Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Shop online to save big bucks

Canny Australian shoppers are buying online to save heaps by importing from overseas. Local retailers argue that the GST exemption for imported goods (GST is applied only when the cost of goods plus postage exceeds AU$1,000.00) seriously disadvantages them. In reality the problem isn't the GST exemption, it's the extreme price differential.

Just one example will suffice. Ray Ban 3025 aviator sunglasses costing US$88.99 in the U.S. are AU$259.00 in Australia. Add in expedited air shipment and you'll still save more than $100.00 by importing.

Sure there are pitfalls – ordering clothing that doesn't fit, for example – but buying from reputable overseas suppliers is a great way to get what you want at the best price.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Dan Lewis said...

I have no sympathy for local retailers.

They've saved a fortune off-shoring manufacture and can't have it both ways.

Moreover, when an Australian-made piece of clothing costs more in Sydney than it does in Los Angeles, you can be pretty confident that the local retailers are GOUGING us.

The biggest crybabies are Australia POst who are complaining that they're doing it tough. In ten years, they haven't come up with a simple weigh for eBay retailers to calculate postage automatically like on the US equivalent site. They could be the real-world logistics arm of all the online sales, yet they are also incompetent.

6:16 PM  
Anonymous ar said...

The missus bought clothes online that didn't fit - the clothes being smaller than the advertised size. The seller gave her a credit and didn't even require return of the goods due to the cost of postage. Online sellers live by their good ratings so will usually try to help you.

11:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Screw aussie retailers. They've being humping consumers for years before the internet. Now its our turn

10:23 AM  

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