This has been done to death on every forum but as long as retailers in Oz don't pay attention, it will keep happening.
Me, I like to spread it around. I bought a thermo cover yesterday in Perth cheaper than I have seen anywhere on the webs. Some purchases are made locally so I can get the sales support if needed and that alone normally makes the extra few dollars worth it. Other bits are bought from overseas because they're just not available in this country or in a reasonable timeframe.
Look, I can see both sides of this argument as I work for a company that imports all that we sell. We wish it was made locally and we wish it was cheaper but as it is, we're at the mercy of:
- Suppliers who see us as tiny and very unimportant.
- Shippers who screw us for the same reason.
- Customs who just love to have a long look at every shipment.
- The Australian Government taking a large slice of the action before and after sales.
- The developers who charge a fortune for something just to put a shed on.
- The local council that don't bother to wear a condom when they rape you for every imaginable charge they can come up with each year.
- Those damn employees who selfishly want a fair day's pay for a fair day's work...
I could go on but the fact is, when your business is the size of Minispares, or better yet try Wiggle or Eglobal, you can screw all of the above down on prices and still operate at minimal cost. Such is the power of the internet, you now have access to these businesses and they have more access to you than they ever imagined twenty years ago. They're loving you all the way to the bank.
Times are changing and so is the world of retail. Where it's heading, I don't know but the big guys are on the right track for them and we're following. Sadly, it's the small businesses that will have to evolve into something that will win us back or die. Again, I have no idea what that could be but I do know one thing for sure; you're going to miss them.
Love it flash. I'm sorry about our weather too, but wait 5 mnutes.... 
