Decaflon Thread: Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

armen — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 07:02:42

Sure we're always getting ripped off Ian, it's hardly something new. It's the same with the Macbook, digital cameras, cars, and a million other things.

I'm now living in Australia, and it's just the same as the UK - worse in some cases because their eBay is useless too.

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

IanHalliday — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:53:52

That sucks about CD's, and thats quite a lot for a CD, well not quite actually if it is an accurate example, as it's still cheaper than here :(

I'm going to check that issue of taxes out, but the thing is if that were the case, surely Adobe would just mark their products up by a given percentage (e.g. 25% across the board) for the UK market to cover extra costs.

Instead they seem to mark products up by whatever they feel like, and of course in Britain any company can step in and start selling their products at ridiculous premiums and our government is happy to let them do so, as they get 17.5% of that goodness in VAT.

It may seem like I'm being pissy but everything is sold at a premium here and it's getting worse, and despite the attempts of the media to raise awareness, we are pretty much powerless to do anything about it. Saying that, a lot of people I know have found the answer - leave the country!

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

thatguy — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 09:04:31

One thing that may or may not be taken in consideration is the posibility of import/export taxes. As a US company, Adobe's UK prices might be marked up as a result of those additional expenses.

Take music CDs for example. If I wanted to purchase a Cd by a UK band like Serafin or the Streets, I'd have to pay $25 instead $15, unless there was an American distributor.

Bottomline: CS3 is worth it. If it wasn't, you'd just bit-torrent it.

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

IanHalliday — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 21:53:07

Now my brain is alive, I see what Karen Haslam has done, and it is indeed the wording that confuses things. She has calculated the percentage difference between the UK & US price. The word 'extra' is what confuses things!

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

IanHalliday — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 21:36:22

Hahaha, Andrew you are spot on! I didn't even realise in my rage, but then again I didn't do the maths - that's a quote from Macworld.co.uk!!

My brain was most definitely not switched on this morning :/

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

fray — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 21:29:59

...or find some willing internet firend to buy it for you and ship it to you.
I'm sure you would find people (like us fellow 9r's) willing to help you out.

I've helped out many a buddy doing just that.

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

AndrewIngram — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:54:30

Your maths is wrong.

58% extra would be £191

The UK price is actually 138% extra. More than double.

The US price is 42% of the UK one.

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

rickcurran — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:38:58

Hi, get a really cheap flight to the US and buy it there! ;) Get a free holiday out of it!

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

IanHalliday — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:10:15

I agree Ozone42 - But what are the chances of that happening? I can't afford to buy into CS3 yet, and probably won't for a long time!

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

Ozone42 — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:04:51

Best way to get them to lower prices is to not buy it until they do.

Of course if your peers don't do the same, you'll never see them lower it.

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

IanHalliday — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 19:51:51

Heh, well we don't have much choice at the moment!

It's worth the money (CS3 looks hot) but the difference in price is a joke! Best get doing some extra hours to earn those extra pound notes!

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

Rich — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 19:12:07

Sad thing is I'd pay that.

Is Adobe taking the mickey out of the Brits?

IanHalliday — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:54:48

From what I have read on macworld.co.uk, it would appear that Adobe expects British customers to pay anywhere up to 58% more for CS3 products than our American counterparts.

Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Standard
UK upgrade price excluding VAT: £289
US upgrade price excluding sales tax: $240
US upgrade price in pounds: £121.41
How much extra is that? £167.59
Percentage extra: 57.99%

What a joke!