Where is it More Expensive? WTF Christmas Edition
New Zealand has a reputation for being $$$, and while I generally haven’t found that to be the case, especially when looking at the whole picture and our entire budget (here’s looking at you, reasonably priced health care!) every once in awhile, I find myself scratching my head at what Kiwi stores want to charge for goods. This has become especially glaring as we shop for Christmas presents because stuff is pricey while services are not. I’ve learned to plan ahead, wait for one of the ubiquitous sales, and be selective living in Auckland. So here’s a glimpse at what you might find if you don’t do your homework and just walk into a store to buy something.
**Please take this with a laugh and the head-scratching attitude its meant to be taken in. This SHOULD NOT freak you out. I picked some really egregious examples, and this is not indicative of everything in New Zealand.**
Kanoodle Gravity - I love the Kanoodle games. They’re perfect for stashing in my bag and pulling out at restaurants to entertain the kids, so I was so excited to see a new version at Gogo Kids in the Westfield at Newmarket. Then I turned over to look at the price tag: NZ$44.90 (or about US$28.74). I laughed out loud and pulled up the Amazon app on my phone. This game costs US$9.69 + $6.63 for shipping and +$2.44 for GST for a total of US$18.76. So it is NZ$15.63 cheaper to buy this game from the US and have it shipped to Auckland than it is to buy it in the store. It would only be about US$10.50 if bought in the US, so it is almost three times as expensive in the store here. This certainly deserves a “WTF?” In summary:
New Zealand - US$28.74
Shipped to New Zealand - US$18.76
US Purchase - $10.50 (includes tax)
The Illustrated Harry Potter Books - Shh. Don’t tell my son, but he’s getting the boxset of three illustrated Harry Potter books as part of his Christmas present haul. He’s got some of the kid-friendly books associated with the series, but this will be his first complete HP novel. I found the set from Book Depository, which includes GST and free shipping (though the shipping takes forever if ordering from here, so plan well in advance) for NZ$149.62 (about US$95.76). From Amazon, it is US$64.99 + $36.27 in shipping + $15.19 in GST, for a total of $116.45. (This is a good example of weight really affecting shipping costs!) Amazon is usually pretty fast, though, so I can appreciate the higher shipping costs. However, at Whitcoul’s, a major book store chain, I couldn’t find the box set. I could, however, find the books sold individually for NZ$69.99 a piece, or NZ$209.97 for all three, about US $134.38. To summarise:
New Zealand - US$134.38
Shipped to New Zealand - US$95.76 (slow) or US$116.45 (fast)
US Purchase - US$73.35 (includes tax)
LEGO Boost - Another item Santa is bringing to our house this year is the LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox. My kids are obsessed with LEGOs, and this is supposed to introduce coding in a kid-friendly way so I’m all in. I found it in the stores here a couple months ago, but didn’t purchase it at the time because we thought my husband was going to be travelling back to the US in November. That trip didn’t happen, so I was surprised when I went back to the shops (including the new LEGO store in Newmarket) to find that either “LEGO was discontinuing this product or their supplier had run out” according to a LEGO employee. ToyWorld is also sold out of this box. Both stores would’ve sold it for NZ$299, or US$191.36. The other option was a Star Wars box, sold for NZ$399, but it only made three different robots as opposed to the Creative Toolbox that could make five.
So I went onto my trusty Amazon app to see what I could do shipping to New Zealand. The box that I wanted was available to be shipped to New Zealand for a total of US$209.68. The Star Wars box, which I did not want, could be delivered to my doorstep for US$256.34. (Just to be picky, I could get the Star Wars box delivered from a New Zealand store for an additional NZ$5, bringing my total to NZ$404, or US$258.56.) To summarise:
Creative Toolbox
New Zealand Store - Unavailable
Shipped to New Zealand - US$209.68
US Purchase - US$172.06 (tax included)
Star Wars Toolbox
New Zealand Store - US$255.36 (pick up) US$258.56 (delivered)
Shipped to New Zealand - US$256.34
US Purchase - US$216.44 (tax included)
The Christmas Ham - Apparently this tradition transcends boundaries, and a holiday ham is a big deal in both the US and New Zealand. Here, you’ll find hams at every grocery store varying in price from NZ$13-NZ$20 per kilogram. So let’s do the math. That’s US$8.32 - US$12.80 per kilogram, and with 2.2 pounds per kilogram, that’s US$3.78 - US $5.82 per pound. I checked the prices at some normal grocery stores back in Texas, and found prices ranging from US$2.99 - US$8.49 per pound. So the moral of this story is don’t let the neigh sayers make you think that food is crazy expensive in New Zealand. It’s often the same or even cheaper.
New Zealand - Average US$4.80 per pound
United States - Average US$5.74 per pound
Chloé Padlock Shoulder Bag - For Christmas I’m hoping I’m on Santa’s nice list and this wildly unnecessary purse is under the tree for me. I haven’t seen it anywhere in New Zealand which means I’ll have to get it shipped (and pay customs and duties on it because it is above the NZ$1000 threshold. Ugh!) All in, that will be US$2,441. If I were to have Farfetch ship it to the United States instead, it would be US$2,122. And this is why I say to never make luxury purchases in New Zealand. Ironically, I could get the back in Australia for US$2,153.80. If I timed things right and got a flight on sale, I could fly to Australia with the savings from not buying this bag in New Zealand, pick up the bag, and if I got any other shopping done while there, I would save money.
New Zealand - unavailable
Shipped to New Zealand - US$2,441
United States - US$2,122
Australia - US$2,153.80
So the best thing to do? Have a plan well ahead of time and shop strategically for sales and with enough time for shipping. Also, stock up when you take trips overseas, and ask visitors to bring much needed purchases for you. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
