Pricing hmm

[rai_kane3]

Was looking at pre ordering Flash 8 upgrade however whats going on with costs.

America $299.00 = £165.88

if you select uk

UK £299.00 = $538.96

so do I say im from america and get the cheaper upgrade?

[Ordinathorreur]

I just called Macromedia U.K. and they acknowledged there was a price difference. They said it was fine for me to get someone state-side to send me a copy, no license or legality issues.

I think the price difference stems from import regulations etc. outside Macromedia control. They still have to sell this stuff in shops too. I'm still gonna try buying from the u.s. store, send a backup copy to a U.S. address and have them send it to me.

[SlowRoasted]

awe crap gonna have to shell out some cash now

good thing i can still get an educational version;)

[rai_kane3]

Ahhh thats ok then I have a friend in seattle who can purchase it for me and send me it.

[Ordinathorreur]

Make sure you alter the description of the package contents, or you'll still get hammered once it gets to customs.

[glosrfc]

I doubt that import restrictions would account for a 180% hike. The duty on items imported into the UK varies. For computers the duty is actually zero but, as Flash comes supplied on CDs, we'll assume that this is the duty payable which is only 3%. VAT at 17.5% is added to the total price so the true cost should be closer to:

£165.88 * 3% = £4.98
£165.88 + £4.98 = £170.86 *17.5% = £29.90

The full price including import duties and VAT is therefore £165.88 + £4.98 + £29.90 or £200.76, still some £99 less than the price Macromedia are asking. Put another way, the advertised UK price represents a markup for Macromedia of $177 for every UK sale.

And that's actually a worse case scenario as every individual is entitled to bring (or import) goods into the UK to the value of £145 p.a. and duty/VAT is only applied to the excess of £20.88. So, assuming that the full allowance is still applicable, the total cost for a UK resident should only be £165.88 + £0.63 + £3.76 = £170.27

It actually gets worse. Because of the $1=£1 exchange rate applied, UK purchasers are even more disadvantaged because they will probably end up paying duty and VAT on £299, bringing the entire purchase price up to a whopping £361.86. That's $648.45 to any of our colonial cousins viewing this thread....merely for the upgrade.

The sad fact is that we ourselves condone this behaviour by continuing to purchase goods that are advertised at $1=£1 exchanges.

[MichaelxxOA]

I think that glosrfc just made us all 200% smarter than we were, and somehow I am suddenly very happy I live in America... and work at a schoool, w00t to the educational versions of everything!

-Michael

[rai_kane3]

I will be giving my friend the cash he can then pay for it and send me the goods only thing Im worried about is when i activate the product.

I think compaints need to be made at macromedia.. its hard enough finding cash to pay for software without having to pay for a $1 - £1 exchange rate.

[simplistik]

No offense but I think it's ridiculous that you guys are complaining about the conversion rate of money. It's not america's fault that the ratio isn't a 1:1 conversion. This is the second time someone has complained about the monitary amount. If it's that big of a deal just don't get the flippin program. Last I checked at McDonalds your prices are £.99 on the value menu... and it's $.99 here in the US. So it's always been like that. The way business looks at it... you're payin 299 pieces of paper.

[G]

lol :) I agree with Simp, we in the UK or Eurpoe can't do anything about it and we've always been on the wrong end of the price scale when it comes to software in particular anyway so its nothing new:(

[tid]

No offense but I think it's ridiculous that you guys are complaining about the conversion rate of money. It's not america's fault that the ratio isn't a 1:1 conversion. This is the second time someone has complained about the monitary amount. If it's that big of a deal just don't get the flippin program. Last I checked at McDonalds your prices are £.99 on the value menu... and it's $.99 here in the US. So it's always been like that. The way business looks at it... you're payin 299 pieces of paper.
Actually it would be 299 small metal discs.

Back on topic, Don't you think Macromedia are just encouraging piracy by ripping us off like this?

[simplistik]

If you pirated software b4 you're still gonna do it. Don't use this as an extremely lame justification to steal.

[glosrfc]

lol :) I agree with Simp, we in the UK or Eurpoe can't do anything about it and we've always been on the wrong end of the price scale when it comes to software in particular anyway so its nothing new:(

What I always insist on is to buy in dollars using my credit card. The cc company then carry out the conversion. Okay, their exchange rates will be slightly higher, but you'll be paying closer to $310 instead of $538.

It's all very well to say "way business looks at it... you're payin 299 pieces of paper" but it's a bit different if some bits of paper (or shiny metal disks) are worth twice as much as another. Or wouldn't you mind handing over 299 Benjamin Franklins for the same bit of software - you're only paying 299 pieces of paper after all?

[simplistik]

What I always insist on is to buy in dollars using my credit card. The cc company then carry out the conversion. Okay, their exchange rates will be slightly higher, but you'll be paying closer to $310 instead of $538.

It's all very well to say "way business looks at it... you're payin 299 pieces of paper" but it's a bit different if some bits of paper (or shiny metal disks) are worth twice as much as another. Or wouldn't you mind handing over 299 Benjamin Franklins for the same bit of software - you're only paying 299 pieces of paper after all?Well to them $1 in US is... $1. and the equivilant to that in the UK is £1. You don't go saying in the UK... "£1! can you please convert that to $1 american so I don't have to pay as much."

[glosrfc]

Well to them $1 in US is... $1. and the equivilant to that in the UK is £1. You don't go saying in the UK... "£1! can you please convert that to $1 american so I don't have to pay as much."

If they used such a (pardon the pun) simplistic argument as that, then why isn't the Japanese price a mere $2.71? After all, the equivalent to $1 in Japan is ¥1. But then ¥1 is only worth .00907441 dollars......


....and ¥299 is still only 299 bits of paper.

[DDD]

Or wouldn't you mind handing over 299 Benjamin Franklins for the same bit of software - you're only paying 299 pieces of paper after all?

lol...299 benji's is alot of money.....

[simplistik]

Is, 1¥, £1 and $1 the lowest whole "dollar" amount in each country?

[glosrfc]

Both £1 and ¥1 are the base values in the respective countries...so they're both the values against which the dollar is traded, yes.

[simplistik]

So... if you have £1+£1 = £2 and $1+$1 = $2 right? Sooo.... you guys think it's fair that we give 299, 1s while you give 166, 1s.

[ramie]

its got absolutely nothing to do with that, we pay to much tax in the uk on good's and services thats the problem.

[simplistik]

its got absolutely nothing to do with that, we pay to much tax in the uk on good's and services thats the problem.
Right... and we pay out the butt for imported goods as well... yet you don't see me complaining about the higher price of a BMW in American than in Europe.

[glosrfc]

I'm lost on your argument now...if it's "fair" that some give 299 dollars ($299) and some give 299 pounds sterling ($538) , then surely it's also "fair" that others give 299 yen ($2). But it's clear that Macromedia don't see it that way :)

Surely what's fair is that some give 299 dollars while others give the equivalent of 299 dollars, no?

Admittedly one can't expect a software company to recalculate their international pricing on a daily basis according to the fluctuations of the dollar so one would expect there to be some leeway in the pricing, say 20% either way....but 180%? Surely not.
Besides, if a purchase can be made in dollars via a credit card and the price calculated accordingly, it must be possible.

Taxation has little to do with it - there's not a great deal of difference between VAT and sales tax in the US. And import duty would only add a further 3%.

Instead of pricing in local currencies, it would be "fairer" for software companies to price in their own local currency and let the banks take care of the exchange rate. Afer all, it doesn't matter if I spend £1 or £1,000...what matters is that Macromedia get $299 for their product.

[ramie]

European cars are better anyway :D and its not imported goods this is right across the board.

But we pay a criminal ammount of tax on goods, electronic goods and software are some of the worste, then I gotta hand over nearly a third of my earnings annually aswell, I got council tax and if I earn enough I have VAT on top of that, I feel the pain more as I do my own books now, its a real arse.

[glosrfc]

Right... and we pay out the butt for imported goods as well... yet you don't see me complaining about the higher price of a BMW in American than in Europe.

Are you being serious?

A new BMW 325i Sedan in the US is $31,595
To purchase the same vehicle in the UK you'd have to hand over $47,926 greenbacks. ;)

[simplistik]

Are you being serious?

A new BMW 325i Sedan in the US is $31,595
To purchase the same vehicle in the UK you'd have to hand over $47,926 greenbacks. ;)
hehe... I didn't really know I was just sayin that we pay more for imported goods. Anyway... IMO you guys are cryin about something that's been goin on for a long time... deal with it :D :hugegrin: and pay up.

[ramie]

yea, I dont complain about it short of emigrating aint much I can do, it all ballances out in the end anyway, cost of living and all that nonense, plus we have http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/, not sure if you get that stateside, so its not 1/2 bad in the UK at all :)

[mathew.er]

Well that realy a shame that this $1 = £1 = 1 everything conversion rate doesnt apply to Czech republic. Now I'm just sure I have payed over 20,000 CZK + 20% tax for studio MX with flash MX 2k4 pro and not 299 CZK. btw $1 is about 24 CZK

[rai_kane3]

I think that everyone is looking at this wrong why shoudl anyone have to pay less or more depending on exhange rate everyone should pay the same so whatever it is in the states it shoudl be in the UK or anywhere else in the world why should we have to pay more just coz we are in the UK thats just wrong.. and as for don't by the product then well the point is I want to buy the product and don't want to get it pirated..

[Seb Hughes]

I think that everyone is looking at this wrong why shoudl anyone have to pay less or more depending on exhange rate everyone should pay the same so whatever it is in the states it shoudl be in the UK or anywhere else in the world why should we have to pay more just coz we are in the UK thats just wrong.. and as for don't by the product then well the point is I want to buy the product and don't want to get it pirated..DITTO

[Luckies]

FYI, the vast majority of cars you see in the States may be made in factories that are owned by foreign companies, but those factories are located in the US. You could argue that the added cost comes from importing parts, but the vast majority of car parts come from other countries. You're paying for a name, not quality.

Besides, the Japanese make the best cars.

[Zimmermann]

Can I buy the download version and then pay in US dollars instead of Euros or Pounds?

Edit: So I checked amazon and they sell Studio 8 for slightly less than Macromedia (974.99 US dollars) - much less than what you have to pay in Euros or Pounds. Why not buy it there instead?
I also found out you can get Flash 5 for 119.95 and then upgrade from that (I'd like to get confirmed that you can really upgrade from that?). Doing it this (sleazy) way it's only (388.99 + 119.95 = ) 508.94 US dollars. 466.05 saved.

I'll get the normal version though (I think). I don't mind paying as much as everyone else - just not more than everyone else! :)

[eyezberg]

http://www.kirupa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182726

[senocular]

Im thinking you might be able to find an older version of Fireworks cheaper

[chic0]

How can you do that? Cuz they're not in the stores anymore..

[senocular]

online

[Zimmermann]

I've checked amazon. No Fireworks available before the MX version. Dreamweaver 4 is about 250 dollars.

By the way how does the upgrade thing work? How does it know I have an old version of one of the programs?

[bleach20xx]

you will have to input the serial number of the old program

[Zimmermann]

ok, bleach ;)

I've been searching more on amazon and some of cheapest the versions of the older programs are for macintosh. So I'm wondering if I can use a mac serial key, but use the windows version of the upgrade?

Edite: I just looked at this other thread
http://www.kirupa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=188617&page=2
So that answered my question: You can't :(

[wakeup]

can you upgrade from the educational version to full?? how much is that?
is it worth me buying edu now in my last year of uni then paying to upgrade??

also it appeared in the promo stuff that you can upgrade for AU$605 if you own any! macromedia sofware thats in the studio bubdle!! that right?

[senocular]

educational versions cannot be upgraded to full. When they say ANY, they actually mean any commercial liscense for the same platform you wish to upgrade to.

[VersusMG]

Does anyone know how much the upgrade price will go up after the release?

[senocular]

I dont think it will happen until a few months after release. Usually its about $100 (If I recall, though I dont know for sure)