Things are more expensive over here. I think I told you about finding a cute North Face raincoat, only to discover that it cost $450. I remember the saleswoman starting to say, “It costs four…” and I thought, “Oh sheesh – she’s going to say it costs $400+” and Chris was thinking, “Wow – only $40 – not bad!” Yikes. I ended up buying a {different} raincoat online in the US, using their free shipping deal to send it to my parents, and then had Mom send it economy to New Zealand. Much better idea.
Then there’s appliances. I was shopping with Erin and found a KitchenAid Stand Mixer at Smith + Caughey’s. For $1,000. Gulp.
I thought that I’d see how much it might cost to purchase a KitchenAid Stand Mixer online and ship it over here. Keep in mind that I’m not thinking about plunking down $500+ dollars on a kitchen appliance anytime soon, but I just wanted to see. It’s not pretty.
Did you see that? That’s like, half a plane ticket home! The shipping, duty, and VAT come to a total of $502.90. That’s only $87.10 less than the mixer. Welcome to the world of international shipping, right?
I may have to resort to piracy.
http://www.220-electronics.com/Kitchenaid_Mixer_220_volts/Kitchenaid_Artisan_stand_mixer_220_volts.htm
Hi there! I found your website after finding “eby’s” – she then mentioned your site to me. I’m enjoying it, thanks! I’m an American, married to a New Zealander. We are currently in the states but will return to Dunedin (his home town) next month and plan to stay a minimum of 3-4 years and possibly longer… I have lived there previously for several years. I can’t help but respond to the kitchen aid story! Keep an eye out on Trade Me, like someone else said, and the local buy-sell-exchange (small publication). My husband found a kitchen aid in dunedin’s buy-sell-exchange. It was advertised for $50. He said the price of the power transformer (which must be used with it) was worth more than $50! He high-tailed it to the person’s house and got the kitchen aid, narrowly beating out another interested person, who I still feel sorry for to this day. The previos owner had brought the kitchen aid from America and never used it (gasp, sin!) Anyway, my husband surprised me with this kitchen aid as one of the sweetest things he ever did – because “not being able to ever afford a kitchen aid” had become a symbol of all the sacrifices I would ever have to make while living most of the rest of my life out in NZ. (Of course there are gains too, as any good immigrant should say. But this is about the sacrifices!) So yes, the impossibility of a kitchen aid became a symbol of sacrifice and even homesickness. So you can imagine the joy when I saw one on my Dunedin counter top! The moral of the story — hang in there! Whether it is a kitchen aid or some other desired but insanely-expensive-in-NZ item, these things work out! You either realize, 1-that you don’t need what you think you need, and that’s oddly liberating or 2-you’ll find a version of it, either older or pieced together but it will do. Just give it time, you have to “come across these things” in NZ – not go after them. Or 3 – you judge the thing as something you must have and simply fork over the dough, with a mixture of pain and excitement, then appreciate it always and forever! Or 4-you’ll never get it and always want it, but this 4th one is by far the most rare!!! 🙂 Anyway, I hope you don’t mind me sharing my Kitchen Aid Wisdom!!! I just had to! Especially as I contemplate heading back to NZ, long term, next month. Don’t even get me started on missing Costco – it took me a while to love Costco but its absence in NZ makes me feel utterly defeated on a day when i just want a 10 pound bag of pecans for $9.99.
Molly
Welcome to NZ! I moved here in 2006 from Kansas and I still have to remind myself that Walmart is not down the street anymore. I learned the hard way that I have to buy things when I see them because they might never show up in any store again, no matter the price! I gave up on ‘brand names’ long ago. Now,I buy a lot of things on TradeMe. Living without the brand names isn’t so bad.
oooh my goodness that is INSANE. i think that would kill me about living abroad.
Holy cow!! That’s absolutely insane!!
Oh my goodness! That’s crazy-expensive. And it’s so interesting to see the difference in prices from here to there.
Ohmyword! That’s highway robbery! I’ll bet that North Face jacket was fabulous though!
Oh my! Why did I not realize you were blogging again? So glad you’re back! Phew! I feel like an idiot!
OMW! That’s insane!!
Let’s make a deal. When I come visit you, I’ll bring your Kitchenaid. When you come visit us, you bring All Blacks rugby shirts for all of us! (What can I say? I have family over there so now I’m hooked!) 🙂
Yikes that’s outrageous!