Feb 17
My latest consumer experience in Australia provides a great summary of the retail experience:
- Walked into a small privately run ink/toner shop in the local area
- Asked for a quote on toner for my little A4 work printer
- AUD$400.00 excluding GST, but we’ll have to order it in for you
- Went to the regional ebay site, bought and had the same kit delivered for AUD$60.00 in 3 days
Granted, the shop is located in an area renowned for predatory pricing, and paying 2-4x the global fair-market norm for products is fairly routine. But when the cost of toner exceeds that of your printer, do you really have to wonder why is retail in Australia tanking? Maybe the dim-bulbs will start to flicker that international online purchasing will bury retail where there isn’t already a monopoly (such as food, fuel) or unregulated markets dominated by tax/levy schemes (housing, automobiles).
