Can anyone explain the price discrepancy please?

[dpastern]

Amazon US (USD $199, about AUD $279:

https://www.amazon.com/Berlebach-B500682-Charon-Observing-Chair/dp/B00WD6AAC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536657439&sr=8-1&keywords=Berlebach+B500682

Amazon Australia:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Berlebach-B500682-Charon-Observing-Chair/dp/B00WD6AAC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536657417&sr=8-1&keywords=Berlebach+B500682

yeah...you read right, Amazon Australia wants AUD $567.78 for the very same item (non inclusive of shipping)...

this is absolutely outrageous...

So, where are the powers that be, protecting Australian consumers from this price gouging/raping I wonder...

yeah, this is a political comment. Big deal. When our Australian government starts adequately protecting Australian consumers, instead of letting local retailers and distributors screw us over, I'll be quiet. Until then...

[LewisM]

$567.78 + $230.00 Delivery
Only 5 left in stock. Sold by Outback Oasis

:eyepop: Nice postage :lol:

[bobson]

What a rip off! This should be on Current Affair.

[LewisM]

I suspect at that price, they only ever had 5 in stock.

For $797, I could make one out of Exhibition Grade Turkish walnut with 24K gold inlay scroll work and a Louis Vuitton leather seat.

I just keep buying on Ali Express and ignoring all the BS.

[Kunama]

There’s really only one solution, move to USA......

[LewisM]

Or invest in a table saw, router, and ply wood, plus a modicum of woodworking skill.

Seriously, these are easy enough to make...I reckon $40 max with Bunnings bits. Or out of pallet wood and a cushion for nada except maybe an hour in time.

Personally, I use an Ikea stool. Cost me $5.

[rrussell1962]

I think I saw something similar in the Ikea catalogue. Self assembly though. On a more serious note, the price difference is probably because they are banking on 5 people being stupid enough to buy it - the technical term is Marginal Revenue analysis.

[The_bluester]

I think the price difference is because they have successfully managed to re establish a half effective geo fence around Australia by making it too much trouble for most to ship here, so now they are free to gouge us in peace again.

[dpastern]

Yup. This is not the only thing overpriced on Amazon Australia, vs Amazon US...there was another astro item that I was drooling over a few weeks ago that was similar in price gouging...



Agreed.



Yup! My take exactly.



Really Matt? Really? Or perhaps the government should step in and punish retailers/distributors that price gouge like this? That's a far more reasonable process than saying "if you don't like it, bugger off from Australia". But hey, that seems to be the typical Aussie comeback...

believe me, if I qualified for German/Australian citizenship (missed out by 3 years *sigh*) i'd be outta here...

But, your answer, Matt, with all due respect, is simply a cop out.



Which Ikea stool Lewis? I'd be wanting this for my 6" Saxon dob...I have a very bad back, so would need this to help support my back, and reduce bending over, as well as steady my head/eye for observing.



Can you remember what item/link please?



Yup. I realise shipping isn't cheap, I'm not complaining about that. I'm cranky at the inflated price for the actual item. With that said, AUD $240 for shipping is probably a rip off too.

[doppler]

They probably don't have any in stock and will get you the one from the us hence the shipping price.

[The_bluester]

Not quite the point I mean. Shipping IS cheap, but in the recent past many retailers I have used overseas have started jacking up shipping to prohibitive values seemingly as a means to stifle the trade while still looking like they will ship here. I used to get a lot of car parts from the US as the Australia tax on some parts sold here was a thousand percent and more! My suspicion has always been that the local arm bleated to head office about the American dealers cutting their grass and shipping parts here at a fraction of the local price and the US dealers got leaned on by Japan to put a stop to it.


By gouging I meant the inflated local price. Even if you said it would cost $100USD to ship (Pigs... er... ear) it would still land here more than $100AUD cheaper than the price on the Aus site at 70 cents in the dollar exchange rate, And that is without the rip off shipping. Competition free price gouging at it's finest, Jerry Harvey would be proud of them.

I just paid around double that shipping price for getting a 700kg mower from Sydney to Melbourne and I thought seriously about just hooking up the trailer and going for a drive to get it myself.

[dpastern]

ahhh my bad! Yes, I have no doubt that your suspicions are indeed right. Isn't that market collusion then? and illegal under Australian trading laws :screwy::screwy::screwy:

[RyanJones]

I have heard of this sort of price discrepancy before on Amazon and I have 2 possible, all be it un-researched and potentially un-fiscally educated suggestions.

1) Amazon Australia is a company based in Australia separate from (although owned by ) it's big brother in the US. Similar to Holden and General motors. The Australian based company has to operate fiscally independent from its parent company. Company tax rates in Australia are 6 - 7 % higher, wages are higher and real estate costs more and as such the company's overheads are higher. Add to that the sheer magnitude of the serviceable market that Amazon US supplies to reducing the required margin on each item ( 25million v's 250million+overseas )

2) It is highly likely that Amazon US is based in the Canary Islands or similar and as such when you buy from them, the sale is made in a TAX free country and then the order is shipped from the US or China Etc. This makes their operating costs significantly lower allowing them to undercut other businesses ( including Amazon Australia ). As far as I am aware, this practice is illegal under Australian Law.

Feel free to slap me if you think I'm talking crap........

[Exfso]

Easy fixed, don't shop Amazon.:rolleyes:

[troypiggo]

Place a wanted ad here in the classifieds and you’ll probably jag one cheaper than Amazon US ;) might not be Berlbach brand, but functionally...

PS - not sure of price, but Alex makes them http://gondwanatelescopes.com/

[LewisM]

I keep bashing the non-existant like button :thumbsup:

[bojan]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[multiweb]

I get occasionally bluray from Amazon and thought I'd save loads in shipping on the .com.au but it appears the price is jacked up so much locally that it would still be cheaper to order from the US.

[Lee]

:thumbsup:

[brian nordstrom]

:mad2: The powers that be :lol: ? don't care because the more the price we pay the more the GST they gouge ! .

Just like petrol , power , water , food etc , etc , its all a big RIP OFF !!:mad2::mad2::mad2: .

Brian.

[Kunama]

It’s not Amazon Australia who wants $567 for it, it’s a company called Outback Oasis.....,
If someone is silly enough to pay it, why not set the price high....
Would you work for $30 an hour if someone was silly enough to pay you $70....
All these calls for the government to step in are a waste of time....

[Kunama]

P.S. IF one really wants the Charon chair :shrug: why not just buy it from Telescope Express who will send one to Australia for the princely sum of $303.50 :shrug:

[LewisM]

If you can find an old Ikea "Svenerik" piano stool, you are good to go. The more recent metal version is the "kullaberg": https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/30363650/

Or similar. I've seen piano stools in 2nd hand shops for peanuts.

Personally, I stand to observe, but do have an Ikea "Bekvam":
https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/50225592/

and a "Frosta":

https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/60162301/

if I have the desire to sit.

The step-stool I also use as my laptop table during imaging.

[dpastern]

I wonder if I get the plans for the original catsperch from Ron @ Wood Wonders, if he can make it...still, will take me a fair while to save my $$$ for such a thing...



Amazon US is good value. Amazon Australia is a massive rip off...



Yup. For smaller things, I'll continue to order from Amazon US and ship to my US proxy shipping address and then from there to Australia. Even with shipping and GST, it's cheaper that way...



Yup. Electricity costs have far outstripped wage rises...water costs ditto...food costs ditto...real estate costs ditto...Australia is the most expensive country to live in in the world imho and getting worse by the year. Unless you're filthy rich of course. Or, a pollie..

[dpastern]

Yes, that is true Matt. Still, you'd think Amazon would discourage price gouging...but nope. They really have adapted to the Australian market really well lol!!!! When in Rome, doe as the Romans do...

$300 shipping costs! Massive rip off.

[dpastern]

I like the look of the Frosta, but it's only rated to 100kg...same as the Bekvam...not much good for us bigger lads...

[LewisM]

I sit on it just fine, and I am...errrr... rather large :)

[dpastern]

Ah OK. I'm 120 kg and it being rated to 100 kg makes me nervous (it's not fun when a chair collapses on you, and with my very bad lower back, the last thing I need is to fall heavily on my backside and risk damaging it even more)

[multiweb]

Maybe they have a "buy one get one free" deal for christmas. 60kg each :P

[LewisM]

120kg? Bantam weight...

[dpastern]

rofl Marc! That gave me a great chuckle, thank you!



*preens his feathers*

[RyanJones]

I didn't get slapped for my last comment but I'm going to get slapped for this one. Australia does not rip it's people off. Yes things here are expensive and have become more expensive recently but there is a reason for it. We live in the best country in the world. Our lifestyles are plentiful and on a global scale, we have very little to worry about. Our land abound in natures gifts and our beauty is rich and rare. We have grown as much as the rest of the first world but with one small but significant problem...... We don't have the population to support it. We would all like infrastructure to be better ( I refer to the many NBN complaints ) but the fact is we live on a monstrous continent. Laying a cable between anywhere is a huge undertaking. This goes for roads and rail. We simply do not have the population to fund these things without having high taxes or high land taxes to pay for the roads between our homes. We live in the best country in the world with so much opportunity, but there is a price to pay for that. Rather than complaining about things that are wrong, let's do something about it so we can spend more of our time enjoying the amazing place we live. If the online shop is over priced, don't shop there, if they're all over priced then get off our asses, get into the shed and make our own. Let's start living in this glass half full country rather than complain about the size of the glass !

[dpastern]

and this is exactly why these ripoff mongrels can get away with it. Attitudes such as this...

As to your NBN comment, sorry, but you're swallowing the industry's BS hook, line and sinker. 95% our of NBN connections will be in our urban areas. Laying cable for those areas is both a small area, and far easier than doing the whole country. Anything that's not urban, can get NBN satellite.

The NBN itself is a total joke, as is Internet in this country. Overpriced, and under performing. Whenever I talk to friends overseas, they laugh at how bad our Internet is.

PS My last job was working for an ISP, as a tech. I have a wee bit of an idea of what I'm talking about .

[RyanJones]

Thank you Dave.

To be honest my opinions are based on the evidence I see in front of me and are in no way based on any company rhetoric. Regardless of which side you come from or which option you have formed, the whole point of my post is for people to stop finding problems with things and create our own solutions. And that goes for anything, even if it's NBN, come up with a better solution and make it happen. If you don't like something do something about it. Don't be part of the herd you so despise. Either that or fall into line, baa like a sheep but don't be surprise when your voice isn't being heard over the rest of the herd.

[Kunama]

Great post Ryan, unfortunately around here it’s likely to fall on deaf ears.
Some people just like to focus on the negatives and then go around blaming everyone else for their lot in life.

We are indeed very fortunate here in Australia, we have a lifestyle very much envied by many living overseas. I doubt I could have retired comfortably at 55 elsewhere. Of the 38 countries I have visited, this is indeed the best one...:thumbsup:

[Stonius]

Like fibre to the home? I wish someone had thought of doing that before we committed to this mess.

[RyanJones]

Yes fibre to the home would have been better for each individual...... Would you have been happy to wait another 5 years though if YOUR house was last on the list to be connected ? That's wouldnt have changed the outcome, it would have changed the complaint.

I feel I've hijacked this post and it was far from my intention. My idea was to simply be the devils advocate for why things cost what they do in his otherwise beautiful country.

[RyanJones]

Let me bring this full circle and link my thoughts to the original topic.

Jeff Bezos started Amazon to bring online shopping to the masses and he achieved that. Not happy with the services currently available he didn't waste energy complaining about it, he did something better.

Not happy with the way NASA was going about space exploration or bringing that to the masses, he used his accrued wealth to start Blue Origin. He didn't complain about not being able to go into space, he did something about it.

Spread your wings people and fly. You live in a land full of opportunity. If your friends overseas laugh about the quality of your internet, laugh back and say I live in a place that gives me the security, the lifestyle, the abundance of resources and the freedom to do something about it.

[OICURMT]

My attempt at an explanation...



Amazon is similar to eBay in that it accepts third party vendors into the fold in addition to running its own operations.
The first link on Amazon US clearly states that this is being sold by Amazon (right had side of image 1). Amazon has a fullfilment warehouse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Amazon_locations) near me which stocks the item and according to Amazon, if I order it by 3pm today, I'll get it on Friday, as I am a Prime Customer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Prime) (it's Wednesday morning here).
Your second link clearly indicates that the item is sold via a third party supplier in Australia, named Outback Oasis (https://www.amazon.com.au/s?marketplaceID=A39IBJ37TRP1C6&me=AAB0YASWA5UQN&merchant=AAB0YASWA5UQN&redirect=true), NOT Amazon Australia. The only fulfillment center in Australia is at Dandenong South, Victoria.
It looks to me like Outback Oasis is a drop shipper. They order from Amazon AU, which in turn queries Amazon USA and then have it drop shipped via Amazon AU, then to you. Amazon passes on the shipping cost between fulfillment warehouses for international orders (California to Victoria in this case), thus the $230. There must be five in stock at the Victoria warehouse just waiting to be sold.
The cost of the item is just the third party vendor gouging.
Lastly, what amazes me is that shipping from Germany to USA vs AU should be about the same. In bulk, it's not much per unit. $230/unit to AU seems excessive, but if they only shipped 5 units, it may be correct/accurate.



OIC!

P.S. Noticed that Amazon offer Prime in Australia at $6.99/mo ( https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/prime/pipeline/landing ), whcih is cheaper than the US. It states that it offers free international shipping on "millions of eligible Amazon US items over $49 when you shop from amazon.com.au". Don't know if this is one of the items, but you can trial Prime for 30-days for free and then see if you can get it without shipping (or maybe cheaper shipping).
P.S.S. Some may notice a "W" just below the price in the first image. This is NOT part of Amazon, but an add-in that searches other websites to look for the lowest price. https://wikibuy.com/

[OICURMT]

They muyst be reading ISS forums...


Not longer available, but for a higher cost, you can get https://www.amazon.com.au/Berlebach-B500680-Observing-Chair-Wood/dp/B00WD6A8I8/

[N1]

There are 45 Berlebach Dealers in Germany (https://www.berlebach.de/?bereich=haendlerverzeichnis&sprache=english). Surely one of them can do you a better deal to your door than the Outback dude? I get items shipped over from EU regularly for similar reasons raised above (except replace "Oshtraya" with "Nuzuland"), works fine.


I agree though, DIY if you can

[darrellx]

Hi All

Just to chime in with my question, seeking a bit of an explanation if someone can.

I have ordered a few items from Amazon. So far the experience has been fine. But I have become quite annoyed with them about the emails they have been sending.

I get these emails, almost daily, that say I might be interested in these items. When I click on the item and say that I want to purchase, the item is added to my cart with the message that the item ships to Aus. See pic Amazon1.

When I go to complete the transaction, I get the message that the item does not ship to Aus. See pic Amazon2.

I understand the goefencing, but surely they know I am in Aus when they send me the email in the first place. So I contacted Amazon AU and asked if they could stop sending me emails. The person said that they (Amazon) do not send me any emails. It appears that the emails are coming from Amazon US. Amazon AU "does not have access to the US email nor ordering system". Quote from AU. If I want anything done regarding the emails I need to contact Amazon US. Which I have!

Is it simply a matter of the Seller (in this example Igreeman Security) not selling/shipping to Aus? Or is it Amazon US not wanting to sell/ship to Aus since there is an Amazon AU? If the latter, why the email and why the statement that the item ships to Au?

Just curious.

Thanks
Darrell

[Stonius]

It's just capitalism at work providing the best solution via free markets. :lol:

[dpastern]

why should we, the consumer, be responsible for the greed of the retailers and distributors? No. Just no. I will not accept such brainwashing.

The reality is, our government no longer serves we, the people, but only big business and the filthy rich. There is One solution towards the issue, but it isn't pretty. Yes, call me treasonous if you must.

[Stonius]

IMO, it just illustrates how the free market requires appropriate regulation to achieve good outcomes. Unregulated capitalism and communism both end up in the same place and for the same reasons; too much power concentrated in too few people.

[dpastern]

Absolutely AGREED. Free market capitalism ONLY benefits the very wealthy.

[troypiggo]

Is that "one solution" typing furiously about it on astronomy forums? :P

[Stonius]

Nah, I'm going to flip my keyboard over and set fire to it. That'll show them.

[dpastern]

lol Troy. No.

[Oddity]

One thing Amazon Australia does is stock a massive range of items under dummy vendor names with a tiny quantity at a price that nobody pays. They do this simply so they can legitimately claim in marketing, to shareholders, and to the Australian government, that they sell a huge range of items.

According to a good friend:

"it appears the Glendora Shopfront Vendor is really just a product filler to allow Amazon to say they are selling millions of products on the Australian site when in reality they won't sell any of it."

The example given was a set of papermate pens, normally US$10 on Amazon US, for AUD $100+$19 shipping on Amazon AU. Hundreds of thousands of such items with always precisely 3 in stock.

[brian nordstrom]

:sadeyes: Yep the best solution for making a bigger profit ,,, when's it gonna end :shrug: .
But the best thing is , is bugger Amazon as plenty have already said and buy LOCAL !!! you pay a little more but you are helping to keep the local economy going :thumbsup: . And you get ton's better customer support .

Brian.

[RyanJones]

Then become one of the wealthy......

[Kunama]

This really did make me laugh :lol::thumbsup:

But back to the OP's search for an Astro Seat, the same seat is just $303 delivered to your door from Telescope Express, I have used that seat and it is as good as it looks, very strong and easy to alter the height.....

Why not order one from TE......

Bringing up these price comparisons is not ever going to change anything, one needs to go out the front of Parliament House with a placard ;)

[multiweb]

Could use the backing of that seat. It's flat and looks light enough to hold over your head.