Handling fees - rip off Britain

Incapuppy

Yes, I agree with the points you make dickydonkin. In fact I think it should be questioned why we continue to send aid to India when they can afford their own space programme but that's a whole different argument!

My comment was rather general, I should have made it clear that I asked that question of Mr Wang in relation to the Horton Plains NP in Sri Lanka.

Trying to annoy Mr Wang is one of my favourite pastimes, sad but true!

callum9999

Mr_Wang wrote: »

Hang on.

Are you saying that if a T shirt is sold in Malaysia for £1, then sold here for £30... That's common sense and not a rip off?

Not with those figures necessarily no, but in general yes. What are you struggling to understand? Are you seriously expecting 3rd world prices in the UK? The only way significantly lower prices could be sustained in the UK is if you cut the wages of everyone involved in the supply chain (retail, warehousing, shipping, research and development etc.). Cut everyone's wages, and other non-related industries then don't need to pay more - and the end result is we are all on Malaysian wages.

It is no coincidence that stuff is cheap in poor countries and expensive in rich countries.

Mr_Wang

callum9999 wrote: »

Not with those figures necessarily no, but in general yes. What are you struggling to understand? Are you seriously expecting 3rd world prices in the UK? The only way significantly lower prices could be sustained in the UK is if you cut the wages of everyone involved in the supply chain (retail, warehousing, shipping, research and development etc.). Cut everyone's wages, and other non-related industries then don't need to pay more - and the end result is we are all on Malaysian wages.

It is no coincidence that stuff is cheap in poor countries and expensive in rich countries.

Don't try and smokescreen this with boring rhetoric.

What about the US? I can go buy some Abercrombie and Fitch jeans there for $40, here they cost £80.
Explain that away......

Or Japan, or Hong Kong or Dubai... Yeah Dubai, go on explain that one.

You cant, you're argument is a fail Callum.

prowla

The biggest rip-off is amusement parks that have dedicated car parking and charge you for it.

callum9999

Mr_Wang wrote: »

Don't try and smokescreen this with boring rhetoric.

What about the US? I can go buy some Abercrombie and Fitch jeans there for $40, here they cost £80.
Explain that away......

Or Japan, or Hong Kong or Dubai... Yeah Dubai, go on explain that one.

You cant, you're argument is a fail Callum.

Obviously I was giving a rather simplified version of it... Just off the top of my head, I'd imagine your jeans are cheaper there because a) costs are cheaper (lower wages, lower store rents, lower factory/shipping prices etc.), b) sales tax is lower, c) A&F are based there, d) cost of living is lower, e) exchange rate fluctuations, f) economy of scale. And finally, your point comes in as well - because people pay it.

Then there is all the complex economic stuff where currencies are manipulated - China being a famous one. This results in prices being artificially low (and I'm no economics expert and barely understand it myself - so I'm not going to even attempt to explain it!).

My argument is a fail? Please tell me your talk like that in real life! You sound like a 10 year old nerd who thinks he's being cool!

dickydonkin

callum9999 wrote: »

Obviously I was giving a rather simplified version of it... Just off the top of my head, I'd imagine your jeans are cheaper there because a) costs are cheaper (lower wages, lower store rents, lower factory/shipping prices etc.), b) sales tax is lower, c) A&F are based there, d) cost of living is lower, e) exchange rate fluctuations, f) economy of scale. And finally, your point comes in as well - because people pay it.

Then there is all the complex economic stuff where currencies are manipulated - China being a famous one. This results in prices being artificially low (and I'm no economics expert and barely understand it myself - so I'm not going to even attempt to explain it!).

My argument is a fail? Please tell me your talk like that in real life! You sound like a 10 year old nerd who thinks he's being cool!

It is very likely - if not certain that the A&F jeans you refer to are made in the Far East.

Abercrombie and Fitch are a global company although based in Ohio - US, but you can bet that most - if not all of their clothes are imported from the Far East or Mexico - so being based in the US seems an irrelevant argument.

Sales tax and duties will indeed very likely be lower in the US than here - something Mr Wang is trying to put over. The UK government will take more revenue out of those jeans than the US government would.

Take APD as another example - the Netherlands have done away with it while our government look at travel and in particular motoring as a cash cow. The Dutch government realised that by implementing excessive APD, they would compromise their Amsterdam hub and indeed their economy.

Don't get me talking on the comparison between petrol and alcohol prices in the US compared to the fleecing we get here.

callum9999

dickydonkin wrote: »

It is very likely - if not certain that the A&F jeans you refer to are made in the Far East.

Abercrombie and Fitch are a global company although based in Ohio - US, but you can bet that most - if not all of their clothes are imported from the Far East or Mexico - so being based in the US seems an irrelevant argument.

Sales tax and duties will indeed very likely be lower in the US than here - something Mr Wang is trying to put over. The UK government will take more revenue out of those jeans than the US government would.

Take APD as another example - the Netherlands have done away with it while our government look at travel and in particular motoring as a cash cow. The Dutch government realised that by implementing excessive APD, they would compromise their Amsterdam hub and indeed their economy.

Don't get me talking on the comparison between petrol and alcohol prices in the US compared to the fleecing we get here.

So? Companies are still normally cheaper in their home markets than elsewhere (well, than other comparative markets).

The UK government also provides a hell of a lot more services than the US government... They aren't just grabbing it and stuffing it into a holding account somewhere...

And you may think the Netherlands government is so amazing with APD, but what do you think about their income tax rules? Where we pay 0%, they pay 33%. Where we pay 20%, they pay 42%. Are you suggesting we scrap APD and then ramp up income tax? This just goes to show how ridiculous it is to compare things across borders...

phatbear

Getting back to the OP's original point about "rip off britain".

The issue is not specific to the UK though, I took an in internal flight with Jetstar in Vietnam and they charged a card handling fee, so does Quantas, Virgin Blue etc.

We've been paying card handling fee's for years however its always been tucked away in the overall price of the ticket however travel companies have to be a tad more clear about how the ticket price is broken down therefore you see the whole picture now rather than having a discreet fee as was previously the case.

Mr_Wang

callum9999 wrote: »

So? Companies are still normally cheaper in their home markets than elsewhere (well, than other comparative markets).

The UK government also provides a hell of a lot more services than the US government... They aren't just grabbing it and stuffing it into a holding account somewhere...

And you may think the Netherlands government is so amazing with APD, but what do you think about their income tax rules? Where we pay 0%, they pay 33%. Where we pay 20%, they pay 42%. Are you suggesting we scrap APD and then ramp up income tax? This just goes to show how ridiculous it is to compare things across borders...

You're not going to give this up are you.

In the UK we are ripped off. It is that simple, though I wonder - Do you feel we don't get ripped off because you're one of the reasons I'm getting ripped off

dickydonkin

callum9999 wrote: »

So? Companies are still normally cheaper in their home markets than elsewhere (well, than other comparative markets).

Golden Virginia 5 X 50 Gram packs (Made in Nottingham) would cost around £75.00 in Tesco (home market).

In Belgium, (comparitive market - EU) the same product is less than 25 quid.

The excise duty and other taxes on alcohol and tobacco in the UK is excessive with the excuse of health being blamed or environmental issues being the justification to keep duty on petrol so high.

Thankfully I don't smoke and I buy my spirits when supermarkets are promoting them (usually loss leaders).