It doesn't cost $28 to ship within Australia. Why should we here pay that extra $28? We get shafted internationally plus get shafted locally with the Australia tax?
It's not the Aussie tax. The Aussie tax is local tools ripping off local fools who don't know better. You know "Sanwa JLF Stick: $59.99 + GST. Balltop, extra $6.95 (two colours available: Black and Red)".
Theres plenty of products from Aliexpress, for example, that offer "Free Worldwide Shipping". It's a business model that I'm quite fond of, you take a loss here, you make it up there, and in the end, it all adds up and everyone gets a good deal.
Consider the Supergun flat rate shipping pricing against a couple of other factors:
1. A fluctuating (shitty) exchange rate
2. Simplicity and comparable pricing
It's basically the Big Mac index, but for the Sentinel
Paying that extra $10 does NOTHING more but line the pockets of a local Aussie who's poured blood, sweat & tears (let alone a pretty big chunk of his savings) into development. I'm pretty sure Frank's goal (not speaking for him here, but I'm guessing), after doing the initial math, was to absorb a loss of $10 to get the product overseas.
Just a good guy who's proud of his product and wanting it to be out there in the world making peanuts for his labour. I consider him a good mate, and I know whatever $ he's put into this thing, he's not going to see it back anytime quickly at the prices he's charging soldering the components by hand.