360 - Higher price due to VAT, but only for some

monument

Microsoft were kind enough to confirm that while we're being told the higher price for Ireland is due to VAT, a state with the same rate is getting the standard euro price...

http://gamestoaster.typepad.com/games_toaster/2005/09/xbox_360_higher.html

Ri_Nollaig

trust us to get screwed over...

jesus_thats_gre

Well the price is the exact same as the UK and the UK has a VAT rate of 17%.. Screwed over eh...

Ri_Nollaig

i just used XE.com to convert the price thats on game.net (279.99 pounds) and it says 413.98eur or 507 dollars... so i guess we dont have much to complain
either way i dont mind paying the extra 10eur once i can get gears of war with it

honru

Ah well, at least it's not as ridiculous as the original Xbox launch, think we we're the only European country with a pricetag of €475 (may have included a game, can't remember). Good thing that only lasted a month or two.

Ri_Nollaig

that was 475 pounds too wasnt it?

Gonzo

I seem to remember the first week the xbox went on sale here that it was around 500euro for an xbox with a game, that put me right off buying the machine, I waited for the gamecube instead then bought my xbox about 18 months ago.

monument

I see some weird logic here, am I picking this up wrong or are some of you actually trying to say we’re not getting rip-off because the UK are getting ripped-off more then us? Or is it ok because ripping us off is the done thing?

It’s not ‘Rip-off Ireland’, more like ‘Please Rip-off Ireland’.

RobertFoster

monument wrote:

I see some weird logic here, am I picking this up wrong or are some of you actually trying to say we’re not getting rip-off because the UK are getting ripped-off more then us? Or is it ok because ripping us off is the done thing?

It’s not ‘Rip-off Ireland’, more like ‘Please Rip-off Ireland’.

While I agree we're being ripped off, I can see why Ireland/UK/Finland/Portugal are being charged a higher price.

Ireland and the UK are islands. If it was cheaper in sterling, I'm sure we could import from the UK or take a trip north. I doubt many in the UK would take a trip to France for €10 difference.

Portugal is one of the most westerly countries (I'm not sure who's more west, us or them). I couldn't see someone from south-west Portugal taking a trip to Spain to get a tenner off.

Finland is bordering with Sweden (non-Eurozone), Norway and Russia (non-EU) - and it's fairly big, so they'd either have to change their money or travel far to get the €10 off.

Belgium on the other hand is small. It's bordering with the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. It would be a lot easier to take a trip across a border to get a tenner off.

I think it's a combination of VAT and geography that means we're getting a higher price. It's wrong I know, but I can see where Microsoft is coming from - the fact that they can do it means they will do it.

I won't be buying it at launch price anyway. So what else could we do, other than not buy it at that price monument? There'll be a lot with the "ah sure it's only a tenner - I can sacrifice the two pints" attitudes.

BKtje

Umm, shipping to ireland/UK isnt going to add a whole lot over somewhere in the continent. These come in big trucks id imagine holidng hundreds even not thousands of units. To add an extra fiver or tenner is gonna push up your profits a LOT.

steviec

B-K-DzR wrote:

To add an extra fiver or tenner is gonna push up your profits a LOT.

Or cut your losses, since the machine is costing them more to make than it is to sell.

This has to be the cheapest new console(considering inflation) ever, rather than saying "UK may be getting ripped off more, but we're still getting ripped off", you could just as easily say "central Europe's getting even better value, but we're still getting a good deal"

How many items are there on a shop shelf that you pay less for than the manufacturer paid for the raw materials? Whether or not it's worth the money is up to you, you can pick up a Gamecube nice and cheap these days if you don't think its worth paying for next generation technology.

monument

RobertFoster wrote:

I think it's a combination of VAT and geography that means we're getting a higher price. It's wrong I know, but I can see where Microsoft is coming from - the fact that they can do it means they will do it.

Logicly the only reason for doing it is because they can and most people will put up with it. The whole VAT reason looks to be nonsence.

RobertFoster wrote:

So what else could we do, other than not buy it at that price monument?

Good question, what about talking to Joe? - his show can change the political agenda day by day, so is enough people emailed/phoned you never know something might happen ...

email: joe@rte.ie
or: liveline@rte.ie
Please ensure to leave a contact telephone number on your email.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/

monument

steviec wrote:

This has to be the cheapest new console(considering inflation) ever, rather than saying "UK may be getting ripped off more, but we're still getting ripped off", you could just as easily say "central Europe's getting even better value, but we're still getting a good deal"

In plain English that really is still a negative… we’re paying more then the announced ‘euro price’ because we’ll live with it and we won’t give out about it.

steviec wrote:

How many items are there on a shop shelf that you pay less for than the manufacturer paid for the raw materials? Whether or not it's worth the money is up to you, you can pick up a Gamecube nice and cheap these days if you don't think its worth paying for next generation technology.

Oh, give me a brake on the economics of console pricing; it’s still that simple we’re being charged more then the general euro price because Microsoft can get away with it.

But if you want to get into that argument, a console is not a ‘raw material’, saying so is misleading. It’s a locked down computer that gathers revenue for the manufacture vie licensing of products and the sale of first-party products. If Microsoft can not make a profit on the console in this industry standard way, try charging ALL consumers more, but equally.

Lord Oz

Why bother buying it at launch? Wait 6 months until it's halved in price and they're bundling in 2 games.

iregk

Exactly Oz. Are we that gadget crazy that we simply must have it now not in 6 months when you get a hundred quid off and a game thrown in?

iregk

Actually after seeing fridays video stream, i think i may be waiting for the revolution! Looks the best of the 3 in my opinion.

BKtje

Or cut your losses, since the machine is costing them more to make than it is to sell.

While they may be selling it at a loss, they will still rake in the money from licencing etc as has been said.

This has to be the cheapest new console(considering inflation) ever, rather than saying "UK may be getting ripped off more, but we're still getting ripped off", you could just as easily say "central Europe's getting even better value, but we're still getting a good deal"

So basically your saying we getting a good deal, might not be as good a deal as anywhere else in the world, but we shouldnt complain cos its still cheaper than it could have been? People wonder why we pay over the top for everything.

I never had any intention to buy this at launch. Only console i bought at launch was the Ps2 and while i didn't regret it, i don't think ill be doing it again.

Retr0gamer

It might give microsoft a reason to inflate the game prices as well as if Game, Gamestop etc. weren't doing enough of that.

Good question, what about talking to Joe? - his show can change the political agenda day by day, so is enough people emailed/phoned you never know something might happen ...

Shoe-ur, shoe-ur.

flogen

fúck Joe, Eddie is yer only man!