The price in London

With the launch of Windows Vista the Evening Standard has an article on the price it costs here and in the US, as well as other electronic products. No surprise to people living in the UK that a Vista upgrade costs almost double what you’d pay for it in the States, £249 to £127.

And its not just Microsoft who are creaming it off the British consumer. A Sony Playstation 3 goes for £425 in the UK and £305 in the US, a Nintendo Wii £179 to £127, an iPod 80Gb £259 to £178, an Xbox 360 premium £279 to £203 and the list goes on. What’s more annoying is that you can pretty much guarantee the prices will be lower on continental Europe as well, the UK seems to be every companies favourite mark up market.

With the strong pound over the last year a lot of British consumers have been trying to save money with shopping trips to places like New York, unfortunately the Customs and Excise are all over this and targeting returning Brits with more than a little luggage. They’re also hot on things you buy online from the States. I recently ordered some t-shirts and a dvd from a US site to take advantage of the exchange rate. Before I got my items I received a letter from Customs saying I owed £13 (plus an extra £8 to the shipping company) before I could get my stuff. Any savings where lost there.

If you’re coming to London there’s lots and lots of shopping, but compared to most other places in the world there aren’t any bargains to be had.