iPod Apple Aust: You cannot do this! iPod$$ = rip! (RANT)

[Counterfit]

There is always a change that if a state wanted to (and voted to be) they could secede (break away) from the union.

Yeah, some of them tried that. We call it the U.S. Civil War.

but remember that states are huge for the most part so it is pretty impractical for me to just drive to say nebraska to buy something on a whim. with that said, there are many many many residents from other states in different states at any time. it would be absloute hell to have to go through a customs like process for buying stuff in diff states

On the other hand, My back yard is right up to the RI/MA border, so I can take advantage of their 2% sales tax, and the tax holidays they have twice a year. And NH (0% sales tax) isn't that far away either...

C'mon man, we're talking digital downloads...no overhead for product or shipping whatsoever. How can almost doubling the cost of binary code really be justified?

There IS overhead for digital downloads. They have to pay whatever company owns the distribution rights for that particular country. They charge however much they charge, and the prices in another country have nothing to do with it (outside the EU).

 

[MowingDevil]

There IS overhead for digital downloads. They have to pay whatever company owns the distribution rights for that particular country. They charge however much they charge, and the prices in another country have nothing to do with it (outside the EU).

No there's not. Apple doesn't pay anything up front for digital downloads, thats rediculous. They pay a fee based on sales, ie a portion of what the consumer is charged. You pay your .99 and Apple sends 70% of this to the labels. So even if Apple charges 1.69 in Australia it doesn't cost Apple one penny more than it does in the US and they still send 70% back to the label. Considering the Aussie dollare is about 2 dimes less than the US coin, why are they charging the Aussie consumer 7 dimes more????

Here's ultimately why I find this setup bogus. I found this online in an article but it sums up why iTunes shouldn't be marked up like MAC eyeliner or whatever that has to be shipped & imported:

No limited shelf space like in a terrestrial store, and no restocking required. Once it's encoded and sent to Apple, it's up there forever and available 24/7.

...and don't even get me started on how much of that 70% actually finds its way back to the artist.

 

[MowingDevil]

Trent Reznor chimes in on BLOATED Australian music prices:

http://opinion.latimes.com/bitplayer/2007/09/trent-reznor-on.html

http://digg.com/music/Trent_Reznor_No_wonder_people_steal_music

http://www.music2dot0.com/archives/36

 

[DoFoT9]

If you are such a "poor uni student" maybe you shouldn't be spending a ton of cash on a toy?

Or maybe you should get a job and pay for it with your *earned* income?

oh i wont be spending the money on this toy dont you worry. tis a total rip!.

i have a job. i have an income. it is spent driving to university 5 days a week.

Trent Reznor chimes in on BLOATED Australian music prices:

http://opinion.latimes.com/bitplayer/2007/09/trent-reznor-on.html

http://digg.com/music/Trent_Reznor_No_wonder_people_steal_music

http://www.music2dot0.com/archives/36

aahh thats very interesting. thank you for that, now i have extra proof that im somewhat right

 

[PrinceValiant]

Lol

LOL this guy obviously can't remember the bad old days when the exchange rate was 50c and before the Internet when Aussies paid DOUBLE for electronics. So consider yourself lucky that you are only paying about $30-40more than America which I think is a pretty good deal. We are still paying a lot less for iPods than even Singapore which is supposed to be renowned for its cheap electronics.

If you think iPods are a rip off, consider that a $240,000 Porsche 911 in Australia costs only $70,000 in the USA. Now thats a real scam.

 

[DoFoT9]

LOL this guy obviously can't remember the bad old days when the exchange rate was 50c and before the Internet when Aussies paid DOUBLE for electronics. So consider yourself lucky that you are only paying about $30-40more than America which I think is a pretty good deal. We are still paying a lot less for iPods than even Singapore which is supposed to be renowned for its cheap electronics.

If you think iPods are a rip off, consider that a $240,000 Porsche 911 in Australia costs only $70,000 in the USA. Now thats a real scam.

honestly, how hard is it to be referred to as "the OP" or something that ISNT DEGRADING?!?
this 'guy' was obviously too young to remember that,. im only 19 geez...

i remember the dollar being around 63c and wondering if it would ever hit $1.. still hasnt haha. close though.

were paying $30-$40 more for an ipod!! imagine an actual computer. apple would be raking it in.

buy a porche in US and then import it, shipping would have to be cheaper. (maybe they charge that $170k to redesign because of the seats hahaha?)

 

[auggie2k]

Same annoyance here, was going to get a new 16GB Nano - $199 (which is €139 here in Ireland).

Checked the Apple Store Ireland and it's €189 - thats €60 in the difference - which is $80.

 

[kkman]

ipod

i think it is always cheeper if you wait a bit

and also their is always something better

 

[MowingDevil]

No one has yet to explain why Auzzies always have to pay more. The included tax aside, is it the shipping? The iTunes rates blow that excuse out of the water. Seriously, I'm only hear for 10 months so I'm not all that concerned. My CDN dollar does alright here in the exchange. I seriously don't know why you guys put up with this. Have the politicians every been held accountable and addressed this? ...when they're not dancing around drunk in their underwear & gyrating female MPs that is.

 

[paulej69]

honestly, how hard is it to be referred to as "the OP" or something that ISNT DEGRADING?!?
this 'guy' was obviously too young to remember that,. im only 19 geez...

i remember the dollar being around 63c and wondering if it would ever hit $1.. still hasnt haha. close though.

were paying $30-$40 more for an ipod!! imagine an actual computer. apple would be raking it in.

buy a porche in US and then import it, shipping would have to be cheaper. (maybe they charge that $170k to redesign because of the seats hahaha?)

Just out of interest, the Aussie dollar dropped to 0.48 of the USD just after the September 11 attacks in the US - hope to hell that it never gets that low again.

For the person thinking of importing a Porsche - don't forget shipping (at least several thousand dollars), import duty, GST, luxury car tax, and delivery within Australia, not to mention conversion to left hand drive unless you want to drive your nice car around with "caution - left hand drive" stickers all over it.

 

[DoFoT9]

Just out of interest, the Aussie dollar dropped to 0.48 of the USD just after the September 11 attacks in the US - hope to hell that it never gets that low again.

For the person thinking of importing a Porsche - don't forget shipping (at least several thousand dollars), import duty, GST, luxury car tax, and delivery within Australia, not to mention conversion to left hand drive unless you want to drive your nice car around with "caution - left hand drive" stickers all over it.

if a porche costs 240k in australia, and only 70k in the US. SURELY it would not cost 170k to ship, pay taxes, convert to RHS etc. if it only cost 100k then it would still be cheaper then buying the australia 'version'. tahst the way i see it anyways.

p.s. hope the aussie $$ doesnt get much lower then what it is!

 

[paulej69]

if a porche costs 240k in australia, and only 70k in the US. SURELY it would not cost 170k to ship, pay taxes, convert to RHS etc. if it only cost 100k then it would still be cheaper then buying the australia 'version'. tahst the way i see it anyways.

p.s. hope the aussie $$ doesnt get much lower then what it is!

Well - it depends on what model of Porsche 911 - from a quick google, the MSRP: $73,500-136,500 USD depending on model.

At the low end, with all taxes, the 73,500 model would cost around 112,000 Australian, NOT including conversion to RHD, which I imagine would add thousands more. That also does not include the cost of insurance during shipping, which may be a few thousand more again.

At the high end, with taxes and shipping, again, with no conversion to RHD or insurance, cost in AUD would be over 200,000.

Probably a little cheaper than buying in Aus, but it really depends on the cost of converting to RHD - I suspect this would be VERY expensive, and may eat up any savings.

 

[hellomoto4]

Don't forget that USA pay tax on top of the sale price, where as the sale price in AUS includes GST

 

[DoFoT9]

Well - it depends on what model of Porsche 911 - from a quick google, the MSRP: $73,500-136,500 USD depending on model.

At the low end, with all taxes, the 73,500 model would cost around 112,000 Australian, NOT including conversion to RHD, which I imagine would add thousands more. That also does not include the cost of insurance during shipping, which may be a few thousand more again.

At the high end, with taxes and shipping, again, with no conversion to RHD or insurance, cost in AUD would be over 200,000.

Probably a little cheaper than buying in Aus, but it really depends on the cost of converting to RHD - I suspect this would be VERY expensive, and may eat up any savings.

so it could be a little cheaper, im sure you could find some good deals searching vigorously.

im guessing if someone is going to be comfortable with the left hand drive thing then that would save a lot.

Don't forget that USA pay tax on top of the sale price, where as the sale price in AUS includes GST

ahh tru good point. maybe it wont be so even then afterall.

 

[richard.mac]

tech just is more expensive in Australia than it is in the US, Asia and Europe.

 

[DoFoT9]

tech just is more expensive in Australia than it is in the US, Asia and Europe. weve just got to except it. hey at least we still get all the good stuff, like the iPhone now YAY!, and weve got an excellent quality of living.

yes i know, i guess ill eventually get used to it once i get out of Uni and start making real dosh.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

vote with your wallet

AMEN, I agree. I'd also write,(e-Mail) Apple and ask them why?

 

[hazza.jockel]

370 million?!!!! I see accuracy is not Australia's strong point

Don't know were your from but the U.S. is not known for its intelligence either. But I'm sure you would not know that cause your head is so far up your ass that it ain't coming back out (assuming your American, if not disregard this message)

And on a more serious note:
I agree with the OP. We do pay far to much for things in Australia. And it doesn't stop there. We also get things a lot later. For example movies. Hell Boy 2 came out at least 3 months earlier in other parts of the world. We also have only one freaking apple store in the whole country. and its more then a 12 hour drive away from me.

 

[Baron58]

it would be really cool if you lived on the border of 3 states and could get the best prices. thats more what i was thinking haha. i live on a border, but there are the same taxes all round our country.

I'm in Delaware. I could go 15 miles in three different directions and be in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Maryland. Out of all of those, Delaware has no sales tax. (The state income mostly comes from corporate taxes; it's a big headquarters for biotech & banks, since the regulations are very business-friendly / consumer-unfriendly). You would think that people would do a lot of tax-free shopping, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal.

With any of the States, though, cars are treated differently from other purchases. If someone from another state came to Delaware and bought a Mac, they'd pay no sales tax, and that would be the end of it. On the other hand, if they came to Delaware and bought a car, they'd get charged whatever the sales tax is for their home State. This is universal throughout the US.

For on-line purchases, it's a bit different. If there were a company that ONLY had a 'physical' presence in California, for example, and you were in any *other* state, you could order from them (online or by phone/mail) and pay no tax at all. On the other hand, if they have *any* 'physical' presence in your state, you would have to pay sales tax. Like, my sister use to be able to order from costco.com and pay no sales tax. Costco finally put a store in her State (Nebraska), so now if she ordered from costco.com she'd have to pay sales tax.

 

[MowingDevil]

Well - it depends on what model of Porsche 911 - from a quick google, the MSRP: $73,500-136,500 USD depending on model.

At the low end, with all taxes, the 73,500 model would cost around 112,000 Australian, NOT including conversion to RHD, which I imagine would add thousands more. That also does not include the cost of insurance during shipping, which may be a few thousand more again.

At the high end, with taxes and shipping, again, with no conversion to RHD or insurance, cost in AUD would be over 200,000.

Probably a little cheaper than buying in Aus, but it really depends on the cost of converting to RHD - I suspect this would be VERY expensive, and may eat up any savings.

Why would you have to convert it anyways? Is this a law or something? That would be insane as you'd have to redo the entire interior as the guages would be on the wrong side otherwise. There's been Asian & European vehicles imported into Canada and people seem to be able to drive w/o converting to LHD. As far as I know its legal, must be.

 

[MowingDevil]

tech just is more expensive in Australia than it is in the US, Asia and Europe. weve just got to except it. hey at least we still get all the good stuff, like the iPhone now YAY!, and weve got an excellent quality of living.

Why? The only reason you do get charged more is because you accept it.
There's other countries overseas that don't get charged as much and Australia should be no different. I'd agree the dollar value is a fair reason for different prices to an extent. Its gotta work both ways though. The American dollar is getting the **** kicked out of it right now. If the Auz dollar goes way up your prices should come down accordingly. Your tax is included so thats a factor. Shipping on some goods should be inline w/ shipping to other foreign countries. Isn't Australia closer to China than the US & Canada?!? Why would it cost more then? China makes almost everything these days.

Digital files on iTunes aren't made in China though.

THATS an area you should get a break, instead you're being bent over a barrell without lube. You should write Apple & ask why? ...and don't be happy that you have iPhones, it will just make the situation worse. Religion was the opiate of the masses....now its entertainment & gadgets. Get mad and get better prices, its only fair.

 

[paulej69]

Why would you have to convert it anyways? Is this a law or something? That would be insane as you'd have to redo the entire interior as the guages would be on the wrong side otherwise. There's been Asian & European vehicles imported into Canada and people seem to be able to drive w/o converting to LHD. As far as I know its legal, must be.

No it's not the law - you can certainly own and drive a left hand drive vehicle in Australia.
But the law DOES state that any such vehicle be identified by garish yellow signs stating "CAUTION - Left hand drive Vehicle" - on the front and back of your car - I mean these are large signs similar in size to the registration plates. I have seen these on a number of imported Ford Mustangs recently - KILLS the look of a cool car.
I would think that anyone wanting to drive a Porsche would HATE to compromise its looks in this way!

 

[paulej69]

Don't know were your from but the U.S. is not known for its intelligence either.

Hey, I'm an Aussie, and even I take exception to this - for some reason it is fashionable in Australia to see Americans as "dumb" - maybe they can be insular because their country is so big and varied, but think of this:

70% of Nobel prize winners have been American - that's 70% of ALL Nobel prizes, in all subjects, for over 100 years.

That's not a dumb country.

 

[DoFoT9]

Hey, I'm an Aussie, and even I take exception to this - for some reason it is fashionable in Australia to see Americans as "dumb" - maybe they can be insular because their country is so big and varied, but think of this:

70% of Nobel prize winners have been American - that's 70% of ALL Nobel prizes, in all subjects, for over 100 years.

That's not a dumb country.

i think its just a sterotype from TV shows, news stories and what we hear in general that gives countries the "negative" opinion about america. of course there is going to be smart people in a nation with 300mil+ people!!! they are not all going to be dumb! but with that big of a population it also means that there are also going to be a big number of not so smart people, thats mainly who we see on TV (im guessing), unless their very good actors

 

[DoFoT9]

i see the "From $329 AU" price tag for the 8gb and nearly fall over. what the hell apple? you can't just add an extra $100AU onto the price because we aren't in your country! if you convert US$229 its only AU$282. this is pathetic apple, i know that you cant just compare things as easily as currency rates. but we aren't a country that has a weak economy. i just dont understand...

the AU$549 price tag on the 32gb comes out to be US$445, an extra US$45..

well now here i am nearly a year later.. the situation HASNT changed...

8gb Touch:: $US229 (should be $AU280), $AU329

16gb Touch:: $US299 (should be $AU366), $AU419

32gb Touch:: $US399 (should be $AU489), $AU549..

it goes on really, dont even get me started on the laptops... will we ever get relief? i may as well start shipping things over from the US!