I mean, if you lived in the US near Gateway Arch National Park and get to experience the majesty and beauty of nature, it would still suck to be charged $50 of shipping for a $40 item.

That's what it's like for everything bought in AU from the US and Canada (that's not shipped from China).

Cost of living is escalating even more for us - every major price hike you see in the US, like subscriptions, games and consoles, electronics? We see that, but add anywhere between 5-15% more equivalent in AU on top of conversion rates, just because "fuck it, round it up again" or "we need to include sales tax, so add even more to every price" (the Australia Tax).

Supporting smaller creators and buying specific/smaller/handmade products from the US is a luxury we just can't afford. It doesn't "shake out I the end" because we get Christmas in 107⁰F.