Jaycar Ripping Australians off?

iffer on 10/05/2010 - 17:13

Anyone compare the USA portal prices with the Australian ones?
Jaycar – shipping out of NSW warehouse are very much cheaper if you go to jaycar.com instead of jaycar.com.au – even after you do currency conversion, add gst, etc.
But when I sent them an email querying the difference – it came down to "An order that is addressed to Australia will only be processed if the order is placed in the Australian website"
eg Yes, we are going to charge you more and theres nothing you can do about it!

For the price difference I could have the order shipped to the USA AND BACK cheaper than I could get them to send it direct, or buy from the storefront.

Am I wrong to feel insulted by this?
Jen

General Discussion

Comments

  • ESEMCE on 10/05/2010 - 17:45

    Same goes for anything out of the US.. We get screwed… get used to it.
    Taxes are different and the size of the market is different.

  • iffer on 10/05/2010 - 19:32
    +1

    yep - but this is out of Australia… being more expensive for Australians

    • ESEMCE on 11/05/2010 - 11:11

      Well if that's the case then I do have issues..
      Why would any Americans order stuff from Jaycar in Aus? They have great US based electronic online stores!

      I stopped looking at Jaycar years ago when they did their massive store expansion. It used to be a site/store I'd check out weekly for interesting bargains.

  • pais on 10/05/2010 - 21:28

    Being an Australian based business, that does seem awfully underhanded. Are you sure they don't have DCs in the US as well? That would certainly make it more reasonable… and wouldn't be beyond Jaycar's reach.

    • iffer on 10/05/2010 - 22:00

      the jaycar online order form says the items are shipped out of nsw.. and they are quoting international freight.. so if they have a USA DC, then the "shipping" is a problem - and they would have to allow for state sales taxes in the state with the DC.

      I think Jaycar just feels they can get away with it since we are used to paying more. Personally I'd order from someone else - or from jaycar, but via a shop USA web portal rather than let them get abuse my custom.
      Maybe I'm thin skinned…

  • Sharp on 10/05/2010 - 22:00

    Wow I didn't know this. And they do this knowingly people can find the .com site and compare the prices, same as iffer.
    Shame on Jaycar.

  • Kranbone on 11/05/2010 - 11:34

    We generally earn more than american counterparts and have a better quality of life so it's a trade off I suppose. Personally, I'd rather live in Australia and pay more than live in america.

    Keep in mind, sometimes when it comes to electronics, certain components sold in the US market aren't as good as those sold in say JP/EU/AU (note that I said sometimes).

    • daydream on 13/05/2010 - 02:11

      Don't know if we generally earn more but we get do taxed more also (we do have Medicare though). I still think we get ripped off in many areas after the distance/population reasons are factored in - Jeans, sneakers, sunglasses, etc.

      If they are shipping from an Australian warehouse then it's definitely a rippoff or a lie.

      • Kranbone on 13/05/2010 - 12:06

        Like I said, I can only speak from personal experience but in the previous fields I worked in, I earnt doubt or 2.5 to what an american would earn and that includes any bonus/commission etc.

      • pais on 13/05/2010 - 12:22

        We do have additional taxes that they do not (i.e. a VAT or GST and other specific sale taxes), but when it comes to income taxes, we're really taxed roughly the same amount (once you consider their federal AND state level taxes).

  • h4lcyon on 13/05/2010 - 12:22

    Jaycar are a rip, most of their items are double what you would pay at other places. Even Bunnings is cheaper when it comes to cable or wall sockets.

    However they are convenient, have a decent range in stock, and most times give accurate and fair advice.

  • andrew229 on 16/05/2010 - 02:47

    this would be an interesting story for 'today tonight' etc

  • martin shead on 11/05/2014 - 12:05
    -1

    You should compare the Jaycar Isolated Step down Converters! Powertech is the brand they sell a 500W will set you back $229! There as little as $89 to $100 for the 1000W in New York and Jersey! JayCar and other Australian distributors Rip Australians off! Spark plugs are 900% more expensive in AU!

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