The Inquirer is reporting that the Kindle has been cut in price to £180. In a rather arcane discussion of Kindle pricing the Inquirer says:
The Kindle was first available for UK consumers in October 2009, and for that quarter and the next UK buyers had an exchange rate of about 60p to the dollar. That meant the then $259 Kindle was priced at a mere £155 in the UK. Despite this week’s $70 price cut, the actual saving to the UK consumer, due to the pound having since declined, is only £23. Today the Kindle will cost £132.
But on top of that, UK consumers, with their weak pound, have higher shipping costs and then there is an ‘import fee deposit’, which is now set at £28.02. It is not clear if the exchange rate affects that too.
Ordering through Amazon.com today will mean the $189 price becomes £132.70 with Amazon’s 70p to the dollar exchange rate. But then a power adaptor will also be needed, adding $19.99 or £14.03, bringing the basic cost up to £146. For shipping, priority international courier seems to be the only option, adding a further £18.93, but that is then reduced by a £10.53 “promotion applied”. However an “import fees deposit” of £28.02 brings the final hit on your wallet to just over £183. µ
All this makes perfect sense to you, I presume.
It’s not too difficult to follow but I’m not sure what the point is. It seems as if the author is trying to make it look like the Kindle now costs more in the UK. Does the power adapter not come with the Kindle anymore? And I’m sure shipping fees weren’t too different in October.