UK/US price difference

[mattdp]

While snooping around the net for video cards in the UK, I got quite a shock when I compared prices on the 7900GT and X1800XT cards.

According to the buyers guide, these are listed as being in the same price bracket ($250 - $300). In the UK, a 7900GT can be had for the equivalent of around $354 - more expensive than the guide suggests but things are more expensive on this side of the atlantic.

The cheapest X1800XT though weighs in at a whopping $563.143! I could get an X1900XT for not much more! How come these cards are in the same price bracket in the US, but priced so differently in the UK? I'm tempted to import a bunch of 1800s and sell them on Ebay.co.uk!

 

[mationman]

Great idea but there might be hidden charges like the cost of the postage and the shipping duty. Theres a post here all about it> US to UK shipping

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

While snooping around the net for video cards in the UK, I got quite a shock when I compared prices on the 7900GT and X1800XT cards.

Simple US > UK market. We have to deal with it in Canada too as their neighbour, even for ATi cards.

The cheapest X1800XT though weighs in at a whopping $563.143!

You need to spend time shopping, your prices are terribler and I know that as a Canuck;

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/X1800_Series.html

HIS X1800XT 512MB (best X18000XT IMO) for £234.94 ~ $410US. Still higher, but far from the price you have there. And as you can see many of them are on sale this week, the PowerCrapper, err.. I mean Powercolor going for £5 cheaper than the HIS which is not on sale.

I could get an X1900XT for not much more! How come these cards are in the same price bracket in the US, but priced so differently in the UK?

Supply/demand, price stickiness left over from when Euro was weaker than dollar, historical acceptance of higher prices, and then once maore market size.

I'm tempted to import a bunch of 1800s and sell them on Ebay.co.uk!

Just be aware that there are better price out there than you found, but even then eBay may still make you money on the nVidia and ATi card since they'll likely never reach parity in pricing.

 

[mationman]

Your best bet is overclockers.co.uk for the cheapest prices Ebay is ok but I think the cards are so new that you wont get much difference in price. Well it was like that when I last looked.
And do not buy a powercolor ever! you'll probably have to buy a new cooler so you might as well buy a more expensive make.

 

[Flakes]

do you US guys not pay tax on the internet sites? the same way you do in your stores with each different area having a different percentage of tax that IS NOT shown on the price tag....thats what i hate about the US when i visit see something on shelve nice and cheap get to counter they add tax and you think aw crap.

 

[Flakes]

anyway you can get a 7900GTX 512 for 381 pound here in the UK

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Products.ASP?CatID=15&FilterCategories=435&Thumbnails=yes

thats 665.8737 U.S. dollars

a 7900GTX from newegg(i could only find the one from biostar(never heard of them))

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814141023

499 dollars

499 U.S. dollars = 285.51811 British pounds

hmmm 381-285 = 96

taking this example your only saving 96 pound and i havnt added on shipping which i imagine would be quite abit then youve got a longer wait...personnaly i would just buy in the UK plenty of places do next day delivery. and i like having my stuff ASAP!

EDIT

fixing spelling(new keyboard)

 

[g-paw]

do you US guys not pay tax on the internet sites? the same way you do in your stores with each different area having a different percentage of tax that IS NOT shown on the price tag....thats what i hate about the US when i visit see something on shelve nice and cheap get to counter they add tax and you think aw crap.

First, in the US there is no federal or national sales tax. Many states have a sales tax but the seller only charges this if they have a physical presence in the state they are shipping to, e.g., Dell has Kiosks in shopping malls in a lot of states so they have to charge sales tax for the states they are in, e.g., Ohio. If there is no physical presence they don't charge tax. However, when you file your state taxes, at least in Ohio, you are supposed to list all internet purchases and pay the sales tax, which we all scrupulously do.

 

[kamel5547]

Tax is not included in internet site listings. Unlike much of Europe's VAT system where what you see is what you pay, prices do not include tax (if applicable or collectible by an online retailer which is another story). This is partially due to varying tax rates that can be modified by the city you live in. All in all you would probably be expected to pay VAT on any purchase imported (legally speaking) as well as having a warranty problem in case of a problem (a gray market good is often excluded from warranty policies so your quasi-legal import would probably not be replaced in some cases). This recently happened to my dad with a digital camera bough online.

 

[g-paw]

that sound so complicated i think i'd rather stick with VAT. least you know where you stand, although i'm sure if you dealt with it alot it would become familiar

Your right, you know the taxes you have to pay in the state/city you live in. On the other hand, it is complicated nationally with 50 state taxes in addition to who knows how many local taxes. On the other hand, because it is complicated, it is one of the reasons there are no internet taxes. That and the fact that companies doing business on the internet have paid off enough of our Federak politicians that they re-newed the law banning an Internet sales tax. One of the few cases where the consumer is the windshield rather than the bug, which is not true in most cases, e.g., DRM laws and laws requiring opt-out rather than opt-in when it comes to spam.

 

[Flakes]

i knew about the different tax rates in different areas of the US, my uncle lives over there and ive visited, and been on holiday there i just wondered if the tax was the same as buying from a store. where the store charges a certain amount of tax once you get to the till(its not on the price tag which sucks).

whereas here in the UK you get 17.5% VAT which is already on the price tag so you know the exact price before you buy.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

whereas here in the UK you get 17.5% VAT which is already on the price tag so you know the exact price before you buy.

Yeah I wish they did that iin Canada with the GST, I hat buying something that is $10 and paying 11.40, $crew that make it some round number so I stop having pennies and crap!

At least there's no provincial tax in Alberta 8) and our gov't gives us free money because we got lotsa goo under the ground other people/countries want. $400 for nothing Baby! :mrgreen:

 

[g-paw]

This is pricing of 4 TKD HD Disks in dollars and Euros for a nice comparrson. Of course this is before taxes.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1948051,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532