I want to buy in Australia
 

I really do want to buy my uniform and equipment in Australia. But why should I pay $39.95 for pilot shirts when I can buy the exact same shirt for $17.99 from the USA with free shipping?

I even gave them a call and said I was happy to pay up to about $27 per shirt and order 10 but they best they could do was $35...

suppose they source them from the same store I do... (lets make this simple with no tax) $27 X 10 = $270 minus the cost ($17.99 X 10 = $179.90) equals $90.10 for processing an order. They said no to this proposal... So I keep my $90.10 and buy some Australian made and brewed beer (Coopers) that is transported by a local company (assuming Linfox) sold by an australian bottle shop (dodgy guy at the bottle) instead.

As consumers have become more aware... retailers have not innovated enough to provide any sort of benefit to the consumer other than; the warm fuzzy feeling of buying a shirt made in china, transported by a multinational, from an online store that is hosted in the USA the payment gateway is from the USA.

What is the premium of buying from Australia?

Just get them in Bali my friend. They'll be better quality as well. $5.

ik978,
With the choice in the US you can get cotton and "cotton rich" shirts, which are far more comfortable to wear than the cotton/polyester type materials in most uniform shirts I have seen here.
The quality of the US shirts is also generally good (ain't competition wonderful) , and the nominal sizes are "real", not based on emaciated Indians ---- as in the new sizes in may Australian stores, where the old 3XL is now 7XL.
Tootle pip!!

Or you can fill out a uniform order form and your company will supply at no expense to you, or reimburse you for buying them :hmm:

iPads/iPhones/cars/housing/food/beer all dearer here!

Think over inflated real estate and rents, high wages, high taxes, high cost of compliance, too many public holidays etc etc all adding to the bill.

Well why should your employer pay you 2x what you would get in the US?

It's a double edge sword. You can't get paid high salaries on a world standard then want to pay 3rd World Prices for consumables.

Yes Australia pays more for alot things but we also get paid alot more than then rest of the world for the same job.

I think Neville has a good point.

Be careful for what you wish for as you could very well have the 7 days annual leave and a salary of half of what you get here with the prospect of regular furloughs and shutdowns.

Or alternatively have the T&C of the Asian carriers.

I am pretty sure that particular business does not want to see a customer walk out the door but if it is the difference between selling at a loss or not selling at all then a lot of businesses will take the later stance.

It is unfortunate that we can't compete internationally but it is NOT a level playing field and we will ultimately pay the price for not supporting our home grown industry.

Thats not a personal attack, as I like everyone else shop overseas, but we should all be aware of where this road is leading.

If we cannot compete internationally, it means we are inefficient at something - likely many things.

TBM has it right. There are so many cost inefficiencies to our real-estate ponzi as well as our so-called "workplace conditions", which are meaningless if you don't have a job. You can try to hang on to them as long as you can, but eventually they'll be taken from you.

The two recent posts #6&7 sum it up well, trouble is we have had it good for some time now, well apart from Labors destroying of our country for the last 6 years or so (personal opinion there guys so relax!).

I'd be happy to take 30% less wages no probs as long as long as fuel as just one Eg costs 30% less to buy so it's all relevant really.
We do have some great living conditions in this country but they are fast being eroded away hence a lot of people now are going offshore to buy & for good reasons 'cause as the grocery prices rise almost daily & our wages don't then something has to give. Homeless, jobless & just down & out folks are growing in this so called lucky country, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves at times.

I used to own a hobby shop some years ago now & it flourished at first but when the Net really took off & the whole world became a 'shop-front' via the PC then I was doomed, we are now all 'paying' for that in one way or another.
I do my bit where I can & buy Aussie ( I still buy OS stuff in certain area's) but it's almost futile other than being just a personal tiny achievement.
We as a society have dug ourselves a hole so large that we shall never be able to climb back out of it to see again prosperity in the retail world.

Wmk2

I understand we have many benefits of being in Australia but all I am say is... why should I reward someone who is more than likely just ordering from the same place as I can.

Kind of like washing my own car and giving the car wash the money as a donation...

We could just save the hassle and just all chip in and pay owner of the online store his $75K per year salary, close it down and order it from the USA.

If anyone would like some good quality pilot shirts I am happy to announce I can provide these at $30 + GST per shirt.... Any takers?

Yes 978, you've nailed it.

I assume you don't mind Joyce, Borghetti et al ordering pilots from overseas for $30K plus change?

Lucky country?? I think not. We are ripped off more than most. Everything from food, fuel, airline tickets, new cars, ****ty old cars, electricity, K-Mart shirts or a bloody hammer from Bunnings. This country has turned into an unaffordable disaster. Even the Governments figures two years ago showed we are one of the most expensive places to live. Higher wages my ass? Try feeding a family of 5, paying off a basic $300k mortgage, combine food and fuel and earn $140k per year and you are struggling. It's all bull****. Even a night out at the movies will set you back over $100. F#ck this place, sorry :*

Romulus, They don't need to go overseas for that, plenty of kids willing to get out of a baron and into a shiny jet for way less.

Cactus Jack, My point is less of the we are all screwed and more "who do you think you are"...

There is no need to charge such high margins, who remembers when it was cool to pay $50 for a Billabong tshirt? when fashion changed to more basic styles like plain shirts they could not provide any sort of benefit other than the fact that the consumer knew they were wearing a Billabong tshirt.

My point is charge a margin, but don't try and charge a 100% margin... you'll become the Billabong of tomorrow.

Check out their share price...

Billabong International Limited: ASX:BBG quotes & news - Google Finance

Yes there were other factors like large buyouts before 2008 but the fundamentals killed them... too cool for school.

How much is a product worth?
As much as people are willing to pay.

In this 'Global Village' where we are trying unsuccessfully to compete with S E Asia etc, in reality it's called The Race To The Bottom....and our kids / grandies will be the losers....
:ugh: :{

Amen to that Griffo .... And sooner than our Grandkids, the current generation is 80% there. I often wonder if the Malaysian or Chinese govt's will pay welfare to the single parent and unemployed when we the taxpayer run out of funds!

Griffo

Agree, Race to the bottom seems to be the. Everybody knows price
but few can recognise quality or value, especially long term.

I wanted a Davis weather station, in Australia A$636.00.

From the USA,post and package paid, same warranty, US$369.00 - no contest, but there is something radically wrong somewhere.

Oh yes, and for those that say here in Australia the wages are much higher, not so for the self funded retiree who saw a third of their Super just disappear in 2008 then had to live on capital for over two years while the market was stagnant.:{

I get my uniform shirts in Bangkok for around AU$45 but that's for top grade 100% Egyptian cotton, made to measure in exactly the style I specify. I can choose the type of pocket, collar style etc and they fit perfectly. For AU$7 I can get the collar replaced and it's good for another year.