Kilt packages?

[JWright]

Have you/would you buy a whole kilt outfit from one shop, or are their specific items you would definitely buy together?

[MacRobert's Reply]

If you want a tartan waistcoat, order it with the kilt to ensure the set and colours are identical.

Similarly, if you want a waistcoat to match a kilt jacket or doublet it is best to have them made together. (Having said that, I usually prefer contrasting waistcoats).

Other than that, the supplier may give a discount for a larger order but price needs to be balanced against quality IMHO.

[chrisupyonder]

Same as above if you want a fly plaid to match the kilt.

Chris

[RockyR]

If you LIKE all of the items in a company's package and are getting a discount for buying together, then get the package. If there's an item you don't like, ask for it to be upgraded (which will most likely just be the difference in price). Most companies will upgrade an item in a package if requested.

[Spartan Tartan]

By what you like. If it all happens to be from the same company, so be it. For example, i have bought a kilt, jacket/waistcoat, sporran and hose all from the same company. I have other pieces from other makers too, but again, get what you like (and what you can afford).

Edit for clarification: although my items were purchased from the same vendor, they were not part of a package. They were individually purchased. I suspect it woukd be very difficult to find a pre-made package of items that met both my budget and what I would actually wear. It would certainly be difficult to find my style in a pre-made kit.

[JWright]

Hey MacRobert, I really like the sound of the waistcoat not matching Say you were buying your first kilt again, if there was a package you could get that wouldn't necessarily mean you had to choose a matching set, would that sound appealing?

RockyR, I can't believe I didn't think of it like that, I thought people probably bought kilt packages to save a little aggro than assembling your own set.

I feel I should explain, I'm doing a project for my BA, (I'm a design student) and I wanted to not sound like I'm doing a hideous survey-type thread, but your answers have been helpful

Thank you guys, I hope I get more answers!

ps, chrisupyonder, what's a fly plaid? xD

[Riverkilt]

No way!!! Much prefer to buy from the individual craftsmen and kiltmakers. Better quality, get what I like instead of what's part of the package.

[ForresterModern]

You don't list your location or the location of the vendor from whom you are considering purchasing the "package" from. One thing to consider is the duty due on the overall valuation of your package components, and the likelihood of how it will be shipped, and how one may have an effect on the other, should you be ordering from a foreign country (US or Canada ordering from UK or vice versa). The smaller the order=generally lower value, and many oversees vendors will send it via a surface route (US or Royal Mails, etc..) which has a far higher likelihood of avoiding the dreaded duty assessment (as much as 15-20%, sometimes with a service charge added on). Surface shipping is generally NOT traceable, so it is a route that is not generally chosen for shipping of item/s of significant value by the sender/manufacturer/vendor. As the value of the total shipment goes up so will the likelihood of your "package" being shipped by a more trackable international carrier (UPS or Fedex) for the security of the vendor as the shipment can be insured and traced more reliably than Mails. However, those international carriers have arrangements with each/most country's customs agencies to expedite shipments through customs, that arrangement being that they themselves calculate and assess the duty due based on the stated value of the package, then they add an additional handling charge of their own for providing that service to you. So you might get a notice that your package is being held until you arrange payment of the duty plus handling charges, or worse you may get your package and days or weeks later get a notice from the shipper of the duty plus charges due to them in arrears so to speak.

This does not happen when you purchase from a vendor in your own country or usually within the NAFTA countries (US, Canada, etc.). That does not mean it necessarily costs you less though, as, if the item/s ordered originated from a country outside your own the retailer you bought from incurred the duty in advance, and they adjusted their retail price to you to accommodate the anticipated duty they had to pay to import your item/s, or the raw materials for your item/s. A US citizen purchasing from a US vendor at least can rely on the costs quoted up front from the vandor to be realistic and final without risk of duty. A UK citizen (or more generally a EU citizen) purchasing from a UK/EU vendor likelwise does not risk duty, although you will be paying a chunk of what they call VAT (value added tax) which for most kilt kit is around 17-20%, but that is likewise usually figured into the price up front quoted from the vendor. The best scenario (by no means guaranteed) is a US customer buying from a UK vendor, avoiding the VAT costs, and having it shipped by a surface shipper thereby possibly avoiding US customs duties. However, as above, a vendor will be less likely to be willing to ship surface with a larger value item or package. Next best is probably buying from an in country vendor, as their customs costs may be less for raw materials (such as tartan or raw fabric for jackets, etc...) than it would be for the same materials already manufactured into finished items (at least you are not paying duty on the added costs of labor to finish the items). I purchased my first kilt and two jacket/waistcoat sets plus basic kit (belt, ghillies, hose, kilt pin, fly plaid, etc...) as a package from a major US vendor, who discounted the deal further as the overall value of the purchase increased (buy more bigger discount). I got good quality and what I considered a good deal.

In many ways it is a crapshoot either way, just be aware of potential hidden costs which may arise when purchasing what looks like a great deal from an out of country vendor. Also, definitely consider quality as well----with kilt kit quality you definitely get what you pay for generally. And most packages tend to come with lesser quality gear--not all but most. Caveat emptor. And good luck.

[seanachie]

No way!!! Much prefer to buy from the individual craftsmen and kiltmakers. Better quality, get what I like instead of what's part of the package.

I think that should be qualified somewhat. If you are buying from an individual kilt maker of a good reputation, why would you reject a package offering out of hand? Rocky offers packages, John Hart (Keltoi) offers packages and while I have not purchased one of their packages, but do own their kilts, I doubt that they would put their reputation at risk with low quality goods.

[davidg]

All good responses so far but I think the answer boils down to two things

First, the quality. Is everything of the quality you want?

Second, the style. A kilt jacket, sporran or other item you particularly want may simply not be available from that particular supplier so must influence your final decision

As Rocky said, most outfitters will adjust the package for you, even to the point of leaving certain items out of the package if need be. There is no simple answer but if you don't ask, you don't get