mickyj wrote:I’m new to shooting. My feel has been over the last few months buying guns accessories and the like that compared to general goods hardware etc one can expect to pay roughly 2-3 times as much for shooting goods. Is there gauging going on? Is there government sales tax or import duty on these goods? I dunno. But some of the prices for things I have found hard to swallow at times. Would be keen to hear what people think on the matter.. one possibility that went through my mind is that because of the heavy regulatory environment that there is a lack of competition in the market thus high prices. Anyway Over to you.....
I started shooting in 1980. Compared to then, I think virtually everything related to firearms is now cheaper than it was, except for milsurp firearms perhaps.
Due to our smaller market our prices will always be higher than large markets, like the US.
There is GST on everything, and import duty on some things. I imported two rifles and there was no import duty on those, and I've never been billed duty on any imported brass, bullets, magazines, reloading equipment or firearm parts. Some states charge fees for import permits though, which I guess can be considered a pseudo import duty, Victoria does not. Import permits are only required for controlled items, like firearms, ammunition, brass, bullets, and major firearm parts like receivers, frames, magazines, triggers, barrels.