Re A Bourne's letter (The Weekend Sun, November 17). Your misguided perception of what the margin between your $70 online shoe purchase and the retail cost of a pair (not $300), covers is misleading to others to say the least!

You are implying that $230 goes straight to our pockets, which is far from the actual breakdown. Here is an insight to 'some' of the outgoings in running a small business: rent, store fit-outs and maintenance, wages, freight, insurance, advertising, equipment hire, security, power, phone, broadband, accountants, solicitors, bank fees and more.

I would personally prefer to shop local and benefit from the sales assistants' experience, product knowledge and the reassurance that should there be an issue then help will be available, than 'fly blindly' at the click of a button. As the saying goes ‘buyer beware'.

What 'safety net' do your purchases have online? By purchasing in NZ we have the NZ Consumer Guarantee Act. If any of your purchases are faulty what happens then? Are you going to send your 'bargain' $35,000 house framing back to Australia? Sounds expensive!

Good luck to you with your purchases. I hope they continue to be 100 per cent reliable! Fingers crossed, or they will end up on Trade Me along with lots of other 'not-so-wonderful' online purchases.

P Byrnes, Papamoa.