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15 Comments Apple Products And Their South African Pricing

Article written by the awesome Sean Lloyd on the 30 Aug 2010

Is anyone else as confused as me when it comes to the pricing of Apple products in the South African market? Now let’s forget import taxes and dealer mark ups, let’s just look at the basic facts, clean and simple.

A Macbook is listed at $999. Locally, we’re looking at paying R11000 for a Macbook. So in that case, we take the dollar price and multiply it by 11 to find the ZAR price.

An iPhone 3GS 8GB on the Apple website is $99. Locally, an 8GB iPhone 3G is R7100. That is now suddenly 71 times more than the dollar price! 71 TIMES! Digicape, are you smoking crack? Have you got foetal alcohol syndrome? Are your directors raging alcoholics? Are you saving up for an end of year staff party in St Barts?

While Digicape don’t have iPhone 4 prices up yet, PC Direct do.

iphone 4

iPhone 4…how is this more expensive than a Macbook, when it is over three times cheaper in dollars?

They’re a cool R12782, that’s more expensive than a Macbook. Excuse me, but WTF is going on here? Are the South African public being treated like we have learning disabilities and can’t see what is going on here?

Let’s round that iPhone 4 price down to R12000 for the 32GB…that’s 40 times more than the dollar price. ($299 US) So the iPhone 4 is more expensive here than a Macbook, and yet a Macbook is $999 and an iPhone 4 is $299.

So the South African prices range from 11 times, to 40 times, to 71 times the dollar price…is no one else seeing this?

SERIOUSLY IT FEELS LIKE I’M ON CRAZY PILLS AT EARTHDANCE!

Can anyone provide me with answers?

Digicape?

PC Direct?

I guess it’s hard to speak though when you’re at your million dollar staff party, and there is an eight ball in your mouth.

15 Comments

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James MacDonald @jbigmac Website Reply

That is simply the only reason why I don’t have an iPod, or iPhone or MacBook. Simply, we just can’t afford them here because of ridiculous pricing like this. How can they expect consumers to afford pricing like that?

August 30 2010 11:58 am Sean Lloyd Website

Dude it's pathetic, I mean these prices make absolutely no sense. I also refuse to support Apple here when they can't control their pricing. I know external companies dictate the pricing a little bit, but Apple need to take some control now...

I had to bite the bullet and buy my Mac in this country…

I used to work for Core and Apple IMC South Africa… it was quite possibly the worst experience of my life.

Staff were treated like shit, we also know how they ripped consumers off – their excuse was always “exchange rate and duty”… if that was the case, why did they sell end-of-line stock at almost half price…. surely they wouldn’t sell it at a loss.

Great products, kak company with distribution rights – Digicape should be APPLE SA!

Check out these links…

http://www.2oceansvibe.com/2009/05/12/waterfront-apple-mac-istore-does-not-need-your-business/

http://www.2oceansvibe.com/2010/02/08/istore-plummets-as-digicape-explodes/

August 30 2010 12:31 pm Sean Lloyd Website

Hey Tim

Yeah Digicape are the people to use in SA and I've read the 2oceansvibe articles and the hilarious comments, but still, why are there such huge differences in pricing...from 11 times more to 71 times more than the dollar price. It makes no sense, and while Digicapes service is better, their prices are still, basically a complete mess.

No one seems to want to give an answer as to how products are priced. If the industry was more transparent, we'd definitely see just how much we are being screwed.

It's SO frustrating!

Maybe ask the crowd who run it – but take into account that they are of the Moses brigade….. so “rip off agent” is a given – sadly the lot at Core give that ethnic minority a very bad name.

James MacDonald Website Reply

Completely agree guys. If the Iphone was $299 here, it would sell like hot cakes. Hell I would have an iPhone, an iPod and a MacBook if they were the same price as in the states! Hell, even add on an extra $100 and I would still buy it, but the fact that they are charging 20 times + the dollar amount means that my money stays in my wallet thanks!

Tim Hill Website Reply

They used to jump up and down about people bringing in their US/ UK purchased products in for repair…. just bitter that the items were purchased from a cheaper source. These were considered “grey” product…. correction… they were purchased overseas…. not imported illegally…. What people don’t realise is that Apple has an international warranty, as long as the proof of purchase can be supplied and the units are bought from an authorised Apple reseller…

My challenge to Core – why not be competitive in your pricing and more people will buy your products instead of buying a cheaper Dell or HP, or a Nokia or Blackberry. Premium should be about quality and not price… unfortunately the long-noses are Core think the opposite!

Chase Website Reply

From my side:
Raw deal!

Peace

Rashid Website Reply

That $99 iphone is a 24-month contract based price with AT&T… so not so cheap afterall.

Sean Website Reply

As far as i understand the pricing with regards to the iPhone in the states is that $99, $199 and $299 you pay, is subject to a 24 month contract with AT&T.

So essentially it’s just the buy-in.

Yes, it is still cheaper than our buy-in, but not by 71 times.

Or am i incorrect?

Sean Lloyd Website Reply

Hey guys

Shot for the comments, ok it does make a little more sense that you’re doing a buy in, and not taking it with an AT&T contract.

But it still seems that Apple in this country is just a mess with pricing…I suppose I don’t know how things get priced and why, but whenever you speak to people, you get bad comments about the people who bring Apple into the country.

Shot guys!

Sean

Hi guys. I have just read this article and I find it quite amazing that Core have not done something about the complaints that are scattered all over the internet. I started a business called TikTok (www.tiktok.co.za) last year importing Apple products into South Africa to give Wholesalers (and consumers) and alternative to the Core Group. Feel free to spread the news as all support is greatly appreciated. We are passionate about the Apple brand and want to see it grow in South Africa, and be available to as many consumers as possible. It is rather difficult to be competitive because we obviously don’t buy at the crazy low prices they do, but we work on small margins and do our best to add value to our clients.

Take care guys.

Barry Le Roux @tiktokonline Website Reply

P.S. I made an error with our twitter info in the last comment. The correct address is tiktokonline.

Sean Lloyd Website Reply

Hi Barry

Great stuff, just a question, what are the returns policies if any hardware/software fails?

Do you accept full returns and also do repairs?

Are the Apple warranties still in place if someone buys from TikTok, or only from the Core group?

Barry Le Roux @tiktokonline Website Reply

Hi Sean,

Thanks for your message. We support the 12-month Apple international warranty supplied with all our products. In the unlikely event of a defect, we will have the unit repaired by an Authorised Apple Repair Centre/ replaced at no cost to our client. We will also be offering a swop-out warranty in the very near future. In this case, if there is a manufacturers defect with an item, simply return it and we will issue you a new replacement unit.

By the way, I have heard from numerous sources that Digicape are now owned by Core Group. Do you know anything about this?

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