Google Nexus 7 hitting retail stores in Australia, same minimum price to be expected

The recently announced Google Nexus 7 Jelly Bean tablet is available from pre-order directly from Google Play in certain markets and it’s supposed to start shipping at some point this month. But the device will not be a Google Play exclusive, as Google plans to partner up with various third party electronics retailers to sell the device.
In the UK, Carphone Warehouse already announced that it’s going to have the 32GB version in stores in the near future, and now we hear that a variety of Australian stores are going to sell the device soon. Gizmodo Australia cites various companies that will stock the Nexus 7 in the coming weeks including Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Dick Smith, Bing Lee, The Good Guys, Retravision, Radio Rentals, Officeworks, EB Games, Costco, BSR and authorized ASUS resellers
The 16GB Google Nexus 7 tablet that will be available from these companies will cost $319 rather than the regular $299, but the extra $20 is supposed to cover shipping and handling for the device. Asus confirmed the extra charge in a brief statement:

The RRP of $319 for the 16GB Google Nexus 7 takes into account the costs associated with shipping the device to Australian stores. We believe this is great value and provides Australian consumers with the convenience of being able to purchase the 16GB Google Nexus 7 from their local store.

Apparently Google will also charge the same shipping fee to everyone else that orders the device via Google Play – before you question the price of the 16GB tablet, we’ll notice that all the prices we mentioned are in Australian dollars.