SPB on Beret Costs

The Fedora Lounge's 'Berets, anyone' is a fantastic forum for beret aficionados and I would recommend every Beret Project-visitor to go there.
Over the last few weeks, there have been a couple of posts on the Fedora Lounge about the cost of (South Pacific's) berets. Both cases showed that my prices are at worst very competitive, at best cheaper compared to buying directly from the manufacturer in the country of origin.

Naturally, I am very happy about this; not from a commercial perspective, but simply because it shows that I keep my prices as low as possible. South Pacific Berets is not a philanthropic institute, but it is a labour-of-love. My aim is to keep the business self-sustainable and if I make a little money from it, I am happy. Making an income from this business is the stuff of dreams!

Okay then, what makes up the price of the berets I sell? Some are pretty expensive after all and surely, you may be able to find a better price somewhere else (not easy though, but nothing is impossible).
Most berets come from Europe, some from Argentina - both guarantee very high postage costs when the importer is based at the bottom of the world. Some countries (like Spain) demand an 'Export Document', paid for by the customer. When goods arrive in NZ, I have to pay GST of 15% over the berets and a variety of taxes, levies and duties. For large orders, I have to use a customs broker (and they make a lot more money than a beret seller!).

Then, having 'the largest selection of berets anywhere on the planet', means that I need to keep an awful lot of berets in stock; I haven't counted all the varieties, colours, qualities and sizes, but there are dozens and dozens of different berets.
These are the logistics; I haven't mentioned the constant money transfers (stock is bought in Euros, Pesos, Czech Krones, priced in US$, converted again to NZ$), the fees for Paypal payments, the cost of web site hosting, parcels that get lost in the mail, etc, etc. 
And the time to come up every day with a post for The Beret Project, year after year - let's not count my hours...

Why this post? Not as a justification - simply some background information on what South Pacific Berets is, and why I do what I do. Happily, trust me - I love everything beret!