I think we get a raw deal here in regards to pricing of most goods (books are a fantastic example), but I think we just aren't comparing apples to apples with pricing here. I used to do purchasing for IT goods (which are low margin, highly volatile) and the pricing of those varies with the currency far too much. Just a year ago, the dollar was almost 20% different, and because these machines are made in china, designed in Australia, sold on god-knows what dollar, and then paid for probably a minimum of 90 days after they are actually purchased at a different exchange rate to when the transaction occured....I'm thinking pricing stability is very important, ensuring an overhead both ways to make sure the price never goes up. Prices going up can be catastrophic for this kind of good, and honestly, I think the pricing model is fine. Where I believe we have a right to complain is when it is cheaper to buy a book from America that is printed in Australia, shipped to America, then posted back to your door than to buy locally. Arguing over ~20% pricing difference comes down to a bit of bad luck (especially when they are two distinct models due to varying voltages).
