So Gerry Harvey is back in the news today, this time slamming his own family for partaking in online shopping and therefore 'ruining our country' and putting a spoke in the wheel of his campaign to introduce GST to online purchases.
Gerry, wake up and smell the real world.
It isn't the GST that we object to, it's the overinflated prices we Aussies are subjected to on a daily basis.
So confession...I'm an online shopping junkie.
Yes, I like to browse the stores occasionally and I am partial to trying on my clothes before buying. I love to have a girlie shopping day and can spend hours in Priceline testing new lipsticks on the back of my hand.
But here's what I don't like.
I don't like the long queues. I went to buy tights last week at Target on a weekday at 11am and the queue was 63 people long - I counted. I put down said tights, walked out and bought them online instead. Delivered straight to door, no fuss, no bother.
I don't like the crowds. Finding a park, even with my carpark karma, can ruin your whole day. Not to mention I'm still acclimating to the slower pace (and OMG, I mean SLLLLLOOOOWWW pace on some of these shoppers) in Toowoomba. Traumatising. No thank you very much.
But what I most dislike, Mr Harvey, is being ripped off.
Recently I went to buy my ultimate favourite product, Benefit Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain, at Myer (LOVE LOVE LOVE this product, could espouse it's amazing virtues for days!!!). I was advised that they don't sell it in Toowoomba but would happily order it from their Brisbane store and have it shipped up.
The cost? $65 for the product plus $10 delivery fee. Mind you, that wasn't delivery to my house, but delivery to the store where I'd then have to go pick it up.
Ebay? $32 including shipping. Delivery to door. EXACT. SAME. PRODUCT.
So perhaps my mathematics is a little skewed, but 10% GST on $32 would be $3.20, making it a total of $35.20 for my purchase, would I have paid GST. Um....once again, pardon my ignorance but it seems like quite a gap from the $75 including delivery to buy it from the store.
Don't even get me started on jeans, clothes and Iphone prices!!!
Once they used to be able to explain it away vaguely as our dollar being so weak compared to the mighty USD. Perhaps I'm showing my ignorance and limited grasp of economics again, but I was under the impression that our dollar had been above par for quite some time, yet prices haven't changed a single bit???
Mr Harvey, I'll happily support local business provided I don't get gouged at the checkout for the same products I can get elsewhere for a fraction of the price. I'd even happily pay the bloody 10% GST if it makes you feel better, as I'm still pretty confident I'm getting a better deal.
So Ebay, amazon.com and asos.com is a-calling...it's a siren song...
xx
1 comment:
100% agree with this whole post. I can understand the fear that local sellers may lose out on trade but if we can get it for half price on the net why can't they lower their prices to perhaps half price plus a percentage ? This may end up being the same as what we would pay for an item online with postage fee, HOWEVER, The real kicker though for local sellers is there are now so many online stores offering the holy grail, FREE POSTAGE , yes Asos Im talking to you . This online shop could not be more fabulous for hours of shopping, all in the comfort of my bed . Perf .
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