New Podium F1 on its way!
Kent Neilson
Member
So guys, and especially you Canadians trying to get your hands on some Fanatec gear, there are alternatives (albeit limited) to ordering direct from Fanatec!
I had originally placed an order with Fanatec in early June for the Formula Racing Wheel for xBox (DD1 + Clubsport V2 Wheel) when it was showing availability for June 12. And as many of you have found out, that order was not fulfilled on June 12 as hoped for but got pushed back to the end of July (and I'm not going to bitch here... not withstanding the woefully inadequate level of customer communication, I understand the supply chain and order fulfillment logistics challenges that they are facing that I'm pretty sure 99% of those here have no appreciation for). And before I could cancel the order last week and reorder one of the Podium F1 bundles that were listed as in stock and ready to ship, those too went to preorder status.
Having ordered my V3 pedals from digital-motorsports.com in Ireland earlier this year when the pedals too were in preorder status @ Fanatec, I again turned to them to see if they could help. While they too had no stock of the Formula Racing Wheel bundle, Sean indicated that they were expecting stock of the Podium F1 bundle at the end of this week (although he couldn't guarantee the exact arrival date). Sure enough, they just showed up this morning as in stock and ready to ship... order placed and they are on their way!
For you fellow Canadians out there, buying from digital-motorsports.com not only is often cheaper than going direct to Fanatec (we don't have to pay the US duties on the units being shipped to the US and then the Canadian duties when Fanatec US ships them to us up here... but we still do have to pay the Canadian duties when the shipments get to us), but they ship FedEx/UPS instead of snail-mail! My pedals arrived within 4 days... tracked the entire way from the day I ordered! My Podium F1 will be in my hands sometime next week.
These guys are great to work with, communication is both timely and helpful. They bend over backwards to help you every step of the order process. I highly recommend them to anyone scouring the world for gear!
Comments
Thanks Kent
does it come with a north american power supply?
its the same price
Yes it does... and no price is not the same. I got the Podium F1 from them for U$1750 including shipping charges (all-in final charged to my credit card). From Fanatec US site, price is U$1799 plus about U$165 shipping to Canada. I am actually paying about $50 less for the Podium F1 than my original (and ultimately cancelled) order for the Podium Racing Wheel Formula bundle that is listed U$150 less on the Fanatec US site.
While I'm not 100% sure, the price difference is likely the result of the added protectionist duties/tariffs your illustrious supreme leader has placed on EU goods as part of his MAGA efforts!
Hey Kent, From a fellow Canadian, I thank you for this info. Very good to know for next time. I have a bundle on the way now so It's too late to cancel anything now. But for next time, I will definitely look further into this other option.
Cheers!
I just wish a fair distributor would setup shop in Canada without price gouging.
To be fair to the Canadian distributor, I believe he is having to source through Fanatec USA, who is in turn taking delivery from Germany/China. As a result, Fanatec USA has to pay elevated supreme leader taxes to get it into the US, and then the Cdn distributor has to pay Trudeau tariffs/duties on top of those US tariffs/duties... a tax on top of a tax. If he sourced directly from the EU, then he won't get hit with that US tax... just Canadian taxes. And with the new EU/Canada FTA, that might be even more economical. I do import/export logistics for a living now... perhaps i should look into establishing another Canadian distributor relationship?