brazoo

I will be in Sydney then to Melbourne and Cairns back to Sydney and to the U.S in Sept and would like to purchase one as well as some boomerangs - any suggestions on how much I should pay or where I should shop would be appreciated. Plan to maybe ship it home to Minnesota vs taking it back on the plane? Which is the better option for costs?

Thanks as always - brazoo

USNR

We recently returned from Australia, having visited all cities you mention. Didjeridoos are for sale everywhere you mention, and they range in size from a foot long to as tall as a man's shoulder.

Remember, they are hollow and made of wood, with a wax mouthpiece. So they are fragile. And they are clumsy objects to carry. If you could be sure the retailer would wrap it with great care and give it plenty of protection, I say "ship it." One important point: since they are handmade and painted, they would presumably qualify as "art objects" and be free of duty when imported for personal use into the USA. Otherwise, buy one at the last stop before leaving Australia (they are tough to lug around), have it wrapped carefully, and carry it with you if you can on the plane. Would you have problems with dimensions? Qantas is very strict. Weight is not a problem. We found prices ranged all over the place, depending on craftsmanship and how upscale the store. Personally, I think best bargains could be found outside Sydney, possibly in Cairns.

ALF

I would say that a general rule of thumb is that Aboriginal art and craft items decrease in cost as the latitude decreases. I agree with USNR, that outside of Cairns will be the best choice. We saw some comparatively good deals in Kuranda, even though it is a touristy town.

Didgeridus vary tremendously in quality of appearance, and sound. You can get a good price on a nice-looking didge with poor sound qualities, or ordinary looks with good sound. Most shops will be happy to ship for you, and as long as you aren't in a hurry, it won't cost too much.

Here is a link to a buyers' guide from a U.S. distributor:

http://www.laoutback.com/didgeridoo_buy_guide.html

SusanInToronto

We just bought one in Darwin a week or so ago and it's being shipped home. Cost of shipping was $80 AUD - I don't think we could have taken it home ourselves very easily and the store offered the service. They do it all the time. I probably wouldn't bother with something that was $100, but ours was more than that, so definitely seemed worth it.

Mucky

Not sure about USA, but we sent 2 Didgs back to UK and we were stung for import duty when they were delivered. The duty was almost as much as the Didge.
Beware

Muck

SusanInToronto

Here in Canada, a person is allowed to bring in $700 worth of goods after being out of the country for a certain period of time. When we passed through Canadian Customs, we were asked if we were bringing in any goods that were not accompanying us (i.e., they were being shipped). We were well below the $700, so my husband claimed it, and the agent completed a form which we will use when we receive the didge. So apparently we shouldn't have to pay any duty on it.

Mucky

Hi Susan,
I think its a the same here but we sent ithem back by courier as they were too big to carry around oz.

Muck

SusanInToronto

I agree - definitely too big to lug around, so we've also shipped ours. Hopefully when we receive it, there won't be any customs duty problems since we've got the paperwork already.

Mucky

Hi Susan,
We thought that and had paperwork, even listing them as musical instruments for the children. It didn't wash with UK customs and excise they would take the shirt off your back !!
The annoying thing was that they even travelled back on the very same flight as us !
Hope you have more luck

Muck

SusanInToronto

Actually it was the Canadian Customs agent who filled out the paperwork for us! She gave us a copy and told us to use it when the didge arrives. I sure hope we don't get stuck paying duty on it. I guess we'll see what happens when it arrives (I know it wasn't on the same flight as us, unless it came via Hong Kong!)

SusanInToronto

Wow, my husband called me at work today to say that ours had arrived! We only bought it last Tuesday morning in Darwin. I just got home and it looks fantastic. We didn't pay any duty and in fact, we didn't even need that paperwork. I am so glad we didn't try to carry it with us.

Andree

The best selection and quality of didgeridoos I saw was at an art gallery in the Rocks (can`t remember name right now) I was happy I decided to buy it there because I did see much anywhere else (ie. Queensland). They are everywhere but a lot of them are "man made" meaning the branch was drilled and not naturally hollowed by termites. Beware of imitations!

margo_oz

I have a friend who is an amateur anthropologist.

He was working with some aborigines who were playing on didjeridus made from pvd pipe!

margo_oz

PVC pipe

alise

We got ours at a place in the ROCKS as well...on the corner just inside a small retail shopping bldg (maybe 2 stories) I think it was 2-3 blocks off the main road where Philip's Foote is located.

They were very helpful and educational in our selection process. We found it our first week in Sydney then check out didj's in Cairns/Kuranda as well. I thought we had a great selection for the $ range and felt that we got a good quality product. Even found a matching boomerang and then lucked up on a pottery bowl that matches as well.

found this on a search trying to find the name of the store but this is the name of the girl we bought ours from...they even have lessons a few times a week.

Didj Beat Didheridoo's

I highly recommend the way we were treated etc... They bubble wrapped and bagged up our didj with a strap and the appropriate customs forms for us to carry on our QANTAS flight from SYD to LAX to PGH. BUT I believe we had to check it b/c it could be considered a weapon...however, we did see some folks carry them on. I guess it depends on your customer service agent at check in.

I know we spent around $200 for the didj. OF course the one I really wanted was more like $500. I think they are the Uncle Barn Style posted on the website.

http://www.didjbeat.com/start.asp

Mucky

Well done Susan,
Looks like the UK TAX man got me again.



Muck

pat_woolford

Hi brazoo - best didjes in the Cairns area, these are made by Aborigines and are genuine, are from George and his wife at Yaram in the Pier Marketplace in Cairns city. However, they're only there on weekends. Otherwise, the shop at Tjakupai Aboriginal Cultural Park (next to Skyrail bottom station)- these, too are genuine.