leigh&ivan

Are there any items that are cheaper in the UK that you would recommend buying before coming to Oz?
Eg. we need a new washing machine. Do we wait till we get to Oz & buy there or get one before we come?
We haven't got to pay for shipping as OH's employers are paying relocation fees
Leigh

MartinLuther

Buy a front loading washing machine in the UK.
Books are generally cheaper in the UK.

migrantoz

You can get front loaders in Australia, there just isn't the same choice as in UK. Also they seem to be more expensive in Australia. The only problem with buying one in the UK is that it will take weeks to arrive in Australia so you will be without a washing machine for a few weeks when you first arrive. I'd say buy one in Australia as soon as you arrive. I've not been too impressed however with the performance of ours which we bought in Australia and I wonder if its because its been designed to use less water due to Australian regulations.

suzimc

Just wondering what the preference is for front loaders? We have a top loader since we've arrived in the US and I love it. Is there a reason they're not as well regarded?

Keith&Lol

A few posters have said that they do not wash as well as a front loader and leave little bobbly bits on everthing, we will buy a new one and ship it over, and just buy a cheapie one to put us on till the other arrives and then use the cheapie one as a spare. Lol

suzimc

aha, thanks for clarifying! My only prob was working out how to work the damn thing, once I sussed getting the liquid in at the right time it was all fine n dandy!

Vash the Stampede

Australia has no regulations regarding the amount of water used by whitegoods of any sort, so your washing machine will not have been designed to meet any conditions unique to Australia. It will perform just as it was intended to perform, according to the manufacturer's own specifications.

You may be interested to learn that front loaders are actually designed to use less water than top loaders, which is precisely why they have become increasingly popular with Australians.

I had an Ariston when I lived in Perth, and it was fantastic; performance was absolutely superb, and it never gave me any trouble.

Luma

If goods are less than 1yr old doesn't one have to pay import duties on them?

232Bar

Our local council gives a rebate if you buy a specifically categorized front loader as they use far less water than a top loader. There are two classifications (H4 & H5) I think and each has a different rebate. If you need a new machine and buy it in the UK you won't have this classification. Might be worth waiting 'till you get here and check out the water management policy where you are.

mand8002

We have just bought a new front loader as we had a cheap top loader and it was useless. We have only paid $699 for this one but it washes fine. Not sure how much washers are in UK now to compare.

ElshaUK

I think it comes down to what you are used to. We obviously had a front loader in England but we bought a top loader when we moved to Australia.

I hate front loaders - you cannot fit as much into them as the top loader we used to have. Mind you, we did have an industrial sized one. Speedqueen was the brand! I could wash a king sized duvet in it. There is no way, I'd get that into any front loader, I have owned.

Front loaders are becoming more and more popular in Australia though

But, different strokes for different folks

joho

Dyson vaccum cleaners are more expensive here. A standard yellow upright is about $599 on a good day which is about £240.

Jo

kulu

Only if you tell them

karenjc

Our washing machine from England broke down after 3 months so we purchased a new one in Oz and it's not as good. When walking around Harvey Norman it seemed all the washing machines were only 600 spin as apposed to our 1200 one. So it tends to take a little bit longer as we are putting it on spin more to try to help the items dry out quicker. The chap said because it's a hot country thats all you need as everyone puts the washing out side to dry, but they say anything to make a sale. We agree with joho Dysons are more here. We were told that if you have a plasma tv then you should be aware that the tv channels here have their logo's in the corner of the screen and it can burn into that section of the plasma.

spottydog

We bought an LG front load 1400rpm 7kg washer dryer with a 6 years extended warranty when we got here for about $1000. The big worry about buying anything in the UK is if it goes wrong then the warranty is useless here. We were quite amazed that the extended warranty was only $99 as in the UK an extended warranty for 5 years on a washer dryer generally costs about the same as the machine as it is so likely to go wrong within that time.

Books however are one thing I've noticed seem a lot more expensive here and you don't get any warranty risks with them.