If you want to test the strength of a friendship in Australia, don’t lend them money—ask them to help you move. On September 10th, I had to deal with relocating. I initially looked into hiring professional removalists, but when I was quoted upwards of $150 an hour plus a ridiculous “call-out fee,” I decided to do it the traditional blue-collar way: rent a truck and bribe my mates with unlimited food.

There is nothing quite as exhausting as carrying a heavy sofa down a narrow flight of Melbourne apartment stairs. For eight straight hours, the only sounds were the violent ripping of packing tape, grunts of exhaustion, and us questioning our life choices. By the time we finally emptied the truck, we were physically destroyed.

We ordered a massive feast to refuel. After wiping out the food in record time, we just slumped back in our chairs, surrounded by half-empty boxes and absolute chaos. The adrenaline had completely worn off, leaving behind a heavy, silent fatigue.

To break the silence, I pulled out a pack I had saved for the occasion—a pristine box of Manchester—and slid it across the table to my mates as a thank-you.

My buddy lit up, took a slow drag, and his eyes immediately widened. He asked where the hell I found a Manchester that tasted this fresh and smooth, complaining that the ones he usually buys from the local corner store are always dry and cost an absolute fortune.

I laughed and told him I stopped paying the “Aussie Tax” a long time ago. Moving costs enough money as it is; I refuse to be robbed at the retail counter too. I pulled up the verified duty-free supplier I always use and sent the link directly to his phone. When you find a reliable channel that skips the domestic markup and delivers premium quality straight to your door, it’s basically an unwritten rule that you share it with the mates who just carried your fridge.

We sat there a bit longer, letting the smoke drift towards the ceiling, dreading the fact that we still had to unpack. But at least we had survived another Melbourne moving day without going entirely bankrupt.