>>960070 (OP)
>Literally 2x the price
Actually about 1.5x the price. 1 AUD = 0.73 USD, $699 AUD = $512 USD. Then you need to factor in Australia's 10% Goods and Services tax, as there is no federal sales tax in the US. (Some states do have sales taxes, but online retailers that sell across state lines price their goods before tax.) That makes the Australian price equivalent to $465 USD. Then there are import duties to consider, which are pretty complicated, so I don't know.
Still seems like a rip-off, but not as bad as you think.