
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Trading Post Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/6/2009 3:52 PM
Posts: 1,
Visits: 1
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I completely disagree that ready made are better than custom.
I had 'ready made' put in my house a couple of years ago and they looked like rubbish. The photos on the web looked great, but in reality the material is often of a low standard and they looked 'cheap'.
A couple of windows were also of different sizes and they did not fit right. The mechanisms also failed in a number of them in the first 12 months.
Not a good experience.
I would recommend spending that little bit extra and getting a blind that fits just right and is of the right material.
I did not make the same mistake for my new house.
Also deal with reputable companies like Shy Blinds ( www.shyblinds.com.au ) or luxaflex ( www.luxaflex.com ).
avoid the cowboys with 90% off sales and wont be there tomorrow (unless of course you are happy to have problems and have second rate looking product).
My two cents. Others may have had positive experiences, but for me not worth the risk of a lot of money to be wasted a second time.
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