> *For Example, HongKong used to have the cheapest iPhone around the world, it w... | Hacker News

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		falsedan on Sept 11, 2017 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: With a $1k Price, Apple’s iPhone Crosses a Thresho... > For Example, HongKong used to have the cheapest iPhone around the world, it was priced the same as US and because there are no Sales tax, it was 10-15% cheaper. Could you explain this differently? If it had the same price as the US (converted to HKD), and no sales tax, it would be the same price as buying it in (say) Oregon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_Stat... > Since January 2017, 5 states (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon) do not levy a statewide sales tax

masklinn on Sept 11, 2017 [–]

I took this as meaning that it was 10~15% cheaper than surrounding countries/territories due to no sales tax, hence being used to fuel black market all around SEA: a 5% margin on an iphone obtained in HK would still be cheaper for the final Japanese buyer than a "home-bought" iPhone (8% VAT).

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