Was just about to buy winstep nexus ultimate
which is marked at $24.95 U.S. Dollars, which by my reckoning,
and by the converter on google, and a couple of other converters,
should be in the region of about £15 (British pounds).

The price which comes up is £17.95
which is quite a hefty price difference in my opinion.

I just wondered what logic there is in this as there is no tax
or other adjustment accounted for.

This is a 20% price hike and even the worst exchange rate would still
only hit you for a couple of percent extra.

I would buy this product if there's a good explanation for the difference in price or if there is a British website selling the product at the correct price

actually I'm not sure if the V.A.T calculator is showing the 20%
V.A.T that may be applicable
as all the prices are roughly 20% above the conversion rates.

the price says

nexus ultimate £17.95
V.A.T £00.00
Total £17.95

It's pretty much the same percentage increase on all the software
so it may be that V.A.T is being calculated on the price in dollars but not shown in the VAT field in pounds

or maybe it there is some kind of surcharge at %20 I dont know about

maybe I got this wrong but are you saying youre using the stability of the British pound to offset losses made on the euro and the dollar against the pound? So in effect my paying in ££££ rather than $$$$ is simply a way for you to make 20% extra out of me, on the basis that the price of the dollar and euro is continuously falling against the pound

Sorry if your American customers are too baffled to work out other currencies but I dont see why I should pay 20% extra just because I happen to live in a stable economy but I would think it only fair if I owned a company to make a straight conversion of one currency to another (albeit with a 3 or 4 percent surcharge for conversion) but I wont pay a 20% surcharge simply because the dollar is a weak currency

maybe theres a better explanation
I can see how that works for the Euro but since the UK currency is stronger and less prone to a downward fluctuation that would make the software a lot cheaper for the UK.

Sorry but if those documents are the basis on which youre pricing software in the UK market I would choose a company that traded on the basis of a fair exchange rate
currently £1 = 1.6140 US DOLLARS
to add on 20% because you cant make money on the euro or dollar against the british pound smacks of bad policy

Hi wilde. I'm just letting you know that the person that was addressing your issue is not the developer and has nothing to do with the program. The poster was merely trying to help out.

The developer is Jorge Coelho (Winstep). Hopefully he will soon read this post and address your question.

Hi from me too.
I too am not the developer, just a plain user. However, even though you've got a point, I find what you're saying rather exaggerated. If you don't mind me saying so, you're displaying the rather typical British mindset of overestimating your importance in the grand scheme of things. Don't get me wrong, I like your country, a lot; my girlfriend's British, I visit every few months. But you do do that.
So, let me just say this: in all probability, at some point, Jorge (the developer) sat down and decided on some prices, presumably not only based on strict currency rates, but also relative 'value' of money in each currency. Since then, rates and situations have changed -- trust me, I know first hand how dramatically things have changed in the last three years -- but, again presumably, he didn't bother changing the prices since the rates are in great flux and change a lot in short intervals, based on economic and political (and Greek) influences.
One other thing that I was thinking whilst reading your post is this: your currency is not all that stable. Actually, there is no 'stable' currency; everything is rated against something else; there is no absolute. Four years ago, the British pound was almost on a 1:1 ratio to the Euro (and everyone in the UK back then was panicking and thinking you should join the eurozone as soon as possible, before it fell under 1:1) and six years ago, the ratio was 1:1.6 (£1=€1.6) (and nobody wanted to know about the eurozone). Now it's £1:€1.25 (approximately). Similarly, the pound to dollar and the dollar to euro ratios changed a lot, first when the euro prospects were looking good whereas the UK economy had problems, then the US economy almost collapsed, then the eurozone started having issues, then the UK went into recession and so on. How can you say that 'your' currency is 'stronger'? Given that the pound has seen a huge drop in the last 10 to 4 years, rebounded a bit in the next 2 (1:1.1 ratio to euro) and only saw a small raise in the last 2 years (1:1.2), mostly due to the enormous problems of the eurozone and not because the UK got any better, I can't see how you can claim 'strength' and 'stability'. From where I'm standing, it's like we're all in our respective dingies in the ocean, and you think that your dingy is the most stable of all, simply because you see the other two (euro and dollar) dingies go up and down along with the waves.
Finally... the notion of Jorge trying to "make up" money from the UK is plainly absurd. Seriously, how many customers do you really think pay in pounds sterling? The eurozone is some 330 million (or more) people, the United States some 300 million and the UK is what? 60 million? 65? Let's say 63 million, for argument's sake. Compared to the 630 million people that use euros and dollars, you really think that Jorge is trying to "make up" 'lost' income from you? Even though the UK population is 10% of the US and Eurozone populations combined? And I'm consciously not touching the subject of the relative potential customer base (which I am positive is a much greater percentage in the US rather than the UK).
Seriously mate, you're not *that* rich up there...

So yeah, you had a point, you could have just asked why the difference. The moment you started the "strength and stability and honour" song and dance, you lost even the valid point that you did have.
I'm still with you on the discrepancy issue, but then again... since we've got more than two major currencies, which one do you propose is the base for all conversions? Dollar? Euro? Pound? Yen? Gold bullion? Gold pressed latinum? And why? I mean, Jorge is Portuguese, it would only make sense to have the euro as the basis. But then again, why?
What I'm saying is that you converted the dollar price to pounds sterling and saw a difference not to your favour. What if you converted from the euro price? Or the Yen? What if you first converted from dollar to euro, then to yen and then to pound? You will see that it's not exactly equal...

i'll keep it simple right now the u.s. economy is extremely strong compared to the european economies. actually the unstable economies there threaten to reverse the gains that we have managed to make here. on another note i think you may have nailed it about part of that price being v.a.t.

Nope, just stating a fact. The dollar is getting weaker in relation to the pound every month. Also you are basing your opinion of British people on one or two examples, hardly scientific. You only have to read the Guardian and the Evening Standard to realise nobody in this country gives a damn about the UK or it's importance.

Technology is a great provider. A simple few lines of code in the web page could easily give you a currency converter that is linked to the one which governments and market traders use to determine currency rates then just throw in a few percent for the hell of it and call it a conversion tarrif.
The dollar and the Euro appear to be in a fight to the death to see who can plummet furthest
citation needed

On that point the British government of the time during the blair era under Gordon Brown's chancellorship said that Britain would join the Euro once the Euro had obtained parity with the pound. The Euro had to achieve parity with the pound and remain stable or show growth against the pound over a certain period (I forget exactly how long). I laughed out loud when I heard them say it as I knew The British government has never had any desire to join the |Euro and infact the main debate over the last 6 months behind closed doors in the MEP's dining hall is whether Britain will revoke it's membership of the EU entirely and infact Britain is leaning heavily in that direction since it has dropped all trading tarrifs against american imports and exports (or is about to) which is a further signal to Europe of its intentions.

wrong question
the question is, why should I pay in pounds sterling if paying in dollars is cheaper?
theres no options on the page to pay in other currency otherwise I would have chosen dollars



It may be strong against the Eurozone countries (those whose currency is the Euro), but the conversation is simply the question: why should I pay a 20% surcharge for paying in pounds sterling. Britain is a member of the European Union but not a member of the Eurozone so retains its own currency

Actually it is an academic conversation now as I decided to pay for the program regardless of the 20% surcharge but would definitely hesitate to upgrade or buy further products until that is fixed. We live in a global economy now, it cant be too much to ask that prices are fixed against a particular currency. After I bought Winstep Nexus I also bought stardock winblinds and paid by paypal I paid in dollars and was charged nothing for conversion beyond the normal rate of exchange. If stardock can charge pound for dollar so can this company.
I am a bit miffed by that surcharge to say the least

I was going to answer to all of that you both said, but I don't want to turn this into a political debate. So I'll only mention a couple of things:

First: the UK has been in recession since 2010 or so. No citation needed, it was plastered all over the newspapers then and still is now. I was just there in August and September and the last I read was that, whilst it had been projected that the UK economy would get out of the recession this year, in fact it'll probably be in the red for a good part of 2013 as well.
Considering leaving the EU, I can't blame you. It's now blatantly obvious that Germany wants to call the shots in the EU and the whole construct is not one of "friendship" and "cooperation" but one of exploitation: weaker countries to keep the industrial countries' (Germany's) currency in check so they can export cheaply to the outside, and no taxes so they can sell cheap on the inside (of the eurozone) as well.

Second: the US economy has done nothing much, compared to the eurozone. Greece (mainly) but also Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland are in trouble and that is the only reason the US dollar is rising over the euro, and even that is mostly psychological. Germany, which is the main workhorse of the eurozone is doing just fine; in fact, it's doing more fine now than before, since its exports to the outside world are doing great exactly *because* the euro to dollar ratio is lower, which means the outside world can buy its products cheaper. Moreover, the countries that are in serious trouble, and it's mainly Greece, are not of any appreciable size to pose any real danger to the eurozone. Italy and Spain, which are big players, are doing much better and will be fine. The whole thing with the rest and especially Greece is mostly posing on behalf of Germany, which doesn't really want a strong euro, since that would greatly affect their exports.

Now, as to why Jorge hasn't hooked up the sales to an on-line exchange rate calculator, only he knows. I can only speak for myself here and I don't really know.

yeah I dont really want to turn it into a political debate but:
the whole world except for china is in recession (actually the UK has had growth over the last two quarters and that apparently means that the recession is over in the UK.

The USA is expected to follow soon

they do say that when america sneezes britain catches a cold, but hey ya know the USA should stop smoking and get healthy like britain - were all happy again now and no sign of a cold.
can I get yall any medicine or plump the pillows up or get you some throat lozenges?
(edited in)
oh I just noticed youre in athens

Nice discussion.

As Skagon pointed out, I live in Portugal. As such, I used to get paid in Dollars but my expenses are in Euros, not US dollars. Stardock, on the other hand, is an American company, they get paid in US Dollars *but their expenses are also in US Dollars*. With the Euro getting stronger each passing month, the same exact amount in US Dollars was being converted to less and less Euros. Are you beginning to see the problem now?

Look at it this way: it's not the British people that are being overcharged, it's actually the Americans that are paying LESS than they should. The price in Euros for Winstep Xtreme is 34.95 Euros, and for Nexus Ultimate it's 19.95 Euros - that's what you should compare the price in British Pounds to.

If you really want to know why, just read THIS article I wrote back in 2007, when Winstep was still charging in US Dollars worldwide.

Read it already? If you did, then you will understand that raising the price in US Dollars to make up for the Euro being so strong is actually a good way to shoot yourself in the foot, especially since the US is still the largest market in the world for software. This would make Winstep software terribly uncompetitive (in terms of price) in relation to software provided by US companies such as Stardock.

Pricing it solely in Euros would have the same effect OR even worse, because Americans are used to buying everything in US Dollars, and you don't want to alienate your best customers, right? Making the price in Dollars fluctuate according to the current Euro vs Dollar exchange rate would have similar problems for similar reasons.

To make matters worse, the price of software, unlike the price of *everything else*, has remained basically the same for years (i.e.; Winstep software, as most software of its kind, is still being sold at the same price it was 12 years ago). I think software is the only product in the world where the price is not even being adjusted to take inflation into account.

So, the only real solution to this problem is to have 3 different *fixed* (i.e.; independent of currency fluctuations) price points. One in US Dollars, another in Euros, and another in British Pounds. Which price is presented to the customer depends on their location. This is also how Steam does it - and Microsoft (except the latter 'overcharge' you by much more than 20% and they are a US based company).

When Winstep started, over 12 years ago, the Dollar was essentially on par with the Euro (1:1). So, US $39.90 (the price of Xtreme back then) would be converted to 39.90 Euros. To get the same 39.90 Euros these days if Winstep still sold in US Dollars world wide, Xtreme would have to be sold for US $52 at the current exchange rate (or $64 when the Euro peaked to 1.59). That's the price of a game like COD in the US. Nexus Ultimate would sell these days for $32.50 - $39.90 when the Euro peaked ($39.90 is, curiously, the current price of Xtreme in US Dollars) .

So, you think you are being overcharged when, in reality, Winstep is actually eating most of the cost of the fluctuating Euro vs. Dollar exchange rates, and has been for years.

I know it's been answered and settled, but I just have to say this to my friend Wilde: don't know if you took any notice, but there's been a huge protest in London but also Glasgow and Belfast against failing austerity measures. Read here for example.
If you think that the UK is out of it, "all happy and no signs of cold" as you put it, you must be either too young, living in a protected environment (like, student or at Uni, in which case you've got someone else paying the bills) or you're really privileged.

Like I said, my g/f is British and she's having a hard time, everyone else I know up there tells me the same tale. Here in Greece, I've been unemployed for more than two years and there's no sign of improvement in the future. Given, we're in dire straights, but if you think you're out of it... you try get me a job there and I'll come over in no time. Former IT magazine editor, hardware labs supervisor, physics degree, microelectronics architecture major. Shouldn't be a problem if you're out of it, right?

skagon he knows england is right on the brink of being in just as bad or worst shape as greece. he knows the u.s. compared to england right now is strong and stable. he knows 8% unemployed in the us is better than 20% in the u.k. the shame here in the u.s. is how stupid people are. it took 10 years to recover from the great depression, and this current mess came pretty close to being just as bad, so yes it's going to take a long time to crawl our way out from under the mess, but half the morons here want to replace obama with someone who in the backs of their minds they know will do the same things bush did to get us in this mess in the first place. they want to talk about a 16.5 trillion debt versus a 10.6 trillion debt when obama took office, but 900 billion was the first stimulus that went to the banks, that obama had no choice in signing, 1 trillion a years for the wars. that's 4.9 trillion that actually belongs to bush, bring the debt to 15.5 trillion, meaning of the 16.5 only 1 trillion is because of obama. of that 1 trillion another stimulus of 600 billion that went to the people and our auto industry, the other 400 million simply budget shortfalls because of the rich not paying their fair share. not too shabby when you consider when cliton left office he managed to pay off the debt and leave us with 10's of billions in surplus, bush manage in 8 years to take us back into debt to the tune of 10.6 trillion and he managed to add another 4.9 trillion to the debt during obama's first 4 years in office. what i'm getting at is the people of the u.k. and about half of the people in the u.s. are driving towards a cliff and refusing to slowdown or put on the breaks. at least here in the u.s. half of us see what is going on and refuse to go backwards. only a couple of countries peoples have the right idea like greece fighting the austerity measures.