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25 years ago, prices for astronomical equipement down here were very, very much higher than now. In pre-internet days I'd write letters to US companies that advertised in Sky and Telescope and order eyepieces and gadgets at a significant fraction of what they were being sold for here.
The big problem that faces Australians is sole distribution rights to sell items within the country. One sees it for all sorts of things - from premium cameras and lenses, to guns and knives, and to the more exclusive spirits and liqueurs e.g it was cheaper to fly to the USA, have a vacation and buy a premium Sony camera lens, than to buy it here.
Basically, one person or company gets the monopoly for the country, in the same way as someone may get the monopoly to the selling rights for a US State. But in the US state, if the prices are too high, one can easily go get the item in another state - so that limits how high the price can go. But in Australia, we can't go across to the countries next door that inexpensively.
Curiously, back in the 2000s - all the companies I used to buy Meade and Orion stuff from in the US, started saying they would no longer ship to Australia - as the companies started putting pressure on them to protect the distribution rights of their agents in Australia. Luckily though, that was when the flood of cheap and pretty Chinese astronomical stuff started hitting us, as well as being made for US companies which did sell to Asutralia, which then limited how high the prices of the more well known/premium prices could go.
Regards,
Renato
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