Quote:
Originally Posted by dapriuk
If it is very obvious that the supplier is screwing me on price - take the pre-local taxes US price and compare with the pre-local taxes UK price (ie VAT). I used to travel to the US on business a lot so had ample opportunity to compare store costs and the till receipts helpfully listed sales taxes etc.
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That may be the case in the UK, but you need to take more factors into consideration when comparing prices using exchange rates. For example, in Australia (as the OP stated) book prices are a lot higher than in other countries. A big factor in this is that Australians have a relatively high cost of living as well as relatively high incomes.
For example you can buy a beer in Thailand for 50c (AUD$) but in Australia you'd pay about AUD$3. Does this make Australian pubs a ripoff? No, their costs are much higher and Australians have much more income with which to buy beer.
Of course, tax, etc. plays a part too. Australians pay more tax on most things. In short, economies vary.
Amazon is great because Kindle book prices are a lot lower than paper books here in Australia. US$9.99 - US$12.99 for most books I buy compared to around AUD$25 (~US$20) for most paperbacks.
Geographical restrictions are horrid, and a relic of old business ways. I'm sure that eventually they will erode as publishers consolidate and places like Amazon expand. I've noticed at least one pretty minor Australian author is now on Kindle, so that critical mass point is approaching. In fact, I've noticed quite a few books become available in Australia that I couldn't buy a few months ago.