Invisible Communications

Grey Imports are goods purchased from overseas, ebay, or other sources that are not through an approved Australian dealer, agent or approved Australian distributor channel.

When purchasing equipment, ensure you are dealing with a reputable business, such as a BIA member or well known shop or service providor. All goods available from Invisible Communications are genuine Australian stock and are designed and approved for Australian use.

PLEASE ASK - if the price seems too good to be true, it often is. Ask if this is genuine stock from Simrad Australia, or overseas. Simrad Australia WILL NOT SUPPORT OFFSHORE PRODUCT. We know of retaillers who are dishonestly advertising offshore product as genuine Australian. Here are the problems with offshore product:

• No Australian approval – Unapproved electronic equipment or radios cannot legally be used in Australia, not to mention the danger of unsafe equipment. Australian Standards ensure equipment is safe and suitable for use. The authorities have the power to prosecute those who breach the laws associated with Australian safety and radio standards. Prosecution can include harsh fines and imprisonment.

• Lack of support- When you buy from an Australian dealer you get support, often can try the unit's operation before purchasing, get after-sales support (particularly if you purchase from a technical dealer), and have a point of contact for warranty and questions. None of this comes from buying grey imports.

• Grey imports also may have incorrect or incomplete mapping, wrong settings for Australia, and other problems

NEW Consumer Awareness Brochure on Dangers of Grey and Parallel Imports.

The Boating Industry Alliance of Australia has developed an awareness brochure to warn consumers of possible pitfalls of importing their own marine products and boats.

The new brochure, "Thinking of Importing your Next Boat?" will be distributed in magazines and at the Sydney International Boat Show, and available from members of the Boating Industry Alliance (or the state Boating Industry Associations).

This is not the case

As far as the  Vertex HX851 and GX2150 at least.

The world is smaller and these people are protecting their jobs.

There overstocked on the out dated models is the truth.

The customer sees the product from the manufacturer ( or as is real the case The Marketing Arm) internationally.

So many people buy overseas and the hype as regards to Warranty and type approval is a furfie. For 500 Bucks if it stuffs up just get a new one

There are no or very few Radio Inspectors in Aus. And every International craft have non ticked Radios.

Well  just buy off the Internet .There are some Aussie sites.

Or  go to the US or were ever. People travel all the time.

If one Model has a tick, then it is no issue for it to include the new model radio.

Other countries have a lot stricter rules than the outdated Aussie legislation.

OH also no GST

Hi Roland,

Thanks for your comments. You have a similar view to many other people in Australia who will simply buy offshore to save a few dollars.

It is unfortunate that there is such a pricing discrpancy between Australian sold marine electronics and offshore marine electronics.

Let me explain. Australian dealers are not marking up the product to make a fortune. The profits in selling marine electronics in Australia are very small.

The items available from offshore are at completely different pricing scales, as they fall under different markets, and pass different certifications, and have different customizations for their area. This means that Australian dealers cannot complete price wise with offshore units.

When you buy a genuine Australian product from a genuine authorised Australian dealer, you know you will get after-sales support. This may be as simple as interfacing your Standard horizon HX851 marine radio into your Simrad networked system, or could be as complex as commissioning the entire system for worldwide on-board warranty.

For our customers, we produce and provide complete system diagrams free of charge, along with other diagrams and support. We also provide free phone support, even on weekends and out of hours.

If people don't continue to buy products through Australian channels, then the days where you can walk into a shop and try before you buy will be over. There will also be no dealers such as ourselves who can provide the expertise, knowledge and support.

Other things to think about:

- Customs import duty (if you don't declare it correctly, that is fraud)

- When we sell a radio, it comes with an Australian charger!

- Warranty, or repairs after warranty

- How reputable is the "seller"?

Thanks for your comments. People will buy where they choose to buy from, that's your right (within the law). The best we can do is educate people and support genuine products as best we can.