Pricing Disparity...

[Aciddan]

Guys,

When I first bought an iBook the Aussie dollar was about .45US$ - these days, it's 0.680790

This means that a 17" powerbook (which I want to buy) is:

3,299.00 USD United States Dollars = 4,845.84 AUD Australia Dollars

When you convert the AUD price for a powerbook you get:

6,299.00 AUD Australia Dollars = 4,286.93 USD United States Dollars

Admittedly, there is 10%GST ($500 AUD - Over the last couple of years I have noticed a $500 Aud premium on all Australian prices over US - however, the last couple of months has seen this blow out dramatically) to pay on the import, but I still want to know how something can be almost $1000USD different when it's cheaper to ship to Australia from Asia than it is to ship to Mainland USA...

I really want to know why I have to pay $6000 when our currency isn't $.45USD (past few months has been greater than $.65US cents)

What's up with the pricing?

-- Daniel
P.S. do any US apple dealers ship outside the US? if so, is there a way/means of determining the cost of delivery + import taxes? Have any Aussies imported directly from the US?

 

[Abstract]

Apple has taken the increasing Canadian dollar (relative to the US dollar) into account in Canada. They lowered the prices of ALL the machines. The 12" iBook prices have been lowered by around $300, I believe. I don't know why they don't do this in other countries where the economy is getting relatively stronger than the US. Your scenario sounds the same as in Canada, and yet you get no price reduction to account for a dropping US dollar. It hardly sounds fair.

 

[Aciddan]

Checked Australian Customs...

I have checked Australian Customs (www.customs.gov.au) - and their fact sheet sets out the following:

Value: $1000
Customs Duty @ 5% x 1000: $50
International transport and
Insurance: $150

GST @ 10% x 1200 $120

Total $1170

(you pay to customs their 5% and the GST (10 of total value of duty + inurance transport etc)

The total you pay on $5000 (I rounded off) is a grand total of $6190 (not too different to $6299)...

Still, I haven't even tried to call customs and ask about any specifics regarding IT/computer equipment or even looked at personal import exemptions etc...

Still, I think it's a good thing to investigate how much you *should* be paying over/under what you *are* paying...

-- Dan

 

[hvfsl]

They only change the prices for Canada because it is easy to ship from the US to Canada and people would from Canada would just buy from the US if prices were high.

However, it is not as easy to get a US computer when you live in AUS or Europe, even if you do, Apple has done it so that warranties only work in the countries they are bought. HP does international warranties.

I have a very bad example of price differences between the US and UK. Quark 6 cost $900 (about £540), but in the UK it costs £1100 (about $1600). So I could fly to NY, stay in a hotel there, buy a copy from the Apple store and come back and it would still be a lot cheaper. I expect Quark does not want to make its software for the Mac anymore so it is driving people to the PC.

 

[Heltik]

Well, that makes no sense. How many macs are actually manufactured in America? Surely they don't have all macs manufactured, shipped to America, and the redistributed from America. So in significant terms, it's no easier to ship to Canada, to America, to Europe.

 

[Abstract]

Originally posted by hvfsl

However, it is not as easy to get a US computer when you live in AUS or Europe, even if you do, Apple has done it so that warranties only work in the countries they are bought. HP does international warranties.

I had always thought that if you lived in England, for example, and you flew to the US and purchased an iBook, you can fly back to England with it and still get AppleCare. I also thought the warranty is universal, meaning that if I flew from Canada to England, and my computer broke in England, I could use my Applecare and get the defect repaired.

 

[Aciddan]

More news on prices...

Guys,

[EDIT] Also read this (this is not a new issue, and even made it into the australian newspaper last month: http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,6558576^15423^^nbv^15309,00.html ) - Honestly, I think their justification for the higher prices is weak, especially since the AUD is about more than it was last month too...

after doing the initial post thread re: pricing disparity in Apple hardware I have found out some more info...

If you go to asia.apple.com (using the 17" powerbook as the example) in Singaporean $ it is actually cheaper than the Australian price by about $50. Problem is the Australian Dollar is worth MORE than the Singaporean:

6,228.00 SGD = 5,233.57 AUD.

It has also occurred to me that Apple Australia would NOT be buying hardware at US retail prices.

It is my belief that prices for Apple Hardware in Australia have a recommended retail price that is ARTIFICALLY HIGH.

We all know that people complain about the premium that apple charges for their hardware - this thread is NOT about that.

What I am concerned about is markups of almost $1000AUD over the rest of the world on their product lineup.

If apple sold their hardware at a comparative price in Australia - all of a sudden apple computers would be affordable compared to how much we are charged for High-end PCs here.

I don't mind paying a premium - what I DO mind is this gross disparity - I ask you all:- what's going on???

-- Dan =(

 

[hvfsl]

Originally posted by Abstract
I had always thought that if you lived in England, for example, and you flew to the US and purchased an iBook, you can fly back to England with it and still get AppleCare. I also thought the warranty is universal, meaning that if I flew from Canada to England, and my computer broke in England, I could use my Applecare and get the defect repaired.

I went to the San Fransisco recently and asked a guy at an Apple Store and he said that if I got a Mac in the US, it would not be covered under warranty in the UK. Apple used to do international warranties, but have now stopped because too many people were going to countries where Macs are cheaper like the US and not buying from their own countries. Most companies have a thing about regions, its on games consoles, DVDs and other electronics. I think it really comes down to they want to be able to split the world into little parts so that it is easier to control.

 

[748s]

Re: More news on prices...

Originally posted by Aciddan
If you go to asia.apple.com (using the 17" powerbook as the example) in Singaporean $ it is actually cheaper than the Australian price by about $50. Problem is the Australian Dollar is worth MORE than the Singaporean:

6,228.00 SGD = 5,233.57 AUD.

the g5 prices have started going up for the asia region. a dual 2ghz g5 in Hong Kong is HK$23,900. based on todays currency exchange rates..... AU$4596.72.
prices for g5's in south korea and singapore haven't been released yet.
that magic $1000 appears again. have to look out for cheap weekend fares to hong kong. interested to see what singapore's prices are.