Sagara Shoes from Indonesia - Page 7

i came back from hong kong and dont feel like going out to eat anymore and im fine with that.  i can make good food by myself.  especially when you know how much the actual cost is compared to what you pay for it.  same goes for clothing, horween cxl horsebutt leather is like $6/sq ft but it costs like 400+ to get a pair of boots made from it.  is craftsmenship really worth that much?

I think your definition of 3rd world country is a little wrong. Indonesia is not as crappy as you had imagined. We are the 16th largest economy in the world. And we actually pay higher for that piece of steak you're talking about as it is more expensive to import american beef here. Lastly the consuming power of the locals are incredibly high too, do you actually think these shoes are priced for international market? I think their priority customers are the locals still.

Using the food analogy, if you've a restaurant doesn't mean that you will sell your food at your base price. Re Sagara each to their own. If the guy has that policy and you don't like his policy then don't buy from him. Simple as that.

Nowadays the third word country term is synonymous to "developing country" nevertheless the original term was coined during the cold war. First World is USA and its allies, Second World is the USSR and its allies while the Third World is the rest.

Don't think the price mark up issue happens on developing countries (or third world) only. I had dimsum once in a local HK restaurant and they have two sets of price. One for Cantonese speaking people and another for foreigners at nearly double the rate. Even when I lived in Sydney there were few places where they will try to rip you off. Is Australia or HK a developing country? I doubt that

They always have 2 sets of prices lol when I visited taiwan, my your guide said to make it seem like you're local. Mainly by letting them sell and don't say anything because they'll hear it in your accent. I'm Chinese too so its easier for me to blend in with the locals lol

That being said, I do want to order from them because of the style and price range(regular domestic price). For me to do that, I'm going to find someone to proxy it to me. Which ends up being around his international price anyways. I was under the impression that the international price included shipping and I was good with that.

conventum, you have any fit pics of them? havent given up on this brand yet because i feel other brands are way over priced lol

I want to share my experience of Sagara with people, to balance out much of what is written in this thread.

As part of a venture I am planning I recently travelled to Jakarta to meet a host of Indonesian brands, as I have some experience of some of their local brands, and have been largely impressed with the skills and dedication to quality found there.

Sagara were one of the brands who I met and spoke with, more specifically I met with the owner Bagus, and his lovely wife. The brand is based in a city called Bandung, which is three hours drive from Jakarta, and home to many Indonesian craft brands, it is kind of an Indonesian version of Okayama and Kojima. Bagus brought many sample of his products to show me, and spoke with me extensively about how he works, and how his brand is developing, and I think that there are a few things which people may need to realise which could help them gain a sense of perspective when dealing with Sagara.

- Sagara is a small brand, by this I mean that there are roughly 5 people in total working there.

- Sagara do all their cutting and stitching by hand ALL OF IT, that is quite and undertaking.

- In the Indonesian shoe and boot market Sagara are the best, they actually turn down retailers who want to carry their product.

- Bagus definitely has his own vision, and his own way of how his business should develop. He is honestly not interested in cash over quality, and he is certainly not interested in seeing a pair of his boots on every Tom, Dick and Harrys feet.

- Sagara are aware of how poor their communication has been at times, and they are taking steps to get someone in to help them with this. The draw back to this is that Bagus only works with people who he trusts, so he is finding the correct person.

- To give that last statement some perspective, last year I tried to buy a pair of boots from a very popular and well loved manufacturer. I sent a total of 23 mails to 4 different address' without reply, and in the end I felt that I was begging them to take my money to no avail. It is not just Sagara, and it is certainly nothing to do with it being Indonesia, this can be a problem when dealing with any small but rapidly expanding venture, they are the problems created by success.

- Many of the leathers which Sagara use are domestic Indonesian leathers, up to this point that has been due to availability and finance. This does not mean that the leathers are not quality, just that they are not from one of the well known tanneries. Pretty soon this may change.

The message that I would give from my experience of meeting, and talking to the brand is that Sagara make fine quality products (I wear Whites almost exclusively, and Sagara stand up to them in terms of craft and quality). Sagara will not rip you off, and if you have to wait a few weeks for your shoes and find this inconvenient then I would assume that you have never ordered from Viberg, Whites, OSB, Russell, or any of the other top boot makers who can keep you waiting for 3 - 6 months for your footwear. When put in this light, Sagara are positively fast with their responses, and their products are a complete bargain.

Bump!
I recently stumbled on this brand and the Legacy boot hunting for a cheaper alternative to the Viberg Service boot.





Any fit/wear pics of the Legacy out there? And any other experiences with the quality?

I'm eyeing a double midsole plus half sole build on these

I've their Legacy IV boots in rough out leather.

Fit:
Their last is quite roomy, I have to wear size EU40 in this boots whereas normally I wear EU41 (or US7.5 in Alden Barrie or True Balance last).

Wear:
The boots are very comfortable to wear, no breaking in period required.

Construction:
Very solid and sturdy construction.
Megatron1505 summed it nicely though I've no experience with Whites boots, I'd Alden Indy before and my Legacy is standing at least on the same level as the Indy from construction perspective.

Leather:
This is the only drawback considering it is difficult for Indonesian manufacturers to get good quality end material at good price domestically. Most of the local leather is not as good as say Horween leather. Sagara do offer limited edition boots using imported leather at a higher price (nevertheless still worth the price in my view) sometimes.

I'm saying end material here because for the raw materials (especially cow hide, goat hide, lambskin) Indonesian is one of the best source however their best quality raw hides are exported due to international demand, low domestic purchasing power plus limited world class tanneries in the country. Most of the hides are then finished outside before being imported back to the country and slapped with higher price plus import tax.

Price:
At their price if you like their models I would say their boots are worth every penny.

Thx, JTA. What do they run approx? Eg 200-300 usd, 300-400, or +400?

Oh and post some pics, if ya get any chance

Best to contact Sagara directly regarding the pricing. They will be happy to advise on the sizing as well.

 

lol what.....try $150-250, none of that overpriced US stuff.  you can get horween/cxl leather and ask them to MTO and its still around that price but they DO make international buyers pay more, which i hate so i wouldnt buy unless i have a proxy

Formula (assuming proxy fee is 10%):

This is what the proxy will pay
(Total Proxy Price or TPP) = Domestic price + domestic postage + international postage

This is what the buyer will pay proxy
(Total Buyer Price or TBP) = TPP*[1+(3% exchange rate different using Paypal + 4% Paypal fee + 10% proxy commission rate)]

Using the Imperial III case study based on post #49
IDR: 1,295,000 or USD: $175
Currently, the exchange rate between the IDR and USD is: IDR 1,295,000 = USD $134.62
Therefore, non-Indonesian customers have to pay an extra $40.38.

Assume domestic postage is free and international postage is $50:

TPP = $135 + $0 + $50 = $185
TBP = 185*(1+0.03+0.04+0.1) = $216.45
Sagara charge = $175 plus international postage of $50 = $225

You can use proxy and save less than $10.
Edited by JTA - 5/2/13 at 5:36pm

That's my word, son- thx:)

Horween CXL with double midsoles, yes pleazze!