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iPhone X Will Cost Over $2,100 in Brazil When Released in South America Next Month
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I know brazil very well and while these import duties (on all foreign products) are insane, the article is missing some details.
Yes the import duties are 60%, but on top of that you pay very high sales tax and other government charges that usually make a foreign product around 100% more expensive then in the US.
The worst part is, that most Brazilians notice the expensive foreign products, but don’t understand that it’s their government slapping these ridiculous taxes on them. It get’s even worst with imported cars, it’s crazy...
Yes the import duties are 60%, but on top of that you pay very high sales tax and other government charges that usually make a foreign product around 100% more expensive then in the US.
The worst part is, that most Brazilians notice the expensive foreign products, but don’t understand that it’s their government slapping these ridiculous taxes on them. It get’s even worst with imported cars, it’s crazy...
I agree, however, it's not unheard of and was/is VERY common for companies to adjust prices for different countries.
If there is a MUCH poorer country, with a high tax, you could lower your profits to get sales/market share of that place.
High prices where people are rich, and lower prices where people are poor is not uncommon at all.
Even in the UK.
People used to go up to Scotland to second hand car dealers to buy the same car as it would be perhaps £1000 or even more cheaper second hand up there due to what type of money is in the area.
No point having a second hand car dealership in a low wage area and putting the same "mark ups" that would be done in a much richer area of the same country
No no... I genuinely enjoy having everything I knew to be true completely shattered forcing me to question everything I've ever known about my self and the universe. All is revealed, and nothing is true anymore.
So serious. For reals. Seriously serious.
(Mostly I wanted to make sure this crazy video made it to the front page and stayed there. Haha)
Two reactions to the high price of an iPhone in Brazil:
1. The cost of protectionism is real, and it can be enormous. Americans, keep that in mind the next time some politician pledges to "protect American jobs from unfair foreign competition." Open your wallets, a hand is reaching in, and it isn't yours.
2. In most of the world, VAT is reflected in the advertised price. In the U.S., sales taxes not only vary but they are assessed at point of sale. So in most of the U.S., your $999 iPhone is really closer to a $1,100 iPhone.
1. The cost of protectionism is real, and it can be enormous. Americans, keep that in mind the next time some politician pledges to "protect American jobs from unfair foreign competition." Open your wallets, a hand is reaching in, and it isn't yours.
2. In most of the world, VAT is reflected in the advertised price. In the U.S., sales taxes not only vary but they are assessed at point of sale. So in most of the U.S., your $999 iPhone is really closer to a $1,100 iPhone.
Dude, forget anything about the original article. This video should be the article.
I am from Brazil, and here's the thing: no one buys from the Apple official website (apple.com.br) for the reasons stated. We all buy from the equivalent to eBay (it's called Mercado Livre) here (in the past I did that, only now I changed my mind since they weren't selling the Space Gray version), for much cheaper, from sellers who bring these items from other countries without paying these huge import taxes.
Speaking for myself, and just to give you an idea of how insane things are if we follow the rules, I bought the iPAD Pro 10.5 for US$ 829 at BHPhotovideo, with other items, such as the 29W USB Type-C Power Adapter, Lightning Male to USB Type-C Male Cable (6.6'/2m), the Smart Keyboard for IPP 10.5, Moko rear case... A couple of books (these were cheaper, I believe 4 dollars each), 8 GB of RAM for my PC... also the Smart Cover, and Apple Pencil case.
The unboxing can be seen here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/b-h-ipad-pro-shipping-thread.2050577/page-3#post-25220983
Of course I used a freight forwarder and USPS Priority Mail... and didn't inform customs the real cost of these items (or send the package with any invoice). End up paying the equivalent to 90-100 dollars for them, in taxes. The total expenses were 83 USD for shipping (Miami to Brazil), and... US$ 1244.72 for the items.
Now... 1244 + 83 dollars in local currency = R$ 4290 (brazilian REAL). And 100 dollars = R$ 323.
Remember those figures...
So, I said to customs the iPAD (for example) was worth 79.99. Do you have any idea how much I would have to pay... in import taxes... if the real costs were informed in the package?
90-100 USD or R$ 323... and add one of these two:
a) US$ 739 (R$ 2391)
or
b) US$ 1182 (R$ 3824)
It has to be either a) or b). And it can't be less than a).
There you go.
Now you all know that if you live in Brazil and has the money to buy anything from Apple paying ALL IMPORT TAXES or if you are crazy enough to buy from apple.com.BR... you might as well order a Ferrari too, since money is not a problem for YOU.
Of course I had the same luck from someone who buys a lottery ticket and wins, since most of the time this trick either doesn't work or customs charge us 100, 200 dollars, for example (trying to guess the real price of the item). And when it doesn't work the only recourse is to send back to where it came from, by refusing to pay the taxes *.
Suffice to say I won't try this again (also for fear the post office might lose or damage my item), and won't be buying from local sellers, since the prices are still high in the "local" eBay.
* I heard a recent story from someone that brought an iPhone and had to do exactly that, I even instructed that person to use the same company that shipped my iPAD, in the future.
Speaking for myself, and just to give you an idea of how insane things are if we follow the rules, I bought the iPAD Pro 10.5 for US$ 829 at BHPhotovideo, with other items, such as the 29W USB Type-C Power Adapter, Lightning Male to USB Type-C Male Cable (6.6'/2m), the Smart Keyboard for IPP 10.5, Moko rear case... A couple of books (these were cheaper, I believe 4 dollars each), 8 GB of RAM for my PC... also the Smart Cover, and Apple Pencil case.
The unboxing can be seen here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/b-h-ipad-pro-shipping-thread.2050577/page-3#post-25220983
Of course I used a freight forwarder and USPS Priority Mail... and didn't inform customs the real cost of these items (or send the package with any invoice). End up paying the equivalent to 90-100 dollars for them, in taxes. The total expenses were 83 USD for shipping (Miami to Brazil), and... US$ 1244.72 for the items.
Now... 1244 + 83 dollars in local currency = R$ 4290 (brazilian REAL). And 100 dollars = R$ 323.
Remember those figures...
So, I said to customs the iPAD (for example) was worth 79.99. Do you have any idea how much I would have to pay... in import taxes... if the real costs were informed in the package?
90-100 USD or R$ 323... and add one of these two:
a) US$ 739 (R$ 2391)
or
b) US$ 1182 (R$ 3824)
It has to be either a) or b). And it can't be less than a).
There you go.
Now you all know that if you live in Brazil and has the money to buy anything from Apple paying ALL IMPORT TAXES or if you are crazy enough to buy from apple.com.BR... you might as well order a Ferrari too, since money is not a problem for YOU.
Of course I had the same luck from someone who buys a lottery ticket and wins, since most of the time this trick either doesn't work or customs charge us 100, 200 dollars, for example (trying to guess the real price of the item). And when it doesn't work the only recourse is to send back to where it came from, by refusing to pay the taxes *.
Suffice to say I won't try this again (also for fear the post office might lose or damage my item), and won't be buying from local sellers, since the prices are still high in the "local" eBay.
* I heard a recent story from someone that brought an iPhone and had to do exactly that, I even instructed that person to use the same company that shipped my iPAD, in the future.
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It would be cool to punish their own for buying foreign products if they made anything even remotely similar and the tax revenue went back to the people...
[doublepost=1511647545][/doublepost]
... but the churrasco is something truly special
[doublepost=1511647545][/doublepost]
... but the churrasco is something truly special
Nobody reads the articles dude. It would get in the way of the outrage if there was context
Despite all that has been said I am always amazed with how many people still buy electronic devices here.
We are light years from being poor - in fact, we never were - before the military coup d'état that established the first brazilian republic on 1889 (and overthrew the constitutional monarchy) Brazil was among the most prosperous countries in the world.
Over the years with this fraudulent REPUBLIC system and so much widespread corruption it became impossible to make a profit by establishing a company here, and we all know it's a lot cheaper for Apple to import instead of manufacturing them in each country.
There's always someone looking for Apple products and if were not for people who bring these items without paying all these ridiculous taxes this country would be pretty much what Cuba or Venezuela are these days (and that will certainly happen if the Left isn't crushed in the next elections. We need someone like Donald Trump ASAP).
In the last years the economic crisis hit everyone hard, and selling used Apple devices for a good price is impossible now, which of course lower the sales of new products such as the iPhone X. If you have bought any Apple device for the usual prices asked by major stores you can forget that idea.
We are light years from being poor - in fact, we never were - before the military coup d'état that established the first brazilian republic on 1889 (and overthrew the constitutional monarchy) Brazil was among the most prosperous countries in the world.
Over the years with this fraudulent REPUBLIC system and so much widespread corruption it became impossible to make a profit by establishing a company here, and we all know it's a lot cheaper for Apple to import instead of manufacturing them in each country.
There's always someone looking for Apple products and if were not for people who bring these items without paying all these ridiculous taxes this country would be pretty much what Cuba or Venezuela are these days (and that will certainly happen if the Left isn't crushed in the next elections. We need someone like Donald Trump ASAP
).In the last years the economic crisis hit everyone hard, and selling used Apple devices for a good price is impossible now, which of course lower the sales of new products such as the iPhone X. If you have bought any Apple device for the usual prices asked by major stores you can forget that idea.
Brazil is how some people from other countries refer to Brasil, like how some people call the US the EEUU. Sometimes people refer to Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sath as “Bangkok” too.
Saúde, Saudade!
[doublepost=1511711937][/doublepost]What Brazil lacks in cheap iPhones it makes up for with caipirinhas on the beach, Carnival, pao de queijo, amazing food and scenery, and diverse culture.
"You should enjoy life, not these silly electronic goods. But if you want to enjoy the goods you will pay dearly for them."
-The government.
-The government.
I don’t want a job with health benefits because I will have to trade my freedom of being independent for the security of affordable health insurance. The US is supposed to be all about private initiative and not becoming an economic slave to a large corporation. I prefer consulting for large corporations to being employed by them. It’s no excuse that healthcare for W2 employees of large corporations is still functional and affordable, if expensive. The current unaffordable healthcare system with no choice available in individual coverage is killing private initiative, and I know dozens of other families in the same boat who refuse to go back to economic slavery and are facing impossible health insurance conditions in 2018.
I will move to another country before I give up my economic freedom. I will not stick with the country that preaches economic freedom but forces people into economic slavery in exchange for health insurance security. Never again will I ageee to a W2 job regardless of pay.
As for Obamacare, it’s a joke, and the fact you are even suggesting it as an option means that you never really went on the exchange to lookup plans. In my state, only Kaiser HMO plans are available through Obamacare, and the premiums as well as deductibles are astronomical for the especially crappy access to healthcare that Kaiser HMO offers. Now, if I were poor, this same plan would cost me $10/month with the deductible paid by the government. The system is now completely broken. Those of us who work for ourselves and make a decent living are canaries in the coal mines. You, W2 employees, will see the disaster that we are facing in 2018 a year or two later. Get ready for a wild ride, when your employer will no longer be able to subsidize 3/4 of your insurance premiums, and your family coverage premiums go from $500/month to $2,000 a month or even higher.
[doublepost=1511748229][/doublepost]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Brazil
[doublepost=1511748293][/doublepost]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Brazil
[doublepost=1511748610][/doublepost]
Doesn’t look like a cemetery to me.
No one here seems to have passed their basic math class. 60% + $999 only accounts for a price of $1599.
This is greedy Apple's fault by adding another $500 to the price!
You wish... no one can spend more than US$ 500 in items when returning from a trip. Otherwise it will be subjected to all these same import fees.
We also need a VISA to visit the United States, even if we want to go there as a tourist:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Brazilian_citizens
Not only Brazil is plagued by corruption, it has bureaucracy and inefficiency written wherever you go.
And, of course, if you take your iPhone with you in the open you are even crazier than the people who pay the usual prices asked for these devices. That's why my two iPADs stay in my house. I don't like to "share" my stuff.
I just came here to tell that ANATEL (our FCC) has released the documentation for the iPhone X and it will also be assembled in Brazil (which exempts it from some taxes). And there are people refusing to believe that our government isn't the only to be blamed in the history.
Attachments
It sounds to me like Apple is punishing Brazil for forcing them to assemble the phone in Brazil at higher cost.
I hope the situation improves there someday. I always wanted to visit after seeing all of the documentaries and travel shows which often depict Brazil as a troubled country with strong people, distinguished culture and beautiful scenery. I've visited several countries in South Amerca, but never Brazil. Part of the reason was concern over the security situation there in recent years. My concern is probably overblown to some degree given my own experience growing up in New York City during the 1980s, when crime was really bad here, taking the subway at night was a rather risky endeavor and a lot of people actively avoided coming here or staying. Despite that, my family and I had a good life here and people found a way to adjust, move/stay here and eventually improve the situation.
Yes, Brazil has a high crime rate, but the worse situation is in big capitals like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. If you're afraid but want to visit Brazil, try to visit some of the cities in the south region. You'll be welcome.