sbiddle:

 

*Why* should they be similar? I don't think they should be.

 

Yes we pay a lot more for many things here in NZ. Some of that comes down to freight costs and the cost of importing product for a small country. Some of it is the fact we don't pay staff minimum wage. Some of it comes down to retail chains having to make margin off much smaller volumes of goods because we're a lot smaller country. Some of it comes down to GST and retailer obligations under the CGA that can is effectively a margin that needs to be added by the retailer simply as cost of doing business. Some of it comes down to the fact a manufacturer often makes a specific product for the NZ market because of the customisation required which is the case with many TV's.

 

Do we pay too much for many things in NZ? Yes we do. But thinking we should be paying a similar price to the US simply isn't logical.

 

By similar, I don't mean the same.  Probably prices should be a bit more in NZ to account for economies of scale and other factors. But, not too far off. 

You were saying the TV's won't work in NZ, but I think the OP was referencing the price as opposed to standards differences. This is what i was trying to say.   

I've bought stuff in the US for $300 which retails for $1200 here.  Economies of scale just doesn't explain such a price difference. 

Also, online software purchases -- why are prices sometimes so much more expensive in NZ? I believe adobe pricing was a really good example of this several years back, not sure if that still applies today.