FROM ebay,  i mainly buy music,   a lot of which is not available here,   but also get my movies from them,   but from australian sellers,   a lot are private sellers,  who have watched a disc once,  and are selling on,   as for clother,  i have NEVER  bought from oversees,   i buy from where i wouldnormaly go,   such as MILLARS,      AUTOGRAPH,   KATIES,   but even these can be different sizes,    i find millars are the best,  closest to your size,    so my money is staying here,    i am not close to any of the big stores,   and even the city has no big stores,  [except myers]   which i dont like,    the nearest big shopping complex to me is ALTONA,    as i dont drive,    its a bit out of my way,    so unless i want to go naked,  [not a pretty site, now,    it is shop online,    i do have the market,   but they have dropped off since they raised the rents,   

i would buy about 13 items a year on average

In over 20 years on Ebay may average is not a lot over 50. Seems more but a few years with few purchases must have knocked the average down. Add another handful of dozens for things not bought on Ebay but directly, then with Auction sites now gone or with operations like Amazon and it must be comfortably over the Chinese average.

My purchases are mostly electronics and photographic equipment along with some Blu Ray disks from Ebay and Gumtree, Kitchenware and equipment along with photographic equipment and a few clothes from on-line retailers, mixed from Amazon, Grays, Fishpond and look-a-likes.

Perhaps 7 to 10% of purchases are from OS. (sensible thing this is now caught by GST.) I don't think I have bought from Amazon since its Australian operation opened.

Then there is all the software and downloadable material. Buying on-line turns out pretty useful. I never was one much for wandering around stores. Manufacturer's information and reviews suit me better. As nice as shops are for city centres cutting out the middle person appeals to me...even if freight for us costs more than builk freight for them.

My online shopping total varies year-on-year.

:) Love having the option.

Quite amazing to me, bearing in mind the limited options and exorbitant prices charged before it was available.

A thing I forgot, Pitney Bowes' service seems inordinately expensive to me. I routinely stay away from purchases involving them. My suspicion is that they have been significant in the massive freight cost increase we have seen from the US in the past 7 or 8 years. Their added handling cost and the way they lock themselves in having deflected visibility of direct freight charges.

Although showing a strong upward trajectory, freight prices from the UK are now so much better than from the US where once they were fairly comparable. You often find that costs from the UK are about the same as Australia-wide local freight...that seems incredible to me. Once buying from the UK a large scanner component I could not get locally, the freight was $18 AUD, arrived in less than a week. Crazy. My mother, in her 90's just paid $22 something to send a beautiful blanket she knitted for us (about the same size but lighter) from NSW, 1000klms. Took nearly 2 weeks. Freight from China (Including HK) can also be unbelievably low and fast.

WHAT a trap this new way to shop,  is,    i was looking online earlier,  what MILLARS had in stock,   suddenly this AFTER PAY,    came up,    just pay a quarter of the amount,   then pay it off in 4 instalments,     how many people would get stuck in that,    and rack up accounts all over the place,   then find themselves in debt,    no thanks,     if i cant pay for it,  i go without,     would like to know whhat there fee is if you were  late paying,      wouldnt be cheap,  thats for sure,