AusPost CEO Paul Graham Urges Shoppers to Stop Buying from Amazon, Shein, and Temu

The whole world means well, but misses the point.

Dec 18, 2025

Australia Post CEO Paul Graham recently claimed that Aussies were “hooked” on buying from lowest priced retailers like Amazon, Shein, and Temu, referring to the situation as buying the “drug of the cheapest product.”

A Lesson for the Whole World, Not Just Australia

Graham means well and implores Aussies to buy local and support home grown business to ensure a strong community and local economy, but he misses the point.

Since the beginning of time, consumers have voted with their pocket books and rewarded retailers who provided the right product at the most competitive price.

The dominance of Amazon, Shein, and Temu in Australia, whom currently control 25% of the Australian market — and an estimated 50% within 5 years — indicates that they are delivering the most value to customers.

Why The Statement Fails

All around the world, campaigns to “Buy Local” mostly fall on death ears with millions spent in ads and promotion yielding little more than a rounding error in retail sales and a lot of ugly stickers.
A research report from Compare The Market cites 48.7 of Australians as feeling under financial pressure, a number which has consistently increased over time.
By making a public statement, Graham inadvertently fulfills the Streisand Effect, meaning that by making his statement public, he only further promotes the message to Australians that Amazon, Temu, and Shein are the cheapest places to shop and that their peers are already doing so.

What Needs to Happen

Rather than tell Aussie where not shop, why not tell them where to shop? I love Australian brands so much. Having been involved in retail all around the globe, I have witnessed just how much Australians brands value quality and uniqueness. They would rather not sell a product if they felt that it was low quality or that it wasn’t unique in some way. More on this later.

Next, Australian retailers need to evolve. Shein and Temu are not winning because they are cheap. If cheap was all it took to win, the mega dollar store or local flea market would be the #1 destination in town with $100 billion in sales, but it’s not.

I have been studying Shein and Temu’s business model for years, diving deep into it’s merchandising, supply chain and logistics, and there are countless innovations that retailers need to adopt in their own way. Unfortunately, retail executives that have consulted with me, despite my clear suggestion that they must adopt new innovations, often instead double down on why they should not change.

That’s why companies like Australia Post, with it’s vast network and ecosystem, should bring together it’s brightest minds and thought leaders, it’s innovators and push local retailers like a caring mother bird who will push her chicks off a ledge. It’s fly or die time for Australian retailers, and most who are presented with flight, fight, or freeze, are choosing freeze.

So if any retailer is ready to change, if Australia Post is ready to rally the troops, you know where to reach me.

World Class Australian Brands

Here are some unique Australian brands that I personally recommend below.

www.meshki.com.au - Botique womens’ clothing known for being on the cutting edge of contemporary design and modern tastes

www.merrypeople.com - The world’s best rain boots, seriously.

www.showpo.com - Trendy fashion that young women want.

www.lovisa.com - Affordable jewellery for daily wear with the hugest selection.

www.orbitkey.com - Keychains, but not (you have to check it out to know what I mean)

www.aesop.com - You already know them

www.cottonon.com - Already famous

The Global eCommerce Logistician

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