The Hidden Costs of Importing Blinds: Why Buying NZ-Made Is the Smarter Choice

When you’re planning to install new blinds in your home or office, the idea of importing might initially seem like a savvy move—after all, who doesn’t love the promise of lower prices? But before you hit “buy” on that overseas order, it’s important to dig a little deeper. Total Look Blinds is here to help you unpack the hidden costs that often come with imported blinds, revealing why buying locally made is not just a patriotic choice, but the smartest one for Kiwis.

 

Shipping Costs & Custom Fees

One of the most significant and often overlooked aspects of importing blinds is the additional cost of shipping and customs. These expenses can quickly escalate, turning what appeared to be a cost-effective option into a financial headache.

 

Customs Duties and GST

Many Kiwis don’t know this, but when you import blinds into New Zealand, particularly if they’re valued over NZ$1,000, you’re immediately hit with a Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the entire value of the blinds. Often people try to bulk buy blinds for their homes or larger spaces to ‘save on shipping’ and are shocked when they’re hit with that 15%. Don’t forget, this is in addition to any customs duties that may apply, which vary depending on the country of origin and the specific trade agreements New Zealand has with that country. These duties and taxes are unavoidable and can significantly inflate the final cost of your purchase. 

 

Shipping and Handling 

Shipping costs for imported blinds can be another major expense. Unlike domestic shipping, which is often straightforward and predictable, international shipping can be complex and costly. The price varies depending on the size, weight, and destination of the blinds. Even if the seller offers ‘free shipping,’ this usually only covers the transportation cost from their warehouse to the port and it often requires a very high minimum purchase amount. Additional fees for customs clearance, handling, and delivery within New Zealand are typically your responsibility and can quickly add up.

 

Exchange Rates 

And let’s not forget about the fluctuating exchange rates. When you’re purchasing from overseas, you’re at the mercy of the foreign exchange market. A slight dip in the New Zealand dollar could mean you’re paying more than you initially budgeted. What seemed like a fixed cost can shift dramatically, leaving you with an unpredictable—and often unwelcome—final price tag.

 

The Cost of Waiting 

When it comes to importing blinds, one of the biggest hidden costs isn’t just about money—it’s about your time. Unlike locally made blinds, which can often be delivered within a week, imported blinds might take weeks, or even months, to reach your doorstep. This extended waiting period can throw a wrench into your plans, especially if you’re working on a tight schedule for a home renovation, preparing a rental property for new tenants, or upgrading a business space. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to encounter issues such as:

 

Supply Chain Disruptions

Global supply chains are notoriously unpredictable. Delays can occur for a multitude of reasons, many of which are beyond your control. Weather events, port congestion, and customs hold-ups can all contribute to significant delays. These disruptions can be frustrating and costly, especially if they cause a domino effect that delays other aspects of your project or renovation. 

 

Unforeseen Delays

We all know how strict New Zealand’s biosecurity laws are - and it makes sense. We have a delicate ecosystem that can easily be thrown off balance. This means that goods are subject to rigorous inspections, particularly if they originate from countries with different manufacturing standards. These inspections can add additional days, or even weeks, to your delivery timeline, leaving you in limbo. 

 

Quality Assurance

At the end of the day, buying blinds from an overseas supplier means placing a significant amount of trust in a company that’s thousands of kilometres away. This distance isn't just a geographical inconvenience; it can also lead to significant issues with quality control, leaving you with blinds that are far from what you expected.

 

Inferior Materials

One of the most common risks with imported blinds is the use of substandard materials. In most cases, the ‘you get what you pay for’ saying rings true. For example, blinds designed for different climates may not hold up in New Zealand’s unique weather conditions, leading to problems like warping, fading, or even breaking down far sooner than you’d anticipated. The blinds might look great online, but once they’re installed, you could quickly discover that they weren’t built to last.

 

Limited Recourse for Defects

If your blinds arrive damaged or simply don’t meet your expectations, the distance between you and the supplier can make resolving these issues a real hassle. Returning products internationally can be both time-consuming and costly, assuming the supplier even accepts returns. Forget about a replacement option - you’re looking at a minimum waiting time of a few months. In many cases, you might find yourself stuck with a subpar product, with little to no recourse to fix the situation.

 

Why Buying NZ-Made Blinds Is the Smarter Choice

  • Built for New Zealand Conditions: NZ-made blinds are crafted with the local climate in mind, ensuring they can handle everything from intense sunlight to humidity. This means they’re more durable and reliable than many imported options, which aren’t always designed for New Zealand’s unique environment.
  • Faster Delivery, Less Waiting: When you buy NZ-made, you don’t have to worry about lengthy shipping times. Locally manufactured blinds can often be delivered within days, not weeks, so your renovation or office upgrade stays on schedule.
  • Supporting Local Businesses: Choosing NZ-made blinds means you’re investing in local craftsmanship and helping to sustain the local economy. Every dollar spent supports Kiwi jobs and keeps skills alive within the community.
  • Eco-Friendly Choice: By reducing the need for international shipping, NZ-made blinds come with a much smaller carbon footprint. Plus, local manufacturers are often more committed to sustainable practices, making it a greener choice for your home or office.
  • Exceptional Local Support: With local suppliers like Total Look Blinds, you get the benefit of responsive, local customer service. Any issues can be quickly resolved, and you’re more likely to get the personalised support that overseas companies simply can’t provide.

 

Conclusion 

When it comes to dressing your windows, the choice is clear. NZ-made blinds offer unmatched quality, faster delivery, and the peace of mind that comes from supporting other Kiwis. Why take a gamble with overseas options when you can trust in local expertise? Our range of NZ-made blinds ensures you get the best in durability, design, and service—without the hidden costs or long waits. Explore our collection at Total Look Blinds today and contact us for a free quote and measure. Discover the difference that local quality and care can make.

Top Quality Custom Blinds and Shutters

Total Look Blinds has the best and most experienced people in the industry with a combined experience of greater than 180 years within the industry. If we can’t help you nobody can. We offer free help and advice when you ask us to meet with you.
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What Our Customers Say

Excellent
4.7
D Smith
I've used Total Look Blinds on a number of occasions and have always have excellent quality and service, Lauren is fantastic to deal with. I highly recommend them!
Stephen Ball
Very happy with result, beautiful appearance. High quality, efficient and effective at a good price.
Paula Reason
Total Look Blinds are amazing ! Fantastic fast service , top quality product, friendly, and best of all , installed early !
Gaye Heywood
Total -Look BlindsWould recommend them they are organised, friendly, great communication, quick installation. Nothing is a problem. Very happy with their service from start to finish.
Trudi Stevenson
Total Look blinds were an outstanding company to work with. They installed both shutters and blinds in our home at competitive prices and using high quality materials. Timing and installation were faultless. We are thrilled with the service and the result.
James B
Lovely blinds with professional service.Sincere thanks to Laren for your helpful advice and Carl for excellent installation…..much appreciated
Mary McDonald
Having worked with Total Look Blinds previously, they were our number 1 choice when we decided to install Shutters in our new home - we are absolutely thrilled with the result. Adds a 'wow' factor ! Thank you so much TLB - everyone we have dealt with has been fantastic. We highly recommend dealing with this Team - they are great and their product - TOP NOTCH!
Vaughan Ludlam
Excellent product, pricing and service from Total Look Blinds – thanks David, Lauren, Carl & the rest of the team.
Vicki Landon
Cannot fault Caroline and the team from Total Look Blinds. Very professional and accommodating. Friendly people from the measuring, advice on product and installation. We have used them in several houses and will continue to do so. Highly recommend Total Look Blinds.
Antoinette Cooney
Happy to recommend the service and products provided by Total Look Blinds recently.Terry did the initial measuring with helpful suggestions. Roger the installer was great and a perfect tradesman to help us ‘oldies’ - no rushing through the job or explanations. Pleased with our vertical and roll up blinds👏
Mark Jeus Buenavista
Great company to deal with. Terry is very knowledgeable. Happy with the outcome of our kitchen windows with shutters. Next project would be shutters in our living room windows. Thanks Total Look Blinds team!
David Lim
Vertical and horizontal blinds completed on time. Reliable and great people to deal. Over the years, I have engaged the services of Total Look Blinds a few times and I have always been pleased with the results. I would do it again in the future with any hesitation. Highly recommended.
Niall Robertson
Excellent service quality product from this company who consistently delivers a great personal experience to its customers.Comes highly recommended. Thank you Team!
Kambiz Radman
Could not be happier with my new sun screens and blinds, look awesome. The material seems nice and hopefully durable (I'll update you on that later)."Terry" is a positive Rep who speaks clearly. He measured well but didn't explain some installation details, which confused me afterward. However, "Carolyn" came to the site and explained everything very well. Roger is a professional installer who did a quick and clean job. Thanks "Jo" for admin updates and following up. 101% recommended.
Melissa Slater
Awesome consultation gave really good ideas and pointers. Quick to manufacture and install. End result is beautiful.
Jackson Whitham
Outstanding service from everyone at Total Look Blinds. Jo was incredibly helpful in quoting a sun screen blind over the phone including looking up previous work done at home to match measurements, ordered over the phone and installed in less than 2 weeks - well ahead of schedule - high quality, friendly installer. Definitely recommend using this company!
Lia Wongsohardjo
I love my roller blinds from Total Look Blinds, the products are great. They have excellent customer service, the sales, the admin and the installer are amazing. I have bought from them twice for my house in Oteha and now in Orewa where I moved recently. Terry is very expert, kind and helpful, he is a talented salesman.
hong he
Love the company and the products they provided and installed. We are very grateful for their wonderful support and help!
john millanta
Roger was wonderful put them in nicely great service total look 👀 blinds
Diane Andrew
Recommend this company highly. Efficient and quality service. Very happy with my blinds. Very reasonably priced
Audrey Usmar
Amazing customer service and product!! From Lauren doing the quote and recommendations, to Carl doing the install, to the amazing office support with Jo... Highly recommended. You can't go wrong with this awesome group looking after you THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Peter Glass
Great service from quote to install. Deliver on their promises. Multiple repeat customer. Excellent team to deal with.
Sarahlou Clark
AAA+++ service professional recommended to all. I thought I could imagine what it was going to look like but I am absolutely rapt looks so fresh, clean and high end it’s mind blowing and great price Thank you so much.
Lanice McMillan
Thank you for your awesome service and flexibility to get quotes on very short notice. Love the roller blinds
Angela Shepherd
Roger did a fantastic job of installing our new shutters. He was very professional and very friendly. His attention to detail was impeccable. (Terry was involved in the initial consultation and was also very knowledgeable and helpful.) We would definitely recommend them. AAAA++++
Jim Richardson
Total blinds were Totally Professional. Excellent service from measurements to advice given through to the final fitting and the blinds look great! The price was also very reasonable and far better than competitor's. I totally recommended Total Blinds. Thanks! Jim
Bhavika n Divesh Kumar
We used Total Look Blinds in 2005 for our family home. After 19 years of wear and tear we needed some parts and couple of vertical blinds track needed fixing. Took a drive to Takanini and was greeted by the office lady Jo who was very helpful and was amazed when she pulled out our 19 years old invoice from their record. The team manage to fix the track within a day and got the parts i needed at a fair price. Highly recommend them if you want quality products and a fantastic after sales service. Great company to deal with 😊
Nerissa Attewell
Excellent service, quick turnaround the whole team were informative and helpful! We love our blinds so much :)
Ant MacLean
Had an old vertical blind that was manufactured by them, that was broken. Excellent cheery and quick repair service and great value too.Support kiwi jobs stay local. If you buy something NZ made you can get spares.
nicola taylor
Amazing company, amazing team and amazing service. Totally recommend Total Look Blinds.
Parvaneh Karimi Fishani
We had double roller blinds installed in our new house. The price was much more reasonable compared to other shops, and their service was reasonably fast. The staff were friendly and helpful!I can't say much about the quality of the material since the blinds haven't been installed for long, but we hope they will be as good as the service we received!
Leila El-yassir
I cannot recommend Total Look Blinds enough. From start to finish, their professionalism, expertise, and attention to detail were truly commendable. The quality of their blinds is exceptional.The customer service provided was second to none. Brent and David were knowledgeable, friendly, and always ready to assist. They patiently answered all my questions and helped me make informed decisions that perfectly matched my style and requirements.They went above and beyond to ensure that I was completely happy with my blinds. Any concerns or issues I had were promptly addressed and resolved to my utmost satisfaction.I highly recommend Total Look Blinds to anyone in need of high-quality blinds and outstanding service. I am extremely pleased with my blinds and the overall experience. Five stars all the way!
WYNN RIECHELMANN
Absolutely love our TotalBlinds shutters! They have transformed our bedroom. Service from measure up and quote was excellent and communication with the TotalBlinds team was a pleasure! They took half the time than was quoted by another supplier and although they were a bit cheaper, the shutters are very good quality. Plus they are NZ made! Highly recommend!
Lisa Fong
Could not be happier with my new shutters - big shout out to Total Look Blinds who did a fantastic job with the measure, manufacture and installation! All done in NZ so would highly recommend!
Debbie Somervell
We received excellent service from beginning to end.We are returning customers and would highly recommend.Thanks.
John Trotman
We had Total Look Blinds install blinds in our House they were very professional and efficient,from when Terry first measured and Quoted until the blinds were installed,would recommend them for all your blinds and curtains you may need,Thanks again for a great service.
Prabhath Lewke Bandara
Pros:Swift and efficient measurement and quote processShortest lead time in the industryOutstanding product quality and craftsmanshipGenerous and reliable warrantyProfessional and attentive teamCons:None to mention – Shutters exceeded all expectations.
Grant McFlinn
From first contact with Sales Consultant Lauren to Jo in the office and installer Carl, the entire process was nothing short of exceptional. As for the blinds themselves, thanks to Lauren's invaluable input, they look amazing and are undoubtedly high quality. Thoroughly recommend and will most definitely use again.
Emily Anderson
Love my new shutters - they have transformed our guest room and bathrooms! From the sales visit to the installation, so easy to work with the great people of Total Look Blinds! Love that they are made here in NZ too! Thanks!
Tracy-Ann Willcock
Thank you Jo and Roger at Total Look Blinds. Your service and after service and products are absolutely fantastic. From 3 years ago when Roger installed the Blinds to the fantastic after sale service today, absolutely brilliant. Jo and Roger are just such nice people. Thank you!
Marley Brady
We had stunning shutters installed throughout the house. The staff were great and we love the final look! 5 stars
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