Thread: Did anyone hear on the radio today about importing goods?

Mike, how can we buy and ship an ARB locker for less than walking into arb and buying here?

How can my Sony tv be $6500 when first released and then $2500 when on sale 18 months later???

Australian retail rents (I'm talking large shopping centres) are the highest in the world, and the lessors have you over a large barrel and dictate terms, as Diana has pointed out.

Mike, I hear what you are saying.
Strip shop rentals where I am in a tiny little country town (po. 1000) are crazy, and half a dozen shops are vacant.

Most of these are semi-derelict and tiny, yet one small example, can't recall the floor area but it isn't big, maybe 10mx4m and the owner wants $350/wk.
It's weatherboard and fibro and the corry roof leaks and it doesn't have an air conditioner.

The fish & chip closed as the owner put the rent up to $1000/wk from $750.
They are happy having it empty rather than have someone paying something ?

I don't get it ?

Tax write off to offset income from other investments ?

Originally Posted by rick130

Australian retail rents (I'm talking large shopping centres) are the highest in the world, and the lessors have you over a large barrel and dictate terms, as Diana has pointed out.

Mike, I hear what you are saying.
Strip shop rentals where I am in a tiny little country town (po. 1000) are crazy, and half a dozen shops are vacant.

Most of these are semi-derelict and tiny, yet one small example, can't recall the floor area but it isn't big, maybe 10mx4m and the owner wants $350/wk.
It's weatherboard and fibro and the corry roof leaks and it doesn't have an air conditioner.

The fish & chip closed as the owner put the rent up to $1000/wk from $750.
They are happy having it empty rather than have someone paying something ?

I don't get it ?

Tax write off to offset income from other investments ?

A recently retired friend had a one man barber shop in a suburban strip centre in Northside Brisbane. The suburb and shops were developed late 60's-early 70's. He moved in to his shop in 1975. At that time there was a Big 2 supermarket there which was closed when a major mall opened about 2 k's away, and later another one in the opposite direction. For at least the last 15 years there have usually been two or more vacant shops in his strip and a couple more on the other side of the street. Every time in the last say 10 years when his lease fell due, his landlord would try it on for a rent increase. My mate used to point to the other vacant shops and to the ones across the street and say it doesn't take much to move a barber shop, so how would you like another long term vacancy? He reckoned George the Greek across the street would be delighted to fill one of his vacant shops.

Added to Westfield is tat they require you to update you premises (their term for move out and change location. But you can't have the new store, fit out and them move so you do not loose trading time. You & the other parties moving have to shut down, refit the shops and then move in.

You have to use their cleaners, security, shopfitters, electricians etc. I don't know how small traders do it. Let alone those small kiosk traders like the mobile phone repairers etc.

Think rent is bad, my last industry workers comp insurance was $1000- per person per day. Charged to the job, plus wages, plus tooling and equipment.

Originally Posted by uninformed

Mike, how can we buy and ship an ARB locker for less than walking into arb and buying here?

How can my Sony tv be $6500 when first released and then $2500 when on sale 18 months later???

It's those early customers who pay for the R&D for new products. These people are willing to pay for the benefit of having the latest and greatest. The later price only has to cover ongoing costs, encourages volume and stops people buying from the opposition.

Personally I'm a bit dubious that the government can make it work feasibly. Actually determining the value of small items coming through customs is going to be a nightmare. Brings a lot of questions:
Will the ATO trust the declared values?
Will we be able to appeal a decision if the ATO decides the value is not what is declared?
If an item's declared value is found to be a lot less than what the ATO thinks, is the purchaser going to legally or criminally liable for tax fraud? The overseas seller?
Are we going to have to pay GST on each item as it arrives before it is sent on, or are we going to get individual bills, or have it added to our tax return?
Will we need to include our TFN with each order so the government knows who to charge?

And lets face it, our current government doesn't exactly have a good track record of well-planned implementation of policy.

I've never bought anything over $1000 from overseas. Anyone here who has? How does it work at the moment?

Originally Posted by Pinelli

Will we be able to appeal a decision if the ATO decides the value is not what is declared?
If an item's declared value is found to be a lot less than what the ATO thinks, is the purchaser going to legally or criminally liable for tax fraud? The overseas seller?

There's a point, I'm sure the Govt/ATO will base it's "value" on the local RRP not the Aud price actually paid for the item to maximise their take. It'll only take one well heeled/positioned person to challenge it to possibly invalidate the whole process on some basis and then whose liable to refund the incorrectly charged taxes?

Arb, one shocks both cheaper O/S
detroit locker less than half locally asked price.
Maxxis are cheap here but bfg or any other brand is 20-50+% more depending on size.
Lr steering box costs multiple what a new one from u.k personal import. Or same a reco local.

Originally Posted by frantic

Lr steering box costs multiple what a new one from u.k personal import.

TDV6 MAP sensor $500+ ex LR here yet $268 incl postage from a UK LR dealer so GST wouldn't matter and I'd claim most of it back anyway, being mostly business use.

Customs depts in several countries that I know of request and require duty to be paid before releasing the item. Most take at least 5 weeks to pass through customs.