George Goff said:

> There are only a few master importers bringing this stuff
> into the country and all the parts guys, whether on the net
> or on the next street, have to go to them. Don't delude yourself
> into thinking that just because someone has pasted together a
> purty web page they are also lining up their trucks to unload
> a container ship.

I'll have to inform my staff of this. They will be amused to learn that
the 40 foot container that they will spend three hours unloading in
about a week - one of many that we import from Europe each year - does
not exist. :-)

It is true that the majority of vendors buy from a few major importers,
which is why their selection is so similar (or even identical). But
again you are painting with too broad a brush.

As a direct importer of many of the parts that we carry, we can offer
parts that other vendors don't (or carry them in better brands, i.e.
importing a German part ourselves rather than settling for the Mexican
one that the U.S. wholesalers carry). It also allows us to charge less
for many parts (since we "cut out the middleman" by importing the part
ourselves).  The wholesalers are good for parts that happen to fit a
Vanagon, but also fit a Golf or Jetta. Since they buy them for the full
range of VW cars, they import huge quantities and get good deals from
the factories. But for most of them, Vanagon parts are an afterthought
at best, and they don't expend much energy negotiating good prices or
seeking the best possible quality. In the case of parts that are Vanagon
or Bus specific, I can often do much better importing the part myself.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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