bandit1200
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TCB is $19.95, which converts (today) to 10.09GBP. How come I am billed 12.35GBP ?

martz
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You are not including the VAT.

Mine was £10.59 + £1.85 VAT = £12.44

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NiroZ
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Best I can come up with is the cost the transfer the money from Pounds to US dollars.

Alneyan
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I'm putting my money on 'Primus' added fee for handling the transaction' myself, which may include the currency matter.

Near as I can tell, the US doesn't have VAT, so it probably isn't it. Currency by itself shouldn't cost more than 1% or so.

bandit1200
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martz wrote:
You are not including the VAT.

Mine was £10.59 + £1.85 VAT = £12.44

Your numbers are wrong (in my case) but your idea is right. £10.51 + 17.5% VAT = £12.349

I don't recall ever being charged VAT on anything I bought from the US, before now.

bandit1200
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wallu wrote:
It's VAT. Check your receipt if you don't trust me.

I'll have to trust you, I don't have a receipt to check.

With Plimus you have to pay VAT if you order downloadable version or CaravelNet. If you order CD, you don't pay VAT or tax, if the order value is low enough.

I wonder what their (or some beaurocrats) reasoning is behind that?

Edit: ack! What terrible spelling, and then it gets quoted twice, so I can't hide it. Of course, I meant bureaucrat. That's what 36 hours without sleep does for you.

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[Last edited by bandit1200 at 04-11-2007 11:23 AM]

Alneyan
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bandit1200 wrote:
I wonder what their (or some beaurocrats) reasoning is behind that?

Their website says something along these lines: "As of July 1st 2003 we collect VAT from EU consumers who do not have a valid VAT ID for electronically delivered products. We collect this VAT and pay it to the authorities, you do not need to do anything special for this to happen."

Is *that* standard business practice? It sounds terribly odd to me.

Maurog
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Right here.

Nothing can be said to be certain, except Deadly Rooms of Death and taxes, as Ben Franklin used to say.

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bandit1200
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wallu wrote:

bandit1200 wrote:
I wonder what their (or some beaurocrats) reasoning is behind that?

When JtRH came out they also charged VAT with CD orders. It got changed by Erik. But VAT in downloadable purchases ramained. I don't remember reasoning. It was discussed quite exactly two years ago.

I knew about VAT on items over £18 but never before had to pay VAT on anything under that.

If you are interested, study old posts, I'm too lazy to find the thread.*I* was too lazy, which is why I asked.

Oh well, I'll have to get another receipt and claim the VAT back. I'm sure I can use TCB as customer entertainment.
(Only kidding folks.)

BeefontheBone
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Pretty sure that's right. You don't pay it on physical goods which are imported below a certain value (like the CD version), but electronically delivered content is subject to it for some reason. It's still extraodrinarily good value thanks to the exchange rate, though.

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bandit1200
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BeefontheBone wrote: It's still extraodrinarily good value thanks to the exchange rate, though.

I'm not quite sure how you work that out. People in the US pay $19.95 and in the UK we pay $24.39. How is that good value, compared to what is paid in the US? Remember, the cost of living is lower in the US than it is here, (not that I begrudge it.)

Actually, I can't deny the game is good value, (though if I keep getting stuck, my view might change ) but that's not the issue, I just think we get ripped off here in the UK. (But then, I have been thinking that since Macmillan was PM.)

BeefontheBone
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True, but your $24.39 is still worth less than an American (doing the same job, same dependents, etc.)'s $19.95, I think.

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Syntax
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bandit1200 wrote:
TCB is $19.95, which converts (today) to 10.09GBP. How come I am billed 12.35GBP ?

Serious? 2 quid? Doesn't even buy you a beer in these parts...

Elfstone
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Syntax wrote:
Serious? 2 quid? Doesn't even buy you a beer in these parts...

which reminds me - I have to buy you and Michthro a beer sometime.

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bandit1200
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Syntax wrote:

bandit1200 wrote:
TCB is $19.95, which converts (today) to 10.09GBP. How come I am billed 12.35GBP ?

Serious? 2 quid? Doesn't even buy you a beer in these parts...

Really? If you think you have been overcharged for something, and it's *only* a couple of quid, do you just shrug and say, "Oh well, it's not even the price of a beer, let 'em have it?"

When you are living on a pension, you don't give money away, you can take my word on that.

BTW, if that 2 quid was going to Erik & co, it would be a different matter.

BTW2, a pint of John Smiths in one of the local Working Men's Clubs is 89p. Cheers!

John259
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There is sales tax in the USA. It varies from state to state and there can be local sales taxes as well. In physical shops sales tax is nearly always not included in stated prices (there are some exceptions such as petrol/gasoline). For US readers, sales tax in Britain is called VAT and is nearly always included in stated prices in physical and online shops.

For mail order in the USA involving the physical delivery of a product, I suspect there is a rule regarding which US states the seller and buyer are in (maybe the rule is same state=pay sales tax; different states=no sales tax, but I'm guessing).

Sorry, I've no idea what the sales tax rules are in the USA for Internet download sales. All I'm saying is don't just assume there's no sales tax on downloaded DROD in the USA, that might not be correct.

John

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BeefontheBone
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BTW2, a pint of John Smiths in one of the local Working Men's Clubs is 89p. Cheers!

So how much is an actual beer?

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Beef Row wrote: Actually, it doesn't really matter because the soap is a lye.

bandit1200
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BeefontheBone wrote:

BTW2, a pint of John Smiths in one of the local Working Men's Clubs is 89p. Cheers!

So how much is an actual beer?

Heheh. John's is a decent pint these days. Much better than the fluid they are passing off as Tetley's now, and I drunk (drank - Freudian slip there) that for well over 30 years.

I can't get out to drink either at the moment.

There's enough info above for anyone to work out which county I am in.

Briareos
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bandit1200 wrote:
There's enough info above for anyone to work out which county I am in.

*pulls out a world map, draws a circle around everything*

Like, somewhere in there?

np: Richie Hawtin - The Tunnel (DE9 - Transitions)

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Yellow_Mage
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Yorkshire?

I agree about alcohol beverages... bring back real ale.

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bandit1200
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Yellow_Mage wrote:
Yorkshire?

Yep! West Yorkshire to be more precise.

I agree about alcohol beverages... bring back real ale.

A subject close to my heart.

Elfstone
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Any one else here tried their hand at brewing at home? I've successfully made bitter and Irish stout (not as good as Murphy's, but very palatable.

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Yellow_Mage
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Living in London hurts. I ended up stop drinking beer because you can't drink anything decent. Other than spirits... yes, spirits... :3

Elfstone wrote:
Any one else here tried their hand at brewing at home? I've successfully made bitter and Irish stout (not as good as Murphy's, but very palatable.

Made extremely weak beer. Talking about Murphy's, I really like stout as well. But I don't like Guinness. Guinness is so overrated.

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[Last edited by Yellow_Mage at 04-16-2007 05:46 PM]

bandit1200
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Elfstone wrote:
Any one else here tried their hand at brewing at home? I've successfully made bitter and Irish stout (not as good as Murphy's, but very palatable.

Oh, if I drank at home, I'd never get to the pub.

Seriously, I won't drink at home and won't even have alcohol in the house. Too tempting, and too little willpower.

Elfstone
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bandit1200 said

Oh, if I drank at home, I'd never get to the pub.
I'm the opposite - if I'm out socialising I have to drive and I won't touch it if I'm driving, completely TT.

Yellow_mage said

Made extremely weak beer. Interested to know how you did that - all wort's start off with roughly the same SG, unless your heading for brandy wines. So did you just water it down, or not add enough malt or what? How did it taste? I always feel that weaker ales are a bit insipid; from preference I would rather sip something strong and dark than quaff something with less ABV.



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Beef Row
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Elfstone wrote:
Interested to know how you did that - all wort's start off with roughly the same SG, unless your heading for brandy wines. So did you just water it down, or not add enough malt or what? How did it taste? I always feel that weaker ales are a bit insipid; from preference I would rather sip something strong and dark than quaff something with less ABV.

A woman who loves strong beer and brews her own... I think I'm in love!

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Elfstone
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Beef Row wrote:
A woman who loves strong beer and brews her own... I think I'm in love!

( )

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Bombadil
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Back on topic.... (sorry)
is there any way to avoid paying the VAT?

PS: Guinness is so much overrated

BeefontheBone
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I don't think you pay it on the CD version, but then the shipping cost is more. I'm still sorely tempted to order one of Erik's special boxed editions though, for the extra goodies.

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bandit1200
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Well, it was definitely VAT, because Plimus, for some obscure reason, just sent me a reminder that I bought the game along with a copy of the receipt.

Very nice of them to let me know they are still around.