Australian Price of MoGraph

[neonghost]

I agree, this doesn't really add up. It's almost worth ordering from the US.

I'd like to see a Maxon response to this price point.

[ooo]

GST is taxes?
The other prices are without taxes so that explains the difference for the most part I think. :shrug:

odo

[Erik Heyninck]

379 Euro is the price from Maxon Germany, VAT inclusive.
This is 629AusDollars

Plus transport of course.

In Scandinavia, you may add another 5-6%

Guess I'll save this for when C10 comes out.

[williamsburroughs]

That's like $480 USD. Sounds about right if it includes VAT.

[Rantin Al]

UK price is £220 + 17.5% VAT = £259.

Cheers, Al.

[jsls]

(693.00 AUD = 527.35 USD)

US price of MoGraph: 395.00 USD

Europe price: 259.01 including VAT (476.00 USD)

Of course it is all relative and according to current exchange rates, taxes, ect...
0

[Darth Mole]

It's because Australia always win at sporting events, have better looking women and nicer weather. So we punish you with expensive software.

[JIII]

Except for swimming, where America kicks *** :-). I agree with the beaches and beautiful women. Send me your women, and I will send you my prices, the weather in Ohio sucks!

[flyingP]

It's because Australia always win at sporting events, have better looking women and nicer weather. So we punish you with expensive software.

ROFL :D

edit: ROFLMAO

[Matariki]

I have discussed this with some distributers and software companies in the past (mostly LW) to no avail. I usually get hit twice. Being in New Zealand I have to buy from Australia, so the exchanges goes from Euro to A$ to NZ$ it usually adds another NZ$100 to the price for good measure.

In this day and age I wonder what the value of distributers are. From my point of view there is no value. If I need support I call Maxon in Germany or in 99% of the cases go to one of the many forums on the net to ask questions or file bug reports on the net. From Maxons point of view the distributer marketing channel was probably adopted because of better local market knowledge and the fact that the customers will contact the distributer and not Maxon. Which would put some ease onto the customer relation department at Maxon headquarters. But today we are living in a global village. Information is freely available and the knowledge of local markets is at least for these very specialized software products not necessary. People who are interested research on the net not the distributer. Another point is I don't need physical shipment (which adds quite a bit to the price) I am happy to download any software product and I have done so in the past (ZBrush, Modo, ...)

my two cents. Cheers.

[Erik Heyninck]

the 375Euro I mentioned comes from the Maxon Germany site, so it is correct.

There is a change, and in the past they gave prices VAT inclusive. Guess that this is another step towards companies etc.
People with vat numbers, who can deduct it from their taxbills.

[rsquires]

I had an email from Adimex and it seems that they have a price of AU$630.00 for the product which is fine when you currency convert the euro 379.00 price. This works out correctly. However the euro price includes VAT. Aus and NZ users will be hit twice with GST added to AU$630.00 which at %10 is AU$693.00, which is bang on what they say the price is. I just think it's a bit rich that we are charged tax 2 times. Also NZ users then have even more to pay with their exchange rate. Surely there must be a price for MoGraph without VAT from Germany.

From Maxons website I translated the cost for MoGraph.

Article mg sum MoGraph 1 379.00 intermediate total 379.00 contained VAT 52,28

Which gives us a price before VAT of Euro 326.72. Converting this to AU$ we get 541.35 + %10 GST = AU$ 595.48

So MoGraph is AU$100.00 more. It's just not right in my opinion. Who would be the best person at Maxon in sales to talk to about this issue?

regards

Richard

[Wokka]

JIII "Except for swimming, where America kicks *** :-)."

US Population 300 mill
Aus Population 20 mill

Olympics, US 12 Gold, Aus 7 Gold
World Champs, US 17 Gold, Aus 13 Gold

Not what I'd call kicking &*^% :)
Cheers

Wokka

[Zendorf]

Yeah, I got that email as well and wasn't really too shocked since we always tend to get bloated prices here for software. You made a comparison to the price of Lightwave, but a fairer comparison would be to that of XSI, which I bought here for about $800...only $100 more for a full app!

Ah well, I could winge about the prices of Maxon products, but that won't stop me from buying them , since as you know, one job will easily cover the price of this module. I just tend to be very careful about which modules/plugins to buy and at what time as it is easy to get burned if your timing is off. For instance I would have not bought Response if I knew of the new tools in 9.6 and Mograph. Likewise I am wary of getting Phytools and the new CD tools as Maxon will most likely have updated dynamics and CA tools in R10 (presumably released at Sigg 06).

Anyway, I will certainly be getting Mograph...just a matter of when. If only they had an introductory price like they did with Hair, and then I wouldn't be able to control my buying urge...happens every time:D

[dfaris]

I think Maxons pricing is way out of wack and I do think it will bite them on the butt pretty soon. Pricing like this for addons went out the window awhile ago. Maxon has a great product but the pricing makes it not worth updating. I already know a lot of people that left for other apps. I just hope Maxon keeps there eye on the ball before there user base becomes somebody elses user base.

[AdamT]

In a way it's hard to compare Cinema's pricing to other apps because of the module thing. For example, no application has the capabilities that MoGraph offers, at any price. To get cloth or hair approaching the quality of Maxon's, you have to buy extremely expensive versions of other software. None of the competitors offer NPR rendering like S&T, with the possible exception of finalToon which is 3d party. None of the other apps offer 3d painting at the level of BP. etc.

Obviously the other applications have their strong points too; ultimately what represents the best value depends on your particular needs. Competition is good.

[Spacelord]

How'd you find out about our women ? We only send our ugly ones over,
Nicole Kidman, Elle Macpherson, porsche de rossi :) LOL

It's because Australia always win at sporting events, have better looking women and nicer weather. So we punish you with expensive software.

[Duffdaddy]

I have discussed this with some distributers and software companies in the past (mostly LW) to no avail. I usually get hit twice. Being in New Zealand I have to buy from Australia, so the exchanges goes from Euro to A$ to NZ$ it usually adds another NZ$100 to the price for good measure.

Matariki, try getting hold of www.protel.co.nz in Wellington. They're Maxon agents also. Haven't had a price myself, but have asked.

[moka.studio]

... However the euro price includes VAT. Aus and NZ users will be hit twice with GST added to AU$630.00 which at %10 is AU$693.00, which is bang on what they say the price is. I just think it's a bit rich that we are charged tax 2 times. Also NZ users then have even more to pay with their exchange rate. Surely there must be a price for MoGraph without VAT from Germany.

Richard
If you are not in the european Union, then you should not be asked to pay Geramn Vat - it only applies to people living within the Euro area. I would have a talk with the resellers or with Maxon if I were you.

[Multiman]

Matariki, try getting hold of www.protel.co.nz in Wellington. They're Maxon agents also. Haven't had a price myself, but have asked.

Im 99% sure Protel source their Maxon products from Adimex/Digistore.

[flingster]

Pricing is the one area maxon imho consistently f**k up. everytime we have this same issue...last year it was UK buyers...then we had our euro-cousins now its those fellas down under...every time there have been variances and despite maxons best efforts to defend itself i still usually come away thinking...there must be a better way...
maxon once again i beg you sit down and resolve this so we all pay the same price fullstop. and spare me the waffle.
we have universal binaries why not universal prices?
what if everyone bought in euros or dollars...take your pick but just one please...thanks.
in fairness to maxon they are aware of variances and do try to eliminate them in early discussions from what i can tell but its clearly not working.

give us a solution and stop the bitchin':bounce::love::bounce:

[Matariki]

Thanks Duffdaddy I'll check them out but I guess Multiman is right. Maxon states on their web site that Adimex as the local distributer for Oz and Nz. Having another middleman on top of the middleman will most likely not be any cheaper.

Personally I prefer to buy in Germany using instant download of any software I buy. That means for me I can buy tools when I need them even if thats in the middle of the night. No waiting that Maxon sends the stuff to Adimex which then with a delay of a few days send it on to me. Don't get me wrong, Adimex is very friendly and they do what they can to please me, very nice folks.

While I said in the last post that I can't see a value to the customer in having a distributer I guess distributers are valued by larger studios which buy large quantities of Maxon products unlike me I buy only one copy at a time. These studios might require better support and training programms. But then again if they do need the benefits of a distributer they should pay for the service and those of us that don't require that service should be left alone. User pays principle. I pay for my training when I buy 3dFluff DVD's or Gnomon etc.

I think Maxon should review their marketing channels to make the whole thing more transparent.

[artzfx]

I mentioned this in October last year when looking to purchase C4D Studio... it cost approx $5780AUD in Australia but the price at www.novedge.com (http://www.novedge.com/) in the US was approx $3300AUD...

Purchase a return airfare, fly to the States, purchase C4D and fly back with change in your pocket... crazy pricing system. The difference doesn't equate even with 10%GST, 5% Import Tax and exchange rates. Be nice to purchase as downloads from the States :)

Even stranger is that a Oz reseller www.selectsolutions.com.au (http://www.selectsolutions.com.au/) lists Cinema 4D cheaper than the Oz distributor... But Adimex have provided a good service and looked after me, so nothing but good things to say about them. Would be nice if Maxon sorted out a global pricing to treat all users the same on price no matter where they lived...

[Erik Heyninck]

I agree. Me too, I would prefer to have the choice of getting CD's or be able to download. I would choose the latter. You pay and get a download link that's valid for, say 24hours and/or three downloads. Need a new one? Just ask for a new link. Have a slow connection or prefer proCD's? Just ask. Style Pixologic.
Eventually, new buyers might be given only the CD option. But regulars, with serials, should be given the choice to download a new module. It must even be possible to enter a code that only responds to the particular serial that is entered when shopping.
It would even be better if plugins would also be available from that cntral location.

As for universal prices: OK, but then which one? The USDollar was the world's reference, but now, due to the gigantesque negative trade balance, it's slowly sinking away, despite the efforts of the rest of the world not selling their stock of $. But the US is a big market, and you cannot force them to pay in Euro nowadays as that would mean pricing yourself out of the market.
Still, it would be good to have one basic price and then add the local taxes where necessary.

[rsquires]

I am glad to see I am not the only one annoyed by this.

Adimex/Digistor are a fine company and I have always done business with them. However it's hard not to as they are sole distributors in Australia. When I rang Mark Richards he said AU$693.00 was the price he would be charging, but that was an estimate based on the German price on the website and that it may change. Since this is a physically shipped item there are shipping costs, customs duty, etc, but one could argue that there are those where ever you are in the world. More a reason to offer electronic download as an option I'd say.

Let's hope someone from Maxon sees this and rectifies the situation. Again who should I speak to at Maxon regarding this issue?

regards

Richard

[neonghost]

Since this is a physically shipped item there are shipping costs, customs duty, etc, but one could argue that there are those where ever you are in the world.

Is each and every one really shipped in, though? I also assumed they received one master disc and just made copies... Many of my upgrades look like consumer burnt CDs to me.

[Per-Anders]

I am glad to see I am not the only one annoyed by this.
...

Let's hope someone from Maxon sees this and rectifies the situation. Again who should I speak to at Maxon regarding this issue?

regards

Richard

http://www.maxon.net/pages/support/suggestions_e.html

[rsquires]

Thanks Per I put in a suggestion.I urge fellow Australian and New Zealand Cinema 4D users to follow suite, take a minute out of their day and raise this issue with Maxon. We may be a small market but that's no reason to punish us with massively inflated prices, especially considering the alternative ways of distribution, now afforded by the internet. This distribution model has been ripped to shreds by the net. When I think I just bought Hexagon for AU$40.00 ( yes admittedly it's a crazy, crazy deal ), AU$700.00 just seems astronomic.

As my wife always says " the creaky gate gets the oil". Lets get creaking!

regards

Richard Squires

[ChrisCousins]

Is each and every one really shipped in, though? I also assumed they received one master disc and just made copies... Many of my upgrades look like consumer burnt CDs to me.

Yup - confirmed here too. You should see my BodyPaint CD, it's a non-printed disk with 'BP3D' written on the front in smudgy felt-tip. I've seen better from Bangkok street markets. Not bad for £250 no manual :shrug:

[Srek]

http://www.maxon.net/pages/support/suggestions_e.html
Ehm, those suggestions will be stored in a database wich will only be queried for develpment purposes. It is very likely that non development related input will be completely disregarded, since it does not match the search criteria.
On pricing or sales issues it' best to contact Maxon directly, info for this can be found here
http://www.maxon.net/pages/contact/about_maxon_e.html
Cheers
Björn

[rsquires]

Thanks for that

regards

Rich

[Duffdaddy]

well back to Ausi and NZ pricing. Spoke to the nice folks at Protel, and yep, you're right - they do have to get their Product from Adimex/Digistore.. or whatever they're called now.
Get this though. I'm on 9.1 so I'd have to buy and upgrade to 9.5 anyway before I can get hold of MoGraph - however that'd work out to be about $1400 NZD +gst (12.5%) for both upgrade and module. Instead though I could buy a new copy of C4D Core 9.6 + MoGraph for $2040 NZD +gst and get myself another seat and MoGraph for basically 600 bucks extra.
Hmmmm.

[3DKiwi]

I think you should buy direct from the USA. Get it shipped to a mate in the USA who then in turn ships to you. I did this in 2004 when I bought the the 8.5 XL bundle. Saved me a bundle.

Certainly something not right with the pricing down here.

3DKiwi

[Duffdaddy]

Good idea. And if they send it as a gift then you dont pay GST or duty on it.

[Matariki]

I think you should buy direct from the USA. Get it shipped to a mate in the USA who then in turn ships to you. I did this in 2004 when I bought the the 8.5 XL bundle. Saved me a bundle.

Certainly something not right with the pricing down here.

3DKiwi

3DKiwi, did you pay with your Kiwi credit card and you had a shipping address in the US? And that worked? Some refuse the deal with you when the shipping address is different from billing address. However, a good point. I have a mate in Germany he could buy the stuff for me there ... although I think you are right, at the moment it would be even better to buy in the US. I'll see what to do when MoGraph is out.

We kiwis should buy a collective bundle and get a discount.

Cheers.

[ChrisCousins]

Hey Kiwi, this is a good plan - certainly makes financial sense with the exchange rates - but did you have any difficulty arranging upgrades with this method? I remember reading somewhere that upgrades, modules etc need to be bought from the country where the app was purchased - can't find the post though so this might be wrong!

Cheers - Chris

I think you should buy direct from the USA. Get it shipped to a mate in the USA who then in turn ships to you. I did this in 2004 when I bought the the 8.5 XL bundle. Saved me a bundle.

Certainly something not right with the pricing down here.

3DKiwi

[Erik Heyninck]

If it works, try www.pluginz.com
Despite that "z" an ok company, and rather cheap.

[metagrey]

post deleted

[3DKiwi]

I used my Kiwi credit card and gave my mates address in the USA. Plus did it as a competitive upgrade as I had a copy of Truespace. All very straight forward.

As for upgrades I never upgraded it so I don't know if would have been a problem. I guess I'm in a unique situation as I'm treated as the press since rel 9 and Maxon kindly supplies me with new toys for reviews. I make no secret of that.

There's resellers like www.sharbor.com that ship worldwide and I've bought software from them but when you look at their listing for C4D they say the manufacturer restricts them to sales in North America. The issue appears to be that Maxon wants us all to buy from each countries authorised reseller. I can't quite follow the logic of this as when you fill out the on-line support form you get Maxon UK. I guess it's something to do with telephone support as I know Maxon has US techies. I wonder how many Aussie and NZ potential C4D customers have said the price is just too high and bought something else?

3DKiwi

[Duffdaddy]

can we do that? I mean put all our orders in together and get a discount? I'd be keen.
And as for Pluginz - yea, I've found Karsten to be really good to deal with in general and they do do great prices on some items. Look out for their specials.

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