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Adobe To Australians: Fly To US For Cheaper Software

Posted by Soulskill on from the sometimes-the-simplest-solution-eludes-us dept.

angry tapir writes "It's been a long-running joke that it's cheaper for Australians to get a plane ticket to the U.S. if they want to buy Adobe's Creative Suite instead of paying local prices. But appearing before a parliamentary inquiry into the disparity between IT prices in Australia and elsewhere, Adobe's local chief appeared to suggest just that." Other companies gave their responses to the inquiry as well. Microsoft said they'll simply charge what the market will bear. Apple tossed out a host of reasons for the price difference; its retail partners, digital content owners, exchange rates, taxes, import duties, and an apparent inability to alter the price set by its U.S. parent company.

4 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. Re:what about the inport taxes? and the VAT tax? by rakaz · · Score: 4, Informative

    Longer warranties, import taxes and sales taxes are just costs of doing business. And costs of doing business are passed along to the customer. Did you really expect a commercial company to let higher costs eat into their profit margin? If taxes are being raised, prices go up. If legislation is passed that makes it more expensive for companies to operate, prices go up.

  2. Re:Mail it'? by mark-t · · Score: 4, Informative

    Didn't someone buying cheap text books marked for "outside US only" and selling them in the US lose in court?

    Initially, yes. But it was overturned by the supreme court.

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
  3. Shopping trips are cheaper by pablo_max · · Score: 4, Informative

    Seriously. There are organized trips now to the US. Not just for TVs and games and stuff like that.
    People will fly to US and buy their entire kitchen set. (Most can work both 110v and 220v now).
    Even after paying the shipping container and the VAT, it is still significantly cheaper than buying in Australia.

  4. Re:Regional licensing agreements? by LinuxIsGarbage · · Score: 4, Informative

    Also most online UPSes produce a sine wave, where cheap standby ones generate a square like wave. Sine wave inverters are of course more expensive.