FS2002 Price Difference-US-UK

[Fracair]

Why is it that these prices are much the same in pounds as it is in dollars, when we know that the pound is stronger than the dollar. Yet anouther scam to rip us off here in Britain.
Professional Edition
US $69.99
Europe UK£64.99
Standard Edition
US $44.99
Europe UK£49.99

It's not right that Microsoft should rip us off in this way and that current market exchange rates should be set so that the cost is identical in which ever cuntry you are in. I would be interested in any comments

[Simon Evans]

...So buy it over the net in the States and pay the extra 3 dollars for UK shipping....

...Isn't that what the `net is for..?


Simon Evans

[pacallen]

VAT... at 18 or something percent, that's the prob! I used to live in England and I went there this summer. It is not just MS games that seem like pounds=dollars. It's burgers at burger king (I was actually surprised to see Burger King there), almost a pound for a litre of gas when it is about 1.50 dollars for a gallon which is about 5 times (is that right) the size of a litre, and stuff like that.

But the people in Britain are cooler :)

--Peter Allen

[alastairmonk]

Yes, there is a price differential in the UK - just check out the costs of computers and accessories, you'll find that they're far cheaper in the US than the UK.

Buying online can be cheaper, but not always so, once the delivery and excise charges are added, the latter frequently adding some 25% to the costs. However, if the US prices are significantly lower, you can still save money.

Its even more noticeable at present, as the pound:dollar ratio has been steadily reducing for months. A couple of years ago you could reckon on pound:dollar = 1:1.6-1.7, however recently the differential has, at times, dropped to 1:1.4, making imports much more expensive.

Alastair

[Simon Evans]

I guess buying from Europe in Euros is going to be the next best bet to having a friend make the purchase for you while in the `States...

Under EU rules VAT only need to be paid once - so choose the country with the lowest price-plus-VAT cost. Shipping is usually cheaper and more efficient from Europe than from a shop five miles down the road in the UK.

What's the cheapest EU country for hardware/software..?


Simon Evans

[Marshall]

go blame your government. your vat and import controls aren't giving you a fair price.


(but don't complain too loudly, with all those cameras over there...)

[CanuckInUSA]

LOL ...

Yup the people in Britain are cooler (thanks to the cooler weather in the UK).

:)

[helo_av8or]

Well, if England had the worlds largest software company, wouldn't you guys try to cheat us? Then we'd have to have another revolution and everything would get out of hand again, and we'd make a new declaration of independance relating to the inalienable rights of man to have cheap software, and then it would be the Fourth of July all over again... ;)

Sorry, just feeling extremely patriotic today. I like British people, especially those guys from Monty Python...

[Ihor]

I don't think you should blame Microsoft.
I've worked for a couple of software resellers in the past and we'd export software all over the world for this reason.
Say you have a business, You'd buy one copy locally at inflated prices and 19 others from the U.S. That way you always got support from the software manufacturer using the serial number from the local product. It didn't matter whether it was a $19 program or a $2,500 Autocad. It was business and even though the software manufacturers didn't like it. No laws are being broken. So always buy your software from th U.S. and have them use DHL to ship it. It's take 2 or 3 days.

18% VAT is stealing. Whos's in charge there? King John?

I'll be over in June, what can I bring you?
Levi's ? (can't get them at Tesco anymore, price fixing)
Lemme know

Ihor
KBUR

[Ihor]

Hmmm
Check the Weather in EGCC and KBUR
(hometown & current residence respectively)
You'll find Manchester is warmer.
I had to find my jumpers these past few mornings