USA Cheap...

[freddiepm61]

This is just a quick heads up on how we are being royally screwed over by something (what?) comparing the prices of the USA and the UK for high end components.
Though the exchange rate at the moment clearly has something to do with it, this should be making our stuff cheaper should it not, as the pound is doing well against all currencies, not just the dollar…..
Prices are from Overclockers.co.uk, and the American prices are from monarch pc, on 14/01/05.
Geforce 6800gt pci-e = $636 (UK), $525 (USA)
Geforce 6800 ultra pci-e = $? (UK), $685 (USA)
Athlon 64 fx-55 = $1098 (UK), $864 (USA)
1gb of corsair xms 3200 PLATINUM 2-2-2-5 (2x512mb)ram = $329.2 (UK), $251.00
Due to me not having a huge amount of time I have not had much time to do more research, but I am sure that this situation would be replicated across the board.
Now, you may think that we should all go and buy stuff from the states, however what would you do if you had to send something back…?
Also, Customs would have to tax you to the hilt.
I guess that PC components in price comparison with the states have gone the way of booze, fags, dvd and cd…..
Oh well…
f

 

[GeForceX]

Interesting thought but you may not have heard of trade taxes? Tariff taxes perhaps? If you're going to order something from the US, you will still get a slightly big bump to the total price by tax and/or whatever fees it excludes. Now unless the American dollar has turned out to be so poor that we're on the verge of bankruptcy, you would definitely buy it much cheaper than you would from your own country.

BTW-- fags = ciggs, right? I learned that from watching some British show.

-J.

 

[Xrave]

BTW-- fags = ciggs, right? I learned that from watching some British show.

Haha...yea...fags doesn't have quite the same meaning in America.

When I first read that I couldn't figure out the connection between booze, fags, dvd and cd

 

[Maniacmous]

Are those prices you quoted before or after things like VAT? (I'm an American, so I don't have all the details on what VAT applies to and whatnot, but I do know that most European countries have a tendency to tax like mad, sometimes in the realm of 25% right?). The prices you quoted are before sales taxes here in the States, but still, I'd have to chalk the jacked up prices for Europe to be VAT, or just companies in general screwing Europe.

I know it happens all the time, like with MP3 players and whatnot, companies tend to use the same magnitude of price (I.E. 299 either dollars or Euros/Pounds), which already screws you over due to the exchange rate, I know. Why the boosted prices though, I really don't know, I can't imagine it being any more difficult to get the products into Europe or anything than it is to America, so really, I have no idea where all that extra money goes. Some though I'd have to attribute to taxes or something.

 

[freddiepm61]

it is after tax.
what is sales tax (%?)
in england, v.a.t (essentially same thing) is 17.5%.
I was in New York over new years with some friends, and when i smoked, the looks from some of the people on the streets....it was as if they were judging me!
but, even with sales tax, there is still quite a large margin.

 

[Xrave]

In Florida, sales tax is 6.5%...not quite sure what it is in other states.

As for the smoking, there's been lots of negative PR on smoking lately, but I'm not sure why you got those looks in New York (other than everyone in New York looks mean )

 

[mulpsmebeauty]

I've had a few checks around recently when buying hardware and I think that the cost differences are pretty much all down to the exchange rate differences at the moment. I had vaguely hoped to find an FX-55 in the US which was comparatively dirt cheap in £ terms, but it wasn't to be.

Remember also that you can't compare VAT (levied on all so-called "luxury" items like adult clothing, hot food and basically every other mundane non-luxury item you can think of) with how the US tax their goods. What we pay in one place, they pay in another.