'Cos.... err.... ya, I'm friends with many ppl that work at hobbyshops and I do buy a bit of stuff locally too.

Don't forget some things can't be safely posted too... eg spraycans, liquid stuff, batteries (if they knew!!)...

And sometimes the LHS has 'specials' and the price becomes quite reasonable. O/s price might be cheaper but you gotta take into account postage, customs and risk. Imho a $5 item in HK adds up to about $9 all up landed, vs $15 RRP in local shop is all about par. I'd buy either one depending on urgency/need.