ali Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I get sports gear from UK. very expensive here in Aus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janine the party queen Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 We found Sydney more like the UK in that the youngsters were label mad,had to have the latest mobile,ipod.People seemed to be more interested in what you had, size of flat screen,size of engine,size of mortgage etc. I have seen things change in the short time we have been here,lots of small businesses closing down and lots of those cheap $ shops opening,sales seem to be on all year round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazztell Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Hi ! Whilst Australia can be expensive for many things,please bear in mind that in America ,shop assistants ,food servers,waiters ,etc.., are on a very low hourly rate ( around 6 to 7 US dollars ) plus the US has a far bigger population than Australia and hence more competition for business, and thus cheaper goods. Personally I'd rather pay a ( little ) bit extra in order for other people to have a near living wage ,and some rights in their field of employment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewebweazel Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Personally I'd rather pay a ( little ) bit extra in order for other people to have a near living wage ,and some rights in their field of employment. Although I do agree with you. I doubt that the higher prices make any difference to the staffs minimum wage, they only get paid what their employers can get away with. Your extra bucks are profit that go to the shareholders! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungfustu Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 AUSTRALIAN retailers must explain why they charge huge mark-ups on products that cost half as much from overseas internet companies, consumer group Choice says. And global companies with a presence in Australia prevent local customers taking advantage of cheaper prices offered on their overseas websites, it says. It comes after a study yesterday found retailers were marking up products by as much as 142 per cent unbeknownst to shoppers, with clothing and shoes the most expensive of the lot. In its submission to the Productivity Commission's retail inquiry, Choice says the strong Australian dollar should enable local retailers to pass on savings to their customers. It has found that the same pair of Nike running shoes costs $240 at a major Australian sports retailer while consumers can buy the same shoes for $134 from an online store based in the US. Choice says the top 12 music albums cost 73 per cent more if purchased from the Australia iTunes store instead of the US iTunes store. But Australians are barred from using US iTunes. The popular video game Portal 2 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 costs 91 per cent more from a major Australian online retailer than from a website based in Asia. "There are too many examples, from white goods to motorcycles and TVs to video games, where we pay more," Choice campaigns director Christopher Zinn said in a statement. "It's up to those in the supply chain here in Australia to justify why this is the case. "Importers and retailers should not cry foul if consumers chase better prices, wherever they may be.... Last December, big retailers such as Harvey Norman, Borders, Target and David Jones waged a campaign against the $1000 GST-free threshold for retail products purchased overseas. They labelled it unfair and argued it would cost jobs. The National Retail Association representing 3700 small shops followed suit. The debate urged the Federal Government to announce a Productivity Commission inquiry into the future of Australia's retail industry. Choice said overseas retailers offered better prices, better service and a much larger range of products. Eliminating the GST-free threshold would do nothing to dissuade Australian customers from continuing to enjoy big savings from buying online. Choice also attacked global retailers with a presence in Australia for preventing the use of Australian credit cards on their overseas sites. "We are challenging global corporations to drop the artificial technological barriers used to block competitive prices online, such as those affecting software and music downloads," Mr Zinn said. "There is no reason why Australians should pay more than consumers in comparable countries for digitally delivered items like software." The Productivity Commission has been asked to report on the current structure, performance and efficiency of the retail sector and the broader issues contributing to the increase in online purchasing by Australian consumers. May 27th 2011 Thats odd, I posted a link about this very subject last week on "money and finance, UK v Oz disposable income" and you replied to it saying you didnt think there was a problem and that you had shopped on-line many times using your credit card with no issues, even saying you had purchased a motorbike from a london dealer on-line. heres the link: http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/Aussies-ripped-retailers-yahoo7finance-1024260367.html :wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 At least you have the choice to buy on line from overseas, we can't buy anything from abroad because the exchange rate makes everything really dear due to the pound being so weak. If i was in Australia i would take advantage and buy as much stuff from the uk as i could and we buy off ebay alot, because everything here will be really cheap with the dollar and pound exchange rate .............. it makes sense to me and bargains must be at an all time high for Australians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Thats odd, I posted a link about this very subject last week on "money and finance, UK v Oz disposable income" and you replied to it saying you didnt think there was a problem and that you had shopped on-line many times using your credit card with no issues, even saying you had purchased a motorbike from a london dealer on-line. heres the link: http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/Aussies-ripped-retailers-yahoo7finance-1024260367.html :wubclub: ?? You mean you spoke to Christopher Zinn last week?? He was the one who wrote the article you quoted so I presume that's who you are talking about:GEEK: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest37336 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Thats odd, I posted a link about this very subject last week on "money and finance, UK v Oz disposable income" and you replied to it saying you didnt think there was a problem and that you had shopped on-line many times using your credit card with no issues, even saying you had purchased a motorbike from a london dealer on-line. heres the link: http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/Aussies-ripped-retailers-yahoo7finance-1024260367.html :wubclub: Funnily I can't see any 'personal' inferences made by Susie. It is purely a post which is virtually copied and pasted, at no point has Susie given her own personal experiences has she. So to refer to an older post concerning this issue is a wee bit childish. If this is the case then the vast majority of PIO users could be accused of this very same thing, stating a report, and personal experiences are two completely different things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Australians are being charged upto 60% more to fly to US, than they charge Americas to fly to Australia. Seems like a ripoff by Qantas !! http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/fare-go-australians-gouged-over-us-flights-20110531-1fe8r.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anya Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Apart from groceries and the odd pair of socks from Target, I don't buy anything in Melbourne. Everything is bought online (this includes toiletries, cosmetics, health food etc) or on our annual holidays. My mobile phone died (RIP - it was 10 years old...lol) the other day. I bought a cheap one in Dick Smith for $129, couldn't be bothered buying it online and needed one urgently. I only ever use my mobile for calling and don't need any of the mod cons. High time that retailers stop charging extortionate prices and until then they're not going to get a cent from me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janine the party queen Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 At least you have the choice to buy on line from overseas, we can't buy anything from abroad because the exchange rate makes everything really dear due to the pound being so weak. If i was in Australia i would take advantage and buy as much stuff from the uk as i could and we buy off ebay alot, because everything here will be really cheap with the dollar and pound exchange rate .............. it makes sense to me and bargains must be at an all time high for Australians. It's not about choice it's a necessity...............how else am I going to afford a lemon for my vodka:tongue::tongue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest37336 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 It's not about choice it's a necessity...............how else am I going to afford a lemon for my vodka:tongue::tongue: OK, who mentioned the LEMONS,:mad::biglaugh: Cheers Tony.:wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest37336 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I must admit the report did surprise me. I have had a thirty year relationship with Australia, but for the past four or five years I have lived a bit rougher shall we say, tents, backpackers, etc, and only had myself to consider to a degree. So never really HAD to buy certain goods, utilities, online and the like. Having read this report it was truly shocking, myself and good lady luckily may be a bit more insulated to certain aspects of this because of our lifestyle, but my heart goes out to the people with families and the like who have little choice but to 'conform' as it were, truly shocking prices.:no: Cheers Tony.:wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NeilEB Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 YES.. books, funny money here :goofy:Have you looked at www.bookdepository.co.uk ??? Free shipping! Steph Meh - that's why I'm keeping my Kindle, and I'll keep my UK bank account open. Far more choice on the UK site, and probably cheaper too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anya Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 OK, who mentioned the LEMONS,:mad::biglaugh: Cheers Tony.:wink: I paid 60C for each lime in ripoff safeway:mad: So I bought a Tahitian lime tree a few months ago (and lots of other citrus fruit trees). By this time next year or even sooner, I'll be making lime pickle from my very own home grown organic limes .......lol The limit was paying $2.99 for a bunch of coriander, are they crazy or what? (or may be I was the crazy one, considering I used to buy it). I now grow my own coriander (very very easy - try it), mint, fenugreek, red hot and green chillies, broccoli etc :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungfustu Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 ?? You mean you spoke to Christopher Zinn last week?? He was the one who wrote the article you quoted so I presume that's who you are talking about:GEEK: eh?? sorry but I am not sure what you are talking about. I have never mentioned or claimed to have spoken to the author of the report. I read the report last week as it was released on-line, I then added a link to this web site on the "UK v Oz disposable income" thread so that others could read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungfustu Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Funnily I can't see any 'personal' inferences made by Susie. It is purely a post which is virtually copied and pasted, at no point has Susie given her own personal experiences has she. So to refer to an older post concerning this issue is a wee bit childish. If this is the case then the vast majority of PIO users could be accused of this very same thing, stating a report, and personal experiences are two completely different things. I will try and clear up any mis understandings. I posted a link to this story last week on another thread. "UK v Oz disposable income" Susie replied saying she had not had any problems using her credit cards and had even purchased a motor bike online. "no problemo" was her quote. To me she was expressing an opinion that she disagreed. why else would she reply? she certainly did not agree with what I had posted. Today susie has raised this subject posting a link to the very same subject I did last week and in doing so and in her follow up posts is also suggesting that this is wrong, the very thing I did last week. I was not picking any individual part of the link out, I was just posting it because it related to the original thread and says Australians buying goods over the net from other countries from companies that have a presence in Australia are being over charged. That was it, nothing else, it was others that disagreed I am not sure about childish, I am just debating a topic, expressing my opinion like many others do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36762 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 its by no means an explanation but Australia has much higher overheads too. The minimum wage is quite higher here than in the USA - at least this is one of the excuses they often come out with. The automobile industry has its share of rip off merchants, Audi and BMW being two notable ones. As long as people keep paying though, it will continue. But there is always a flip side: Its much cheaper to buy Honda or Subaru here than it is in the UK. Digital distribution price disparity is very annoying. Steam (games) has regional pricing for its product and its not uncommon to see US price $40, AU price $75 for the identical product being downloaded. That's wrong. Australian book publishers protectionism is comical. The effects of it are now being seen: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/lunacy-of-protectionism-writ-large/story-e6frg6zo-1226008423635 Another issue worth mentioning is the general apathetic attitude of a lot of Australians. Its all too easy to sit back and have a whinge but ultimately the 'She'll be right' mentality takes over and accepts it BINGO. Exile, you've hit the nail on the head. I actually think the big corporations in Aus cynically cash in on the pervading attitude of acceptance and 'she'll be right mate' (aka apathy), along with absurd notions of 'fair go' and 'mateship' an example being the price of bananas: Coles/Woolies choosing not to import bananas, apparantly in order to 'look after' local banana growers...yeah right. Instead they choose to charge $12 a kilo..:biglaugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36762 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I really hope that you are right, I am so sick and tired of the commercialism here in the UK. For instance why is it necessary to change your Mobile every 18 months? It doesn't seem like any thing is now days built for the long run It is unbelievable the amount that we waste. sorry mate but it ain't no different here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracy123 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 This is the reason I love living in Melbourne. If you know where to look you can get some amazing savings on anything and everything. For people who are after sports wear head to Smiths St in Collingwood, there you have Nike, Converse, Adidas, Fila, Brooks, New Balance and others? All within a few minutes of each other (walking) New Balance trainers that are $200+ in the shops are $120 this seasons stock as well Adidas's cricket shirts are going for $15 and these are still full price in the sports stores, Nike have sample t-shirts going for $10, also on Saturday they had 30% off footwear and that was 30% off the sale price. They had lots of other sale items but they are the ones I can think of. Pumpkin Patch are also there and most of their stuff is 50% off retail, once again they had a sale that was 30% off the sale price of everything. Buying kids t-shirts for under $5 isn't bad and they are good quality! For anyone looking for a bargain you can buy a factory outlet book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36762 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 This is the reason I love living in Melbourne. If you know where to look you can get some amazing savings on anything and everything. For people who are after sports wear head to Smiths St in Collingwood, there you have Nike, Converse, Adidas, Fila, Brooks, New Balance and others? All within a few minutes of each other (walking) New Balance trainers that are $200+ in the shops are $120 this seasons stock as well Adidas's cricket shirts are going for $15 and these are still full price in the sports stores, Nike have sample t-shirts going for $10, also on Saturday they had 30% off footwear and that was 30% off the sale price. They had lots of other sale items but they are the ones I can think of. Pumpkin Patch are also there and most of their stuff is 50% off retail, once again they had a sale that was 30% off the sale price of everything. Buying kids t-shirts for under $5 isn't bad and they are good quality! For anyone looking for a bargain you can buy a factory outlet book. no thanks, I'd rather buy online from the UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracy123 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 no thanks, I'd rather buy online from the UK Each to their own. Couldn't find M&S or Next so it's probably best, I know how much you like M&S bras and knickers :wink::wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36762 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Each to their own. Couldn't find M&S or Next so it's probably best, I know how much you like M&S bras and knickers :wink::wubclub: I do actually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exile Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Each to their own. Couldn't find M&S or Next so it's probably best, I know how much you like M&S bras and knickers :wink::wubclub: Next boxer shorts are my weapon of choice. I just wanted to share that with everyone. Enjoy your lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exile Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 'mateship' this makes me cringe . Its all fine as a losely used term between mates, or whilst telling some kind of drunken annecdote, but when its embraced as a bona fide word by politicians and thrown around like some sort of uber-nationalistic mantra, it suddenly loses any kind of freindly meaning and becomes a cringeworthy term which just makes them seem out-of-touch and clueless. Its probably the same sort of feeling as having to watch your parents trying to dance to your favourite song in front of all your friends when you were about 13. Didn't Kevin Rudd go so far as to try and have the word put on the constitution, or something sinmilar? What a tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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