Blog
Why buy Australian Made?
Who are we? We are a 100% Aussie owned business and hand make all our products in our Melbourne workshop using locally sourced materials. We are a husband and wife team who are passionate about supporting other family owned businesses in our country, which is why we have partnered with local foam, timber, fabric, bed base and label suppliers for all of the raw materials we use to make our gorgeous upholstered bedheads, bed bases, ottomans, blanket boxes and cushions.
So why buy Australian made? Especially when sometimes other countries make items a bit cheaper at times….?
1 | Made with tough Aussie standards
Australia sets some pretty strict rules around labour, business, safety and quality control. Because of this, when you buy Australian-made products, you know you are purchasing from a business that:
- Uses high quality resources and materials
- Treats and pays their workers fairly
- Creates products that are safe for you and your loved ones (specific to our own conditions, requirements and environment here in Australia).
2 | It is easier to sort issues!
I don’t know about you, but about half of the things end up in this column:
- Things are delayed getting to me;
- I have a warranty but realise that I have to get my product back to another country to get a replacement or to get my product repaired (at my own cost!!);
- Purchases just don’t seem to stand the test of time and break!
- When my purchase arrives, it looks different to the picture online;
- Something breaks further down the line and I need spare parts or repair;
So when you buy from Australian businesses, getting the above sorted is so much easier!
- Delivery is around Australia so no waiting for customs!
- Warranty repairs and replacements are a lot less hassle and time consuming to organise (generally speaking!)
- If it looks different, it is much easier and less costly to return within Australia;
- Spare parts and repairs are a lot easier to come by in the same country and because our businesses don’t tend to have the same speed of change when it comes to product ranges you are more likely to get those much needed spare parts for years to come!
In the past I will admit, sometimes the hassle of trying to return something to another country made it too cumbersome and too expensive so I didn’t bother. This item then often just gathered dust somewhere for me to ‘sort one day’ or in the bin.
Here at Martini Furniture we have a ‘Customer Satisfaction Guarantee’, so if your purchase arrives damaged, we will make it right, quickly and easily.
3 | The planet will love you for it
As I mentioned you are usually buying much better quality products thus resulting in less need to purchase items again and again because they break. So this is less in landfill.
On top of this, by shipping goods around Australia as opposed to around the world… it is simply less distance to send goods. As a result, there are less emissions involved in getting your products to you.
Martini Furniture will deliver all our items throughout Australia for FREE. Yes even our bedheads!
“When these small businesses also buy locally made or sourced products, the benefits of a circular economy and ongoing opportunity for small to medium business continue to contribute towards community spirit.” – Notely
4 | Supporting your community
This workforce then spends in their community as well, spreading your community love even further.
As mentioned earlier, we partner with other small, family owned businesses for our raw materials, so when you shop from us, you not only support our small business, you are supporting another five small businesses as well!
5 | Time
A lot of the above really boils down to one thing, your time is precious and if you buy Australian-made:
- It takes less time to get to you
- It takes less time to sort issues if they do arise
- Buying well made products means you won’t be back at the store in a year to buy another one. We craft high quality pieces that will stand the test of time.
What about the costs?
I hear you, Australian-made products can be more expensive than their overseas counterparts. But think of other costs when you are purchasing
- The ‘price’ that overseas labourers pay working in poor conditions to make your goods – injuries, death, poor quality of life
- The price of your time (i.e. your hourly rate) so if you look at a product and know realistically that you will have to replace it in 1-2 years when it breaks or looks tatty. Think about your hourly rate x time spent going online/into stores, deciding which one to buy, getting that product to you, getting rid of the old product (plus any dump costs). Then repeat again in another 1-2 years.
- Price to the environment – landfill, emissions and so on.
Lastly, if you buy from an Aussie business, chances are it could mean a lot to that business. So get in there and support your local business. Why buy Australian made? Why not?!
Here are our fav Aussie businesses at the moment:
