My name is Barry Le Roux and I founded TikTok Distribution which imports, wholesales and retails Apple products directly from the USA. All our products are supplied with a 12-month warranty and in the unlikely event of a manufacturers defect, we will have Approved Apple Repairers repair/ replace the unit. We are also about to rollout a 12-month swop-out warranty, in which case you would simply return the defective unit and we would replace it with a new one immediately. There isn’t a company in South Africa currently who offers this kind of warranty on Apple products and we intend offering it across our entire range of Apple products i.e. Macbook Pro’s, iMac’s, iPad 2′s, Mac Pro’s, etc.

We will be receiving iPad 2 stock within this month still and stock is quite limited so please check out our website at http://www.tiktok.co.za for more info or to order.

Take care.

Core price: R13999 – Import price: R12241 = R1758
That is a 14% saving.

Yes, that also means you don’t have local support, but again, even sending the computer back to the US under warranty will be much less of a pain than dealing with Core for service.

I have tried to find the import duties, it appears there are no additional duties on computer equipment (apart from the 14% VAT).

Everybody
We can whinge on this forum all we like, I think we’re better of talking to Apple themselves. Nobody else can fix the situation. I’m pretty sure that Apple will kick RJ’s butt as soon as somebody senior at Apple becomes aware of the damage he’s doing to their brand here. So lt’s start spamming Apple ASAP with all our bad experiences.

A macbook pro 17? with a 3.05Ghz, 500gig @7200rpm harddrive costs $2850.00 from the US website. When the US$ was 10 to 1 to the Rand a few months ago, I saw a macpro 2.66Ghz without the hectic upgrades(which are not available in SA), for GET THIS, 45000 rand. You do the math.
(28500rand for a 3ghz 17″ or a 2.66Ghz for 40 something) check it out for yourself.

The only reason I haven’t bought yet is that I can’t handle paying a rip off price and without the top of the line spec upgrades available in the US.

Unfortunately, Apple store US wont sell to anyone outside the US. So here is my solution.
1) A friend of mine will buy my mac in the US. 2)She will then courier it to Jordan where they do not charge duties on computers.
3) I will then collect it in Jordan when I go there in two weeks and then fly back to SA with it.

Admittedly, it is a long way to go about buying something. But you have to look at it this way, for the price of a mac in SA, I get to fly on a nice holiday, get a top spec mac, swim at the Dead Sea and still have money in my pocket and CORE gets nothing out of it.

As for backup, lets face it, we live in Africa. The only backup we get from anything is purely theoretical.(well I live in Zim so were used to it)

In fairness, I think Core is obligated to buy from Europe due to territorial sales agreements made before it came into business. Its Africa Europe and middle east is all one zone. Canada & US is a completely different zone with much better options and services available.

Take matters into your own hand and make a plan to get your own from the US. You’ll all wait a long time before you see any changes.

A final point: does anyone know what duties are charged to the importer. There is a chance the SA government is eating a nice chunk out of the margin.

CEO
0825536540
Rodney Ichicowitz

Operations Manager
0823256530
Nico van der Westhuizen

GM
0823226392
Greg Hill

Service Centre
0860227753

Service Center Manager
0823313620
Madelein Moolman

Apple Warranty Officer
0836073047
Paul Damhuis

The blog posts about Core’s 50% mark-up on some models infuriated me as much as any Mac enthusiast.

About the V&A Waterfront iStore in Cape Town – I was at there one evening a year ago when I walked in to window-shop. After enquiring with a sales employee about their Wacom tablet – on display next to one of their only 3 Macs on the display shelf – I got a blank look. he had to go ’round the back to check with the manager what that thing was.

To those who don’t know, Wacom tablets are popular with illustrators and graphic designers – part of the traditional Mac user-base. Not only could he not tell me what the price was, but after I enquired about a particular Wacom model not on display – the Wacom Graphire (one of only 2 models at the time), he returned from the back to tell me they couldn’t import the Wacom “Great Fire”.

What we have also seen is that there are a number of people who don’t understand the nature of this channel in SA. Digicape is a 100% independent dealer and not a front for the Core as some have suggested. In fact, Rotten to the Core is laughable as there is not a single correct fact in his/her comment. We are as challenged (we feel more so for being the top reseller) than any Apple Authorised Reseller in SA. We make exactly the same margins, even though most of the AARs out there do not have a retail presence or carry the Premium Reseller status. The difference between ourselves and the rest of the channel is that we have identified the parameters and challenges and have found ways in which to build a successful business within these. Digicape is built on service and relationships and not through some devious partnership agendas as suggested. We are passionate about the Apple brand and a lot of resource is put into correcting the wrongs done to the brand by our competitors as many of you have highlighted in these blogs.

Lastly, pricing is a big issue for many of you out there. We cannot comment on this because we are not privy to the Core’s structures and formulas but you only have to take a drive with one of the owners of Digicape to know that for us, it is more about the passion than the money.

Forget the wholesalers and the importers, they are not in business to give you a good price, and this is teh Southern tip of Africa NOT New York!!

Because one of their former employees was DISMISSED for attempting to work out by reverse calculate the cost price of Apple product (Digicape staff are not allowed to know the original costs of products they sell) as it was purchased from Core and was warned for doing so, hmmm I wonder?!

WHY do they get this better pricing? Because the Core group have dis-ingratiated themselves with most of the major shopping center management / property owners and the only way they can GET a tenant agreements for their iStore’s these days is because they use Digicape as the front . . .

Seth, I posted an open letter to core last week and surprise, no response. I’m trying to get hold of one of the Core executives to get a response…don’t hold your breath.

Perhaps the solution is, as others have suggested, to get hold of Apple in the US and ask for help.

Someone said that Digicape needs to get the distribution rights for Apple in South Africa… I agree!

As for the monopoly, I know a guy that is importing apple not through core. It is a legitiment business. But unfortunately it has just started so trying to get clients to switch from core to them is rather difficult. If you would like get more info or would like to change suppliers (incredible connection HINTS!) please email import.apple.dealer@gmail.com

It seems Core has some rich bedfellows…

Gives you an idea as to what VAR’s buy for. Core is a VAD, maybe they get even more of a discount.

The lack of services delivery on the other hand is a problem. This is also Apples problem and the fact that they did not monitor (I assume they did not) the service can only mean that they deem the Sa market to be to small to spend to much of their resources on.

Whilst your unsolicited attempt to get inside my actual brain and deliver results as to what my motives were for doing something, I’m afraid you got it wrong that time.

The REAL reason I linked to them so many times, was to increase the chances of my readers clicking through to their site, and hopefully, when they check their stats, they will notice this and realise the concern.

I don’t have anything to prove with regards to google rankings. And I think any SEO guru would agree that to attempt to nail down a generic high rank in Google for the keyword “core” is next to impossible.

Other than that, thanks for the comment and support!

my very best,

Seth

Here you go:

http://www.wiiza.co.za/smf/index.php?topic=2340.0

Anyway. If Core was in charge of Nintendo, then they did an appalling job. There were huge problems bringing the Wii into SA (you could easily dig up information on this online). SA only got Wii years after it was released… fairly sure there were problems with the local distributors, if it was Core, then that’s more ammo in your arsenal.

This doesn’t address the real issue, we need more distributors, and official Apple Stores. More Apple, less Core.

A 120GB iPod classic is $249 = R2,104.87 from the US store. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_classic?intcmp=AIC-WWW-NAUS-BUYNOW-FOOT-IPODCLASSIC-080910

A 120GB iPod classic is R3,599.00 from Core’s own online store. http://www.zastore.co.za/ipod08.php

I’m sure you can expect it to be a little more expensive considering shipping and import duties but a R1494.13 price difference is a little too steep.

I do hear what you are saying. It seems that Aplle are more expensive in SA but so is Golfclubs, Cars and just about everything that is imported.

Yes, there is VAT on these imports but also custom duties which can be as much as 20%. Often big brands also requir their South African Distributor to spend a certain amout of money on advertising. all these costs need to be recovered.
I am not saying these prices are justified, but it is more likely than not that Aplle had imput on what these products should retail at in SA.

http://www.mpieters.com/2009/05/just-how-expensive-is-apple-in-sa.html

I do believe that Apple is also to blame as they should be more involved with their distributor. The major cosmetics brands being distributed by South African Companies for example would never allow consultants that’s not trained properly to operate on the flour.

To be a distributor of a world famous brand like Apple should be a honor. Many world famous brands are being handled by South African Distributors and they are doing an excellent job of it.

If enough of us e-mail maybe we can make a difference?

I would really appreciate it if you can contact Apple headquarters in Cupertino

You have a big web presence is South Africa, and I think if you can just let Apple US know how Core is stuffing up their business here they might step in. As someone who has spent a lot of money on Apple products I have to say I am finding it hard to believe what they charge for their computers here.

Baseline unibody Macbook in SA: R15999
Baseline unibody Macbook in US: R11041 ($1299)
Price difference: 30%

Baseline New iMac 20 inch in SA: R14999
Baseline New iMac 20 inch in US: R10191 ($1199)
Price difference: 33%

iPod Touch 32GB in SA: R5800
iPod Touch 32GB in US: R3400 ($399)
Price difference: 42% !!!!!

Now I know VAT is 14%, which I accept. But as long as there is a sole importer of Apple in SA, we will never ever get decent prices of Apple gear in SA. How can a iPod cost almost double in SA? Shocking!

– just look around for the official email addresses, I have tried stevejobs@gmail.com and the next day I PR executive phoned me from the US.

Maybe your web presence gets the message through.

(PS: My next Macbook or iPod I will buy in the US.)