I am sure this subject around Apple has been raised before but my search could not find anything. The new Iphone is $999 and £999 which makes it around £235 more expensive in the UK than the US, why?
Is this the very first time you've noticed this? Everything, and I mean everything, follows this pattern... you can thank stupidly high import fees and 20% VAT for that one. Remember that $999 is ex. VAT and £999 is with. Tax for me is 8.25% in Ohio if I remember rightly, which still makes it cheaper for us here, but the difference is smaller than you might think.
No it is not the first time hence the mention of my search for anything on this issue. I admit that I had forgotten about that the Americans call sakes tax has still to be added and I believe that varies from state to state but was unaware of import taxes which are what percent?
It's not about import taxes : 1) as mentioned above, the 20% VAT is the biggest difference. $999 = 735.51 GBP. excluding VAT. UK price excluding VAT is 832 GBP. 2) currency exchange rate for product pricing does not always reflect the real exchange rate. 3) US price includes only 1 year of warranty.
So with VAT that would come to around £852 so still £140+ to find. This exchange rate reason is always flung but it does not really wash as whatever the rate is Apple and not just Apple prices seem higher in the UK than they should be. I Sure Which did something on this, will try to find the article. I am sure I paid import duties when I bought from WASD a couple of years ago, but I cannot be sure.
In the UK its as follows: If its declared as a gift you pay 20% VAT above a declared value of £39. If its declared as anything else you pay 20% VAT above a declared value of £15. If its declared as worth above £135 you also pay Customs duty (rate varies depending on what kind of item it is). Plus of course of a fee for the pleasure of being charged since the carrier isn't allowed to keep a single penny. Source: https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty
But you are referring to individual items not the bulk that the likes of Apple will be bringing in to the country. And there is no way they are going to be paying much in the way of tax given their form.
Correct, but look at the post I quoted, it was about an individual in a different EU country ordering something from abroad.
My thread is about the difference in the price of the Iphone X not what can be charged on items bought by individuals which will have their own set of rules.
You skipped over the "3) US price includes only 1 year of warranty" point. If you want more, you need to buy Apple Care in US. In UK, you get 6 years of warranty. In EU, you get 2 years of warranty. Waranty is not cheap, and yes, it shows up in price too. https://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/
The most I ever paid for a phone was £420. Never again. Don't get me wrong I still have it (Blackberry Passport) but yeah, I needed to have serious words with myself. I wanted to go back to Android so I bought a Oppo Find 7a (1080p) and I have had it ever since. I paid £170. I realised soon after that phones are pretty stagnant and specs have not increased hugely so the basic gist was not to bother. But a grand. For a phone. Dear god.
My last three phones have been cheapos, Moto G, Motor G 4th gen and my latest a Chinese Redmi Note 4 and all have done what i want them to do. What does this grand (£) phone do differently?
I went from a Galaxy S2 that I bought new in 2011,to an Xperia Z5 that I bought almost two years ago. Both top line flagship phones in their day and I made them last; it might have worked out cheaper to buy mid tier phones behind the curve but it's nice to have a new feature that you'd been waiting for. £1,000 is a lot but I guess it will be on contract for the majority?
Aye, can't imagine too many folks will be going and buying one of these outright. Almost all will be on contracts. Obviously a grand is brutally expensive for a phone but is a little bit less of an immediate hit if you're spreading that cost over 24 months.
Personally, right now i am seriously considering Xiaomi Mi A1, simply because it is a Android One phone - thus rapid updates. The only other option i look at is Nokia 8, but who knows when will they start selling the Dual SIM variant (which i need).
