$A=$US - Are we getting ripped off?

[Cabbage]

Guys,

After traveling through the US for the last 3 weeks and seeing the cost of different goods and given the $A is at parity or better than the $US, I have to ask are Australians getting ripped off on goods imported from the US.

Generally I have found the cost of clothes and shoes to be about 50% cheaper in the US than Aus with premium brands costing significantly more in Aus.

Cars as well, yanks pay shedloads less for their vehicles and while I accept a lot of what we pay for imported cars is part govt tax I'm not sure the price we pay is fair.

Probably the item that most angered me was dogfood. Yes dogfood. I have two labs that eat quite a bit of food. In Aus I buy them science diet large breed dry dogfood in a 15kg bag which is usually between $100 & 120. Walked into a pet store in Brooklyn and the same bag of dogfood was $34. Surely it doesn't cost $70 to get it to Aus.

With the rise in the $A things should getting cheaper? I see Gerry Harvey constantly in thevmedia blowing up about Aussies buying on line but who could blame them. I think we are getting ripped. A pair of Brooks beast runners are about $250 in Aus, I can buy them on line from the US delivered to my door in a week for about $130.

Just venting a little but what do people think, do we get ripped off in Aus buying imported US oods.

Clinton