EmiratesMac - View Single Post - Macs in the UAE are not necessarily Expensive

dingdong · 31st July 2007, 01:47

Well I have been thinking about why Macs are so darn expensive over here. This might have been discussed before but maybe this pos can be made into a sticky so that new Mac-ers can read it and see why they SHOULD buy from IMC. No I am not an IMC employee!

First thing is that IMC comes under Apple Europe. It is Apple Europe which is greedy, not IMC. Try having a look at the prices in Europe.

Secondly IMC has to pay for the 5% import tax and shipping (I am not sure about shipping).

Thirdly IMC has to maintain its own stores, employees etc etc.

Now that covers why Macs seem to be expensive over here. And now we will look at the practical part.

It is better to buy from IMC because you will receive local support and there will local warranty that 'Just Works"

You wont have to get your Mac delivered from the USA or Canada (those are the countries where Macs are cheap). If not that then you wont have tug a 19.2 kg Mac (Mac Pro). Any problems tht you encounter upon opening the box can be resolved locally. Thre are more advantges but thats not the point of this post.

Now I will list out how much each Mac costs from the USA and Canada (plus 5% import tax) and compare it with the price over here from IMC or whatever store is on AppleIDX.

I will put the price from USA's Apple Store followed by Apple Store Canada's after a slash ' / '. The prices include a 5% import tax. The USA price includes a rough 10% tax and the Canada's price includes 14% tax unless you buy from Alberta (6%) or Prince Edward Island (16%) or some other states (various tax rates). The Canadian dollar exchange rate keeps changing (duh) so maybe if you feel greedy you can buy when the rate is low.It is also possible to buy from Macmall.com where the prices are a bit lower and they dont charge you for tax (you are supposed to claim). I wouldnt cuz I dont want my money to go to Bush in his war against terror ( nice name for some fake Sega games).

Mac Pro:
2.66 Ghz= around AED 10,500/11500 compared to AED 10600 from IMC.
3.0 Ghz= around AED 13,900/15500 compared to AED 15799 from IMC.

iMac:
17" GMA950= around AED 4200/4500 compared to AED 4700 from IMC.
17" X1600= around AED 5050/5575 compared to AED 5800 from IMC.
20" =around AED 6300/7000 compared to AED 6800 from IMC.
24"= around AED 8400/9300 compared to AED 8750 from IMC.

The rest of the Macs are not done properly in the IDX so I couldnt put them up but maybe later on. If you add the discount you get for joining EMUG or whatever then you can see that the cost falls even lower. If you order online and get it shipped with Aramex then it should close the gap further. Overall you have the convenience of dealing locally so that does add up a lot. You wold have to mess around with complex tax evasion systems and risk the loss of convenient warranty by bringing the Mac over here. I you try bringing it with you then you might have to pay for excess baggage.

31st July 2007, 01:47	#1 (permalink)
dingdong Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 9	Macs in the UAE are not necessarily Expensive Well I have been thinking about why Macs are so darn expensive over here. This might have been discussed before but maybe this pos can be made into a sticky so that new Mac-ers can read it and see why they SHOULD buy from IMC. No I am not an IMC employee! First thing is that IMC comes under Apple Europe. It is Apple Europe which is greedy, not IMC. Try having a look at the prices in Europe. Secondly IMC has to pay for the 5% import tax and shipping (I am not sure about shipping). Thirdly IMC has to maintain its own stores, employees etc etc. Now that covers why Macs seem to be expensive over here. And now we will look at the practical part. It is better to buy from IMC because you will receive local support and there will local warranty that 'Just Works" You wont have to get your Mac delivered from the USA or Canada (those are the countries where Macs are cheap). If not that then you wont have tug a 19.2 kg Mac (Mac Pro). Any problems tht you encounter upon opening the box can be resolved locally. Thre are more advantges but thats not the point of this post. Now I will list out how much each Mac costs from the USA and Canada (plus 5% import tax) and compare it with the price over here from IMC or whatever store is on AppleIDX. I will put the price from USA's Apple Store followed by Apple Store Canada's after a slash ' / '. The prices include a 5% import tax. The USA price includes a rough 10% tax and the Canada's price includes 14% tax unless you buy from Alberta (6%) or Prince Edward Island (16%) or some other states (various tax rates). The Canadian dollar exchange rate keeps changing (duh) so maybe if you feel greedy you can buy when the rate is low.It is also possible to buy from Macmall.com where the prices are a bit lower and they dont charge you for tax (you are supposed to claim). I wouldnt cuz I dont want my money to go to Bush in his war against terror ( nice name for some fake Sega games). Mac Pro: 2.66 Ghz= around AED 10,500/11500 compared to AED 10600 from IMC. 3.0 Ghz= around AED 13,900/15500 compared to AED 15799 from IMC. iMac: 17" GMA950= around AED 4200/4500 compared to AED 4700 from IMC. 17" X1600= around AED 5050/5575 compared to AED 5800 from IMC. 20" =around AED 6300/7000 compared to AED 6800 from IMC. 24"= around AED 8400/9300 compared to AED 8750 from IMC. The rest of the Macs are not done properly in the IDX so I couldnt put them up but maybe later on. If you add the discount you get for joining EMUG or whatever then you can see that the cost falls even lower. If you order online and get it shipped with Aramex then it should close the gap further. Overall you have the convenience of dealing locally so that does add up a lot. You wold have to mess around with complex tax evasion systems and risk the loss of convenient warranty by bringing the Mac over here. I you try bringing it with you then you might have to pay for excess baggage.