Not a week goes by without footage emerging on social media showing a mad frenzy in a local supermarket as an army of Chinese ‘daigou’ shoppers go head-to-head with mums and dads in the fight for baby formula. Frustrated retailers have been forced to impose limits on the number of 1kg tins — which sell for between $25 and $35 — shoppers can buy in a single transaction. Despite the restrictions, there are reports some daigou are still making up to $100,000 a year sending formula back to China, where the tins can fetch upwards of $100. But those in-store wars could soon come to an end. A plan will go before supermarket chiefs early this year to establish a dedicated register for Australia’s 40,000 daigou which would allow them to place unlimited orders for formula online. Furious Aussie parents have over the years turned to social media to express their frustration about not being able to get the brands their babies like, or need because of dietary issues. There is also no shortage of social media footage showing daigou breaching the two-tin limit by running round-robin trips into the store. The rush of products from Australia started several years ago after a series of fatal formula scares in China forced parents to look offshore for safer supplies. “The daigou we talk to – none of them like going into Coles and Woolies and becoming vilified through people filming them,” Dr Mathew McDougall, from the Australia China Daigou Association, said. “So I think if we provide an alternative path to doing that there’d be a lot of people opt-in.” Pushing the demand from daigou to online would, in theory, give formula manufacturers firm forecasts on demand and would allow supermarkets to keep their cut and prevent scuffles in the aisles. Vitamin makers have been operating a similar procedure for years. “When you look at Swisse and Blackmores they’re much more organised and, in fact, Blackmores runs a daigou program,” Dr McDougall said. Consumer behaviour analyst Barry Urquhart said the current “mess” needed to be cleaned up. “Because at the moment they’re controlling access, they’re controlling the process and they’re controlling the market to the detriment of local Australian families,” he said.
Australian supermarkets are considering dedicating a register for local shoppers that would let them order unlimited amounts of baby formula online . The surrogate shoppers who send the baby formula on to Australia for a hefty fee have caused problems at Australian stores by over buying formula , leading to fights with local parents . Stores have set limits on purchases to try to ensure there is available stock for locals , however , creative daigou are able to breach the restrictions . The dedicated register is designed to prevent in - store issues while allowing manufacturers to better understand demand for the formula .