This is Unusual!

[ArtLady1981]

I was googling around, trying to find that NORO yarn that MoniDew used for her GORGEOUS SCARF, and stumbled upon an Australian-based website that is selling KnitPicks Harmony Fixed Circs, KnitPicks Harmony Straights, and Harmony DPN's...for WAY MORE than the KnitPicks price! Almost double in some cases!

Maybe this is a 'deal' that KnitPicks has with the Australian website?
So that Aussies can get the needles locally? Without huge import fees?
Do our Australian neighbors have trouble getting USA made products?

I have never seen KnitPicks products being sold by anyone but KnitPicks!

[suzeeq]

Yes, KPs has distributors for their needles in Australia and in the UK. Was the pricing US$ or AUS$? There's a difference in exchage rates.

[Lisa R.]

I'm guessing it's Australian dollars.

[Mike]

You should see the price of US made bows in AU.
What is $500 here is $1500 there.

Those prices look cheap compared to archery stuff.
I also recall computer stuff is outrageous for them.

[jess_hawk]

The exchange rate when I was down there was almost 1:1 (much to the horror of the American kids... when we started planning it was 80 cents to the dollar, but when we got there it was 90 cents to the dollar, and kept creeping closer, so things were, without changing price, slowly but surely getting more expensive.). But getting KP's Harmonies into Aus might be a major hassle... or maybe the Aussie dollar has started going down in value, too.

ETA: I agree, though, prices do tend to be rediculous down there. My friends went a little nuts though when they found some software that was crazy cheap for college kids there, compared to here (like Adobe Photoshop). Josh got a laptop cheap, too, and a couple of them got iPod nanos and the prices weren't too bad.

[KnittingNat]

Actually, KnitPicks needles are being produced by a company for them. Now, KP gave them permission to sell the same needles at a different name, so in Europe you'll see KnitPro and the names of the sets are different - instead of Harmonies they're Symphony etc. They have a better variety than the KP set and allow out of US customers to enjoy the same needles. You can see an example HEREI already saw them at an LYS here in Jerusalem. There were lots of discussion about it on Ravelry and KP owner gave a full explanation. About the Australian website - you have to consider the major shipping costs, even for a store and local taxes, so of course imported goods will be much more expensive.

[suzeeq]

The KnitPro needles are actually the original, knit picks buys from them and sells them under their own name.

[KnittingNat]

The KnitPro needles are actually the original, knit picks buys from them and sells them under their own name.

Agreed, but for a while KnitPicks were exclusive customers of KnitPro, at least that's what i undestood from KP's owner explanation. I guess that their permission to KnitPro to sell at the rest of the world came due to an endless amount of people writing to KP and asking when will they ship intl. BTW, the KnitPro sets have much more different combinations - they have smaller interchangeable tips, cable connectors etc. KnitPicks decide what components will be appealing to the US customers.

[suzeeq]

I like that you can get a 'min' set too - 3 needle sizes plus cables. I wish they offered that in the US, I don't use the teeny needles at all.