Apple pricing in Aus compared to US

[MB Buyer?]

Sure, I know - shipping costs money etc. but come on this is extortion.

A 15" MBP with 1 gig of RAM (2X512) and Applecare = $3933 AUS dollars
This conversts to $2930 US

Same set up from apple.com is $2448 US

So that's an extra $482 US ... wtf, so much for our free trade agreement

 

[portent]

Remember taxation, too. Your price includes GST. Our price does not include sales tax, which can add as much as 8% depending on state.

 

[rdowns]

Mad jew tax?

 

[Chundles]

Mad jew tax?

Southern Hemisphere tax, Apple has to build in a gravity generator to stop them falling upwards into the sky and they've teamed up with Cadbury in Tasmania to stop them melting in the heat.

There's also Drop Bear protection for the delivery drivers and every new Mac comes with a case of beer (Fosters) so Apple have to pay for removal of the only beer Australians don't drink.

 

[MB Buyer?]

Southern Hemisphere tax, Apple has to build in a gravity generator to stop them falling upwards into the sky and they've teamed up with Cadbury in Tasmania to stop them melting in the heat.

There's also Drop Bear protection for the delivery drivers and every new Mac comes with a case of beer (Fosters) so Apple have to pay for removal of the only beer Australians don't drink.

fosters cans do make great laptop stands though, and that alyouminium is great for conducting heat away

oh and OK salestax is 8%, but the price difference is closer to 20%

 

[MB Buyer?]

apple care is 23.5% dearer in Aus
and as for shipping, these things come from ASIA - maybe someone should show SJ a MAP

OK, I'm done with this - I've had my vent

 

[mpw]

I believe Aus GST is 10%, so the difference before taxes, which Apple can't control, is about 9% which doesn't seem unreasonable when you factor in the extra cost of selling in Aus, shipping etc. and is a better deal than many europeans get.

 

[Chundles]

I believe Aus GST is 10%, so the difference before taxes, which Apple can't control, is about 9% which doesn't seem unreasonable when you factor in the extra cost of selling in Aus, shipping etc. and is a better deal than many europeans get.

And waaaay better than you would get eh mpw? Ya poor bugger, how do you get anything delivered out there in the Channel?

 

[mpw]

apple care is 23.5% dearer in Aus
and as for shipping, these things come from ASIA - maybe someone should show SJ a MAP

OK, I'm done with this - I've had my vent

Economies of scale friend.

The US is by FAR Apples biggest, and home, market. All the price points that the products are designed to will be in US$. When they set up an office to market Apple in the UK the market is smaller than California which shares it's marketing office etc. with the rest of the US. Apple Australia have to make a profit too and they need to set their price points according to the AUS$ without lowering their margins so most times there'll seem to be an increase there too.

I don't think any country gets 'ripped-off' by Apple more than any other and Apple are certainly not the worst example of inflated prices outside home markets.

 

[kretzy]

Yeah, it kind of sucks, but the biggest factor really is the GST, and as has been mentioned the prices in the US do not include sales tax.

Edit: Yeah and what mpw said.

 

[Chundles]

And we get paid more in a lot of things. OK, for your average 21 year old waiter:

In the US US$:

Minimum Wage = ~$6.00 per hour
MacBook 1.83GHz = $1099 + sales tax

Very simple analysis = it would take 183 hours with no taxation to buy a MacBook. Including 8% sales tax it would take 197 hours. It would take even longer after tax is taken from pay packet.

In Australia A$:

Average Award wage = $17
MacBook 1.83 GHz = $1590 + GST

Not taking into account taxation it would take 94 hours to buy a MacBook. Including GST it would take 103 hours. Slightly more after tax is taken from weekly pay packet.

So before living expenses etc people working the same job would have to work roughly twice as many hours to save for a MacBook in the US than here.

 

[MB Buyer?]

And we get paid more in a lot of things. OK, for your average 21 year old waiter:

In the US US$:

Minimum Wage = ~$6.00 per hour
MacBook 1.83GHz = $1099 + sales tax

Very simple analysis = it would take 183 hours with no taxation to buy a MacBook. Including 8% sales tax it would take 197 hours. It would take even longer after tax is taken from pay packet.

In Australia A$:

Average Award wage = $17
MacBook 1.83 GHz = $1590 + GST

Not taking into account taxation it would take 94 hours to buy a MacBook. Including GST it would take 103 hours. Slightly more after tax is taken from weekly pay packet.

So before living expenses etc people working the same job would have to work roughly twice as many hours to save for a MacBook in the US than here.

woah, werent we talking about beer. mmm beer.
wages are all over the place, working for the minimum wage in the US sounds like a bum deal to me. as would being on welfare, i'm sure our dole bludging hippies could afford one much faster than their counterparts in the US too.

doctors on the other hand earn twice to three times more in the states, go figure.

 

[mpw]

And waaaay better than you would get eh mpw? Ya poor bugger, how do you get anything delivered out there in the Channel?

We now have a local Authorised Apple Reseller who knowledge of his product seems to have improved greatly in the last years he's been open so I can buy locally with a premium of about 12% on a bottom of the range MacBook over AppleStore UK

 

[Chundles]

We now have a local Authorised Apple Reseller who knowledge of his product seems to have improved greatly in the last years he's been open so I can buy locally with a premium of about 12% on a bottom of the range MacBook over AppleStore UK

Wow.... score....

 

[mpw]

Quick review of the Oz customs website gives the result that BEFORE taxes and duties the laptop from the fisrt post cost the equivelent of US$2417, or $31 cheaper than AppleStore US before sales tax.

 

[mad jew]

But the US price would include duties too, right?

Mad jew tax?

Mwuhahahahaha!

 

[aswitcher]

Remember all Macs now have internationally warranty so if your travelling its pretty tempting to by one OS and use it for a bit there to mac sure its a "used" product by the time you return home.

Or go the tax deduction / salary packaging route...

 

[mpw]

But the US price would include duties too, right?

Yeah I assume there would be duties paid on the laptops entering the US but I don't know the rates.

 

[kretzy]

Mad jew tax?

We should tax him for each of his posts here thus offsetting the price differential for all Australian mac users.

 

[mad jew]

Yeah I assume there would be duties paid on the laptops entering the US but I don't know the rates.

Yeah, good point. We need katie ta achoo...


...To help us with our figures.

We should tax him for each of his posts here thus offsetting the price differential for all Australian mac users.

That's one way to get me actually doing some work.

 

[mpw]

Yeah, good point. We need katie ta achoo...


...To help us with our figures...

Yeah lets get Katie to show us her figure. We should explain that we want her to probe into the cost of getting a MacBook into us.