Mac price puzzle

Affieplaas

Affieplaas

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My 2015 27" iMac has served me extremely well. It has been an absolute rock star.

Unfortunately it does not support the latest version (and future versions) of Mac OS and with the Apple move away from Intel it will undoubtedly affect future app compatibility. Long story short, it would like to replace it with an M1 (or upcoming M2). As it appears as if there are no plans to replace the 27" iMac the most obvious replacement choice seems to be a Mac Mini with the new Mac Studio display. The latter just became available via the iStore.

I however battle to figure out how Core has established the SA pricing for the new display.

USA price is $1599 for the base model:
1653558946528.png

The SA price for the same model is R41,199
1653559014629.png


That is nearly 26 times the USA price. Most other apple devices seem to be between 17 and 21. With forex rate, shipping, import duties and VAT an "acceptable" conversion rate is usually around 20.

Does anyone have insight or thoughts into this craziness?
 
Affieplaas said:
My 2015 27" iMac has served me extremely well. It has been an absolute rock star.

Unfortunately it does not support the latest version (and future versions) of Mac OS and with the Apple move away from Intel it will undoubtedly affect future app compatibility. Long story short, it would like to replace it with an M1 (or upcoming M2). As it appears as if there are no plans to replace the 27" iMac the most obvious replacement choice seems to be a Mac Mini with the new Mac Studio display. The latter just became available via the iStore.

I however battle to figure out how Core has established the SA pricing for the new display.

USA price is $1599 for the base model:
View attachment 1315902

The SA price for the same model is R41,199
View attachment 1315904


That is nearly 26 times the USA price. Most other apple devices seem to be between 17 and 21. With forex rate, shipping, import duties and VAT an "acceptable" conversion rate is usually around 20.

Does anyone have insight or thoughts into this craziness?
Click to expand...
Core.
 
Affieplaas said:
My 2015 27" iMac has served me extremely well. It has been an absolute rock star.

Unfortunately it does not support the latest version (and future versions) of Mac OS and with the Apple move away from Intel it will undoubtedly affect future app compatibility. Long story short, it would like to replace it with an M1 (or upcoming M2). As it appears as if there are no plans to replace the 27" iMac the most obvious replacement choice seems to be a Mac Mini with the new Mac Studio display. The latter just became available via the iStore.

I however battle to figure out how Core has established the SA pricing for the new display.

USA price is $1599 for the base model:
View attachment 1315902

The SA price for the same model is R41,199
View attachment 1315904


That is nearly 26 times the USA price. Most other apple devices seem to be between 17 and 21. With forex rate, shipping, import duties and VAT an "acceptable" conversion rate is usually around 20.

Does anyone have insight or thoughts into this craziness?
Click to expand...

They smoked some good stuff then thumb sucked the price from betwixt their buttcheeks.

What are you going to get though? The Air/Pro MacBook, Mini or iMac?
 
prOd said:
They smoked some good stuff then thumb sucked the price from betwixt their buttcheeks.

What are you going to get though? The Air/Pro MacBook, Mini or iMac?
Click to expand...
I would prefer an iMac but need 27" display or more. The machine is used for leisure only. It is used as a Roon core for music streaming and is the basis for my pretty extensive headphone setup so there is no need for portability.

Since there seems to not be a replacement 27" iMac on the horison, I was thinking Mac Mini and Studio display. In all honesty I don't require a 5K display, standard 4K will do just fine. The monitor is one of the first things you see when you enter my house and the Apple aluminium finish just looks great. Nothing stops me from buying a R10k 27" or 32" 4K Samsung or similar monitor, but the Apple design is just so much more appealing. If the new Studio display was R25k I would have moaned a bit, but would have bit the bullet and added some spare E-Bucks and bought it. R41k for a 27" monitor is however just ridiculous.
 
Have you taken into account the 25% import duty on a monitor? There was also an additional 9%. After adding VAT you're already looking at close to $2400.
 
saor said:
Liewe fok.
$1599 = R25 320
R41 199 / R25 320 = +-2

If a thing cost $1 there and R16 here, it doesn't cost 16x more.
Click to expand...
Nee kom nou man, hou kop.

I never said it is 26 times more expensive in SA, I said the SA price is 26 times the USA price.

Gaan lees maar weer wat ek geskry het.
"That is nearly 26 times the USA price. Most other apple devices seem to be between 17 and 21. With forex rate, shipping, import duties and VAT an "acceptable" conversion rate is usually around 20."

The fact that one is in $ and another in ZAR makes no difference. When calculating the landed cost of an item in SA one normally applies a conversion factor in order to get to the expected ZAR cost.

The conversion factor, if only using forex, should be x15.8 (depending on the $ to USA rate) and if import VAT is included it should x18.7 (15% added onto R15.8). Import duties depend on the tariff heading of the item, the origin of the goods as well as where it ships from. Typically on electronic items it increases the conversion factor to 20 to 22.
 
Affieplaas said:
I have not checked whether there is additional import duties on monitors, may well be.

41,199 / 1,599 = 25.8
Click to expand...
Unfortunately there is a hefty import duty on monitors. I think the appropriate code is 8528.52.90. If so the customs duty is 25%, then there is 9% ad valorem and 15% VAT. Makes monitors expensive in South Africa. They actually used to have no or very low duty until some shysters started bringing in televisions and tuners separately to avoid the duty on televisions. The government responded by slapping the same duty on computer monitors.
 
i went through this earlier today.
If you think that is bad, the quote for the Pro Display XDR comes in at R149 912.
 
TheLuckmeister said:
i went through this earlier today.
If you think that is bad, the quote for the Pro Display XDR comes in at R149 912.
Click to expand...
That is even worse yes. If the same model in the US is $4,999 that then gives a conversion factor of basically 30.
1653572621797.png

Duties does indeed appear to be 25% on monitors. Looks like if no side of the monitor is longer than 45cm, then it is zero duties. Also if it is larger than 3m x 4m also no duties.
1653572854934.png
 
Last edited:
TheLuckmeister said:
i went through this earlier today.
If you think that is bad, the quote for the Pro Display XDR comes in at R149 912.
Click to expand...

Their screen prices don't make sense.

Studio M1 Ultra = $3999 = ± R70,000.
Studio display (with nano coating) = $5999 = ± R150,000

How can $2000 more equal to almost R70,000 more?

Edit: I see it's actually answered by noxibox, 25% import duty. Yikes!
 
Hi all - not sure if anyone will see this, but I'm also wanting to import a Studio Display. I understand the 25% duty.
What I dont understand is, the Ultrafine 5K is $1300 and retails here for R23000. Fair. The Studio Display is $1600 and retails here for R48000 which is disproportionate. How are the LG's imported so competitively and is there a way around this duty? I was thinking of classing it on the order form as an iMac, or just computer, instead. Does anyone know of a genius import/shipping specialist? Cheers.
 
samuelbowker said:
Hi all - not sure if anyone will see this, but I'm also wanting to import a Studio Display. I understand the 25% duty.
What I dont understand is, the Ultrafine 5K is $1300 and retails here for R23000. Fair. The Studio Display is $1600 and retails here for R48000 which is disproportionate. How are the LG's imported so competitively and is there a way around this duty? I was thinking of classing it on the order form as an iMac, or just computer, instead. Does anyone know of a genius import/shipping specialist? Cheers.
Click to expand...
I can't help you here but I can say that the 25% duty is only applicable on monitors where the side of the screen (height or width) is longer than 45cm. If it is smaller, there is 0% duty.

It may be that the LG Ultrafine monitor is smaller than that and therefore you save 25% but it is just speculation on my side.

That said, if you look at Amazon, the 27" LG Ultrafine 5K will be just short of R28k with R13k being mostly import duties and VAT.

1666179320914.png
 
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