Avoiding paying $400 extra on bass gear

[Jezz8me]

I have been looking to buy a new amp lately and the prices here in australia are ridiculous. For the same proce you can either get a 170W Line 6 LowDown or a 300W Ashdown MAG rig.(Both about $1000 AU)

According to the exchange rate i should be able to get a line 6 for about $600 AU if i buy from the US, plus maby $50-$100 for long distance shipping.

BUT

Musicians Friend, Amazon and other similar sites do not ship to australia. How can i avoid sending unnececarily high amounts of money on new gear?

If i can do this with an amp then i am sure i can do it with anything else, try an amp out in the shop, if i like it import it but is this possible?

[choo5]

$50 / $100 for shipping? dunno where you get those rates from but I usualy pay that rate to ship a bass to AU.

watch out for customs, check ebay for larger sellers that might possibly ship to AU.

let me know how it goes, i might concider getting a bass head from the US if it turns out ok :P