Wow! I've had customers here balk at paying $8 UPS to get a blade shipped on a zone 2 address. It's one of the reasons I don't repair mowers at my house anymore. Customer don't like paying freight charges but you have to pass that expense along to them. Manufacturers have basically done away with the local Service Distributors and most everything has to be shipped now.
Different markets
OZ id the same landmass as mainland USA but with a population and economy around the same size as California.
Thus we don't expect free delivery and we know transport costs money more so because a very large number of us are employed in the transport sector and those who are not always have to factor transport costs into every project.
We accept that we are a little pimple on the backside of the earth & anything brought here has big transport costs
When we had a regulated market we had fewer makes & models so parts supply locally was good.
Since deregulation of everything consumers have now learned that the benefits of open competition are massively outweighed by problems of lower volumes
I now carry around $ 50,000 in spare parts ( wholesale price ) and by the time I get the business in proper operating condition that will be closer to $ 100,000, f not more.
Nearly all of the mower shops down here are part of a franchise of some sort and all franchises discourage carrying parts for anything over 5 years old so they can flog you a new piece of equipment.
There is a 100% wholesale mark up ( transport costs come out of this ) and then another 100% retail mark up so no surprise what the fanchisors want the franchisees to do.