I have been following the sport of mixed martial arts for almost ten years now. In that time, I have seen the amount of material explode as the UFC has gotten more and more popular. There are instructionals released every month, new items of cool and trendy MMA clothing brands, and a load of training equipment for all your needs.
About five years ago, the UK MMA scene was a lot smaller than it is now and most of the products I purchased were from the US or Brazil. There simply weren’t enough online stores in the UK, and the shops that did stock MMA gear only had a small selection. Most of these were martial arts shops catering for the traditional martial artists. I know a lot people do not like purchasing items from abroad, but stores, such as Budovideos simply have more choice. Buying from many non-UK based online stores did give me the confidence to buy from abroad with no hesitation. Here are my pros and cons for ordering from a different country:
PROS
1. Greater variety of choice
2. Often a lot cheaper (depending on exchange rate) – before the credit crunch, I could buy a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gi from Budovideos a lot cheaper than buying it from the UK
3. UK shops simply do not stock products
CONS
1. Customs – getting hit by customs on an order is a b*tch!
2. Postage and packaging – it wouldn’t be worth buying a small item and paying more for the postage than the item itself
On a positive note, it appears that more and more UK-based shops are appearing. I have ordered from quite a few of these, such as mmauniverse and Black Eagle, and I have to say their customer service has been excellent. The UK MMA market appears to be catching up with the rest of the world.
My advice is not to be deterred from ordering from any online stores overseas. If in doubt, Google the online store or check on some of the major forums to see if they are reliable. I order from both UK and US sites taking into account their special offers and price. The Internet should bring us all together. A famous ex-MMA fighter once said, “we are all one!”
