If you're buying from a freight forwarding service then you're bypassing where a retailer want's to send the goods and it's your own problem not the retailers if you're paying double tax, I wouldn't be surprised if you can claim back that tax in a lot of jurisdictions anyway. If a retailer sells into NZ legitimately then they should abide by NZ rules, the cost of retail in NZ includes the baked in prices for the Consumer Guarantees act, GST, etc. so NZ retailers are not competing on an equal playing field with overseas retailers, and NZ consumers are not as protected. When NZ retail dies, as retail is dying all over the world, then that employment is lost, and that tax revenue is lost. And it needs to be made back somehow.
If you use a freight forwarding service then that's your problem, but if you're buying legitimately from a retailer that ships and sells to NZ then they should abide by our laws and pay our taxes.
I realise that it's ironic that I'm arguing for this when I also say that eventually we will be without borders and have a gradual loss of sovereignty but I'm not necessarily saying that what I think will happen will be good for us, just inevitable. And, we have to make the current system work somehow, and keep up that tax revenue because when retail fails we're going to have a lot of unemployed people.
Retail won't fail, though there maybe more empty shops in your CBDs. It will evolve. You can't get a haircut online, or get served your coffee through a computer screen. 140 years ago there would have been a blacksmiths aplenty in downtown Wellington. They all disappeared, and someone else took over their 'shop front'.
Just can't see how you can make sure an overseas retailer selling worldwide (incl NZ), abide by NZ consumer law. There will simply be millions of overseas retailers selling stuff online.
It isn't the job of NZ Govt/govt agency to police them, and again how do you enforce a jeweler in Tallin, Estonia to manufacture, sell or whatever to NZ standards?
Simply caveat emptor, ie as a buyer take responsibility for your decisions.
Yes, retail will evolve, that's the reason why I'm so bullish about Wellington. Wellington doesn't have much of the big box retailer or mall culture, artisinal and small shops and hospitality is the future, things which you'll struggle to get online and most importantly an experience. There will definitely be less employment in all sectors in the future, we're already seeing it in retail with fashion chains seeming to collapse every week, supermarkets having self service kiosks and delivery, gas stations having pay at the pump, etc. In the US wallmart will go into your house and put your groceries in your fridge for you when you're not at home. In the future that will be done by drone.
But, I disagree about the coffee statement. You already see very high quality instant coffee like sudden coffee and things like the nespresso machines, and this will only improve. But, you'll also be able to get barista made coffee delivered to your hand by drone within minutes of ordering.
The solution to the CBD is to make it a destination and something social, I could get coffee delivered by drone but it's much better to have it in a cafe with my friends.
Knowing the Baltic states well, I'd imagine the jewelery from Talinn to be of high quality. But, there should be global consumer protection laws under trade agreements like the TPP, if I buy something online and it dies after six months the retailer should make good on my purchase, and that should be the price of accessing the NZ market.