Xbox360 cheaper in SA than USA

What a stupid, stupid, stupid report. Who wrote this? Come-on now that the Rand/Dollar exchange is at R 10.60, X-Box is cheaper here than in the States? So what will happen when it reaches R 20.00 or R 6.00, will the report read differently. I am sic when these experts use exchange rate to justify price increases or that the prices we are charged are ok. Look at earning power, look at average salaries and then make the comparison. X-Box is cheap over there and the games are even cheaper. The average American can afford the X-Box, the average South African cannot.
 
And there is definately not a lot of stock they are sitting on locally, ask anyone waiting for a replacement after the infamous RROD
 
I just ordered an X-Box 360 Elite.From Kalahari @ R3399.

I have been vascilating over getting one for ages but the time was right and I needed to buy myself a birthday/Christmas present. That plus a extra controller and a remote came to less than I would have paid in the US.
And I don't think Nic included VAT into the prices he quoted so the difference is actually much larger than that.
Factoring in 14% VAT and the exchange rate at R10.32 an equivilant cost for the Elite system in SA would be R4694. More than R1000 more than you are paying locally.

Should keep me busy over the holidays.
 
Elfpierre said:
What a stupid, stupid, stupid report. Who wrote this? Come-on now that the Rand/Dollar exchange is at R 10.60, X-Box is cheaper here than in the States? So what will happen when it reaches R 20.00 or R 6.00, will the report read differently. I am sic when these experts use exchange rate to justify price increases or that the prices we are charged are ok. Look at earning power, look at average salaries and then make the comparison. X-Box is cheap over there and the games are even cheaper. The average American can afford the X-Box, the average South African cannot.
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I honestly don't see a reason why you're so pissed about the article. They checked local prices of consoles and compaired them to international prices.

The X-Box was cheaper here than in the USA.... at the current excahnge rate. That's all the article is about. It's interesting info.

Take a chill pill.

On a side note it's even more interesting is to see how badly Core Group is screwing us consumers with the price of the Wii.
 
Elfpierre said:
What a stupid, stupid, stupid report. Who wrote this? Come-on now that the Rand/Dollar exchange is at R 10.60, X-Box is cheaper here than in the States? So what will happen when it reaches R 20.00 or R 6.00, will the report read differently. I am sic when these experts use exchange rate to justify price increases or that the prices we are charged are ok. Look at earning power, look at average salaries and then make the comparison. X-Box is cheap over there and the games are even cheaper. The average American can afford the X-Box, the average South African cannot.
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The point is that if you are in the market for a console the 360 is the best deal at the moment. It may not stay like this for long but MS have got a killer deal for Xmas.

In fact it would be hard to justify buying anything else at the moment.

Yes it is expensive when you look at purchasing power but we have been bitching about how we get ripped off on consumer electronics here and this is one example of how we are getting a great deal.

Just FYI: If you add 14% to $399 and convert it to rands at R7 to the $ then it would work out at R3184. R200 less than Kalahari are selling the Elite for.

And anyway the average South African can't even afford to buy an X-Box game let alone a console. They are not the target market. The target market is 26 yer old single males with a reasonable amount of disposable income.
 
Elfpierre said:
What a stupid, stupid, stupid report. Who wrote this? Come-on now that the Rand/Dollar exchange is at R 10.60, X-Box is cheaper here than in the States? So what will happen when it reaches R 20.00 or R 6.00, will the report read differently. I am sic when these experts use exchange rate to justify price increases or that the prices we are charged are ok. Look at earning power, look at average salaries and then make the comparison. X-Box is cheap over there and the games are even cheaper. The average American can afford the X-Box, the average South African cannot.
Click to expand...

FYI: http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Holiday-Bundle-2008-Drive/dp/B001FPBZ3U/ref=sr_tr_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1228294992&sr=8-1

The same special is now on in SA for R2699
 
pope24 said:
Yes it is expensive when you look at purchasing power but we have been bitching about how we get ripped off on consumer electronics here and this is one example of how we are getting a great deal.
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That is the point of the article.

And dont be too hard on Core, things arent always as they seem.

A follow up article is in progress.
 
warren79 said:
Is the PRO 60GB really R2700....where?
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Pretty much everywhere, there was a price drop a month after I paid R2999 for mine.

btw, I bought a Tom Tom gps for R1499 and a SONY H10 camera for R2799 last month, so expect a price drop there too. ;)
 
alf101 said:
Pretty much everywhere, there was a price drop a month after I paid R2999 for mine.

btw, I bought a Tom Tom gps for R1499 and a SONY H10 camera for R2799 last month, so expect a price drop there too. ;)
Click to expand...

Same happened with me. I got my xbox last year Nov. R3499.(Halo edition)
 
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tinman said:
And dont be too hard on Core, things arent always as they seem.
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Core have constantly been ripping us off since the start. And they suck at releasing games on time. We usually receive games quite a long time after they've been released internationally.
 
In the short term, rand to dollar, local consoles are cheaper. But when they were priced, the Rand was nearer R7/$ rather than R10/$. We can anticipate a price hike next year if the R10/$ continues. Do the comparison at R7/$ then tell me we aren't getting screwed. I love how the distributors spew some crap about being glad to offer locals a better deal - please, you just lucked out on the exchange rate recently.

But bottom line - the games are WAY too expensive. R700 for something I can't trial or take back if i don't like it - Are you kidding?
 
Gaz{M} said:
Do the comparison at R7/$ then tell me we aren't getting screwed.?
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Bottom line: The dollar is 10+/1 to the Rand.

Therefore, local Xbox360s are cheaper right now than what American's are paying.

Microsoft in SA is losing a significant amount of money on every console sold at the moment in order to keep its price reasonable.

I don't see any of the other manufacturers doing the same thing.

Why should we look at a 7/1 exchange rate? Those days are gone, move on. Microsoft are not paying 7/1, they are losing money on console sales here. End of story. How are we getting screwed?

I agree that there is a good chance the prices will go up, but that is just conjecture, and until it happens, my hat goes off to Microsoft for locking the prices at their own expense.

I do agree that games are WAAAY to expensive though.

Can people not just digest good news?
 
Games are exspensive because of the way consoles generate money. The unit is sold at a below manufacturing cost and the games are taxed to make up the difference.

That is why I will never go the console route, PC gamers have less choice but games are almost half the price.
 
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