I agree on the R&D cost etc.. as I do R&D for US companies as well for IT products. I think the real problem here compare to US is that we are being rip off for sure. BUT, we forgot one thing. When we import things from US, those are made in USA from time to time. So no import fees for them and logistic fees related for them.
For made in China products, we share similar shipping and sometimes lower depends on where the item is located in China.
We eventually can get cheaper Chinese "bargains" from time to time.
This brings us the argument SeaComms said.
US : cheap imported chinese copy $150+ vs genuine local product $350+
Aus: cheap imported chinese copy $150+ vs expensive imported genuine made in US $500+ plus total ripoff Jeep products
winch is a good example for this too. I was chatting with a Jeep dealer where I got my JKU from and ask them for some pricing on winch.. this is what we come up with.
We are talking about a warn/mopar 9.5 cti.
if imported, we can get it just below 2k approx.
if buy it locally, most likely looking at mid 2k
if get it from dealer, that's 5k+
Funny thing is that, he told me go out and buy it elsewhere and don't get it from them. It's a total ripoff and if need any help in installation, we can help on that. lol
So I think it's very hard not to look for bargain here.
I do hunt for bargains too, but for the genuine products mostly. ie: around $650 for my pair of spotties. patience helps over here.