Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
- AUbicycles
- Site Admin
- Posts: 15587
- Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 2:14 am
- Location: Sydney & Frankfurt
- Contact:
Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby AUbicycles » Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:22 am
This is a broad topic (and is raised frequently on this forum), feel free to discuss it here. For simplicity I am interested to know that if GST was charged on all items (eg. $8, $80 or $800), would this stop you from purchasing from overseas retailers. Think about your general spending patterns.
If you don't purchase overseas, probably best not to vote as this is aimed towards 'consumers' who purchase overseas.
Cheers
Christopher
-
- Posts: 2406
- Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:15 pm
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby }SkOrPn--7 » Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:30 am
Ricky
- apsilon
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Fri Feb 25, 2011 7:49 pm
- Location: Hills District, Sydney
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby apsilon » Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:44 am
Retailers need to stop blaming consumers and start looking at themselves and their distributors and work out why they can't compete in the global market.
- Redbull
- Posts: 1946
- Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:19 pm
- Location: Coogee WA
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby Redbull » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:21 am
Schwalbe Tyres - LBS AUD$119, Wiggle $39
I don't mind paying a little more an understand that they have to make a living, but I watch my pennies too.
- hannos
- Posts: 4109
- Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:18 am
- Location: Sydney
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby hannos » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:24 am
- jillybean
- Posts: 123
- Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:45 pm
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby jillybean » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:37 am
+1Nope. Why? because even with 10% tacked on it still comes out incredibly cheaper than what you can buy in Australia
Also astounds me that the postage from the UK is in many cases much less than getting something delivered from elsewhere in Aus.
-
- Posts: 664
- Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:39 pm
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby steve-waters » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:45 am
MTB:TWE 29er, Fox Terralogic, XT, 3T and TWE wheels
- Phil
- Posts: 523
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 12:07 am
- Location: Perth, WA
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby Phil » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:46 am
Sometimes I want things in a hurry, or its the sort of items I need to be sized for, but most consumables/clothes (I know the sizing of), parts I will continue to buy overseas.
- simonn
- Posts: 3763
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:46 am
- Location: Sydney
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby simonn » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:51 am
- sogood
- Posts: 17168
- Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:31 am
- Location: Sydney AU
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby sogood » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:59 am
Blame it on the buoyant AUD and greedy distributors, not import duties.
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
- trailgumby
- Posts: 15469
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
- Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
- Contact:
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby trailgumby » Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:19 am
Even so, I'd still buy offshore.
I understand that local bike shops can't stock everything you want, but would expect the distributors to fill this gap and this is where service frequently breaks down.
Recently I got one of my local bike shops to rebuild my damaged rear commuting wheel with a CXP33 rim. The order was placed on the Monday and the local Mavic distributor still hadn't shipped it by the following Friday.
If I'd ordered the rim offshore, it would have been less than half the price and a week earlier. They really don't help themselves.
-
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:33 am
- Location: Rockhampton, QLD
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby Racer » Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:30 am
- mikesbytes
- Super Mod
- Posts: 22160
- Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:42 pm
- Location: Tempe, Sydney
- Contact:
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby mikesbytes » Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:40 am
- CommuRider
- Posts: 5053
- Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2010 6:16 pm
- Location: Sydney
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby CommuRider » Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:39 am
More variety overseas even if AUD goes down. Retailers should start embracing online shopping - a lot of good Aussie products need marketing overseas. Their economic loss if they think they continue living in this protectionist mentality.
- Jean
- Posts: 1750
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:26 am
- Location: Canberra
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby Jean » Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:41 am
+1, I could only see it having an effect if the AUD fell dramatically, but even then I expect I would still do most of my bike related shopping overseas, predominantly in the UK. For all the reasons that are regularly set out around here.sogood wrote:Charging 10% won't stop me buying from O/S. But if AUD falls back to 0.6 to USD, then it'll cause more serious reconsiderations. At least not paying through the AUD CC.
Blame it on the buoyant AUD and greedy distributors, not import duties.
-
- Posts: 5470
- Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:23 pm
- Location: Yangebup
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby Baalzamon » Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:49 am
- DavidS
- Posts: 3632
- Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:24 pm
- Location: Melbourne
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby DavidS » Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:22 pm
The usual arguments come back at you with this issue. The best one is is about transporting goods all the way to Australia. That might have had some legs back when things were made in Europe or the USA. But just about everything is made in China now and it is closer to us than to Europe. You buy a Chinese made good, it is shipped to, say, the UK, and then there's postage back here and it's still heaps cheaper. There is something seriously wrong with the distribution and selling model here when that is the case. I actually think it is the distributors and it would not surprise me if the LBS is paying more for some items than we pay on an overseas web site. The distributor model is dead, they add little value and suck up their own profit. It's time to go.
I recently bought a camera and I took Gerry Harvey's advice: I bought it from Hong Kong. It saved me a few hundred dollars. Why should I pay 30% more to get it here?
I am quite willing to pay a premium to buy here for the service and to support local businesses, but when the premium is hundreds of dollars then forget it. GST won't make one iota of difference, the GST is not the problem.
One thing I will add. I don't think the Gerry Harvey's of this world really care if a GST is imposed on goods bought overseas. What this campaign is about is to create a smokescreen while they offshore their retail business. How soon before Hardly Normal and the like offer online shopping from their Chinese warehouse? And where were these retailers when Australian manufacturing was being offshored? They were busy shunning Australian made and buying cheap from overseas to increase their profit margins. No sympathy from here I'm afraid.
DS
-
- Posts: 1916
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:21 am
- Location: Perth
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby mitzikatzi » Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:22 pm
Last trip to a local shop. I needed a packet of "carbon friction grease" (greeted with "what's that", a phone call to the owner establishes they do sell it). $14 at LBS or $11 from PBK including $9 postage I haven't been back.
-
- Posts: 5470
- Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:23 pm
- Location: Yangebup
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby Baalzamon » Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:26 pm
- X-wing
- Posts: 701
- Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 10:38 pm
- Location: Penrith, NSW
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby X-wing » Mon Mar 28, 2011 1:48 pm
I keep telling myself to drop into the LBS for a chat and an impulse purchase, but when I do I see things in there that I can get for 30 - 50% less, including postage, from UK.
I know these guys are being held hostage to the dollar and the middle-men, but 50% is a big ask on $$$ items.
-
- Posts: 2631
- Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:36 pm
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby eeksll » Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:02 pm
also +1 to the shoddy local service and warranty service.
Something else is that many bike stores are not open at times convenient to me. Online store are always open ...
-
- Posts: 385
- Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:11 pm
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby chill » Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:05 pm
They can tack on all the GST, duty, custom, taxes they like. I'll buy online and get friends and family to post things for me.
- mikedufty
- Posts: 788
- Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 5:52 pm
- Location: Western Australia, Bull Creek
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby mikedufty » Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:10 pm
A lot of stuff that is easily ordered from overseas is simply not available in Australia anyway, or if it is available it is too difficult to find.
-
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 10:26 pm
Re: Would a 10% GST surcharge stop you from buying overseas?
Postby Gabon » Mon Mar 28, 2011 4:08 pm
Put simply if retailers/distributors do not have an online presence then they are unlikely to be competitive. If they are not aware of the market prices they are unlikely to be competitive. If they consider that customers are fools they will not survive,
Retailers/distributors for most other goods have now adapted and have well developed online presence. Perhaps we should start listing local retailers with a good online presence and competitive prices.
I buy on combination of price and service. I still cannot find an online retailer to do repairs or service and I usually pick up a good or two or three at the same time. But everything else is up for grabs. If I can order a good from overseas so can a bike shop/distributor. If they charge a small margin everyone is happy but if they charge a motza tough luck.
Traditional retailing is dead.
Return to “Buying a bike / parts”
- General Australian Cycling Topics
- Info / announcements
- Buying a bike / parts
- General Cycling Discussion
- The Bike Shed
- Cycling Health
- Cycling Safety and Advocacy
- Women's Cycling
- Bike & Gear Reviews
- Cycling Trade
- Stolen Bikes
- Bicycle FAQs
- The Market Place
- Member to Member Bike and Gear Sales
- Want to Buy, Group Buy, Swap
- My Bikes or Gear Elsewhere
- Serious Biking
- Audax / Randonneuring
- Retro biking
- Commuting
- MTB
- Recumbents
- Fixed Gear/ Single Speed
- Track
- Electric Bicycles
- Cyclocross and Gravel Grinding
- Dragsters / Lowriders / Cruisers
- Children's Bikes
- Cargo Bikes and Utility Cycling
- Road Racing
- Road Biking
- Training
- Time Trial
- Triathlon
- International and National Tours and Events
- Cycle Touring
- Touring Australia
- Touring Overseas
- Touring Bikes and Equipment
- Australia
- Western Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Victoria
- ACT
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
- Country & Regional
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users
- All times are UTC+11:00
- Top
- Delete cookies
About the Australian Cycling Forums
The Australian Cycling Forums is a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.
Bicycles Network Australia
Forum Information
Connect with BNA
This website uses affiliate links to retail platforms including ebay, amazon, proviz and ribble.