So Disappointed With Jaycar

[TandemDrip]

   I have been looking for a good starter 3D printer in a kit and I had settled on the Velleman unit as sold by Jaycar.   In fact I wanted five units for my daughters school.   The Velleman unit has the features I was looking for.   The price was a bit high at $1299 EA so I started looking around to see if anyone was selling a cheaper kit... when I found Amazon are selling it for $700.   Almost half the price !     I like to shop locally and by using the local Jaycar store, I like to think that I'm helping keep people employed, but this is just ridiculous !   Last year I found Jaycar selling Freetronics units in the Nuts & Volts magazine (UK), cheaper than we could buy them here in Australia.   Even with postage included, it was cheaper for me to take advantage of the sale price of the units advertised in Nuts & Volts (UK) and have them posted to me... than it was to walk into my local Jaycar store and buy the unit off the shelf.   Bloody "Australia Tax" strikes again. 

[EEVblog]

Maybe not Jaycars fault, just their standard margin at work + delivery etc.
That reminds me, I need to sell my Makerbot and get a real 3D printer...

[Stonent]

I just figured that everything costs more in Australia.

[HackedFridgeMagnet]

I am not sure if you have taken the full purchase costs into account

$704.99 
convert to AU  -> $AU770
, add shipping maybe $100 -> $AU870
 
also remember because it is less than $1000 you are not paying GST.   -> $957 
You can also claim back the GST if it is for work.

so Jaycar is charging about $250 more.
but your purchase price is say significantly more but not double.
Also you have a chance to return it if it is faulty.

So I like to weigh it up on a case by case basis.

[SL4P]

...selling Freetronics units in the Nuts & Volts magazine (UK), cheaper than we could buy them here in Australia. ..

I believe the FREETRONICS products are developed here in Australia - so you should have no problem getting a bulk order direct or at least from a first level distributor.

[Riotpack]

Jaycar can be pretty bad, When I was working there I could see the cost prices on things and yeh..... 2.5x-20x markup (so an item that costs $100 could sell for $250-$2000) for example. The smaller items like resistors (5 pack for 39c) have the higher profits of course. When you have over 50 stores you can get things pretty cheap.

[Riotpack]

At the extreme other end of the scale was an IT company I have worked for. An 8-10% profit was the target!

So a laptop that cost $1000 would sell for $1070 - $1100

Using Jaycars profit margins it would sell for $2500 - $10000.

The difference between wholesale IT and consumer gadgets.