"It's false economy buying on line when there is a problem"
Yes, especially if it is an item with a high dollar value bought from overseas. Lack of warranty support is bearable if an item costs only $100 or so, but if you buy something for, say, $2,000, you would want to make sure that if the item is defective, you do have recourse to a refund or a warranty claim, and like you said in your post, it may take months and lots of frustrations.
Personally, I very seldom buy online. When I did, it would be buying from an online store domiciled in Australia. I have never bought online from overseas for seasons you stated in your post.
I think the issue here, beside the matter of the GST, is the freedom of choice for a shopper.
