f-- you, australia.

So when I was in Paris, I bought some Converse lights. I wore them to death. I wore them until the heel had a hole in it and water got in. I wore them everywhere. They traipsed through the streets of Paris, came to Townsville and Tasmania with me. They explored the city of Melbourne when Nic first arrived. I loved these shoes, right?
Then I had to stop wearing them, because they had holes. And when we got to the US, I was determined to get some more. So I dove on the first pair I found and thought I was going crazy thinking they were heavier and chunkier than my old ones, but I couldn't find any that were different, so I got them.
The other day, at Mum's, she told me she had some clothes we'd left before we went to North America. Lo and Behold, there were my beloved shoes, and, surprise! I wasn't crazy- they WERE thinner, and smaller, and better than the ones I'd bought.
Damn.
So I look online today trying to track down a pair of these shoes for not-so-much money, get them sent here. I saw them in a store for $90 the other day- we got my other ones for $45 in the US. Right, so they're double the price here. I find them on 2 Australian websites for $90 each.
Amazon won't ship them here, nor will Converse.com... I find a website that will ship here, and I even get 10% off... and the shoes are $44...
And then comes shipping.
Can't be that much, right?
Maybe $10?
$20 at a stretch?
No.
$47.00.
The shipping costs
As
Much
As
The
Shoes.

Wtf.
I could buy them and get them shipped to Nic's Mum in the UK and pay for her to ship them here, but we're waiting on some things we sent to her back at Christmas and still haven't been sent. So, y'know, maybe if I want to buy them and never see them, I could do that.
Think I need to employ a friend of mine in the US to be my re-posting person, but, who knows, maybe that'll end up costing an extra $40 anyway, and I won't know it until they have to pay and I have to pay them back.

I hate this island.

(and yes, this is whingey, and whiney, and there's bigger things going on than me shoe-shopping, but this happens all. the. time. With everything. Want something cool? Well, it'll cost you twice as much because you live in Australia. Awesome. One of the many reasons I don't want to stay in this country long-term.)
(Edit: And in the end I found them on Ebay for $55, but they might be dodgy rip-offs so y'know... Still, being able to walk into a shop and buy them for a good price would be really nice, too.)