I'm picking out fittings for our new PPOR, and have found that there are some huge savings to be made on plumbing fittings, in particular.
For example, this floor-mounted spout with mixer-tap and hand shower is $2,099 from Reece (which I wouldn't dream of paying):
Yet I can buy this one from eBay - covered by the very stringent Australian Consumer Law - for just over 1/10th of that price, at $248, delivered:
I do know that having Australian Consumer Law rights is of little value if you can't find the seller to enforce them, but what I really want to ask - particularly of plumbers and those "in the know" - is: what aspects or features of the design affect quality? Is there likely a difference in the physical product, or are they likely similar / identical products that can be had much cheaper through one supply chain than another? What should I be looking for to know whether the cheaper product is likely to be of adequate quality?
I'm not too fussed about getting a tap for $20 instead of $50, but crikey, a difference of $1,850 is significant...
For example, this floor-mounted spout with mixer-tap and hand shower is $2,099 from Reece (which I wouldn't dream of paying):
Yet I can buy this one from eBay - covered by the very stringent Australian Consumer Law - for just over 1/10th of that price, at $248, delivered:
I do know that having Australian Consumer Law rights is of little value if you can't find the seller to enforce them, but what I really want to ask - particularly of plumbers and those "in the know" - is: what aspects or features of the design affect quality? Is there likely a difference in the physical product, or are they likely similar / identical products that can be had much cheaper through one supply chain than another? What should I be looking for to know whether the cheaper product is likely to be of adequate quality?
I'm not too fussed about getting a tap for $20 instead of $50, but crikey, a difference of $1,850 is significant...