5 ms·

I'm really not a fan of their non-US pricing, it rarely works out well for international buyers. For example the $1,199 model costs £999 in the UK. $1,199 is e

by corin_ 15y ago

I'm really not a fan of their non-US pricing, it rarely works out well for international buyers. For example the $1,199 model costs £999 in the UK. $1,199 is equal to £744. So to buy it from the UK store you're paying 34% more? For the cheapest option, $999 in US store, the UK price is 37% more. And I'm too lazy to work out the 13" price differences.

w1ntermute 15y ago
Aren't there various extra taxes in the UK, VAT or something?
silverlight 15y ago
Is VAT tax built-in to the £999 price point? Or is that added on at checkout (like sales tax is in the US)? If it's built in, that would explain at least part of the difference.
- corin_ 15y ago
  Yeah, it's built in and explains some of it, but VAT is only 20%, so the difference is still very noticeable.
  - colin_jack 15y ago
    I believe the exchange rate right now explains some of it too, particularly as Apple haven't adjusted their prices in the UK to reflect it. I did read they'd adjusted their Canadian prices for the same reason though.
swombat 15y ago
I think this has been discussed a number of times, both on and off HN, and the final word on this is that the difference is made up of VAT and various importation taxes levied by the UK government. So, blame Her Majesty, not Apple...
- colin_jack 15y ago
  I have seen it discussed but I'm not sure its as clear cut as that.
  - srgseg 15y ago
    The UK HMRC charges no customs duty or import duty on imports of computers, but does levy 20% VAT (sales tax). Using today's exchange rate of 1.6149, here are the UK like-for-like premiums for several Apple products in the UK: 7.6% - ipad 2 13.4% - ipod touch 14.4% - mac air 11 64gb 12.1% - mac air 11 128gb 13.9% - mac air 13 128gb 13.5% - mac air 13 256gb 12.1% - mbp 13 21.1% - thunderbolt display Note: these premiums compare the US price excluding sales tax to the UK price excluding the UK 20% VAT sales tax. Therefore, the UK premium is much larger when you consider that in some US states there is no sales tax, but the entire UK is subject to 20% sales tax. Also note that VAT is only a sales tax on items for personal use. Business users do not have to pay the VAT (they reclaim it). Here therefore are the premiums comparing US states with zero sales tax to the UK: 29.1% - ipad 2 36.1% - ipod touch 37.2% - mac air 11 64gb 34.6% - mac air 11 128gb 36.6% - mac air 13 128gb 36.2% - mac air 13 256gb 34.6% - mbp 13 45.3% - thunderbolt display Lesson: go on holiday to the US, buy your Mac in a state without sales tax, and you're still ahead when you pay 20% tax on the import when you arrive back in the UK.
    - colin_jack 15y ago
      I think Apple are actually being far too greedy, one of the reasons I don't buy Macs is the premium you have to pay...I don't like being ripped off quite so explicitly.
      - srgseg 15y ago
        To be fair, it's not just Apple. The UK is known in the industry as "Treasure Island" because they know that they can charge more here and get away with it. E.g. Bose QC15 noise cancelling headphones: 25.2% premium excluding sales tax, 50.2% premium including sales tax comparing a zero sales tax US state to the UK.
cageface 15y ago
Same here in Vietnam. The low end model is the VND equivalent of about $1200. :(
sjs 15y ago
For once we didn't get shafted in Canada. Our prices start at $999 too instead of $1099.
kayoone 15y ago
the $999 is 949 EUR in germany which translates to $1349 :-/
jasonkester 15y ago
On a completely unrelated note, I find that my Apple purchases often correlate closely to dates when my American friends come out to visit.
wmboy 15y ago
Yeah it sucks, buying Apple products in NZ puts you in the same situation. 11 inch MacBook Air (64GB) = US$999 (which should convert to NZ$1,169.46 using the current exchange rate). In NZ we've got a 15% GST (sales) tax, but that should only bring the price up to about NZ$1,345. Instead the entry level MacBook Air costs us NZ$1,549.00. So that's a NZ$204 mark up for what??? Wish we could just buy them directly off the US Apple website!

by corin_ 15y ago

w1ntermute 15y ago

Aren't there various extra taxes in the UK, VAT or something?

silverlight 15y ago

Is VAT tax built-in to the £999 price point? Or is that added on at checkout (like sales tax is in the US)? If it's built in, that would explain at least part of the difference.

corin_ 15y ago
Yeah, it's built in and explains some of it, but VAT is only 20%, so the difference is still very noticeable.
- colin_jack 15y ago
  I believe the exchange rate right now explains some of it too, particularly as Apple haven't adjusted their prices in the UK to reflect it. I did read they'd adjusted their Canadian prices for the same reason though.

swombat 15y ago

I think this has been discussed a number of times, both on and off HN, and the final word on this is that the difference is made up of VAT and various importation taxes levied by the UK government. So, blame Her Majesty, not Apple...

colin_jack 15y ago
I have seen it discussed but I'm not sure its as clear cut as that.
- srgseg 15y ago
  The UK HMRC charges no customs duty or import duty on imports of computers, but does levy 20% VAT (sales tax). Using today's exchange rate of 1.6149, here are the UK like-for-like premiums for several Apple products in the UK: 7.6% - ipad 2 13.4% - ipod touch 14.4% - mac air 11 64gb 12.1% - mac air 11 128gb 13.9% - mac air 13 128gb 13.5% - mac air 13 256gb 12.1% - mbp 13 21.1% - thunderbolt display Note: these premiums compare the US price excluding sales tax to the UK price excluding the UK 20% VAT sales tax. Therefore, the UK premium is much larger when you consider that in some US states there is no sales tax, but the entire UK is subject to 20% sales tax. Also note that VAT is only a sales tax on items for personal use. Business users do not have to pay the VAT (they reclaim it). Here therefore are the premiums comparing US states with zero sales tax to the UK: 29.1% - ipad 2 36.1% - ipod touch 37.2% - mac air 11 64gb 34.6% - mac air 11 128gb 36.6% - mac air 13 128gb 36.2% - mac air 13 256gb 34.6% - mbp 13 45.3% - thunderbolt display Lesson: go on holiday to the US, buy your Mac in a state without sales tax, and you're still ahead when you pay 20% tax on the import when you arrive back in the UK.
  - colin_jack 15y ago
    I think Apple are actually being far too greedy, one of the reasons I don't buy Macs is the premium you have to pay...I don't like being ripped off quite so explicitly.
    - srgseg 15y ago
      To be fair, it's not just Apple. The UK is known in the industry as "Treasure Island" because they know that they can charge more here and get away with it. E.g. Bose QC15 noise cancelling headphones: 25.2% premium excluding sales tax, 50.2% premium including sales tax comparing a zero sales tax US state to the UK.

cageface 15y ago

Same here in Vietnam. The low end model is the VND equivalent of about $1200. :(

sjs 15y ago

For once we didn't get shafted in Canada. Our prices start at $999 too instead of $1099.

kayoone 15y ago

the $999 is 949 EUR in germany which translates to $1349 :-/

jasonkester 15y ago

On a completely unrelated note, I find that my Apple purchases often correlate closely to dates when my American friends come out to visit.

wmboy 15y ago

Yeah it sucks, buying Apple products in NZ puts you in the same situation. 11 inch MacBook Air (64GB) = US$999 (which should convert to NZ$1,169.46 using the current exchange rate). In NZ we've got a 15% GST (sales) tax, but that should only bring the price up to about NZ$1,345. Instead the entry level MacBook Air costs us NZ$1,549.00. So that's a NZ$204 mark up for what??? Wish we could just buy them directly off the US Apple website!