HUGE price difference between USD and Euro

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by cbell

The AUD price from DA Direct and Dymocks ($599.00) includes 10% GST.

It seems weird to me that places outside of the US include tax on items. In the US the price you see never includes tax... it is always added at the POS when you buy it. I think this is due to their being so many tax rates depending on the jurisdiction.

BOb

[Ortep]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

It seems weird to me that places outside of the US include tax on items. In the US the price you see never includes tax...

Different countries different rules. The world is a really big place. The US is only a small part of it

In Europe you have to mention the tax by law The price mentioned is the always the total price you'll have to pay, nothing excluded. This is to prevent shops to advertise with extremely low prices. If you leave out the VAT you can also leave out everything else. If you go that road you'll end up with somebody advertising with a Cybook for 50 Euro (Excluding USB cable, excluding the cardboard box, excluding the plastic wrapper, excluding part of the electricity bill, excluding the profit he makes, excluding the tax he has to pay, excluding....well you'll get the point.)

The last group that tried that were the airlines. They were advertising with tickets from Amsterdam to Madrid for 25 Euro. Of course that was without airport service costs, airport tax, airport security surcharge, even sometimes without luggage. When you bought the ticket you'll ended with something like 150 Euro.

Of course it borders to fraud and it sets the decent companies that do include everything way back when comparing prices. It makes it almost impossible to compare anything that way because you don't know what is in or excluded

[Ramen]

Originally Posted by cbell

Thanks for the different pricing info, montsnmags - its interesting to compare the currencies.

Aye, for a sufficiently loose definition of 'interresting'.

I'm in the same boat as you are. Swiss price is 500CHF (USD 455), shipping is 65CHF (USD 60). Switzerland is not part of the EU and has a local tax of 8-9%. If that tax is not included, the CH price is 30% above the US. If the tax is included, the price is still 18% above the US price. Bookeen just took the median of the EU and US prices.

meh