MCW
Somebody's talking crap here & it ain't the tree!
Matt, from what I understand the cost of Stihl products even more outrageous down-under than it is top-side!!
Brace yourself...
STIHL Products | STIHL | Stihl, chain saws, brushcutters, hedge trimmers, clearing saws, high-pressure cleaners
I know a few people have commented before on this pricing difference between the US and Australia stating that it is a difference in wages. That is not the case at all and most statistics I've looked at show very similar average incomes per individual and per household. The exchange rate is the same too at 1:1.
There are a number of areas that just don't make sense. For instance Holden (GM) in Australia were making cars for the US and the US sell price for basically the same specced model was $20,000 cheaper in the US than here. Really hard to work that one out.