Starting out with the right gear..

Hi everyone,
The sum total of my experience to date is walking a few beaches in Sydney with my brother, watching him get a pocket of coins and couple of gold and silver chains.
It hasn't been wasted time because it has given me the bug!

First... a metal detector..

Having sold my guitar and some other stuff (mainly to keep the missus happy about this new venture), I have about a $1500 budget for the detector.
General research and trolling a number of sites I really like the look of, (mainly for ease of use), the "Minelab Safari"
My questions are: Do any other members use this machine and would they consider it a good starting investment for someone new to the game.
and... a good places to purchase one.

I am looking at an American site at the moment Kellyco which have them a few hundred cheaper than I can find in Aus. Has anyone dealt with or had problems with this company?

cheers

Thommo

Hi thommo.
I just replied to your reply in my post, thanks again btw.

I recently purchased a detector from the states, a minelab gpx-4500.
Be REALLY careful of the add-on costs...
I bought it from the states because it was cheaper, but I ended up paying nearly the cost in Australia by the time all the other charges came up.

Those costs included:
freight ($150ish)
freight insurance ($50ish)

If the item is over $1000, you have to pay customs duty (5%) AND GST, regardless of whether it is personal, a gift, second hand or the like.
on top of that, customs have a $50 processing fee...

all up, I had to pay over $500 extra to get the item in my hands...

also note, the gst is calculated on the (purchase price + freight and insurance + duty) THEN * 10 %
so if you buy a detector for 1000, and pay 200 in freight and insurance, you'll pay a purchase price of $1000, plus the duty of $50, then freight and insurance of $200, for a total of $1250.
Then they charge you $125 gst on that, for a grand total of $1375.00. add on the $50 processing fee, and the item you bought for $1000 will cost you $1425 to get it in your hands.

That hurts, I know!
so do the figures, and also check, if it has warranty, if that is transferable in australia. If not, minelab in SA should be able to service it if required, for a fee, obviously.

You really don't want to get a dud and have to ship it back and pay another $200 each way to get it repaired.

Minelab detectors regularly come up on ebay, but they usually sell for realistic prices too.
Beware buying any minelab from overseas unless it is from a highly reputable dealer.
There are so many fakes on the market.
If you get it from ebay, make sure you get the serial number and call minelab SA to confirm it (they were very helpful)
And only buy from a dealer who accepts paypal - its virtually impossible to get your money back from a wire-transfer or direct deposit transaction, plus the fees are often exorbitant.

And avoid anything from ali baba or any other sites known to be inundated with counterfeit items, and avoid anything from indonesia, etc.

Hope this info helps in your calculations, and good luck.

Ow.. the old adage..."if it looks too good to be true" sure comes into play.
Will go for a local purchase on the detector after that advice. Thanks.

Having said that, it is frustrating that an Australian company can sell an item cheaper in the US to US citizens.

The Safari just for example:
$999 at Kellyco (with $345 accessories) + free shipping in the US
$1395 rrp to Australians at the Minelab site .. and the Oz dollar is better than the $US

.. I guess we must be just pay much higher taxes..

I'll start watching eBay!

Cheers ... and thanks for the excellent advice.

Guy also remember if anything go's wrong with your machine you will have to send it back to were you bought it from, the USA in your case. Buy from Australia it is cheaper in the long run specially if anything go's wrong with it.
wombat

cheers
I was just looking at some Australian sites as you posted this.

Also, can anyone reccomend a detector that is really good for both coins/relics etc but will handle find gold well for the odd times I might get to a gold area.
ie ... a good all-rounder.

$1500 budget ...(perhaps a little more if I get the missus a bottle of chardy!)