Thread: Aus vs NZ firearms prices

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Yes, they are a lot cheaper in Aus. I got a shock when I came back to NZ. Luckily I brought my stash of Aussie bought rifles with me.

My T3s cost me $1100 (stainless laminate) and $1500 (Super Varmint). Ok it was a while ago but still. Nothing had a bloody 2 in front of it.
@ChrisW... why? Can you explain this?

I would think they would save on the rifle's unit cost from the factory due to volume they move compared to NZ.
Then I think they would save substantially on shipping costs. Probably using Sea freight more then in NZ.
There is generally a 6 month lead time on rifles from the factory. Rifles are made to order and are not held in a warehouse or anything like that. An order is placed and it goes into the queue for manufacture, then is shipped once production of the whole order is complete. Problem then is if the order was shipped to NZ via sea, it would add months and months onto an already very long lead time.

Pretty much in my opinion its economies of scale (the more you buy the lower the cost per unit, the more you ship the lower cost per unit), our remoteness (increased shipping costs irrespective of shipping method), and long lead times compounding even further when cheaper/slower shipping methods are used which often necessities the need for air freight which again is very pricey due to our remoteness.