[sdiy] Getting over eBay (rant)

[Machinerygod]

Wednesday, June 12, 2002, 5:21:27 PM, you wrote:

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NJ> From: Neil Johnson <nej22 at hermes.cam.ac.uk>
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NJ> Subject: Re: [sdiy] Getting over eBay (rant)
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>> the reason everything is so cheap here for foreigners is that our
>> government taxes the hell out of cars and bikes .... it's all politics..

NJ> Of course, that's the main reason for the price differences --- but the
NJ> average Joe only compares the prices on the label.  In the UK we have
NJ> Value Added Tax (VAT) which in general is already included in the price
NJ> tag in shops, unlike Holland or the US and Canada, for example, which are
NJ> the opposite:  the price tag _excludes_ tax, which is then added at the
NJ> till.  Always seems a bit bizarre to me, being used to VAT already
NJ> included.

NJ> Its one of those things that gets in the way of practical pan-European
NJ> currency.  It always amuses me when I see the average Joe in the street
NJ> being interviewed, and they think that when the unit of currency is the
NJ> same, they'll be able to make a "fair" comparison.  But as stated, they'll
NJ> also need to include the various local taxes, and the difference in the
NJ> cost of living, inflation, interest rates, and so on, to the point where
NJ> it is practically a pointless exercise!  Its a bit pointless to say that a
NJ> Dutch sausage is cheaper than an Irish sausage just by comparing the
NJ> number on the price tag.

NJ> About the only advantage is simplifying foreign currency exchange --- I'm
NJ> flying to Berlin on Sunday for a conference (PLDI'02) but whereas before
NJ> I'd be buying D-Marks, I'll now buy some Euros.  As far as my "consumer
NJ> experience" is concerned, the only difference will be the physical
NJ> manifestation of the foreign currency in my hand.

NJ> Ah well, plus c'est change, plus c'est la meme chose....(add your own
NJ> accents)

NJ> Neil

NJ> --
NJ> Neil Johnson :: Computer Laboratory :: University of Cambridge ::
NJ> http://www.njohnson.co.uk          http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~nej22
NJ> ----  IEE Cambridge Branch: http://www.iee-cambridge.org.uk  ----

A friend of mine from germany who just went back to visit a few weeks
ago was telling me this evening that the beer prices suffered from the
changeover to euro. Apparently, a lot of places changed over to euros
but kept the pricing the same number-wise, making beer about twice as
expensive for the moment.



________________________________________________________________________
===========MACHINERYGOD=================================================
mic it.bang on it.saw it.scrape it.burn it.grind it.smash it.break it.

Accused mailbox bomber Lucas Helder told authorities he was planting pipe
bombs in a pattern to show a happy face during his five-state weekend spree.

Put on a haaa-ppy face...

"My brand of Satanism is the ultimate conscious alternative to herd
mentality and institutionalized thought. It is a studied, contrived
set of principles and exercises designed to prevent and liberate from
the contagion of mindlessness which destroys innovation."
-Anton LaVey
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