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It is cheaper to fly to US than buy Adobe software in Australia

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Re: It is cheaper to fly to US than buy Adobe software in Australia

#71

Post by rmc »

EvilLook wrote: post #66
rmc wrote: post #63

This is a bug with the copyright system. The software is copyrighted and only Adobe can sell it. So they can sell what they want. One copyright reform I'd make, would be removing copyright protection from works like this where are sold as massively different rates between markets. You'd need to look at average wage in the country and compare (rather than a simple metric of 'can you fly to $OTHERCOUNTRY and buy it for…

>One copyright reform I'd make, would be removing copyright >protection from works like this where are sold as >massively different rates between markets. Great. When you're done there, can you tell others what to do with the things they've created? Because surely you know better than they do. How about you tell startups what price to offer their software at and how they must license any patents they create?

You act as if copyright is like property rights. Copyright only lasts a certain amount of time, is that "telling others what to do with the things they have created"?

There is no end of law about how companies can sell things, what they can/can't charge for (e.g. minimum warranties). Are you as outraged over that?

Re: It is cheaper to fly to US than buy Adobe software in Australia

#72

Post by sime »

corkill wrote: post #13
mattvot wrote: post #2

Can someone explain why tech stuff in general is quite a bit more expensive in Australia comparatively?

People are willing to pay more, so companies charge more. There is also higher cost of operating, higher wages etc. But I think all that is besides the point, companies want to maximize profits and if they can charge a higher price and still get a similar amount of sales to a lower price (as in Australia) they will charge high.

Exactly, and if they can't they will lower the price. This is all a beat up really.

Re: It is cheaper to fly to US than buy Adobe software in Australia

#73

Post by petercooper »

rmc wrote: post #63

This is a bug with the copyright system. The software is copyrighted and only Adobe can sell it. So they can sell what they want. One copyright reform I'd make, would be removing copyright protection from works like this where are sold as massively different rates between markets. You'd need to look at average wage in the country and compare (rather than a simple metric of 'can you fly to $OTHERCOUNTRY and buy it for…

One copyright reform I'd make, would be removing copyright protection from works like this where are sold as massively different rates between markets. You'd need to look at average wage in the country and compare

Just thought I'd try and run such numbers.

The median Australian household income in 2007-2008 was US $69,085. [1] The median US household income in the Northeast in 2010 was $53,283. [2] So a 31% difference versus the 66% difference in the software's price.

However, the Australian price probably includes GST of 10% which when deducted brings the difference to 51% vs 31%.

So yeah, there's a correction waiting to happen there unless other duties or taxes are causing the problem.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_household_income_in_Aust... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_...

Re: It is cheaper to fly to US than buy Adobe software in Australia

#74

Post by lucaspiller »

Nursie wrote: post #50
djt wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple stuff is still about 10-20% more expensive and the refurbs are about 10% and older versions.

Really? Because price difference was always effectively a rounding error when I calculated US price + Australian GST vs Australian price. I haven't looked for a while though, having moved back to the UK last year.

The UK is pretty much in line with the US, but here in Ireland (where their European distribution centre is :s) it's a fair bit higher. Taking the iMac 21.5":

US $1299 UK £1099 - 20% tax = £879 = $1368 IE €1399 - 23% tax = €1077 = $1452

Re: It is cheaper to fly to US than buy Adobe software in Australia

#75

Post by mattmanser »

What I never get about this and the differences in pricing in movies, music, books, branded clothes, etc. is that this is all tacitly approved by all the governments. That Nike or Adobe or whomever can stop people from buying it cheaper in one country and then selling it at a profit in another country is frankly bizarre.

But then they'll throw a fit at each other if one country says 'no, you can't sell you're cheap bananas here' and all start blathering about free trade.

Free trade is good in everything apart from IP apparently.

Re: It is cheaper to fly to US than buy Adobe software in Australia

#77

Post by mfenniak »

chiurox wrote: post #52

I'm surprised no one mentioned the exorbitant prices of electronics in Brazil compared to the US. For example, the top of the line Macbook 15" retina in the Brazilian Apple store costs R$12599 which is around $6395USD, while the same in the US is $2799. A Brazil/Miami return flight is also around $1000 depending on the time of year. So theoretically it's cheaper for Brazilians to go to Miami, have a nice weeklong vac…

> The problem is the government/customs knows that and thus catches and taxes a lot of people who try to bring over $500USD worth of products.

Does this mean the difference in the price of the Macbook is entirely taxes? Or, after paying an import duty at the airport, would the overall cost still be lower than buying the hardware domestically?

Re: It is cheaper to fly to US than buy Adobe software in Australia

#78

Post by mbesto »

stevoski wrote: post #36

I make sure my software my company creates and sells is more or less an equivalent price no matter where you buy it from. In the age of digital delivery, it seems the correct way to do it.

Scenario - You run your software company in the US. Cost of living is X and taxes are Y. You now expand to Japan. Cost of living for a sales person is 2X and taxes are 2Y. How do you pay that person if your price is the same? Don't operate there?

Re: It is cheaper to fly to US than buy Adobe software in Australia

#79

Post by digitalengineer »

Old news. Adobe is currently at Creative Suite 6. Here's an article about Creative Suite 3: UK will pay £1,000 more for Adobe CS3 http://www.zdnet.com/uk-will-pay-1000-more-for-adobe-cs3-303...

It would appear people keep buying it or Adobe would have changed the policy.

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