why are cellphones in the united statees more expensive than the ones in england?

Question

because a friend of mine was tring to buy a decent phone and the phone was very expensive but when we went on www.tmobile.co.uk we saw the phone that she wanted was cheaper than what we saw in the stores.

Answer 1

you need to check what the terms are on the phone purchase so that you are comparing apples to apples.

if you buy the phone and register for a new plan, especially 12, 18, or 24 months, you often get a large discount on the price of the phone (down to the phone free in many cases). Note that even if you already have a plan, if you agree to renew it for an additional 12, 18, or 24 months, you can get the same discount on the phone to go with your existing plan.

if you just buy the phone, the price of the phone is often quite high.

Answer 2

Has absolutely nothing to do with Euro vs dollar.

It has to do with cellphone technology. Because of patents and US laws and the idiocy of many companies, prices continue to rise. If you go to the Middle East or Europe the phones will be much better, the connections much clearer and the costs amazingly lower.

Sometimes being American isn't that great.

Answer 3

The thing with the phones in UK is that they normally come with a 12 or 18 month contract so when you see the phone for 25 pounds you're actually paying for it over the length of your contract. I have a Sony Erricson w800i that I got free in UK, is $500 to buy over here! A friend who works for T-Mobile here in US told me the FCC is to blame for the cellphone market being behind countries like UK....

Answer 4

Probably because the euro or the pound are worth more than the US dollar.

Answer 5

it depends on how much tax is being pay by the cellular company to the Government.