Thank you to those of you that have shipped items to me here in Australia in the past. I do appreciate that it can be a pain in the azz and sometimes there are delays beyond your control. Plus I know only too well we are on the other end of the planet and fully expect stuff to take a while to arrive.
I've been receiving parcels from individuals in the US for many years via USPS air mail, and no problems . I'd say probably 1 parcel a month on average for the last 15 or so years.
I did have one parcel go missing from Tower hobbies, and as I was able to prove that it never made it into the country I was issued with a refund. I am no longer allowed to purchase from Tower unless I use FEDEX/UPS, which is way too expensive, so therefore Tower don't get my business any more. I can understand their point, but my $55 refund has essentially stopped me from placing numerous orders for considerably more money.
I had one prop go missing from here to the US, but other than that the only time I have had an issue was with Tower.
Exporting from the US brings in money into the US economy from foreign economies. It might not be much in our terms, but lots of small amounts add up, and this hobby is only one of thousands of hobbies that have a similar scenerio of helping out or selling to others of similar interests.
Also, with the fluctuations in exchange rates, Australian's can essentially buy stuff now that they couldn't afford or justify when our dollar was in the toilet at 48 cents.