Photoshop CS6 Upgrade. Why do we pay a 70% premium?

[Cage]

I currently use Photoshop CS3 Extended, but it does not seem to be all that happy with W7 64bit, Bridge stops working too often.

Upon investigating the upgrade option I find that the Adobe.com website offers the upgrade via download for $US199.00 whereas we in Australia are asked to pay $AU337.00 for the same download.

With the Oz dollar around parity with the US dollar, that is a whopping 70% premium for living in the lucky country.

Now the item in question is a software download, not some bulky item that attracts huge freight costs or even import duties, so I can see no reason for the huge price disparity other than GREED.

This is just a blatant RIP OFF !!! Shame on you Adobe Australia. Do you think Australians are a bunch of Neanderthals lacking the smarts to go on-line and be aware of what is happening in the rest of the world.

To say I'm P!!$$ED off would be a huge understatement.

[MissionMan]

I think its one of the reason's you'll find illegal downloads of Adobe are quite high. For some people its the principle of the matter. I think Adobe make most of their money off businesses who don't really have much of a choice.

I ended up getting a friend to buy my copy of CS5 in the US because I couldn't justify what they were charging locally. If you have someone you know get them to buy it and do a paypal transfer to them.

[ameerat42]

To say I'm P!!$$ED off would be a huge understatement.

Kevin, you?

a bunch of Neanderthals

And them! And don't forget me too! (Hm!)

Hang on! Didn't Neanderthals do cave painting and without Photoshop?

I think only the ultimate rationale will suffice as an answer. I present in it's local form: BECAUSE! JUST BECAUSE!

(Other tried and failed reasons: Carbon Tax? No? Air Tax? OK, try Thumb Tax.)

[etherial]

It was (is?) the same with Lightroom's V4 release, there was a substantial price difference for the same digital download. I an many other complained to Adobe. When they did respond they stated that they have different costs of doing business in Australia, staff, offices, marketing etc vs the size of the market. I can't see those factors accounting for that type of difference though. Very annoying.

[MissionMan]

It was (is?) the same with Lightroom's V4 release, there was a substantial price difference for the same digital download. I an many other complained to Adobe. When they did respond they stated that they have different costs of doing business in Australia, staff, offices, marketing etc vs the size of the market. I can't see those factors accounting for that type of difference though. Very annoying.

Its the same bull&#$& excuse they use all the time. In a day and age of digital downloads the cost is no different.

[Cage]

Adobe Australia seems to keep a very low profile.

Their 1800 number gets answered in India.

Dial their business store number and you get a recorded message asking you to leave your details. A reverse number check comes up blank.

I suspect that Adobe Australia is mostly located on a hard-drive in the good old US of A.

- - - Updated - - -

Maybe I should just enrol in an approved course and get the Teacher/Student extended version for $175.00.

[Art Vandelay]

How about logging onto the US site via a proxy server & do the transaction ?

A download is a download in my eyes, regardless of your location.

Dunno if that would work, but worth looking into. Some more net savvy types may know.

[MissionMan]

I tested that previously. You need a US address and PayPal is linked to Aus. If you use an Aus credit card you need the correct CC address or it won't go through either.

[Kym]

Warning: This thread is tending towards illegal activity.

Please don't continue in that vein.

[Cage]

Adobe are appearing before a parliamentary committee tomorrow to answer questions about why their software pricing in Australia is so much higher than in the US.

Be interesting to see the outcome although I won't hold my breath waiting to see a report on the committee's findings.

Here is the article from today's Sydney Morning Herald.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/d...728-232uh.html

[Paul G]

I was just about to refer to that too. I hope something good comes of it.

And Kim I know what you are saying in relation to site rules but Adobe's trade practices in Australia are what should be illegal and I hope that is found to be the case.

[Bennymiata]

Cars are even worse than software or printers.

Someone I know bought a new Mercedes here that cost him $161K, and exactly the same car in the US of A, with even more options in it, only costs US$51K.
Porsches are similar, in that a bisic 911 in the US costs around US$75K, where here it is $240K.

And I don't believe the bull about our different taxes or the cost of RHD versions either, as you could import either one of these from the US, pay all the relavent local taxes AND convert it to RHD and still save a MOTZA!
With cars however, if you don't buy it from a dealer, you can't get it registered, so they have you over a barrell.
With software, they only have you partially over a barrell.

Take sport shoes as another example.
Good Pumas cost around $200 here, where you can buy the same shoes in a US department store, at full retail price, for around $45.

We are being ripped off here. No doubt about it, and this is why so many of our retailers are going broke and shutting up shop.
It's not the retailers that are making excessive mark-ups, indeed the retail mark-ups here are around the same as anywhere else in the world on a percentage basis, it's the importers and distributors here that are charging way over the odds which forces retailers to charge such high prices.

[ricktas]

Warning: I have removed several posts from this thread, due to site rules breaches

Site Rules

Members with Under 30 day’s membership and/or 50 posts:

[3] Are not allowed to promote or complain! Promotion or complaints about services/people/organisations/products/businesses by new members is not allowed anywhere on Ausphotography. New members are also not allowed to seek/advertise employment (either paid or unpaid) anywhere on the site.

[Duane Pipe]

I purchased a LED camp lantern off ebay for $6.00 A few days later I was in a camping store and spotted the exact same thing but with Primus stickers on it, it was a whopping $49.95. I know that there are a lot of chines clones on the market but who gives a shit when you can save so much money.

[peterb666]

I purchased a LED camp lantern off ebay for $6.00 A few days later I was in a camping store and spotted the exact same thing but with Primus stickers on it, it was a whopping $49.95. I know that there are a lot of chines clones on the market but who gives a shit when you can save so much money.

The lamp cost $6 and the sticker $0.15. The cost of labour to place the sticker on the lamp was $43.80.

We are frequently ripped off with software, especially with digital downloads which are usually serviced from overseas portals.

[ApolloLXII]

It's called 'price gouging', a very widespread practice here in Australia and not just applicable to Photoshop. The only way to combat it is to not buy the products. Companies will soon listen when their profits begin to drop. I'd like to upgrade to Photoshop CS6 but not at the ridiculous price they are asking and besides, I'm doing quite adequately using CS2 in conjunction with Elements 8 for my post production needs.

[MissionMan]

In some respects I can understand the heavier costs for some products. For example, I can understand the heavier costs for hardware because you still have to support hardware. I.e. having to support 20,000,000 people has a higher cost per person than having to support 200,000,000 people. As an example, I expect to pay more for an iPhone here than the US.

What I don't understand is the cost associated with any product that is software that can be downloaded. I.e. Adobe, iTunes, etc. I can understand that music may be more expensive if you walk into a store and buy it but I don't accept digital downloads being more expensive, particularly when their support usually comes from a call centre in india or another cheap labour country no matter where you buy from.

[Kym]

http://www.news.com.au/technology/sm...-1226438683556

AUSTRALIANS are paying about 50 per cent more for IT products than customers in the US because of the high cost of doing business here, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.

In some cases the price difference can be almost double - with Nintendo Wii games costing 88 per cent more here.

Choice head of campaigns Matt Levey told the inquiry the most likely cause of higher prices was international price discrimination - meaning the wholesalers were setting higher prices for the Australian market.

[Paul G]

Adobe didn't even send a representative to the inquiry yesterday. Treating us with contempt much Adobe....?

I have friends in the USA at the moment. Thinking about getting them to purchase software to bring back for me.

[MissionMan]

Adobe didn't even send a representative to the inquiry yesterday. Treating us with contempt much Adobe....?

I have friends in the USA at the moment. Thinking about getting them to purchase software to bring back for me.

Do a paypal transfer to them, let them purchase it and send you the emailed license code when they get it. Its all electronic these days and you can download 30 day trial and add the license key when it arrives.