How to Sell Baby Formula Online?

tik tok on 20/10/2017 - 10:36
Last edited 22/10/2017 - 15:52 by 1 other user

Hopefully, its the right forum.

Was on ACA again yesterday - people buying baby formula in groups and selling it online. I know this has been going on for a while, including sales of vitamins.

My question is, if I have to sell baby formula online, how exactly does this work ?
Buy formula from Coles (4, of course), list it on ebay, and pray for a sale ?

Where/how are these guys selling baby formula. I would have thought one sale a day would be good for starters and on TV I see individuals buying at least 20 of them a day. That's quite a sale figure for a specific online business tbh. At a net profit of $2 a formula - sell 20 of them and make 40 bucks a day. Around $800 a month. Thats a few bills taken care of.

Cheers,

Food & Grocery

Comments

        • Buyme on 22/10/2017 - 13:03
          +7

          @Sxio: it’s pretty clear that manufactures can’t keep up with the excess demand, when people are buying off Australian shleves to send overseas.

          You call that ethical? You think that’s fair and reasonable?

          You need water to live right? What if it were in short supply, and Australia only had enough to cover those living in Australia, then people saw that could make a few bob buying extra, and selling to for profit to other countries, KNOWING it meant some people in Australia would have to go without?

        • yannyrjl on 22/10/2017 - 16:01

          you should write to the formula companies to ask them to increase their production to meet the demand, or possibly buy direct from them

        • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 07:57
          +5

          @Sxio:
          Because they know full well that there isn't enough supply as it is for people with kids (this isn't a case of something that 'could occur'.. it is something that IS occurring)

          Being a parent of a newborn is one of the most stressful things many people experience. Why would you think it's ok to further add to this just to make money for yourself?

          Really poor outlook on life to say "well I know this is going to really hurt others who are already hurting, but hey it's legal so there is nothing wrong with it"
          It's wrong from a moral point of view, NOT a legal point of view.

        • Baghern on 23/10/2017 - 09:57

          @Buyme:

          They can, they don't want to.

          They also sell in China, but at the same inflated prices.

          Why do you think their stock prices go up and down based on Chinese Government rulings.

        • Sxio on 23/10/2017 - 11:30

          @Buyme: If that was the case, I would blame the government and the retailer, not the consumer who is simply purchasing a product and exercising their right to do what they like with it.

        • Sxio on 23/10/2017 - 11:34
          +2

          @wozz: Hey wozz, I actually have 3 kids, so I totally know how stressful it is. But I've never wasted energy hating on people for simply buying a product. If you want to bring your morals into it, and say that it's wrong, then I respect your point of view, but I think you should remember that those are YOUR morals alone, not everyone subscribes to your moral code and judging them on that, is a pretty silly thing to do in my opinion. Most people are going to be found wanting.

          I repeat that I believe it's the government and the retailers job to do something. Harassing and hating people who are simply buying something from a shop is an waste of your energy and time, something that we don't have much of as parents!

        • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 12:17
          +1

          @Sxio:
          Fair point of view, and you're right i definitely wont change anything by saying anything here.
          It just makes me feel a bit better to vent

        • Sxio on 23/10/2017 - 13:23

          @wozz: I can COMPLETELY understanding venting. It is annoying.

        • hahaboy on 23/10/2017 - 20:45
          +1

          @Buyme: "no child or parent should be going without"

          Aren't the chinese doing exactly that? They are just acting in the best interest of their own kids and willing to pay a premium price for it?

        • Harold Halfprice on 23/10/2017 - 23:28

          @hahaboy:

          Yeah, the wealthy Chinese are, because they don't trust their local product. But what do you think the rest of the Chinese have to feed their babies with?

          But of course, being wealthy means you should be allowed deprive others of basic needs, right?

          Instead of fixing their domestic issues with their baby formula and 'brand trust', they're just making their problem our problem instead because they've got money.

      • foxmulder on 22/10/2017 - 13:58
        +2

        There are million other things that can be sold without the expense of others, especially your own countrymen.

        • outlander on 22/10/2017 - 14:06
          +3

          Yeah. Wouldn't it be easier to find someone who was already doing this, and then rob them?

  • CodeXD on 20/10/2017 - 10:53
    +34

    This guy's tryna get into the baby formula biz but dont wanna do no research

      • smartazz104 on 23/10/2017 - 16:53

        OzBargain isn't high on anyone's list of researching for future business ventures; trying to do things the lazy way maybe…

    • frewer on 22/10/2017 - 14:01
      +1

      He is doing things according to his 'belief', nothing unusual in 2017. How right or wrong that belief is another matter.

      The system in place also enable his actions.

    • foxmulder on 22/10/2017 - 17:02
      +2

      And the worse thing is that now more people will try this as well. Good one op.

    • neonlight on 23/10/2017 - 09:11
      +1

      No he is trolling. He jealous of others making heaps. And excuse for others doing so he can be unaustralian with a nick like that to troll

  • djones145 on 20/10/2017 - 10:54
    +20

    the problem is the companies are loving this cause their products are going out the door fast, so companies like Coles, woollies, baby formula companies love it

    This same problem happened in Hong Kong a few years ago, people were bulk buying milk powder and sending it back to china

    How did Hong Kong solve the problem, they open the seal of each can they sold, cans eonce you open it, it has a shelf life of 1 month and it's impossible to sell on,

    Can Australia do the same, not sure based on our rule ( health and safety rules)

    • mini2 on 20/10/2017 - 11:29
      +1

      They've banned the export of them couple of years ago so they can't just truck it across Lo Wu and most of the demand has shifted to us/across the ditch.

      IIRC there's some daigou over in Europe as well so it's multisourced.

      However, they're now looking at lifting the ban purely because they now want a piece of the action.

    • raging on 21/10/2017 - 21:11
      +1

      Opening the seal. Pretty smart move. I'd be worried about unscrupulous people figuring out a way to reseal it though.

      • dealman on 22/10/2017 - 08:27
        +3

        Or contaminating it

        • stonkered on 22/10/2017 - 09:48
          +2

          Yep, I wouldn't be giving unsealed formula to my kids. Chemist Warehouse even has a no return policy on formula regardless of whether it's sealed or not.

        • FUZHA on 24/10/2017 - 08:49

          @stonkered: Well at Chemist W, they wouldn't even consider peeking at a sealed baby formula. So no way once opened. I happen to grab the wrong age group once and when tried to get it exchanged the staff were pretty strict. Anyway, as you pointed as it is baby formula they got such restriction/ protocol in place to ensure that is in best condition.

        • Blitzfx on 24/10/2017 - 14:25

          @FUZHA: You also never know if the customer has rubbed some crap on the rim of the tin with poison or what not, contaminating the lid.

  • Gronk on 20/10/2017 - 11:00
    +52

    You should change the title of this thread to 'How to be a bottom feeder!"

    • yannyrjl on 22/10/2017 - 16:03
      +7

      why would you say that, it is a perfectly legitimate business. OP is simply looking to "make a market" to meet a demand and make a profit in the middle like all wholesale / retail businesses

      • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 08:22
        +3

        Gronk didn't say that from a legal/"legitimate business" perspective.
        IT was said from a moral perspective. It is hard enough for new parents in the first few months of their babies life as it is, but it's another thing yet when they're worried that they might not be able to feed their kid because the local shops are all sold out of formula.. Not fun having this added layer of stress when it's already one of the toughest times of their lives

        Also is a very poor outlook to say "well if I didn't take advantage of the situation, then someone else would"

        • yannyrjl on 23/10/2017 - 09:23

          I understand, so what about the parents in China, who have absolutely no other alternative which they have confidence is going to be safe for their baby and hence are willing to pay over $100 for each can? The exact situation you described but possibly even more dire as they have to source overseas with a much longer lead time to get their product with absolutely no assurance once they run out they will be able to get another batch?

        • Gronk on 23/10/2017 - 10:17
          +3

          @yannyrjl:

          The issue is that this sort of behaviour is resulting in local shortages, and the profits are going straight into the pockets of greedy individuals who are pushing other parents out of the way in the name of quick cash.

        • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 10:21
          +2

          @yannyrjl:

          Facts:
          There often isn't enough stock in shelves here for certain formulas
          If people buy formula here from shelves with intent to make profit and sell overseas, there is going to be a bigger problem with not enough stock

          If someone is buying stock from the shelves for profit here, it will impact parents who actually need it.
          You cannot justify this by saying that parents in China may or may not be able to get formula (especially if the reason for doing this is for profit). Admittedly It doesn't sound like a good situation there, and I don't know what the alternatives are. I don't know anyone personally impacted over there or much else, besides what i've read in the papers.

          If someone really wants to do good, perhaps they should see if there is a way to wholesale purchase direct from manufacturers, without directly affecting parents? I don't know what is viable in this way

        • yannyrjl on 23/10/2017 - 11:06

          @wozz: the point is this is been going on for at least 2 years, why isn't the manufacturers increasing production to meet the demand? When there is a demand, people will look to supply to that demand, if the manufacturers / wholesellers / retailers are not doing it (or doing it insufficiently) others will step in to ensure the market is "efficient". Efficient means people who want it badly enough will get it.

        • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 12:20

          @yannyrjl:

          Fair questions, and that's really odd now that you mention it… Surely they could be making a ****load more money, given the demand is definitely there

        • Gronk on 23/10/2017 - 12:59

          @yannyrjl:

          Well no, the bigger question is why is it so hard for China's government to guarantee minimum quality standards in relation to these sorts of products, let's not forget that's what has led to this whole situation not an inability on the part of Australian suppliers to maintain stock levels.

          I'm going to assume that there's some sort of restriction on the manufacturer supplying the Chinese market directly and that's the whole reason this grey market approach has taken off.

        • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 15:04

          @Gronk:

          China's baby formula is basically fine. The 2008 scandal has just created a lasting culture of distrust. A bit like when everyone went nuts about blueberries (though that died down quick).

        • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 15:04
          +1

          @wozz:

          Is that actually a fact though?

        • yannyrjl on 23/10/2017 - 15:47

          @Gronk: regulations are definitely in place, however, there are extreme government corruption at all levels courtesy of a "Big Socialist / Communist" Government, blocking trades / covering up concerns.

          For there to be more trust in the government, there needs to be a multi-party system (we have in Australia, and there still isn't the trust in government that we'd like, but it's night and day compared to China) which I don't see happening any times soon in these "dictatorship" governments.

          Funny how countries that are the most authoritarian tend to have names like "People's" or "Union" in them.

          There was a fairly infamous case to demonstrate the crap that goes on in China call the "Li Gong" Incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Gang_incident

        • Gronk on 23/10/2017 - 15:56

          @jacross:

          China's baby formula is basically fine.

          Quick!! Somebody let them know!!!

          @yannyrjl:

          Doubt it'll change any time soon either :(

        • smartazz104 on 23/10/2017 - 16:55

          @yannyrjl: Why is that my or your problem though? China thinks they can push people around just because they got to over a billion people. Why don't the Aussie businesses that make the product export the stuff instead fo people buying up all local stock to sell at a profit? Do these people even pay tax on the earning? I bet that's a no.

        • asianbargain on 23/10/2017 - 17:42

          @yannyrjl: wow.. thx for the infor. Never heard that one before. What happen to the father ? Case like that happen all over the world. Sadly nothing we can do to stop

        • bobbified on 23/10/2017 - 18:34

          @smartazz104:

          China thinks they can push people around just because they got to over a billion people.

          They don't push us around because they've got a billion people - They've got the billion dollars (each!!)!

          And we all want some!! haha

        • smartazz104 on 23/10/2017 - 18:54

          @bobbified: The rich Chinese are here buying up all the houses.

        • yannyrjl on 23/10/2017 - 22:24
          +1

          @smartazz104: definitely not our problem, just providing some context of where this "immoral industry" has stemmed from. A lot these parents are just your average folk as well, and the hugely inflated price of baby formula is a huge burden (we're talking the formula comes out to be up to a quarter of the average family's income) but since they will most likely only have one child they are willing provide pay even double of the current price if supply becomes scarce.

  • Diji1 on 20/10/2017 - 11:01
    +13

    You appear to be under the impression that ACA doesn't invent extraordinary sounding garbage to sell advertising.

    You should disabuse yourself of this notion.

    Do you watch commercial news as well?

    • stonkered on 22/10/2017 - 09:57
      +1

      Before it was commercial mate.

  • silverrat23 on 20/10/2017 - 11:04
    +18

    Oh man, this is getting exciting!

    grabs popcorn

  • JetLi on 20/10/2017 - 11:10
    +18

    Given you have to come on here to get advice how to make this work/profitable, I suggest you just drop the idea.

      • Thenarrator on 21/10/2017 - 16:56
        +4

        coz u dun have contacts in china?

      • smartazz104 on 23/10/2017 - 16:55
        -2

        Don't listen to anyone here mate, buy up as much product as you can, then let me know and I will give you step 2.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2017 - 20:14
      +2

      What's wrong with asking people on a forum for their ideas?
      And it's not like there's huge sums of money involved.
      You're hearts in the right place AussieB but something about this doesn't feel right.
      I do know that eBay is international these days so if someone in China wanted it they could find it if you listed it.
      But yeah, doesn't feel right :/
      Keep thinking about something else you could sell though :)

  • scrimshaw on 20/10/2017 - 11:14
    +19

    You are about 2 years too late to do that now… Woolworths has expanded into the Chinese market since end of 2015 and they have a dedicated portal / website for Chinese to obtain Woolies products.

    https://woolworths.tmall.hk/

    Chinese students already have the same idea.
    https://www.businessinsider.com.au/meet-the-chinese-students…

    market is already saturated and without knowing any contacts you'd probably be competing against more 'professional' sellers.

    Anyway, must be slow news day if ACA is picking this kind of story to post, they should be advertising about how great Ozbargain is :)

    • silverrat23 on 20/10/2017 - 11:33
      +2

      Anyway, must be slow news day if ACA is picking this kind of story to post

      The whole saga was re-lit when this video on Facebook made the rounds yesterday.

      • scrimshaw on 20/10/2017 - 11:42
        +2

        Well, still, a Current Affair isn't living to their namesake. The baby powder frenzy just isn't that 'current' anymore, that's an ongoing thing since early 2015 🤣

      • Sammyboy on 21/10/2017 - 15:30
        +12

        Wrong or right in who's opinion? This is just capitalism. No different to scalpers for various tickets and Nintendo Classic Minis. A lot of us will hate it, but it is what it is. There's still a few countries in the world, for those who just can't stand this form of capitalism. There seems to be this growing self righteousness attitude in this country now over various issues.

        • Ughhh on 21/10/2017 - 20:04
          +2

          No different to scalpers for various tickets and Nintendo Classic Minis.

          Baby formula is a need for babies, tickets and gaming consoles are not a need.

        • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2017 - 20:16
          +1

          You mean morality?

        • Sxio on 22/10/2017 - 10:02
          +1

          I agree with you.

          People are becoming incredibly intolerant over various issues paraded by the media often to distract people from the REAL issues in this country.

          What really grinds my gears is what all the immigrants are doing to OUR hospitals.

        • Sammyboy on 22/10/2017 - 15:20
          +2

          @Ughhh: I'm sure nature didn't evolve humans to require their babies to require manufactured milk formula as an essential for survival of the species. We did fine as a species 10000s of years ago on breast milk.

        • Ughhh on 22/10/2017 - 15:26
          +1

          @Sammyboy:

          Back in those days, there weren't any heath and safety authorities too. Perhaps we don't need the authorities regulating our food industry as we did just fine.

        • yannyrjl on 22/10/2017 - 16:05
          +2

          these days I see anti-capitalism signs in the street and advocating for communism. Having came from China as a youth, it really makes me cringe on how ignorant these people are about what happened. After over 100 million death, you'd think people have got the idea.

        • Sammyboy on 22/10/2017 - 16:23
          +1

          @Ughhh: and people in third world countries and people who live in small villages, and self sustainable farms etc etc live quite fine without food regulation now too. I've eaten fresh street food literally served off platters of the pavement whilst travelling, and was perfectly fine. I'm sure that food had no health and safety regulation either. Your own breast milk doesn't require regulation either if its direct from breast to baby, although there are guidelines for storage, which I am sure probably aren't practised in other countries, and their babies do just fine.

        • Ughhh on 22/10/2017 - 16:41

          @Sammyboy:

          You'd be happy with buying and eating fast food and eating from restaurants if food regulation didn't exist? What if the ACCC didn't exist? They didn't exist back then.

        • Sammyboy on 22/10/2017 - 20:37

          @Ughhh: I didn't say anything about eating fast food.

        • Ughhh on 22/10/2017 - 21:35

          @Sammyboy:

          Food regulation authorities aren't there to regulate your home made meals, they don't care if you got sick because your kitchen is filthy. They're there to make sure companies and manufacturers who are serving millions and millions of people are adhering to health standards.

          Society and quality of life has improved. Do you think there would be as many people in the world today if people were still living like the old times? How many babies survived back then? How many more would have survived if there were baby formula? What about mothers who can't breastfeed? What if it was a single father?
          Baby formula is a need for babies, as much as insulin is a need for diabetics.

          Also, the whole reason for this baby formula crisis in China is because of lack of health and safety regulation (enforcement) in China in regards to foods and in particular baby formula. Pretty much equivalent to someone in that small village growing veggies out of nuclear waste drums in their shed and selling it to you as organic.

        • Sammyboy on 22/10/2017 - 22:08

          @Ughhh: You have missed my main point. You said baby formula is a need for babies. It isn't essential for the survival of a baby and the survival of the human race. That is my argument, and this has gone way off tangent and will be my final statement.

    • ihbh on 20/10/2017 - 21:24

      Good article. Note the up to $2-3k per week is their revenue. Their profit might be 10-20% of this (which they draw their wage out of), but it's really hard work. Most don't do this long term and look for a stable job.

      Obviously there is far more competition nowadays, so margins will only decline. It's an unsustainable sub-scale business.

    • tik tok on 21/10/2017 - 15:01
      -2

      I have read about these a lot over the last couple of years and every year I thought I was too late. But the fact this is still happening and is reported in news, would indicate there is still room for more sellers.

    • turk182 on 21/10/2017 - 16:07

      If u replace the word woolworths with aldi u get another site.. didnt work for coles
      https://aldi.tmall.hk/

  • Randxyz123 on 20/10/2017 - 11:38
    +1

    You’ve got to be joking that you would consider this when there are people who need the formula who can’t get it which makes their bub upset and then stresses out the mostly new parents.

    I’d hope eBay would ban all sales

    • supaderp on 21/10/2017 - 16:50
      +12

      Who can't get their baby formula?? A couple of soccer mums? Plenty always available where I go. Some of these people are just too lazy find it elsewhere.
      Dairy farmers working 24/7, where used to be an industry where no one wants to work. Dairy factories getting more revenue and upgrading their manufacturing facilities. Australia becomes more competitive. I don't see how this is considered a negative aspect for Australia.

      • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2017 - 18:13
        +11

        "Keep manufacturing in Australia!"

        "Don't let other countries buy our products!"

      • MessyG on 21/10/2017 - 22:41
        +8

        Me. I went through this. Daughter could only tolerate one commercially available formula which was highly popular with exporters and sometimes we almost weren't able to feed her. It would take hours to find it and my husband spent a lot of time driving around looking for it too. Just because you've not experienced the problem, doesn't mean it's not a problem. And why are 'soccer mums' any less deserving of being able to feed their child?

        (FYI those 'soccer mums' you are disparaging have huge buying power, and are one of the biggest groups of consumer purchasers in this country).

        • [Deactivated] on 21/10/2017 - 23:35
          +13

          Just so you can see the other coin using your arguments

          Chinese milk powder has terrible reputation and is poorer in quality. Why are the chinese any less deserving of being able to feed their child if they purchase it the lawful way.

          (FYI those "chinese" have huge buying power and are one of the biggest groups of consumer purchasers in the world)

          I get that Australia has a responsibility to feed its populace but that is how the world works. Capitalism is great and can help you get cheap iphones, cars and clothes but everyone complains when free trade starts to work both ways. Wasn't this what made Australia rich (and your improved your quality of life) in the first place?

        • Randxyz123 on 22/10/2017 - 00:02

          @lolbbq: I’m not saying they aren’t and I completely understand why it’s been exported over there but there HAS to be a better way if manufacturing can’t keep up…

        • [Deactivated] on 22/10/2017 - 02:06

          @knick007: Also, to be fair and this is just my opinion, I think its a logistics issue not a manufacturing issue (I might be wrong).

          It seems that it kind of affects certain outlets more than others and I have kind of noticed that as well.

        • MessyG on 22/10/2017 - 07:34
          +4

          @lolbbq: I'm not sure how you are extrapolating that I think the Chinese are less deserving. They're not. And it's a strange argument - are you saying that the Chinese people who are buying up Australian property and inflating apartment prices are also deserving of that property because it's not as good in China?

          These formulas are already being sold into their market by the manufacturers. Locals stripping pallets in Woollies is hardly going to solve their undersupply problem, it's going to make those locals some money, rip off Chinese people in their own country, and cause a divide between the rich and the poor in China in terms of access to that formula. If local grey market sellers truly cared they would be working with local Chinese manufacturers in partnership with Australian companies to fix the problem at a scale that would actually work.

        • sushirais on 22/10/2017 - 10:09
          -1

          No one cares. Everyone's in it for coin. No one's entitled to powder milk it isn't a human right lol.

        • MessyG on 22/10/2017 - 10:10
          +7

          @friedrais: People do care. Just not you.

        • sushirais on 22/10/2017 - 12:58
          +2

          No company in a capitalistic society cares about anything but the bottom line. Why would I care if a mum cant buy a can, due to me selling thousands to a client.

        • [Deactivated] on 22/10/2017 - 13:12
          +4

          @MissG:
          I'm not sure how you are extrapolating that I think Chinese people are deserving of that property because its not as good in China.

          They're deserving as long as they follow the law of the country (which is unfortunate that Australian property has to be funded through private capital).

          I'll take a bite on your strawman argument and give my view on the matter according to Australian law
          http://firb.gov.au/real-estate/

          As a foreign resident
          Buying new property - Ok
          Buying used property illegally through local-middlemen - not okay

          I have no way to prove whether the "Chinese looking people" buying pre-owned Australian property inflating apartment prices are doing it lawfully or not. If just as long as they are PR or Citizens

          If you don't think Chinese buyers are less deserving then what is the problem here?
          Oh think about the poor Chinese being ripped off in their own country. They're perfectly autonomous thank you and more power to them if they're willing to spend more hours worked (compared to you) to buy milk powder for their children.

          You're completely free to buy cheaper or better quality goods directly from their originating country if you can meet the price the sellers and facilitators ask.

          European deli products and luxury goods - check
          Chinese electronics - check
          Clothes from Bangladesh and Vietnam - check
          Medication from US or Europe - Check :

          http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2016-march…

          Many developing countries lack important medicines because it is not as profitable as serving people in developed countries such as ourselves.
          Capitalism sucks, except when it benefits you.

          You're trying to frame a moral argument for an amoral system (immoral is subjective, but capitalism just responds to market forces AKA human nature.)

        • AustriaBargain on 22/10/2017 - 13:13
          +2

          What if those Chinese babies also can only tolerate that one brand of formula. And their Chinese dads are out driving around all night looking for an importer who has a can. Why are Chinese mums any less deserving of being able to feed their child?

        • Cluster on 22/10/2017 - 15:05
          +2

          @AustriaBargain: I'm more curious about why there is a sudden epidemic of babies that can tolerate only one brand of powder. What happened ten or twenty years ago when these organic, hypoallergenic, vitamin fortified, genius creating powders were not available? Did all these babies die?

          How do parents in other countries without access to one or two specific powders deal with the problem? There must be a lot of babies starving to death.

        • MessyG on 22/10/2017 - 15:11
          +1

          @lolbbq: I wasn't referring to Australian law, I was referring to people complaining in the media about property investment from overseas investors. Personally I couldn't care less who buys apartments.

          And I repeat, no one is less deserving of feeding their child - I am just very cynical about the methods being employed here and the usual flood. Children deserve to be fed. But depleting one market to service another without fixing the problem in either, with only the individual profiting? Nah. You can choose to make the free market point and ignore the fact that people are struggling and encourage the OP to go ahead, as is your choice. I disagree, and no amount of 'its capitalism' will make me change my mind.

        • yannyrjl on 22/10/2017 - 16:07
          +2

          everyone has the right to buy any commercially product, you just need to pay for them, and unfortunately supply / demand dictate how much the item is going to cost.

        • yannyrjl on 22/10/2017 - 16:10
          +2

          @lolbbq: damn straight, capitalism doesn't care about who you are, where you are from or what colour you are. As long as you can pay, you are the king.

        • fluker248 on 22/10/2017 - 16:23
          +1

          @MissG:
          Hey if you can't find the formula just go to one of those chinese souvenir store, thats where they send the formula to china. Ask to buy the formula off them they are usually $5-10 on top the supermarket selling price. That is what my friend does when she can't find the formula in the store.

          And I agree with what everyone is saying it is supply and demand. As long as you pay enough money someone will sell the formula back to you at the a price and you don't even need to go drive around and look.

        • MessyG on 22/10/2017 - 17:08
          +1

          @fluker248: I'm not sure anyone has read my previous posts, but as mentioned, my daughter is no longer an infant and we don't need formula anymore so I don't need any help sourcing it. I just have a problem with the OP doing this as a source of revenue when you can buy Ikea plate and cup sets for nothing and sell them on Ebay for $30!

        • CalmLemons on 23/10/2017 - 00:14

          @Cluster: Because A2 started advertising on freeway billboards and are on prime time daytime TV whilst mummy is home.

          Amongst that people also got lazy and fat

        • wozz on 23/10/2017 - 08:32

          @Cluster:

          I dont think anyone said there is a 'sudden epidemic of babies that can tolerate only one brand of powder'.
          I have experienced a baby that can only tolerate one brand of powder though.
          With other powders, baby would vomit/diarrhea etc, but thankfully found one that works. If this powder wasn't available, then baby probably wouldn't have starved, but would have ended up on IV in hospital.

          It isn't necessarily about life or death, but it's no fun having a baby reflux/occasional vomiting etc in any case..
          Sometimes you do have to go through elimination

        • jacross on 23/10/2017 - 15:09

          Sounds like someone's working for their car. Simplify man!

        • Harold Halfprice on 23/10/2017 - 23:44

          @lolbbq:

          But why cant they fix their own problems with baby formula, rather than shifting their problems onto us.
          Why can't they improve the quality and fix their reputation?

          It's the wealthy chinese that are buying up all our formula. The majority of their country still has to feed their babies with the 'poorer' quality stuff. Buying up our supply doesn't solve the issue of supply, and doesn't feed any more babies.

          Capitalism is great and can help you get cheap iphones, cars and clothes but everyone complains when free trade starts to work both ways

          Not at all. People are complaining because they can't feed their babies - because the shelves are bloody empty. This isn't 'free trade working both ways' this is an example of capitalism failing, or do you think the the fundamental ideal of capitalism is 'only rich people should have access to basic necessities'?

        • [Deactivated] on 24/10/2017 - 01:00

          @ILikeBargenz:

          How convenient, medicine has been bleeding from developing countries into developed countries for ages.

          Whether they fix the problem or not, Australia still has much better reputation for milk powder and there are plenty of Chinese who can afford more than the average Australian, it is not 1950s anymore and no matter how much you'd hate to hear it, there are plenty of non-westerns who are like that.

          The only way to prevent milk powder from going to foreigners is to have passport checks at the checkout counters. But I guess that is too distasteful for "freedom"

          Guess what, freedom has always favoured the strong. Now that we are appraently not always the strongest, freedom is starting to look bad eh?

          This is free trade working both ways. Just it worked for us in the past and it is not always working for us now, doesn't mean it is failing.

          Seems like you like to denigrate the people who are buying milk powder as rich. I doubt that (sure some are), they're probably middle class but willing to spend a greater percentage of their money on milk powder (no doubt people who don't like it are going to find some moral failing in that against our "developed world" standards).

        • Harold Halfprice on 24/10/2017 - 01:25
          +1

          @lolbbq:

          doesn't mean it is failing.

          If people can't feed their babies, and you attribute that to capitalism - then yes, it means in this regard capitalism is failing.

          If any system fails to provide basic necessities to everyone that needs them, then it has fundamentally failed.

        • [Deactivated] on 24/10/2017 - 01:33
          -1

          @ILikeBargenz:

          Capitalism has been shilled by the west to be the savior of the developing world.

          Capitalism is a global system and millions have been suffering for it. Before Australia looked attractive to the Chinese, nobody cared.

          Didn't hear anybody complaining about it 50 years ago.

          The Chinese adopted Capitalism and are willing to work harder to use it, suddenly its an evil system?

          With all intellectual honesty, you cannot deny that your life (and Australia's) has been made good/better through capitalism. It is not a perfect system but it is one of the better ones out there and is something we can use. We'd just have to stop being so complacent about our position in the world.

          We made our bed, now we either die lie or thrive in it.

        • Harold Halfprice on 24/10/2017 - 01:48

          @lolbbq:

          Capitalism is a global system and millions have been suffering for it. Before Australia looked attractive to the Chinese, nobody cared.
          Didn't hear anybody complaining about it 50 years ago.
          The Chinese adopted Capitalism and are willing to work harder to use it, suddenly its an evil system?

          What?
          Seriously, not even going to try dignify the absolute garbage you're spewing out with an actual response. Doesn't matter where you stand on capitalism, what you just said is nonsense.

        • [Deactivated] on 24/10/2017 - 02:10

          @ILikeBargenz: Fine. It is not a "global" system, but it is present in many major economies and is extremely influential in international trade.

          Chinese capitalism is essentially "capitalism with chinese characteristics" as they would call it but functionally there is very little difference.

          Even if everything I said was garbage, it is not going to go away just because you feel its unfair.

        • Blitzfx on 24/10/2017 - 15:01

          @lolbbq: You keep bringing up capitalism as an excuse for their behavior. Moral fairness and capitalism do not go hand in hand. If a company will get away with screwing over the average citizen, they will. If the bad PR and public backlash doesn't affect their bottom line, they'll keep doing what they do. Without laws and regulations to define the boundaries of what capitalists can do, you'd be living in some slum housing with a massive class divide with almost no middle class and GFC's after GFC's.

          There aren't any legal rules/laws governing small exports of milk powder. Only those imposed by the manufacturer / retailers. Just because it's legal, doesn't make it right. I take it you have no sympathy for everyone who lost their job, homes and life savings in the GFC despite it being legal. Capitalism at it's finest.

    • GooseHoward on 22/10/2017 - 00:00

      i suppose if you lived in china you would happily feed your kids the melamine formula? you do understand this is why they buy the australian stuff, yeah? you wanna be annoyed about it, be annoyed about the dodgy manufacturers in china or the formula manufacturers here failing to meet demand

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