Quote:
Originally Posted by Slawomir
Contrary to what CNET states, I always got charged about 10% tax for any astro gear above $1000 US, and deliveries were made by FedEx, UPS and USPS.
For example, just a few weeks ago I bought a camera directly from QSI quietly hoping it will be cheaper than buying from an Australian dealer..it was not.
Just today I also looked at getting filters directly from Astrodon and also asked for a quote from an Australian dealer; the difference in price was literally a few dollars per filter (a single filter costs over $650).
From my experience, astro gear bought overseas is not cheaper, at least not now nor in the past year or so. It might have been different when Aussie dollar was stronger.
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The sum of $2,500 mentioned in that article under Customs is not for the tax free threshold but is for having to complete a Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) form. Any amount over $2500, has to be declared on the SED, for any item shipped item out of the US that exceeds USD 2,500.
The tax free threshold of $1,000 is for taxation when it arrives here. Anything under that limit, which includes freight, is not charged tax or Customs clearance.
As for astro gear not being cheaper overseas, is not necessarily true, although the dollar falling may make that the case for a lot of things. However, there are still significant differences, that make it worthwhile.
The biggest factor is that you have little choice who you deal with here, as there is a definite lack of competition, particularly when it comes to astro gear. My primary supply used to be an Australian company, but I refuse to deal with them now, so I had little choice but to look to overseas suppliers. This is not an uncommon occurrence either, from anecdotal evidence and personal experience.
Australian companies need to be much more respectful to their customers if they are to retain the business.
It isn't all about price!