Spending tips

[anthman]

Hi all, was just thinking about the amount Ive spent on fishing related expenditure and thought it would be good to start a topic on spending tips to save a few bucks here and there, hopefully to curb off the ever increasing total spent!

I'll share some of my tips:

* Subscribe to mailing lists for popular fishing sites - check out the weekly emails most send out and see if gear you've been eyeing appears on sale!

* I often shop on eBay for really cheap consumables but look for the signs of quality amongst the sea of crap - e.g. split rings (look for flattened and with a weight rating), swivels (look for stainless steel with a weight rating). Other accessories like knot hooks, small tackle boxes etc... are pretty basic so not much that can go wrong - buy these as cheap as possible. Having said that, I also check against Dinga as a general point of reference (free Australia based shipping with no minimum spend really levels things). When buying of AliExpress, I also use my cashrewards account to accrue 5% off every purchase made - factor this in the price comparison. I should say here that for sinkers , I usually buy from dinga as shipping contributes greatly to pricing for eBay, as we know, shipping is free on dinga, so often works out cheaper to buy heavy consumables from dinga.

* For fluoro leader, Ive gone cheap and expensive - I haven't really had a positive experience in the cheap arena, hence what I use exclusively is FC Rock for all ranges up to 40LB. I stock up when dinga have (quarterly?) 'Leader and line x% off sale'.

* For braid, Ive found the kastking kastpro braid to be really good - breaks about 20% above stated strength and fairly accurate thin diameter. Goes for about 20aud for 300m on AE. Before that, have used a combination of 100-150m spools bought on sale from Australian stores (gallant brand, mainly) as well as kastking mega8, which has been fairly consistent but a little bit thicker than what's stated(going for about $14aud (whilst on sale) for 270/300m ATM on AE.

* For reels - it's really a personal choice. See below:

For cheap cheap reels that are gonna get abused or passed around, I get cheap cheap Chinese reels. I only pick from kastking and piscifun brands, these are the only ones that have made an impact globally with positive independent reviews frequently made on YouTube. Given I fish saltwater, I generally look for good carbon disc drag, sealed design and (sometimes) metal body. You can go with the popular brands, but I've found these two Chinese brands usually beat the popular branded reels in the sub $60 price point. 

For more expensive reels (i.e. above $60 :P) it's up to you. I really like the Daiwa BG for durability and smoothness, though a bit heavy. I often check a shop (us, not au) along with camelcamelcamel - I picked up a few Daiwa bgs around the $90-100 each, shipped.  Otherwise, the Shimano nasci has better drag, similar sealing and is lighter (but that's because it's not a metal body).

Otherwise, eBay with the frequent 20% of specific seller groups (outdoors types) might include fishing shops - so you might be able to pickup a clearance item with an additional 20% off. Applies to all types of fishing gear.

* For rods, Ive had poor experiences buying chinese brands from the Chinese version of ebay, though the brand kuying has really nice rods but are pricier as a result. Definitely only for consideration when we are stronger against the USD and there coupons available on AE. eBay - Ive found the graphite rods from the Sambo brand to be acceptable for when you don't want to lose a rod overboard or passing it around - have caught a kingy on their 7' 5-10kg on max drag, the bend was like a jogging rod and it performed well). Great service aswell - they will consider "offers" made via the eBay "make an offer" function - e.g. 20% saved if I buy two. They also shipped out a new rod when I received a rod with a broken eyelet. All it took was a photo and I got a new rod in a few days.

I sometime buy off adore tackle, the owner is really helpful via email, I feel the rods end up averagely priced when comparing the price of the rods in their home country (usually European). Good if you want a particular rod spec.

For the majority of my rods, though, have gotten them through the weekly promotional emails - dinga has been the source of quite a few my rods, well done on pricing, dinga!

* For boating gear, eBay for small components, wiring, electronic bits. Dinga for some parts and then RTM and whitworths for the rest. Don't cheap out on safety related gear.

Having said all that, have I saved a fortune? I think I have. Have I SPENT a fortune? DEFINITELY!

 

 

[anthman]

Pm me if you want details on the Chinese version of eBay or other queries (to follow the rules)

[raging]

- Don't forget fishraider get an extra 5% discount at dinga.

- doesn't take much effort to look after, clean & maintain your gear, lasts longer

 

 

[Windswept]

The more you spend, the more you catch, right?

Anyway, I typically find that I can't justify buying a lot of things, but when I eventually make the jump, I've forgotten about the price I paid a week later.

Sorry, will try to be a little more constructive. Ummmm, try searching on gumtree for used stuff. You can find some bargains on there, you just may need to weed through a lot of cr*p first...

[anthman]

10 hours ago, raging said:

- Don't forget fishraider get an extra 5% discount at dinga.

- doesn't take much effort to look after, clean & maintain your gear, lasts longer

 

 

Ohhhh I didn't know that! How do we get the extra 5%? 

[nutsaboutfishing]

59 minutes ago, anthman said:

Ohhhh I didn't know that! How do we get the extra 5%? 

Here you go. Don't know if you've used Dinga before but I can guarantee you'll be blown away     by the price and service

 

Hi Fishraiders,

Thank you for the warm welcome, and great to hear many of you have already experienced the benefits and advantages of DINGA Online, and why it unanimously considered the #1 for Fishing Tackle by Australia's Angling Community

In addition to our already low prices (if not the lowest prices in Australia), we would like to offer all Fishraider members (new & existing), an additional 5% discount on all their orders.

Before placing an order please email us at info@dinga.com.au with the below details and we will assign you to a special customer group which will provide you with an additional 5% discount off our already low prices. Plus we will deliver every order to you within Australia free.

All you need to do is email us with the following details:

1. Email address
2. Fishraider "Display Name"

... and we will apply this special extra discount offer to all of your orders from that time on.

If you are not already a DINGA Club member, just go to this page and join (free) and fill in your details before you emails us with your details. https://www.dinga.com.au/dinga-club.html

At DINGA Online we don’t offer discounts on inflated prices. Our special offers are truly special offers. We pride ourselves on being a cut above the competition, but what really sets us apart is what we like to call "The DINGA Difference".

• Super fast, FREE shipping (Signed in DINGA Club Members)
• All products backed by the DINGA 100% Guarantee (Easy Returns)
• Best Value Guarantee (We will beat any advertised online price that an Australian competitor has in stock) 
• Protect your purchase from Click to Delivery 
• DINGA Buyer Protection (On all Transactions)
• Enjoy 5 Star Service (Before & After Purchase)

We are always happy to help you if you require assistance - please let us know by email, or call us during business hours on 02 4960 8840.

[anthman]

5 minutes ago, nutsaboutfishing said:

Here you go. Don't know if you've used Dinga before but I can guarantee you'll be blown away     by the price and service

 

Hi Fishraiders,

Thank you for the warm welcome, and great to hear many of you have already experienced the benefits and advantages of DINGA Online, and why it unanimously considered the #1 for Fishing Tackle by Australia's Angling Community

In addition to our already low prices (if not the lowest prices in Australia), we would like to offer all Fishraider members (new & existing), an additional 5% discount on all their orders.

Before placing an order please email us at info@dinga.com.au with the below details and we will assign you to a special customer group which will provide you with an additional 5% discount off our already low prices. Plus we will deliver every order to you within Australia free.

All you need to do is email us with the following details:

1. Email address
2. Fishraider "Display Name"

... and we will apply this special extra discount offer to all of your orders from that time on.

If you are not already a DINGA Club member, just go to this page and join (free) and fill in your details before you emails us with your details. https://www.dinga.com.au/dinga-club.html

At DINGA Online we don’t offer discounts on inflated prices. Our special offers are truly special offers. We pride ourselves on being a cut above the competition, but what really sets us apart is what we like to call "The DINGA Difference".

• Super fast, FREE shipping (Signed in DINGA Club Members)
• All products backed by the DINGA 100% Guarantee (Easy Returns)
• Best Value Guarantee (We will beat any advertised online price that an Australian competitor has in stock) 
• Protect your purchase from Click to Delivery 
• DINGA Buyer Protection (On all Transactions)
• Enjoy 5 Star Service (Before & After Purchase)

We are always happy to help you if you require assistance - please let us know by email, or call us during business hours on 02 4960 8840.

Thanks mate! I've spent thousands at dinga already, good to know this tip for extra savings!