Dyson Medic

So, you are on the bottom of the planet in Oz or New Zealand and fed up of getting ripped off for Dyson spare parts?

It seems many of the Aussies I speak with about their Dysons always have one gripe: Buying Dyson spares at reasonable prices down under. 

It seems Dyson spares are very expensive in Australia!

I suppose it makes sense really, Australia being an island, Dyson spares need to be imported by sea or air, and if done commercially, import duty and local taxation will need to be paid.

Also, as the economy of Australia is in quite good shape compared to much of Europe, people demand good salaries. So Australian Dyson spares sellers expect a certain profit margin.

This stacks up to imported stuff – like Dyson spares – being quite expensive in Australia.

So what to do if you are somewhere like Gold Coast-Tweed, Newcastle-Maitland or Canberra-Queanbeyan and you want to get some stuff for your Dyson without taking out a second mortgage?

Often, the answer is to buy your Dyson spares direct from the home of Dyson: England.

As an experiment, I just went to Aussie Google and typed in Dyson spare parts. Ignoring the top three paid-for listings, and the two eBay ones underneath (as eBay is very hit and miss and half the sellers have roos loose in the top paddock), the first organic search result was some place called Mr Appliance.

I went to the first product I found described as an MO48 motor……

Now aside from the fact that the motor pictured and described does not fit the DC04, DC07 and DC14 as stated (it does fit the cylinder models described though), we see that it is AUD $89.

As an aside, the motor pictured is the inferior type that does not have the thermal cut out on the outside. We found them not to be very good and wont use them. Probably why they only carry a three month warranty.

Lets assume we have a DC05, we will also want two filters too.

I went ahead and added what they call a FILTD-1 washable filter and a HEPA filter described as a VFIL191 at $20.95 and $19.90 respectively.

This brought me to $129.85 including GST.

I had heard about last second shipping charges in Oz before, so I went ahead and filled in a fake address in Wollongong with a postcode of 2527.

For unspecified reasons, this then added a further $11.70 delivery charge to the order making a grand total of $141.55.

In UK £ sterling, that AUD$141.55 stacks up to £86 (That thump you just heard was of the Brits hitting the floor).

So, lets look what a British Dyson spare parts supplier might charge for those items delivered to Oz.

Here is the motor: Dyson DC05 motor (a better quality one with the TOC on the outside).

Here is the washable  filter: DC05 washable filter.

Here is the HEPA filter: DC05 HEPA filter.

Those three items come to £39.23.

When I check through and select my fake address in Wollongong, I am showed a further delivery charge of £26.99.

This makes a grand total of £66.22 which in Aussie dollars is $108. A saving of $33.50. 

Added to which, as well as saving over thirty dollars, you are getting a better quality motor, and one that will actually fit all the machines it is claimed to fit, unlike Mr Appliance. Further, Mr Appliance neglects to tell you that the motor he is selling wont fit the Aussie DC05’s with a Panasonic motor. Nor will it fit the DC04, DC07 and DC14 he claims it will.

It must be stated that we don’t know Mr Appliance from Adam. He was the first organic hit on Google.com.au and we chose some spares at random and highlighted the inaccuracies on his listings for no other reason than fair comparison and disclosure.

Will spares from the UK fit Australian machines? 

Australian machines are the same voltage as UK machines, and are technically the same machines despite some external colour variations. This means spare parts from the UK will fit Australian machines.

Any downsides to buying Dyson spares in the UK? 

On items like motors, warranties are usually not valid on stuff like motors when sent out of the EU. However, on good quality stuff, the likelihood of one failing prematurely is quite low.

Delivery time is a bit longer from the UK. Whilst 7-10 days is typical, 14 days isn’t unheard of. But then again, nor is 5 days if you are lucky. Its the luck of the draw really.

Any taxes to pay or import problems? 

Stuff from the UK usually sails through Australian customs without issue.

Brit sellers routinely under-declare values on the customs forms if necessary, to ensure you don’t get hit with any taxes or import charges. (Unlike the average Seppo seller).

New Zealand has some unusual rules about importation of domestic appliance parts – but again, experienced sellers know what to write to avoid delays.

Is the mail service reliable? 

Most Brit sellers use Royal Mail. They work seamlessly with Australia Post. Stuff very, very seldom goes missing.

In fact, Brit sellers like to sell to Australia and NZ because the postal system is so smooth and Aussies are nice, pleasant buyers. No seller likes having to go digging out Post Office receipts and tracking numbers to answer spurious “item not received” claims or “chargebacks” that are all too common with US buyers (the reason many British firms wont ship to America – but will ship to Oz).

Anything else to know? 

You now know all you need to know to start saving money and start buying your Dyson spares in the UK.

If you want a supplier, you can try here: Dyson spare parts to Australia.

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