It seem that when the same good or service is available in Australia as it is internationally, we always end up paying more for it in Australia. Even when you take the effects of the exchange rates into consideration, the cost in Australia is always more, many time 50% or even more than 100% more.
A recent example of this is when I went to renew my Internet Security Subscription. It was going to cost me a bit over $300 in AUD for 3 years subscription for two computers. If I had chosen to pay in NZD I would have paid less than $300 once converted back to AUD. However, I chose to pay in Indian Rupees and for the same subscription paid 5,088.00INR, which when converted back to AUD came to just under $111 (including overseas Transaction Fees).
That is almost a third of the price for the same subscription, just because I had chosen to pay by a different currency. I am still using this subscription in Australia and included my Australian address in the Billing Information section of the Invoice. In my opinion this is crazy.
Why are Australians being ripped off all the time compared to other countries around the world, whether they be First or Third World Countries, and how can we find ways around these rip-off tactics by major retailers and save money?