Ask Slashdot: Package Redirection Service For Shipping to Australia? 206
An anonymous reader writes "I've recently moved continents, and one of the things I've noticed is the lack of the latest technology, as well as high prices for books and other goods here in Australia. I'm looking at package redirection services from the US, and there's a bewildering array of offerings, at a wide range of prices. What should I look out for? I'm hoping to reduce overall shipping costs to, but obviously worried about costs to deliver mostly empty boxes (yes, I'm talking about you, Amazon), damage to electrical goods from rough handling, packages going missing (does everything have to be registered post or tracked?), import duties (I'm not buying anything that should attract import duty, but still...) and overall costs (I'm not going to be buying frequently, just occasionally). What have other slashdot readers used, and what would they recommend?"
Start here (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/list_of_mail_forwarders
There is also a number of discussions like this one:
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/74601
Shipito (Score:5, Informative)
I use shipito personally. Back when I used to live in Australia, and now that i'm in New Zealand. Great service.
I picked shipito after doing my research online, you probably should do some research and read up on some reviews and make an informed decision yourself.
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Seconded: I've used Shipito several times and their service has been first class.
Pitfalls of Shipito (Score:5, Informative)
I've used a Shipito consolidation account for 5 months to send stuff to Brisbane. This is what I learned:
0. I pay $50/year for an account, which gives me an address in California (Suite 123456, 123 Something St., Sometown CA, 90250). When a package arrives for me, they list it on my web based UI with a photo of the package and shipping label.
1. The cheapest freight out to Australia available through Shipito is TNT, but the cost varies from $15/lb for 8lbs, down to $4/lb for 30 lbs.
2. The optimal weight package to consolidate and send off to Australia is 29.5 lbs. Shipito adds a $10 surcharge for heaviness if the package exceeds 30 lbs.
3. It is cheapest to minimise the number of small packages you send in to your Shipito account because they charge $4.50 per piece to consolidate each incoming package into the big box that they send to Australia. Their literature makes it seem like only $2.50, but really it is $4.50 because there is a handling fee and a consolidation fee for each item. So, if you want to order 10 books from Amazon, get them sent to your Shipito box in Caliornia as on shipment of 10 books and you will only have to pay $4.50 handling and consolidation fees. If, however, you let Amazon send you 10 individual packages of 1 book each, Shipito will charge you a total of $45.00 handling and consolidation to put the same 10 books in your big box that goes to Australia.
4. Watch your Shipito account like a hawk. If a package goes missing and you don't tell them within 10 days, too bad. You have no recourse.
5. A package can be delivered to Shipito by Amazon's courier, but Shipito might not ever credit it to your account, in which case you better read #4 again. Until the package is assigned to your account, it hasn't arrived.
6. Their customer service is not aleays good. However, once you have received a reply from a service agent, if you continue to send further enquiries directly to that agent's email address you may get better customer service than if you just use the forum or the general address.
7. Fill out the online customs declerations each time a package arrives. It makes it easier for you to calculate when to close off a consolidation because you can see when the value of all packages is getting close to $1000 or the weight close to 29.5 lbs. You need to send the consolidation before it is worth over $1000 to avoid being charged GST in Australia.
8. They do some annoying things like if you let the package overstay the maximum of 90 days in storage, they just remove it from your a/c without warning and say too bad. So be vigilant about their rules, and don't expect them to be as understanding as some other more mature businesses.
9. If you follow all the above guidelines, Shipito is a good service that will save you considerable amounts on freight, and enable you to buy stuff from US vendors who will only ship to a US address.
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THREE DOLLARS for a simple letter??? FORTY BUCKS for a small package? I get small packages from Hong Kong and China all the time for zero dollars.
These prices are profoundly sick. Just what is wrong with Australia (and a lot of other places) that it seems to cost a king's ransom to order from China, when it is literally free for the US?
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Small market (number of customers), large range (geography), lack of competition, and risk. Delivery to some locations entails a moderate level of danger, e.g. if you drive to my place, it's possible that you'll meet a venomous snake along the way.
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c'mon 30 bucks for small package is cheap, you should see their Internet prices (and caps) :)
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hmm? you sure it costs 30 bucks to order from china? dx ships free worldwide.
thing is, SENDING mail from the west to anywhere costs a of money. for example my native finland.. ordering a pack of batteries from china is pretty cheap, shipping is neglible in the price of the product.
however sending anything the other way would cost a lot of money.
also I seriously doubt the submitter is just going to order so cheap items that import duty isn't an issue... since he is complaining about high electronics prices.
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It is literally free from China to AU as well; most Chinese/HK vendors ship here for free these days, and to most other destinations.
Those high prices are from the US to Australia; why is that? US international postage prices seem huge to us - more than shipping from AU to the US. Amazon (when it deigns to ship here) are often much cheaper, like $9-$20, but that's still more than e.g. from the UK, let alone China.
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Lol, those zero dollars is more like it is included in the price. Check whatever you bought in those stores that say "free shipping" and then find the same article in Taobao or even JD.com or Tmall.com. After that please don't hate me for letting you know how much they are ripping you off.
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Postage costs in Australia are ridiculous. I'm an Aussie living in the UK, I wanted to send my parents in Sydney a small USB webcam so we could Skype properly (the less said about the in-built webcam and microphone on their laptop the better).
It cost *exactly* the same ($42) to order it from a local online shop located in Paramatta (another Sydney suburb less then 20kms away from my parents) as it did to order from Amazon UK with the shipping address set to my parents' house in Sydney.
What's even more ridic
Not quite the exact topic (Score:2, Insightful)
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I deal in high end pro audio equipment. First off, it's kind of easy to see who is a freight forwarder. There's entire city blocks where if I get an order there I know what's going on, and Google Maps doesn't hurt. Plus when someone puts 123 Meryl st box 929183, it's pretty evident. Not to mention an international card has to go through more verification processes because the bank will not verify transactions with US merchants.
Second, most of my manufacturers will not honor warranties on grey market pur
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myus.com (Score:3)
Around $100/year has them receiving your US online purchases at your personal US address (their Florida warehouse). They scan shipment invoices -- you view the invoices in a web interface and tell them which shipments to 'consolidate' and ship, They stuff everything together and ship Fedex or UPS. An 12"x8"x6" box costs about $50-$60 -- you save money when you've consolidated multiple shipments.
In Australia, any import under $1000 is duty free.
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
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I wonder how many items they see priced at exactly $999, taunting them by slipping just under the limit? Probably fewer than the number of "toys" from China valued at $1 that UK customs see.
Remember, it's $1000 AUD, not $1,000 USD (Score:3)
If you import something for $999 USD today, it would be assessed as a $1,056.25 AUD import.
This would probably attract and additional:
$55 Customs Processing Fee
$50 Import Duty (assuming the standard 2.5% import duties)
$105.63 GST
It needs to be less than $1,000 AUD per shipment.
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You will also probably want to make sure th
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There's a word for this: fraud.
No, the word is "legitimate". Import duty to Australia basically consists of the 10% Goods and Services Tax, and consumer goods shipped to Australia valued at under $1000 are specifically excluded. This isn't taking advantage of a loophole in the law caused by weird interpretations, it's a very specific exemption.
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Australia has a specific tax exemption for people who state false prices on customs forms? Still haven't shaken the penal colony mentality I see.
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... but it would be really hard to put the MacBook back together on arrival.
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However the penal colony thing coming from Americans is getting a bit old and just reinforces my view that many of you know fuc
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1.5mbit adsl is the exact same equipment that runs 8mbit, the only thing is that 1.5mbit can be provisioned reliably at 100% speed whereas the 8mbit sync speed will require a "we will provision your line somewhere between 1.5 and 8, good luck!"
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That's OK, the Aussie dollar is slipping again against the US$ so the prices can be justifiably lifted again. :(
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Note, a high Australian dollar means that we should be paying less for our imports not more!. Sadly we aren't. The excuse from the retailers has been that they originally imported goods when the AUS dollar was low and anyway the dollar to go back to "normal" at some point soon. Of course, the ignore the fact that we've have had a strong AUS dollar for a number of years now.
You do realize that there is more to it than just the exchange rate, right?
Import duty. Private copying levy. Etc.
MyUS (Score:2, Informative)
Most people I know here with the same inclination use MyUS (http://www.myus.com/)
For group buying and ex-pat interaction, this (mostly Melbourne-centric) group is good to join: http://www.meetup.com/americans-in-melbourne/
Don't forget to check out the local hackerspaces for (among many other things) group buying and local knowledge. I highly recommend the Melbourne Hackerspace (CCHS - hackmelbourne.org)
Skip the US (Score:5, Funny)
Seems awfully silly making something in China, shipping it to the US, and then shipping it back to Australia.
Friends? (Score:2)
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That is fine once or twice but you can't keep bothering them. Also some can be pretty unreliable ;-)
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Ask Whirlpool (Score:5, Informative)
If you haven't seen it already, may I introduce you to Whirlpool Forums [whirlpool.net.au]? It's an excellent resource and I'm sure they'll have some good info on this topic.
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Why buy from the USA? (Score:3, Informative)
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It also makes sense in the long run. Sure you can save a few dollars here and there but all it takes is one bad purchase with zero chance of warranty and all your savings are gone. It is the middle men, the retailer's in Australia that inflate the costs. Want better prices, work to become a better customer and deep discounts will become available. Attempt to squeeze the maximum dollars and in reality you will find all that effort went for nothing due to the occasional bad purchases eating all the savings.
Re:Why buy from the USA? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why didn't you call an ambulance and go to ER just like you did in the US? That's weird. Your post suggests that Australia doesn't have hospital, ambulances and ER and that complete and utter rubbish.
Re:Why buy from the USA? (Score:5, Informative)
She's also suggesting that the presence of a public free medical system somehow magically precludes the existence of a private one. Assuming that what she said was true and she wouldn't be accepted instantly in ER (she would), and assuming she somehow was prevented from getting private medical insurance which is also subsidised through the tax return system (she wasn't), she could still have just driven right up to any private hospital of which there are far more than public hospitals in any major city and paid to be seen instantly.
I'm facing a similar scenario right now. I have a hernia. I'm scheduled to have it fixed in 3 months. My private medical insurance didn't cover it because I'm to cheap to pay for the top cover, and I could check myself into the Prince Charles Hospital and have it fixed next week if I wanted to, but I'd be parting with $2500-$3000 which isn't worth it to me.
The other scenario is that in my soccer game tonight the hernia strangulates and then the public system will see me instantly including a comfortable ride in minivan loaded with great drugs.
The AC didn't call an ambulance because she is either lying or an incredible idiot where we can be grateful that she allegedly didn't breed.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
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> leave the doctor's office without having to fill out one stinking form
And I wasn't so grateful when I lived there and had to wait over a week for an appointment when I was pregnant and started bleeding. I lost the baby. Later when I was staying with my inlaws in the US, I had a less serious complication, but I was seen by a doctor in the ER via ambulance in less than fifteen minutes total. Other than the three minute wait for the ambulance, there was literally no way to have been helped faster. Of course that cost a good bit, but I'd rather pay dollars than the life of a baby. "Free" healthcare is very expensive.
How much did you pay for that ambulance ride and ER visit in the USA? How much would you have paid for an ER visit in Australia?
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While I sympathise with you, you do realise we have a full private system in parellel with our public system.
If you find the public system too slow, you can have a private doctor & hospital see you as soon as you like: and still cheaper than the USA.
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Funny.. I've had a sore neck and within 15 minutes I'd been seen by a doctor and was being wheeled in for a CT scan. Maybe call an ambulance next time you're in Australia and have a medical emergency?
Why do you think there's one or the other? (Score:2)
Ok aside from the fact that you are a) lying, b) the biggest idiot to visit the country or c) both and with a massive any public healthcare agenda, why do Americans think that the options are all or nothing?
Yes we have free health care. It's fantastic.
Yes waiting lists are long for elective surgery.
If you have an emergency then you get seen and treated straight away.
If you think you have an emergency then you get seen straight away and treated later if it's elective.
If you don't have an emergency then you h
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The parent is just another child troll. If you actually lived outside of the US for any length of time, you would know that the US has some of the safest, politest, and most law abiding drivers in the world. Before you say I am wrong, try driving, or even just riding in a taxi, in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East. I have done it; I doubt you have.
As you leave the US you will also discover that true multi-lingual capabilities are rare. Yes, people can understand several dialects; much like you can probably u
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I didn't see anything particularly special about US drivers. The law-abiding part is more of a real fear of getting a ticket than anything else. Hell you see people doing 8-9 mph over the limit all the time, and even more, especially when they are in a pack, that is until they spot a police car and everybody is scared to death.
Plus if you want to say that the only responsible drivers are in the US you should really stop comparing first world countries with third worlds hellholes. Go to France or Canada and
Shipito (Score:2)
I'm not in Australia (I live in the UK) but I have bought a couple of things from ebay sellers who would only ship to the US in the past few years (sadly this seems to be an increasingly common occurence). I've used Shipito [shipito.com] for package forwarding for this and would definitelty recommend them - for my sort of low-volume use they worked out cheapest by quite some margin (as they have a plan where they don't charge you a monthly or annual fee, just a higher fee per shipment) and everything has worked out so fa
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One other tip - more relevant if you're not using a forwarding service though - I've found it's well worth paying for USPS Express rather than USPS Priority Mail for boxes as it's usually not much more money (often in the region of 5%) and is SIGNIFICANTLY quicker - we're talking a difference of 2-3 WEEKS, at least from the US to the UK and in my experience.
Also, some more general tips about buying things online here. Ordering from dealextreme (the non AU warehouse version) takes around a month or more to arrive. Ordering things from HK/Chinese based ebay sellers can sometimes take about the same time, or sometimes take less than a week. You can often find a AU based ebay seller with comparable items and a slightly higher cost if you need something more quickly. If you're buying media (blu rays + console games particularly), order from UK based sites (eg
Why are you looking at shipping from the US?? (Score:2)
China is a stone throw away, Why are you paying to buy china made items in the US to be shipped to you? Buy from frigging china directly, hell take a weekend boat ride and buy up as much as you can fit in your suitcase!
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What you probably do not understand is that most of th eChinese made export quality goods made in China actually cost significantly more in China. Most people who live in China, and trave out frequently, purchase their Chinese made computers while on trips to the US. Look at the carry-ons that the Chinese have while flying to China.
Just compare apple prices with http://www.apple.com/cn/ [apple.com] In a recent article in China daily it was noted that Chinese made goods at Starbucks cost more in China than in London. Th
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I doubt that people in other countries buying online from China will be buying brands like Apple, Samsung and whatnot. China is actually very cheap once you get out of your comfort zone and stop using the local City Shop (foreigner's supermarket). I'm talking about things like buying Xiaomi, Meizu, or even some stuff from Huawei like the Ascend line, and if you want to get even cheaper stuff while sacrificing performance in tablets for instance, you can always buy brands like Teclast, Pipo, Ramos among othe
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Sure, once you get into pirated products the game changes. I was speaking of like items. I am very aware of the issue with books. I have a text on my desk, it happens to one of the few respected bi-lingual Economics texts, in the US it costs $97, in China it is 29CNY (about $4.68). It is true, it is on a much lower grade of paper and has no colour; the difference is noticable. However, it is definitly the exceptoin. When you look at licensed books (I was looking for a dictionaly on taobao last night) the pr
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However you are right with a lot of items. There are a lot of small businesses in Australia that are really just a local agent f
Two things here... (Score:2)
First: having a friend forward items to you would likely be the best bet for low volume things or high value things. I find that international flat rate priority mail boxes are wonderful things. They are size limited, but service is good even to New Guinea where I'm ship stuff.
Second... Watch what electronics you buy. In the US we have 60 Cycles 120V and over there it's 50 Cycles 220V. It's not usually a problem, but it can be sometimes. The connectors are generally NOT the same, but adapters abound d
Au, NZ, US (Score:3)
I also use the NZPost's YouShop service when doing online retail shopping in the US. Most places will not ship internationally, you know. YouShop provides a shipping address in Oregon from which they onship to NZ -- for a price.
After moving to NZ, I found the retail scene to be lacking in choice. Eventually, I got over it.
Freight Forwarding experience. (Score:2)
USGlobalMail (Score:3)
I'm an American living in China. I use USGlobalMail. These guys are legitimate and do a good job. They're my personal recommendation, and I won't go into thousands of details you can get from their website directly. Check them out.
Next on Ask Slashdot: (Score:2)
Where did I leave my keys?
Does Billy like me like me, or really like me like me?
Outsource by plane? (Score:2)
I read an article once where someone had won an award for founding a website - can't remember which.
It basically amounted to backpackers taking your stuff on their next flight with the possibility of a reward on the other end. e.g. sending a parcel of warm clothes for winter and having the recipient pick up the traveller from the airport as a thank you. Of course it relies on the trust of said backpacker! :)
e.g. A package by canadian airmail (mostly of sentimental junk) cost me about $CA60 to Australia and
USABox (Score:2)
I use usabox.com and after living in the US, I have lived in two different countries in different continents and this guy not only deliver fast using DHL, they take pictures of the incoming stuff, so you get an e-mail like interface for your packages. Plus the truly neat thing is that they have a re-packing option where if you allow them, they will open your stuff and repackage it to make it more efficient (especially useful with stuff like MicroSDs).
Setting up the service though was a bit of a hassle so ma
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amazon double prime.
Re:welcome to the socialist wonderland (Score:4, Insightful)
Jesus H Christ, do you people have any fucking clue what socialism is? Are you calling Tony Abbott a socialist? OMFG you people need to go back to kindergarten and start again. Idiot.
Re:welcome to the socialist wonderland (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: welcome to the socialist wonderland (Score:4, Informative)
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Double? Try 20% more nominal, and 19% less (PPP).
For many of us, the cost of living in Australia is vastly more expensive. An example: we in Australia pay approximately double per litre of petrol (gasoline) - which, for those of us who don't live in major metropolitan areas and have to make a 110km round trip to get to work and back every day, makes for a very big hit in the back pocket.
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To be fair the majority (68%) of Australians DO live in major metropolitan areas (http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Chapter3002008). And many of those that don't work locally. And the latter group more than make up in cheap housing what the former save in petrol costs.
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It's entirely disingenuous to just look at the exchange rate and figure we're paid twice what the US is. I bet I can afford less with my $37,000 a year than an American could buy with his $18,000.
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Food: $1500/year, eating very well but preparing your own food.
Clothing: $200/year, tops. WalMart
Housing plus utilities: $3000/year/person, 4 people renting a house in a rural area and sharing expenses.
Transportation: varies too much with location, but call it $2000/year.
___
That leaves $11,300/year to be split among jollies, preparation for emergencies, and building a future.
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I live comfortably on about $500-700 per month in the Phoenix area.
If you watch craigslist it's actually pretty common to find roommates for $300, utilities included. I find I spend less than $200 a month on food, and car insurance costs me $40, T-Mobile is $23 (family plan with discount.)
Honest truth, and the cost of living here is right at the national average. Imagine how much cheaper it can be in other places.
Most slashdotters live in high cost areas (i.e. New York,) so they can't really fathom the idea
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I live comfortably on about $500-700 per month in the Phoenix area.
I don't think that word means what you think it means.
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How so? 90% of the world lives on less than that. Are they all uncomfortable?
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Yes, many of them are FAR from comfortable.
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Agreed.
Finding a roommate on Craigslist sounds wonderful until you start looking into it. Location? Basics of compatibility in communal chores; personal habits? Owning a car on 500-700/month means you already have one and you haven't budgeted for big-ticket failures - or you have all the tools needed, garage space, access to spare parts at cost or less... so basically that's bullshit. Public transpo means generally at least a fair-sized city of 50k up. Cabs? Good luck. Even with a senior/disabled dis
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Yeah and your goods are marked up accordingly.
Re:welcome to the socialist wonderland (Score:4, Informative)
The average income in Australia is more than double in the US thats why prices are higher.
No, I'm afraid it isn't. Median Household income in the US is about 50k USD. [wikipedia.org] That's across the whole US, podunk cow towns to NYC. The Australian "capital territories" are averaging 60k USD per household. Across all of Australia it's 43k USD [wikipedia.org].
Not even at parity, much less "more than double." I can't imagine how you became so misguided; carefully reconsider from where it is you've chosen to get your information.
The GP was correct; the cost of the Australian welfare state is built into the cost of consumer goods, among other things.
You voted for it. Pay it. People trying to squirm out from under the weight of the statist utopias they've built should provide guidance to others.
Re:welcome to the socialist wonderland (Score:5, Insightful)
From your tone, it sounds as if you have some sort of problem with the idea of higher taxes being used to pay for services such as healthcare etc. Your poetic allusion to weighty statist utopias is lovely writing, but noticeably lacking any real criticism.
I live in Australia - the atmosphere here is not particularly oppressive, nor are the taxes too onerous to poorer people like me as the tax free threshold is $18,200. As a sufferer from a usually mild but ongoing medical condition, the free, world class, healthcare I receive eases any angsty feelings of constriction that might otherwise bother me.
Have you read the works of Gramsci? I'm not saying he's right, but I really think North Americans would benefit from a deeper understanding of the concept of Cultural Hegemony. It is one possible explanation as to why so many of you spend so much time and money transferring wealth from the poorest majority to a few wealthy people.
With a higher median household income than many other countries, I'd imagine that, apart from the murders, the US would be an amazing place to live. [Provided you were white, male, rich and healthy]
Re:welcome to the socialist wonderland (Score:5, Insightful)
FWIW I can confirm, having experienced hospitalization in the U.S. - with top-tier Blue Cross coverage - and later in Australia as well - the ordinary everyday Medicare system - there is no real difference in the quality of care.
The equipment, the people, and the access are all very good in both countries - assuming you have insurance in the U.S., and I'm comparing major cities to major cities here of course.
What's dramatically different is the cost, and the level of paperwork. In America we were snowed under for years with insurance company statements and bills from a dozen providers - we ended up just sorting them by color and then weighing them... and we had to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket after Blue Cross was finished.
In Australia, you pay maybe $80 for a doctor visit, and get some of it back from the government Prescriptions average $10-$20. If you go to the ER and get admitted to a room, you have to pay $6 a day if you want the TV to work. And I think you sign like one form on your way out. You never hear from them again.
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>The money is actually being transfered from the wealthy to the poor in terms of tax credits, entitlements, etc. The wealthy are getting richer because they have the capital to leverage technology and make even more money.
Remember when you talk about the poor in the states, you're talking about an ever growing % of your population. People aren't getting dumber, so something must be happening...
Here is what a person representing a rich and powerful company says about it: Lisa Shalett, chief investment off
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The money is actually being transfered from the wealthy to the poor in terms of tax credits, entitlements, etc. The wealthy are getting richer... /p>
So the poor are getting richer. And the wealthy are getting richer. And this is a problem how?
If you are comparing Australia to the US and think the latter comes out on top, well, quite frankly keep smoking whatever you are smoking and stay right where you are. We don't need you gun toting heavy tipping poverty wage inflicting god squading country invading bigots here. We have enough of our own in a place called Queensland.
Nothing to do with "socialist wonderland" (Score:5, Insightful)
Our government has nothing at all to do with it apart from taking 10%. We didn't vote for price gouging, it's just because there are a small number of distributors so frequently there is a monopoly a product type. As an example, I'm wearing a pair of hiking boots that are made in Italy, cost $125US in Italy and the USA and they were advertised "on special" in Australia for $450 (at close to parity to the $450US then). I was prepared to wait a couple of weeks to save close to $300 once postage was included.
Another example is Apple, where not many years ago even a trip to Hawaii and back plus paying full customs duty was a cheaper way to get a powerbook than buying it in Australia.
The blame lies squarely with the distribution chain and the government has nothing to do with it apart from asking for their 10% for the final sale. What is it you you "guvvamint dis" guvvamint dat" "damn commie weasels" people? You've got a full sized brain - try using it.
Re: welcome to the socialist wonderland (Score:3)
please explain (Score:2)
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Median Household income in the US is about 50k USD. [wikipedia.org] That's across the whole US, podunk cow towns to NYC. The Australian "capital territories" are averaging 60k USD per household. Across all of Australia it's 43k USD [wikipedia.org].
Not 43k USD, 67k AUD which is around 64k USD. The 43k USD figure you've quoted is adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) - it already takes into account the higher prices in Australia. So just looking at income, you're right that Australian incomes aren't double the US, but they are actually quite a lot higher.
In any case you've used different metrics for each country. This table [wikipedia.org] shows equivalent metrics for each country. Australians clearly earn more, but are just a little behind on PPP. Of course, tha
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The 2008 number you quoted (which looks a little fishy), at current exchange rates is $63k USD.
The latest official figures are from 2011 with a median of $64kAUD, the equivilent of $61k USD.
http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/0
The US census figures list $51k USD for 2011
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Your links are unfortunately misleading. Your US numbers are from 2011, while the Australian numbers are from 2007-2008. Additionally, the Australian numbers are PPP or "Purchasing Power Parity". PPP allows comparing of currencies insofar as what can be bought, rather than the pure exchange rate. While PPP may be a useful way to compare different countries, it is inappropriate in this discussion, as the point being made is that Australians pay more than they should for products. I don't have recent numbers
Re: (Score:2)
People trying to squirm out from under the weight of the statist utopias they've built should provide guidance to others.
Cool story bro...
Re: (Score:2)
Median != average
Average weekly wages:
ABS states Australian average weekly wage is AUD1105
BLS states US non-farm average weekly wage is US830
That makes Australian wages around 25% higher given the current exchange rates. Of course net income after tax is a different story.
Re: (Score:3)
Better off just Australian forums, this isn't a new problem for us.
Of course /. is still a bad idea because most people here still assume no other countries exist.
Well actually they do. They just assume that any country with brown people doesn't have any running water, and that Europe is all run by communists.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You guys talk about Australia as if it was a real place.
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Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
The taxes don't increase the retail price to well over double in some cases, it's price gouging due to monopolists marking their "territory" and making it difficult to get things any other way.
The submitter is trying to find a way to get around anti-capitalistic behaviour and get items at a fair market price.
Re: (Score:2)
Ten percent.
In that case it's ten percent tariff only if it's worth more than $1000, if it's less the government just ignores it.