Columns Give me a dollar

There are some already, but by the time you've paid shipping, our local taxes and their commission you've not always saved anything. Nutech was highly pleased with his £261 imported graphics card, but Specofdust points out Scan had it on offer here at £241.

One of the price-boosters is 17.5% VAT on top of the base price (I think Sales Tax in the US is rarely over 7% (?)), and VAT is even higher in most other European countries (25% in Denmark and Sweden, 22% in Finland, 21% in Ireland). But what we lose on the swings we gain on the roundabouts. I don't need medical insurance for a doctor to look at me. UK students fork out a lot to go to University, but I think a US student pays a lot more to go on to college. And the Canadians have Rose Marie.

 

Hey, if you're serious about this, I REALLY want some stuff on NewEgg shipped up here to Canada

 

One and the same, one and the same.. I can drive to WalMart and load up on the things these 'evil capitalists' who only benefit themselves at much, much lower cost than I could if they were made by rednecks in Kentucky. Likewise, I didnt attend a communist-run university, and therefore know how to play with financial markets, so they take those dollars they get from the USA and reinvest it back with us and our skilled labor. Current account deficit balanced by capital account surplus, and all participants walk away happy with growing economies.

Besides, the UK can't complain. Look immediately to your East at low-growth, high-unemployment Europe, and count yourselves lucky! The UK has handled globalization extremely well; it's financial services is roughly the best in the world now.

Edit: And to cover my arguement better, those Rednecks in Kentucky, and other low-wage areas of the US, are put to use in product assembly, like car's and trucks, and other higher-skill or more productive work than making shoes or umbrellas -- while receiving first-world wages. Again, everybody benefits.

 

i love america.

 

It's not just computer components... I almost died when my mechanic told me I would have to pay AU$550+ for a timing belt kit for my european car (not including the 4-5 hours labour to have it fitted and adjusted). When I checked online I found I could have it shipped here for under AU$200... (which is still kind of expensive, one for an Aussie build car would be AU$100 or less)

I think I'll buy the part and just have him fit it thanks very much.

 

Reminds me of when I wanted to buy a 6800 Ultra graphics card and a copy of the BF2 Armoured/Euro booster pack. It was something like half the price, all told, from Amazon US, but they refused to ship it to a UK address. So what did I do? I had it shipped to a friend of mine in the US and she sent it on. Even after paying shipping I still saved almost £50.

Big corporations have their place. Firmly under the public's heel comes to mind.

 

I heard the winner of the NASCAR race yesterday complaining about the new cars they're driving; better, safer, and providing of a more interesting give-and-take race, but complaints nevertheless.

All I'm saying is France fits your statement there pretty well, and they havent had unemployment under 8% in a quarter of a century. 25 years! And double-digit unemployment amongst 20-somethings, and up to 50% in the ghettos. Having corporations "firmly under the public heel" gives France trains and nuclear power, but hard to take advantage of the luxuries of the modern economy, like GeForce8800GTX's, when you're unemployed (or living off the government) or underemployed in a stagnant economy.

Plus, if it's not price discrimination amongst income levels and not attributable to distribution costs, look to your governments import tariff's. In certain parts of almost any industry, they can be eye-popping in a governments attempt to cordon off the domestic industry from competition. Good for domestic CEO's paychecks, bad for everyone else.

Back to the NASCAR comparison, all this is much ado about nothing while we reap all the other benefits (ie, you in England might be surprised at how much of your food is flown in by plane from Africa over night at a lower cost than what could be achieved by farming locally, saving everyone that happens to eat money). NASCAR will accept their new cars, and hopefully, we'll all accept that today will never by like yesterday, economically or in any other way.

 

Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but it can buy you a mistress or three, no?