Ah, we get a little used to paying roughly 1.5 to 2 times the price for gear made overseas compared to the price in the US or Canada, especially stuff that's a little less mainstream... e.g. cross-country skiing is a very financially disadvantageous sport to take up if you're an Aussie 
... Basses are obviously more popular down here than nordic skis are, however we still suffer from a few problems:
1. We're a bloody long way from anywhere else, so transport/shipping/import costs are high.
2. Our dollar is usually somewhat worse than the USD or the UK pound, though this is very much NOT the case right now (we're used to 1 AUD being worth about 75 to 90 cents US, but at the moment 1AUD ~ 1.05 USD).
3. We represent a very small market (there are only 20 million of us down here) so economies of scale are generally not realised.
To give you a rough idea... I recently bought a Hofner CT violin bass from a dealer in Chicago for $749 USD (a bit more for some teacup knobs and LaBella flats fitted) and the same bass over here was going for $1,350 AUD. The Icon, which is about $369 USD, is typically about $749 AUD here, though I did find an Aussie store just today selling them for $499 AUD.
So generally with shipping (~$140 for a bass you can't unbolt the neck from) it is still vastly cheaper to buy from the US or Canada and ship it out here than buying locally. In this case, though... buying a Jaguar SS for $160 USD + $140 USD shipping = $300 USD has little advantage over $250 AUD locally... though in my case when I say locally, it's a 3-hr drive away and I may get them to ship it (probably about $40) instead, but I'll see how lazy I'm feeling. ;-)
... Basses are obviously more popular down here than nordic skis are, however we still suffer from a few problems:1. We're a bloody long way from anywhere else, so transport/shipping/import costs are high.
2. Our dollar is usually somewhat worse than the USD or the UK pound, though this is very much NOT the case right now (we're used to 1 AUD being worth about 75 to 90 cents US, but at the moment 1AUD ~ 1.05 USD).
3. We represent a very small market (there are only 20 million of us down here) so economies of scale are generally not realised.
To give you a rough idea... I recently bought a Hofner CT violin bass from a dealer in Chicago for $749 USD (a bit more for some teacup knobs and LaBella flats fitted) and the same bass over here was going for $1,350 AUD. The Icon, which is about $369 USD, is typically about $749 AUD here, though I did find an Aussie store just today selling them for $499 AUD.
So generally with shipping (~$140 for a bass you can't unbolt the neck from) it is still vastly cheaper to buy from the US or Canada and ship it out here than buying locally. In this case, though... buying a Jaguar SS for $160 USD + $140 USD shipping = $300 USD has little advantage over $250 AUD locally... though in my case when I say locally, it's a 3-hr drive away and I may get them to ship it (probably about $40) instead, but I'll see how lazy I'm feeling. ;-)
