yet another example of Australian's getting ripped off

[dpastern]

As the subject title says. We get ripped off here. A LOT. For far too long distributors and retailers have been allowed to price rape Australians.

Example:

Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas: Field edition.

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/interstellarum-Deep-Sky-Atlas-Field/dp/1107503396/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506854993&sr=1-1&keywords=Interstellarum+field

USD $164.16 (around $200 AUD).

Dymocks Australia:

https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/interstellarum-deep-sky-atlas-by-ronald-stoyan-9781107503397/#.WdDIQ9Og-Rs

they want a very greedy AUD $420.00. WTF? Like seriously?

note: Amazon price is the retail price, the wholesale price will be a lot lower than this, which makes the Dymocks markup even more ridiculous. And, this is not the first time I've see Dymocks do this, and when you query prices with them, they don't even give you the courtesy of a reply. Talk about treating customers with contempt!

Now, if your'e going to tell me that it costs $220 to ship the book to Australia, or store it in a warehouse, I'm gonna suggest that you put the ice crack pipe down.

This is why Australians are buying direct from overseas in DROVES. Local business complains, and our incompetent politicians do nothing but protect businesses, rather than their constituents who legally voted them into power. Has to make you wonder...

if local business wants to compete, then they need to actually compete, not compel the Australian government to bully Australians into not buying from competitive overseas vendors.

This just really ires me badly.

[dpastern]

An example of pricing done well - the fujiyama eypeices @ http://www.astronomy-electronics-centre.com.au/. They will get my business.

[el_draco]

Yep, i distinctly remember paying $150 for a Uni text that amounted to little more than a novel and was referenced, possibly, 3 times in course... Unbelievable extortion!

[xelasnave]

You will only be ripped off if you pay the asking price.

You have a choice.

From the sellers point of view I expect they figure having money in stock that presumably will have a small turnover should be rewarded with a huge mark up.

Perhaps the greatest damage is letting the situation upset you...its the way it is and probably wont change soon.

Its similar to petrol prices...I know they are having a go when prices go up at certain times but there is no point in letting the situation upset one...nothing will change due to a reaction via your emotions except your health.

Perhaps a letter to the company pointing out that they seem to have over priced the item and valid reasons in support..that may not produce a result but at least it is a positive action.

You could suggest your views are shared by a large number of other potential buyers and they would be well advised to either price it right or dont bother having it in stock...You may find to take such action satisfying.

alex

[drylander]

In regard to the price difference between Amazon USA and Dymocks. Will Amazon when it opens its warehouse in Australia also apply the "Australia Tax" or actually force others to compete?
Pete

[PCH]

I'm pretty sure only the very fastest moving lines will be stocked here at all. They couldn't seriously stock odd or slow moving lines like they might do over there.

[dpastern]

I hope so! But - if Amazon Australia kills a lot of local businesses, expect the Australian government to step in and hamstring them.



Yeah, I think that will prolly be the case sadly...

Look, I try and buy as much stuff locally as possible. But when price differentials are unreasonable in my eyes, it's overseas I go, and I have no qualms about doing so.

I'm deeply offended that our government seeks to reward ripoff distributors and retails by taxing overseas purchases. That's simply corruption and collusion on a grand scale imho, and is certainly NOT in the interest of the general public. Distributors and retailers complaining about losing business cos of overseas Internet based businesses etc, should perhaps look a wee bit hard at themselves and as to why they're losing business. And our government should certainly NOT be supporting such greedy businesses etc imho, at the expense of honest hard working Australians.

This is not the first time Dymocks has had outrageous pricing. Austraian Ebay sellers for books in particular, are bad at this too, but to a lesser extent than Dymocks.

Money is tight for me, every $$$ helps.

[dpastern]

Alex - I've sent an Email to Dymocks twice in the past in regards to excessive over pricing of products and have never even had the courtesy of a reply. That pretty much shows you how much they don't care imho.

[xelasnave]

Well I would send them yet another letter pointing out that you have written and add the magic words.

" I would appreciate the courtesy of a reply":D

Who ownes that company I wonder?

That is shocking not to reply to a letter is just very bad.

Their pricing suggests they may work on 100% mark up...not unheard of.

When I was a copy boy with the SMH, 57 years ago, most lunch hours were spent at their Sydney shop...I spent a lot of money there... Look tell them I am not impressed that should get some action:)

alex

[The Mekon]

I'm not offended. All purchases should be subject to the same tax. If that makes local sellers even more expensive, then don't buy.
I look forward to the time the $1000 tax concession is rescinded - even though I have just benefited from it.

[dpastern]

you do understand that local businesses lobbied the government to tax internet purchases, so that they could still price gouge rip off Australians and not have any competition for doing so?

I don't mind a business asking a fair price. I get deeply offended when they are just plain ripping people off, and then want the government to legislate to protect their asses...

[dpastern]

well, sadly, my Email to them was via a php/asp contact us form on their website. It's long been deleted I'd say and no one will remember it, or care. Sure, I could send them another complaint, but it's just not worth it. Better to simply not buy from them. When they continue to lose customers and go bankrupt, I'll laugh and have a merry jig.

[redbeard]

Alex, well said!

Best to choose to be happy I reckon. Then pass on that smile.

Cheers,

Damien.

[Wavytone]

LOL Dymocks is also the last place I'd ever buy a book. Next time ask Abbeys to get it, instead.

However - this is nothing new - the problem has existed since the 1980s having had account with UK booksellers since that era. The book industry has to be one of the worst - if not THE WORST for both absurd local pricing, and commercial deals that aim to "geofence" ie forcing australians to buy locally. Street-front booksellers are also genuinely plagued with high overheads:

- they are selling a low value item - average customer sale is under $100;
- the number of walk-in customers is small, compared to most retail shops;
- they still have to pay rent, and staff.

You only have to watch a bookshop on a Saturday afternoon for 10 minutes to see how few customers walk in. It is a dying business.

[Shano592]

Fixed that for you! :)

Even with the GST added on, overseas purchases on the whole will still be significantly cheaper than their local equivalents. With books and small items, that is fine. A book is a book is a book, no matter where you are. Go to booko.com.au and pick the cheapest, and enjoy the savings.

It is the bigger imported items that lack a local warranty, where the difference can be caught up really fast. Sending something back overseas for repair will eat away any gains you make in the first place.

I set myself an arbitrary limit on any given item. If I am comfortably below that limit and the product has a good reputation, then I will purchase from overseas with no problem. For example, last week I purchased a couple of DC motors, some temperature gauges and a few miscellaneous connectors from China, so that I can start building a couple more coffee roasters. I could have sourced all of it here, but it would have cost me easily over $100, instead of the $31.80 it ended up costing on eBay.

But for something like a telescope, modem, television, I will always look for a local agent. I won't go to Harvey Norman, because I personally think he is a self-serving prig. But I will always look to a local like BinTel or Andrews, JB Hifi or Good Guys, or even a local eBay seller.

And with consumer electronics, that is doubly important. If you import something that is not approved for use here, you can be hauled over some very hot coals. I believe something happened recently in Sydney's west for this reason. The guy was selling them and was raided, but it would apply equally if you brought an unapproved item in for yourself, and burned your house down. I can imagine the insurance company laughing and hanging up...

And don't get me started on Product Liability Insurance... another necessary minefield to navigate.

[xelasnave]

Thank you Damien.

Now all I have to remember is to practise what I preach:D.

I was listening to the radio with a discussion about the investment to return on drugs... the legit kind..life saving cancer drugs ..that sort of thing.

The guy who researched and was being interviewed told how drug companies invest between $350 mill to $700 million on a new drug and then get a return of ..in many or most cases $15 billion ...

That is enough to make you grizzle but on the positive they do produce new life saving drugs.

Maybe if the returns were less the investment would not be made.

And I support your approach to pass on the smile... I have found one stands out when one is cheerful and positive with strangers and how good is it when you may be the only one that has brought a smile into anothers life.

Getting upset I think may cause higher blood pressure which is dangerous so why give it room to move.



alex

[kittenshark]

Every time you put a product into an Australian warehouse or retail front, expect it to cost at least 30-50% more, at least, mostly due to labour costs and rent. Most decent retailers base their prices on their supply price. If the supplier increases their cost, many are reluctant to raise the prices and absorb the cost where they can, until they go out of business, or bear the brunt of angry customers.

You could walk into a Dymocks retail front and get a book straight away, but not with the Amazon warehouse. You pay for that service. But with Amazon coming to Australia, it's likely they'll bring the Prime service with free 2 day shipping etc. Smaller retailers can't even compete with shipping rates--it's insane that it's cheaper to ship something from China than to ship something locally.

I see more and more retail being done out of a warehouse either locally or overseas as a response to Amazon to compete with price.

Borders closing down is a sure sign of the bookstores not being able to change with the market.

Cheap prices are not always a good thing--if one big retailer comes into any industry and slashes prices, it is predatory pricing and its sole purpose is to drive smaller guys out of the market, so that they become a monopoly, and where companies become big and faceless, the less personal customer service you get.

[dpastern]

hahaha nice fix!

Yes, I perfectly understand about the electronics and warranty, etc. Books seem to be quite bad when it comes to price parity, thankfully most gear is very similar, if not cheaper in Australia (esprit range of products as an example). Even with the esprit range on sale in the US, it's still cheaper by $200 to buy locally in Australia!

[dpastern]

It depends on your point of view. If there has been price gauging and market collusion by local sellers, and new guy on the market kills them, I have no pity. They deserve what they get. Sorry, not sorry.

As to Dymocks, what customer service? Last time I looked, not responding to a customer query was considered not good customer service *wink wink*.

And, as in my original post, the Amazon product was based on a retail price. If we assume wholesale price was half of that (and Dymocks is probably paying the same wholesale price as Amazon is, or very close to it to be considered inconsequential), it only furthers the evidence that they are price gouging.

Granted, this is an extreme example - most books sold by Dynocks are reasonably priced. If a local retailer is within a reasonable range of the overseas market, I'll buy locally. I prefer to buy locally and support local Australian business.

[Camelopardalis]

Amazon is an interesting case. If you look at the US and UK markets, traditional retailers have learned to co-exist with online presences of their own, or go the way of the do-do as market forces dictate. You don't find shopping streets/malls with half of the stores empty. Granted, in some locations you might, but that's more a factor of local socioeconomic problems/policy.

In Australia...I have to wonder if Amazon might have a challenge on their hands. The Great Postal Vortex of Australia is a law to itself. Even courier companies can be somewhat unpredictable. And then you have the highest labour cost of anywhere in the world. Factor in the unique Australian geographic challenge, and a significantly smaller population compared to other markets they operate in and you'll see why it might be "interesting".

There's going to be a gotcha somewhere...like, maybe the product selection they will carry will be somewhat limited? Regardless, local businesses will either cease or shape up.

Don't in any way interpret my ramblings as being for/against what will come next. Since living in Australia I've happily weened of the Amazon addiction :D

[kittenshark]

It really depends--many businesses are not inclined to make their business practices known, and unless you have access to their figures, you never really know what the reasons behind their pricing are.

Sometimes manufacturers force retailers to get their goods from local resellers/wholesalers, the 'authorised dealers'. They will almost always be more expensive. The single book you found might have not have come from the same source as Amazon at all. This is where some retailers resort to 'grey imports', which is perfectly legal, but sometimes not the ideal arrangement for both the retailer and the customer.

Amazon is pretty much a posh version of ebay these days. It's become more and more of a selling platform as much as it is its own warehouse/online retailer. Not all things sold there are held in the Amazon warehouse or are even genuine, like those fake eclipse glasses that flooded the states in August.

It would be interesting to see what happens in Amazon Australia, and even as a retailer, I'm quite excited at the opportunities it presents because it's a powerful marketing channel.

Of course, a lot of us just like to see and touch the products in a nice shop front and talk to a human. For some people, it is part of their social outlet, hanging out at their local store or shopping mall. So that's likely to be sticking around for a long time, even if it plays a different role in retail.

[Shano592]

It very much does depend on your POV.

When Amazon makes it's mark here, we intend to be inside that bubble. Our new website provider is currently sandboxing their Amazon feed-in tech. So, once we are up and running, and Amazon joins us here, then we can send our goods to Amazon and take advantage of their platform, the same way we do with eBay.

You can either fall into the current and get carried along with it, or fight against it and go under. Amazon is a biiiig river!

[OICURMT]

My comments in RED



If you consider that Amazon have 94 warehouses to support 323million people (3.44million per warehouse) AND offer one-hour delivery to saturated areas (NYC, Miami, Baltimore), then I expect that Amazon will start out the same as when they started in the US (you need to pay postage, delivery within a week, limited benefits).

Once it builds the necessary good-will and loyalty (which turns into revenue), it'll evolve into it's current form (Amazon Prime (https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200444160) - Two-day free delivery, online content such as movies, TV shows, 24/7 free streaming music, groceries (yes, food delivery), etc...) and *yes*, they collect taxes, so the GST will apply.

Based on the current demographics, I'd expect one big warehouse at Sydney (5million) and one at Melbourne (4.8million). The other Capital cities can't compete, so delivery will be a week, but the other benefits (online) would be the same.

What I'm curious about is... the USPS has been transformed because of online shopping, is AusPost up to the challenge?


OIC!

[Visionary]

Aust Post entered a business venture with Star Track, or maybe it was a buyout, I can't remember. Star Track described a brilliant upward growth curve as it was the first with an automated freight centers, the first with online tracking, at the same time it's then competitors were using manual con-notes!
It is quite possible that via the sheer economic power of Amazon and the cultural experience of Star Track Aust Post may well transform itself into a business that can thrive in this new era of mass distribution.

[LewisM]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Interstellarum-Deep-Sky-Atlas-Field-Edition-by-Ronald-Stoyan-/182669056058?epid=208936988&hash=item2a87ec983a:g:eqUAAOSw-EBZrCVN

or if you want to pay more, and slow shipping:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-interstellarum-Deep-Sky-Atlas-Field-Edition-by-Ronald-Stoyan-/221796562994?epid=208936988&hash=item33a41af832:g:rFwAAOSwcj5ZQ yVA

[doppler]

Lots of AU based ebay traders offering free post now. I have heard that Aust post offers cheap postage to them if they have an account. The rest of us probably pay more to make up for the shortfall.
I recently received a pair of CV joints from Sydney 950mm long and weighing 18 kgs with free postage (and at half the price of locally sourced). I asked the Post office how much for me to send them back, she said heaps about $75.

[jenchris]

Make up a sticker with the American price on it and pay in US dollars

[Sconesbie]

Depending on the company, who owns it and how it's run would determine their pricing.

I'll try and explain what I mean.

National company: Last years figures $xxxx. Need increase in turnover or profit to make the books look good for any potential buyer or to satisfy shareholders. The only way to do this is increase pricing or reduce over heads. Said company also has the cost increase on items it has to buy at a wholesale price as that company also wants an increase in revenue. It's a vicious circle. Big companies don't really care about retaining customers too much as they believe that there is another one to replace the one they've just lost.

Small business: Most likely to try and keep pricing low to keep existing customers and attract new ones. Can't necessarily absorb any pricing increases at a wholesale level and are still entitled to make a profit and look after their family. It's a knife edge situation. Increase prices or margins (same thing) and make some more money, or absorb costs or lose customers and revenue.

An example is I used to work for a national TV network affiliate in a sales role. Last year my figures were $900,000 in advertising revenue (make believe but close to it). This year my target is $1,200,000. The only way to get this is to sell to new clients (who are few and far between) or ask for an increase in spend for my existing clients. This was also on top of an advertising spot rate increase. So not only did I have to sell more $$ (which is hard enough in a tough market), my advertising rates were higher which has a double impact. The business I sold to then has to sell more of their product to pay for their advertising. Again, do they increase their rates or charge more?

So I guess what I am trying to say is that yes we always want the best price on our products. I certainly will buy local if I can get it at the price I am willing to pay or what is reasonable. I will buy online if I can't. Sometimes if I want or need it now, I will buy at a higher price than what I can get online but that's going to happen.

I don't buy overseas as I simply don't have trust. I am sure there are many reputable dealers overseas. It's just something I haven't got to believe in yet.


Regards
Scott

[Boozlefoot]

If a local retailer is within a reasonable range of the overseas market, I'll buy locally. I prefer to buy locally and support local Australian business.[/QUOTE]

Being in a somewhat disadvantaged retail area, i use online purchasing regularly, but always check if item is available from Aus at a reasonable price. If it costs a little more I am glad to buy Aus seller products, but occasionally the $ demands OS trading, and this is frequently also influenced by high freight costs within Australia, by post or by carrier.

[dpastern]

yeah, Aussie post is well...crap. Probably one of the worst postal systems in the world. Even the Russian postal system is better imho!

Will Amazon do any good in Australia...I suspect that they'll open up their own distribution carrier - Australia Post is simply too unreliable.

I've been waiting for an item (and an expensive one at that) ordered off a US ebayer...been showing as scanned @ Granville (Sydney) 4.44am Thursday with no further updates. Of course, it came from overseas, went through customs at Sydney airport (as expected), WTF did it go to Granville? There's no distribution centre there, only a LPO. I've gonna give Australia Post till Tuesday arvo and if no further updates, I'll have a go at the buggers. Incompetent with a big I!!!! Don't even get me started on Australia Post, hate the *******s with a passion. Another fine example of a government service being privatised and going downhill fast...more $$$ for less service and quality. But, I'll digress, our invertebrate pollies are as useless as mammary glands on a bull.

[Hans Tucker]

I always try the Book Depositry.

https://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=interstellarum&search=Find+book

[dpastern]

Agreed. Hopefully local business survives, and more importantly, competes.

[dpastern]

yes, I understand this. It's an old outdated Dinosaur approach to product distribution though. And the sooner it becomes extinct, the better. When local retailers are paying high prices, cos distributors are unreasonably jacking prices up, I feel sorry for them.

I see this crap happening in both astro gear and audio gear, although audio gear is a LOT worse imho. Most telescope shops in Australia are pretty reasonable priced when compared to overseas markets imho.

I'll support local Australian business wherever possible.

[dpastern]

it's hard to say how Amazon will cope with the local Australian market. But - it is a welcome thing imho. Will the Australian government hamper Amazon though (I suspect it will, in order to protect local Australian owned businesses and owners). If it does that, I'll be very angry. I'm already disgusted enough with this retarded Liberal government's BS. And sadly, too many Australians were stupid enough to vote the *******s in!

[dpastern]

lol, cheaper than Dymocks granted, but still OTT pricing. I just paid AUD $190 for my copy. Sent it to my US proxy postal address. it's still to arrive at my US address, but since I have a bunch of other stuff still to come, I'll bundle them all up together into a combined package.

Items that have already arrived will be shipped out on Monday US time, via DHL, 4 working days to get here. Along with the following:

explore scientific 82° 30mm eyepiece
Thierry legault's Astrophotography
The Deep-sky Imaging Primer
an Orion 2" skyglow filter
2nd hand TMB planetary 8mm eyepiece
annals of the deep sky volumes 3 and 4

All for AUD $90 shipping combined!

I saved $38 apiece on the annals alone - that's $76 right there.

I saved $59 on the es 82 30mm - savings up to $135 already. $45 in the "profit".

I saved $39 on Thierry legault's book (Dymocks wants $78, I paid $39). Brings the savings up to $79.

I saved money on the The Deep-sky Imaging Primer book, can't tell how much, since Dymocks, QBD and Bintel do not stock it...but given Bintel's mark up on the annals ($70 vs $32), if I factor in similar levels of mark up for the dee-sky imaging primer book, based on its US converted price to AUD ($42), it'd be around $92...a saving of $50...grand total of savings already up to $129.

The TMB planetary is 2nd hand, and you can't really get it in Australia, so had to source it form overseas anyway.

Orion 2" skyglow filter - AUD $103, locally $179...a savings of AUD $76...a nice total of $205 saved.

But a savings of $205 is rather nice I think. And some of the stuff would have cost me shipping too if sourced from Australia...

So, TLDR - I paid for my shipping from the US to Australia, and saved just over $200...

I still have the ES 11 and 18 mm 82 degree eyepieces sitting @ my US address, and a few more books to arrive too. And a few more eyepieces.

Now, if any snobs on here with too much money, arguing that $200 isn't a lot of money wanna donate $200 to me... I'm all ears (just call me Bugs Bunny)!!!

And, lastly, let's recount that those are RETAIL US prices. I guarantee you that local distributors are getting a better deal on said products than I am as a retail consumer buying from the US...

That $200 odd savings means I can get another eyepiece, or another bit of kit.

And yes, I did support local too, having bought a few Fujiyama orthos from Claude @ AEC, and a qhy polemaster from Theo @ Gamma. Both have superb customer service and prices matching overseas retailers.

Our government would rather protect distributors and businesses with price gauging tactics and strip me of $200...how is that serving the people *wink wink*. answer: it isn't.

quod erat demonstrandum

Dave

[dpastern]

Just another example...

https://www.createspace.com/5784103

QBD and dymocks don't even stock it or list it....

book depository doesn't stock or list it either.

An Australian ebay shop has it, but they want $64 AUD + AUD $8 shipping for it...for a grand total of AUD $72...

just ordered it off Amazon - < AUD $54 including shipping...

Now some of you might say that it's only saving $18 and that that isn't a lot of money...I digress. If $18 isn't a lot of money, would you kindly please consider donating it ($18) to me via paypal please. I thought not.

Our government lets Australians get ripped off under the guise of "free market". And the sad thing is, most Australians are too stupid, and too lazy and allow it to happen, instead of demanding that our government enforce reasonable price parity from Australian distributors and retailers. Instead, our government goes in the opposite direction and intends to force Australian consumers to get ripped off by local distributors and retailers. Go figure. So much for serving their legal constituents (might I remind you that businesses are not legally viewed as constituents). One has to question why our government(s) listen to businesses, and not their legal constituents, but I digress.

[kittenshark]

Call my assumption about warehousing/retail front costs false, but I base it off my personal experience running a warehouse and retail shopfront. But hey, thanks for mansplaining it to a business owner.

There ARE people in some industries who have built their entire business around sucking every brand up or specifically pissing off someone they don't like.

Like I said, not *always* a bad thing, but bad things can happen. See what happens to small towns in the US where a Walmart closes down--leaves a huge hole in the local economy and people are out of jobs and out of business, and often doesn't recover for a long time.

Also, I suspect the Star Atlas was purchased retail price and resold. You really only can match RRP if you bought it whole sale in bulk. If it's not a popular book, it's probably not worth stocking it, and Dymocks not even interested in selling it, thus the price.

Occasionally you do get the odd customer who does that and asks you to order things on Amazon, and will only pay by cheque or cash in store because they hate the interwebs or something. (True story.)

[Boozlefoot]

Still thinking everybody has to consider their purchases individually. I tried this week to "buy local" in town 43 km away some trailer hubs for a fork mount, their "very best price" was $69.00 each. Bought them online from interstate, exact same items, post included to my door, $78.00 pair ($39.00 each)

So I'm saving $60.00 by not going to town, and Auspost had them to me in 2 days from interstate. I have a very good run with Aust. Post, though I'm sure it varies dependent on area distribution centres.

[OICURMT]

1) I read the content, not the authour... consequently,
2) I didn't even realize who posted it... consequently,
3) G.O.D. would have received the *exact* same response...


OIC!

[Rob P]

I've used Booktopia a few times. You may have to wait for a while for some of the less popular titles (e.g. most Astronomy publications!) but, generally, the prices are reasonable and often discounted.

https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=Interstellarum+D eep+Sky+Atlas%3A+Field+edition&productType=917504

Cost quoted is $270 + pp

Not quite the US$164 but a lot better than $420

[xelasnave]

I think you forget the rules here.
And the reason those rules are in place.
But thinking about it I may have crossed the line recently here ...but you know what I am driving at..an edit maybe?
Alex

[dpastern]

that's certainly a lot better, yes. Although it doesn't match the price from Amazon, but it kills Dymocks. Not that it's hard to kill Dymocks from a pricing point of view. It's the whole chicken and egg thing - people are sourcing from overseas cos the local costs are exorbitant. Local booksellers blame overseas sellers, but in reality, it's local greed that's causing the mass exodus from local sellers to Internet based sellers. I have no pity for Dinosaurs that want to protect their monopoly and rip local customers off. Sorry, not sorry!

[xelasnave]

Fair point he broke them you smashed them.
Your logic is false. Just because one person brakes a rule that provides no entitlement to others to break the rules.

I was tempted to say something and held back as I reasoned that to say something I would have broken the rules.

Its about keeping things calm and respectful thus continuing to keep this a neat forum.

Alex

[xelasnave]

I am a strick atheist with strong Christian principles and would suggest your response could have been in keeping with the "turn the other cheek " approach.
I simply thought your post somewhat took attention off the post you sort to attack...
We have strayed off topic as you have observed... could you post something to guide it in the right direction.
Alex

[dpastern]

Here's another example (Kayell Australia has long been known to be rip off distributors in the photography industry).

Datacolour Spyder5pro - USD $189 retail. Translates to around AUD $238, non inclusive of shipping.

Kayell Australia (Australian distributor of the range), lists the Australian RRP as being AUD $320...

a) these are small devices - warehouse storage costs would be pretty dirt cheap

b) they would ship these into Australia in bulk, saving on shipping costs

c) USD $189 is again, the retail price. I highly doubt that Kayell is paying that for their wholesale price. Sorry, I'm not going to buy that. That makes the local price gouging even worse...

Perhaps the Australian government should be forcing these distributors to reveal their wholesale prices to the public...

Oh, and European buyers get a 2 year warranty (enforced by the EEC - http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM:l32022). Kind of makes me think that our government certainly doesn't care about consumers *wink wink*.

I found this opportunistic EBay seller:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Brand-New-Datacolor-Spyder-5-PRO-Display-Calibration-System-Fast-Shipping-Melb-/253158158211?epid=2255526973&hash=item3af166ef83:g:MZIAAOSwc1FXb i7R

Said Ebayer has removed the "ask a question" option (although you can use the contact seller option at the top). Just for kicks and giggles, I might message them and ask them if this is Australian sourced stock and point out the price disparity...what's the odds that I get a reply ;-)

yes, in an open market, I can choose not to buy from them. And some would argue that that's sufficient. I disagree. Price gougers should be criminally punished.

PS I highly doubt that that EBayer is getting their stock from the local distributor either, probably from overseas in order to gain an even higher profit level...

[skysurfer]

.
This issue is not only in Australia. In the EU there are also similar cases. E.g. the iPhone X costs US$ 999 in the US (actually US$ 1100 max. including sales tax), but EUR1159 in the EU. With a euro/$ rate of 1.16 this should be 1100/1.16 = 950 euros and not 1160.
And same with telescope accessories such as eyepieces.

Moreover, import duty is mandatory with overseas orders above EUR 115 (AUD 160), while Australian customs charge you with imports over AUD 1000.

[dpastern]

Yes, that is very true. Governments certainly love to tax the masses (and do as much as possible to avoid taxing businesses!!!!). Funny thing that, but I'll digress!

[RickS]

They are saving up to implement extensive new pricing controls on astronomy books.

[dpastern]

nah, they need the money to pay for 15 minute helicopter rides ;-)

[RickS]

Not to mention stupid plebiscites. It's always easier to throw money around if it is provided by someone else :)

[dpastern]

hear hear.