The importer may not be in a position to adjust the pricing if they purchased at a different rate, and are carrying stock for that purchase. Most overseas companies wont provide credit so its a TT up front at the rate of the day you do the TT, that then locks the cost of the stock in regardless of whether its in the warehouse or on a slow boat from China.
I give some grace for that, but in this case there is no way they imported a year's worth of product to hold in an Aussie warehouse. That just does not happen with these products. They would likely hold no more than 2 months of product. I can have it delivered from the USA in less than 2 weeks and so can they. Their shipments of this particular product come from the USA and not from China (unless they are selling fake/knock-offs locally :shock
.
They will be purchasing in US$ and current Australian stock will have been purchased at an exchange rate of greater than US$0.95, but the local retail price remains the same as it was when the A$ was worth less than US$0.75 and the US retail price has remained constant.
So if the local importer has such poor business model that they have locked in a purchase price in A$ for greater than 12 months then they need to change that model if they want my business. I am not suggesting they receive a credit from the US manufacturer. I am suggesting they are making more profit today than they were making 12 months ago as a result of exchange rate variations.
In the USA, the authorised dealers/retailers purchase directly from the US manufacturer. In Australia, authorised dealers/retails must purchase from a single Australian importer/distributor. Since all local retailers are purchasing at inflated prices, the local retail price is inflated.
I am seriously considering some German microphones to be purchased from the UK as they are around half the price of the same item purchased locally, even with my local industry contacts. And these will incur GST as I would be purchasing in matched pairs so the price is well over A$1000. There is no way I would consider purchasing at the Aussie prices. But with the much lower prices available from the UK it is an attractive proposition to add some to my kit. Used some on a choir on the weekend and on a violin the week before was very impressed with the results.
Its really only items that are not bulky or heavy that are attractive to purchase from overseas. My son just bought a new guitar. Again a US product that costs about double here. But in his case we chose to purchase locally as the shipping costs would have been significant and a local warranty/service adds value that justified him paying the higher local price (and his impatience as he wanted it NOW and not in the middle of January).
