Ok, so you quote $665 + US $55 = US$720 for a board purchased (and I think you mean manufactured) in America. A US worker who earns say US$80k salary in the same sort of job in Australia would expect to earn roughly AU$80k in Oz.
So from a consumer point of view boards are cheaper in the USA than Aus when wages are taken into account. i.e a US worker could afford to buy more surfboards than their australian counterpart. When the extremely high cost of australian residential property is taken into account and the less favourable $AU exchange rate for buying those necessary imported household items, the australian resident would have even less spare money for surfboards.
Despite the higher wages the local US surfboard industry still manages to produce boards locally for US$720. So your suggestion that it costs far more to build in US due OSHA environmental regulations is not adding up. Barry Snyder said that there must be something like 50 shaping machines in Oceanside. I'm not saying it is easy to make a profit from surfboards, but that is the same everywhere.
As for the AU exchange rate advantage is $150 really a lot when the cost of shipping from the other side of the planet is taken into account? How is JS going to manage the lead time for custom built in Aus shipped to US? I stand by my statement that Southern California is the mecca for locally built PU/PE - hotbed of world class shapers, local glass shops. What Greg Griffin says makes sense - JS is
having lived in both places the surfboard mecaa of the gold coast is far cheaper than anywhere in coastal california. Residential property prices aren't even close. I consider oceanside the equivalent of west tweed but twice the cost.
Wages for aussies are far higher than what most californians make. Quivers of an average aussie punter dwarf what guys here have. Standard of living for an aussie making $80k aud is way way higher than the equivalent californian making $80k USD.
I know for a fact the wholesale price on DHD's are over $500 and retail at $650ish here. Not sure what the manufacturing cost would be but i cant imagine less than about $300.
this still doesn't excuse JS from getting their boards made here. They could partner with epoxy pro/XTR to make hyfi and find a good PU shop to make the boards here. We have no shortage of quality craftsmen here that can get the job done. On the other hand JS does all their own work in OZ...they shape, glass, spray, sand at their own factory not contract work. That allows them to control each step of the process and reduce costs and suppliers. They already have the sunk cost of the factory so they may as well use it.
My only other thought is that JS burned some bridges with people here and is having trouble getting guys to do his work for him.