Haden, I bought FTM 2011 Deluxe direct from the USA last year. I've just checked my bank statement and it cost me $25.68, including postage. The exchange rate was $1.49563 = £1, so I paid £17.17. My parcel was shipped at the same time as US orders and arrived very promptly. I paid no VAT. I had the software two months before it was launched in the UK. When it did finally launch in the UK, the cheapest version initially available was the Deluxe bundle at over £30. I see that now, a year after release, the cheapest price for the CD only upgrade version is £20.80 including postage. I have pre-ordered FTM 2012 from the USA for $19.99 plus $9 postage = $28.99 in total. Yesterday my bank gave me an exchange rate of $1.55181 = £1 on a transaction in the US. On that basis FTM 2012 will cost me £18.68. If I am unlucky and VAT is charged by Customs that will only be an additional 20% on $19.99 = $4 = £2.58. I am highly sceptical that FTM 2012 will be available in the UK at the end of this month. There is no mention of it yet on the Ancestry.co.uk, Amazon UK or S&N Genealogy websites. My History and TWR Computing both offer discounts of up to 30% for pre-orders if you sign up to a mailing list. I've been on that mailing list for some time now and heard nothing. If they want me to buy from them, I need to know *now* how much it will cost and when it will be available. In the absence of any such information, I am buying the US bird in the hand in preference to the two UK birds in the bush. Caroline Gurney Family History Website: www.carosfamily.com Family History Blog: cmgurney.blogspot.com On 10 September 2011 23:53, Tony Beardshaw <beardshaw@tesco.net> wrote: > Caroline and others in the UK > > I think you may be mistaken in thinking you are buying FTM 2012 cheaper by > buying from the US directly. At 32.99 dollars + 9 dollars postage and an > exchange rate of 1.5 dollars to the pound (if you are lucky) the price works > out at about 22 pounds. I see that UK companies TWR computing, My History > and Genealogy Supplies (S&N) were selling FTM 2011 for under £20 (even when > it first came out) and in the case of TWR it is postage free. Notice they > will ship in the last week of September. I understand UK customers will get > theirs shipped from the UK companies at the end of September just like the > US customers so anyone buying directly from the USA may pay a higher price, > delayed delivery and a risk of VAT. Not a good proposition at all, and > anyway why not give the UK companies a chance in these difficult times. They > are not known for increasing prices year on year so I don’t expect they will > be much more expensive than last year if there is any increase at all. I > made the mistake of buying from the US a few years ago and didn’t get mine > until about three weeks after the US shipments went out. > > Just one last thought. It's not the exchange rate today that you pay. It > will be when they are ready to despatch your goods that the money is taken > from your card and the rate on the day they do that might not be so > favourable. Even at 1.6 dollars to the pound the price still works out at > over 20 pounds if you buy from the USA. > > Haden
Correction - the first sentence below should read "I bought FTM 2011 direct from the USA last year". I bought the CD upgrade, not the Deluxe version. My apologies for the error. On 11 September 2011 02:10, Caroline Gurney <caroline.gurney@gmail.com> wrote: > Haden, > > I bought FTM 2011 Deluxe direct from the USA last year. I've just > checked my bank statement and it cost me $25.68, including postage. > The exchange rate was $1.49563 = £1, so I paid £17.17. My parcel was > shipped at the same time as US orders and arrived very promptly. I > paid no VAT. I had the software two months before it was launched in > the UK. When it did finally launch in the UK, the cheapest version > initially available was the Deluxe bundle at over £30. I see that now, > a year after release, the cheapest price for the CD only upgrade > version is £20.80 including postage. > > I have pre-ordered FTM 2012 from the USA for $19.99 plus $9 postage = > $28.99 in total. Yesterday my bank gave me an exchange rate of > $1.55181 = £1 on a transaction in the US. On that basis FTM 2012 will > cost me £18.68. If I am unlucky and VAT is charged by Customs that > will only be an additional 20% on $19.99 = $4 = £2.58. > > I am highly sceptical that FTM 2012 will be available in the UK at the > end of this month. There is no mention of it yet on the > Ancestry.co.uk, Amazon UK or S&N Genealogy websites. My History and > TWR Computing both offer discounts of up to 30% for pre-orders if you > sign up to a mailing list. I've been on that mailing list for some > time now and heard nothing. If they want me to buy from them, I need > to know *now* how much it will cost and when it will be available. In > the absence of any such information, I am buying the US bird in the > hand in preference to the two UK birds in the bush. > > Caroline Gurney > > Family History Website: www.carosfamily.com > Family History Blog: cmgurney.blogspot.com > > > > On 10 September 2011 23:53, Tony Beardshaw <beardshaw@tesco.net> wrote: >> Caroline and others in the UK >> >> I think you may be mistaken in thinking you are buying FTM 2012 cheaper by >> buying from the US directly. At 32.99 dollars + 9 dollars postage and an >> exchange rate of 1.5 dollars to the pound (if you are lucky) the price works >> out at about 22 pounds. I see that UK companies TWR computing, My History >> and Genealogy Supplies (S&N) were selling FTM 2011 for under £20 (even when >> it first came out) and in the case of TWR it is postage free. Notice they >> will ship in the last week of September. I understand UK customers will get >> theirs shipped from the UK companies at the end of September just like the >> US customers so anyone buying directly from the USA may pay a higher price, >> delayed delivery and a risk of VAT. Not a good proposition at all, and >> anyway why not give the UK companies a chance in these difficult times. They >> are not known for increasing prices year on year so I don’t expect they will >> be much more expensive than last year if there is any increase at all. I >> made the mistake of buying from the US a few years ago and didn’t get mine >> until about three weeks after the US shipments went out. >> >> Just one last thought. It's not the exchange rate today that you pay. It >> will be when they are ready to despatch your goods that the money is taken >> from your card and the rate on the day they do that might not be so >> favourable. Even at 1.6 dollars to the pound the price still works out at >> over 20 pounds if you buy from the USA. >> >> Haden >
Caroline If you get caught for VAT won't you then also have to pay a handling fee to the Post Office which is £8? Tony -----Original Message----- From: Caroline Gurney Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2011 11:45 AM To: beardshaw@tesco.net ; ftm-tech@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [FTM-TECH] version 2012 Correction - the first sentence below should read "I bought FTM 2011 direct from the USA last year". I bought the CD upgrade, not the Deluxe version. My apologies for the error. On 11 September 2011 02:10, Caroline Gurney <caroline.gurney@gmail.com> wrote: > Haden, > > I bought FTM 2011 Deluxe direct from the USA last year. I've just > checked my bank statement and it cost me $25.68, including postage. > The exchange rate was $1.49563 = £1, so I paid £17.17. My parcel was > shipped at the same time as US orders and arrived very promptly. I > paid no VAT. I had the software two months before it was launched in > the UK. When it did finally launch in the UK, the cheapest version > initially available was the Deluxe bundle at over £30. I see that now, > a year after release, the cheapest price for the CD only upgrade > version is £20.80 including postage. > > I have pre-ordered FTM 2012 from the USA for $19.99 plus $9 postage = > $28.99 in total. Yesterday my bank gave me an exchange rate of > $1.55181 = £1 on a transaction in the US. On that basis FTM 2012 will > cost me £18.68. If I am unlucky and VAT is charged by Customs that > will only be an additional 20% on $19.99 = $4 = £2.58. > > I am highly sceptical that FTM 2012 will be available in the UK at the > end of this month. There is no mention of it yet on the > Ancestry.co.uk, Amazon UK or S&N Genealogy websites. My History and > TWR Computing both offer discounts of up to 30% for pre-orders if you > sign up to a mailing list. I've been on that mailing list for some > time now and heard nothing. If they want me to buy from them, I need > to know *now* how much it will cost and when it will be available. In > the absence of any such information, I am buying the US bird in the > hand in preference to the two UK birds in the bush. > > Caroline Gurney > > Family History Website: www.carosfamily.com > Family History Blog: cmgurney.blogspot.com > > > > On 10 September 2011 23:53, Tony Beardshaw <beardshaw@tesco.net> wrote: >> Caroline and others in the UK >> >> I think you may be mistaken in thinking you are buying FTM 2012 cheaper >> by >> buying from the US directly. At 32.99 dollars + 9 dollars postage and an >> exchange rate of 1.5 dollars to the pound (if you are lucky) the price >> works >> out at about 22 pounds. I see that UK companies TWR computing, My >> History >> and Genealogy Supplies (S&N) were selling FTM 2011 for under £20 (even >> when >> it first came out) and in the case of TWR it is postage free. Notice they >> will ship in the last week of September. I understand UK customers will >> get >> theirs shipped from the UK companies at the end of September just like >> the >> US customers so anyone buying directly from the USA may pay a higher >> price, >> delayed delivery and a risk of VAT. Not a good proposition at all, and >> anyway why not give the UK companies a chance in these difficult times. >> They >> are not known for increasing prices year on year so I don’t expect they >> will >> be much more expensive than last year if there is any increase at all. I >> made the mistake of buying from the US a few years ago and didn’t get >> mine >> until about three weeks after the US shipments went out. >> >> Just one last thought. It's not the exchange rate today that you pay. It >> will be when they are ready to despatch your goods that the money is >> taken >> from your card and the rate on the day they do that might not be so >> favourable. Even at 1.6 dollars to the pound the price still works out at >> over 20 pounds if you buy from the USA. >> >> Haden > ********************************** List information page http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Software/FTM-TECH.html Online Support for Family Tree Maker Version 16 and earlier http://pastftm.custhelp.com/ Version 2008 - 2011 http://ftm.custhelp.com/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FTM-TECH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message