Why do we always pay more in the UK

Andrew K

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I was looking at the Sharp LC 45GD1E but a little concerned by the lack of a HDMI input.

Researching on the internet you can find the following models all available in the USA :-

LC 45GD7U
LC 45GD6U
LC 45GD5U
LC 45GD4U
LC 45GX6U

All of these vary between $4200 and $5000 compared to the UK price of £4500.

They also have HDMI and DVI inputs.

Are we getting a poor deal ?

Does anyone know if Sharp are due to replace the UK model soon with one with a HDMI input ?
 
katorik said:
LC 45GD7U
LC 45GD6U
LC 45GD5U
LC 45GD4U
LC 45GX6U

All of these vary between $4200 and $5000 compared to the UK price of £4500.

They also have HDMI and DVI inputs.

Are we getting a poor deal ?

Well, probably because UK buyers are among the most capable (with highest incomes) in whole of Europe (except maybe Scandinavia where it is even worse) meaning manufacturers can spice-up the prices if the market can take it...since UK residents ARE buying and almost no-one's complaining, they don't see why they should sell their stuff for less in UK...if there was a sudden drop in interest, you'd see how fast the prices would tumble down...besides, comapring with the US where the cumulative sales are much much greater and allow for dumping prices is beyond the point...EVERYTHING is cheaper in US, even more so in Asia...
 
;- Too many Fat Cats skimming off the cream.
Look how much everybody pays for the privilege of watching 'SKY', and compare that with the USA
:thumbsdow
 
katorik said:
Researching on the internet you can find the following models all available in the USA

People in the USA can't afford to go to the dentist, doctor or optician.

Let them have cheap Levis and I'll happily pay extra on VAT and other taxes to have my NHS.
 
APPRIA40WR said:
People in the USA can't afford to go to the dentist, doctor or optician.

Let them have cheap Levis and I'll happily pay extra on VAT and other taxes to have my NHS.

i know of three recent separate incidents where people have paid on the NHS and slashed their waiting time from 18months to 5 days !!! you get what you pay for with some things.
 
Sinelanguage said:
i know of three recent separate incidents where people have paid on the NHS and slashed their waiting time from 18months to 5 days !!! you get what you pay for with some things.

Well, at least we have a choice. I had a relative who had great heart surgery and follow-up service a few months ago on the Scottish NHS. No need for credit card details when entering hospital.

My Aunt in Florida last year had to remortgage her house to get her 30 year old son an operation. That's a working man having to get his mother into debt. The money she got from the remortgage didn't cover everything and he had to get another loan and now can't pay it due to further illness.

As we saw with the flooding in the US, people are poor. They do get cheap Levi's and McDonald's though.
 
I work for a UK distributor of US products and we are currently at a point including shipping, tax and profit that the incoming dollar price is the outgoing pound price. Hurts I know but everyone that handles a product makes a profit out of it.

Makes me cringe as well when people see the RRP in the States and then moan at us that things are expensive. Don't forget the US price normally excludes Tax as this varies state to state.
 
katorik said:
Does anyone know if Sharp are due to replace the UK model soon with one with a HDMI input ?

Does anyone have any inside information on this as I would hate to buy one and then find out it is replaced by a more uptodate version.
 
I have the Sharp G4 series which has DVI like the GD1E. The DVI input is HDCP compatible, therefore it is the same as HDMI but without sound. There will be no difference in quality between DVI and HDMI, you will just need a separate lead for inputting sound from your HDMI / DVI enabled device.

The GD1 is an awesome telly, and is still 'up there with the best' as far as picture quality etc (particularly with non-analogue sources). The Sharp design is also 'timeless' and is still stunning to look at today. The very latest Sharp models GD7 / GA6 are both based on the GD1 design, so that says a lot.

The other probable advantage of going for the GD1 will be that it will have the previous Sharp menu system, which lets you adjust just about every possible aspect of the TV's settings. The menus on the new Sharp models (and assume will be the case for the new 45" models) have been 'dumbed down' to I assume make things easier for the average punter. This is a retrograde step in my (and seemingly others on this forum) opinion.
 
spickee said:
Makes me cringe as well when people see the RRP in the States and then moan at us that things are expensive. Don't forget the US price normally excludes Tax as this varies state to state.

That's why many residents of Boston , where the taxes are so high they call it "Tax-achussetts" , purchase items like TV's by heading north to New Hampshire ; I work for a Boston-based company and when I am over there with a little spare time I always head for the Salem NH "strip" - a couple of miles of shops conveniently just across the state line.
NH has no state taxes - although unsurprisingly their services aren't as good.

Chris Muriel, Manchester.
 
Come to Norway guys.... the 37PF9830 goes for 33900Nok... that's £2950. Only £400 more than the UK....

And a Big Mac costs £4....
 
Because that's the way it was, is now and always will be.

Look at petrol, 75% of that is tax.

We just happen to be born in an expensive country.
I always thought the UK was one of the riches countrys in the world.
Probably cause of the prices we pay on goods.

No vat on food or mags though.

If people stopped buying tv's, I don't think they'd lower the price, just with-draw from selling in this country, either that or we'd get a lot cheap sh*t.

I'm thinking of the new Philips 42PF9840 - over 3k, should really be about a K cheaper,
but think how long it will last and the enjoyment you'd get from watching it.

AND when your mates or a chick come round you can impress em.
 

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