In Mauritius, the authorized retailer of Apple, Orange, sells the Iphone X 256Gb worth $1149, at a price of $1657 instead and the 64Gb version at $1429 instead of $999. Same price differences are applied on other Iphone series being sold.

The world isn't fair. In most places for most products companies can charge what they like, balancing it against what people are prepared to pay. I can see the identical product in 5 stores within a kilometer of where I live and it can have up to a 50% price range difference. Also don't forget that the price may also reflect whatever the Mauritian government requires in the form of taxes or duty.

Don't forget, people responding here are simply other Apple product users like yourself. We do not know how Apple's pricing and marketing operates and they really do not like this kind of discussion on their web site since this is supposed to be a technical assistance forum and discussion of their policies is against the terms of use. I'm surprised this post has remained up here as long as it has.

I think the last time I bought a coconut it cost $6.

Prices for a product are not consistent from country to country, state to state, city to city, store to store.

Tariffs, taxes, market conditions, legal requirements, regulatory requirements, price of rent, marketing,labor rates, currency conversion, etc can all play a part in the difference in price.

There is nothing new, different or unusual about this at all.

Why is coconut $.40 where you live and $6 here. not fair? No simply the nature of a free economy.

AndrewSrAD wrote:

Unhelpful at all, you can't compare the price of Iphones in Mauritius and the one of the coconuts in the US. What if i tell you that a coconut in Mauritius is priced at half a dollar ? Now how about the $1657 Iphone ? Doesn't make sense at all

That's kind of the way it is, especially if there's a middleman distributor. I've heard of quite a few people who purchase iPhones on trips to the United States because it's cheaper (and the ability to get one without a carrier lock), even though there might be questions as to LTE coverage and warranty/service issues. iPhones don't carry an international warranty like most other portable Apple devices.

Driver8666 wrote:

We've said this I don't know how many times and people don't listen. I also wonder if they ever bothered to do the exchange rate and see if it's really cheaper.

There are a lot of little moving parts when it comes to comparing prices, including exchange rates and possibly exchange rate fees or credit card service charges. I think one of the things people miss are that most states in the US charge sales tax, while many prices outside the US already have a VAT/GST included.

However, I get that sometimes people just want the "American model". Often it's going to be someone who would then do something like get a cheap aftermarket battery replacement, so warranty issues aren't going to be an overriding concern.

Is that the price in an Apple retail store on Mauritius? Oh, wait, there are no Apple retail locations in Mauritius! That is the price of the iPhone charged by whoever is selling it there.

The US price is Apple's MSRP. MSRP = manufacturer's suggested retail price. Notice the important word s u g g e s t e d. However, that price only being Apple's suggestion, it also only applies to the US. The price difference from the US to other countries is not just the exchange rate difference of US dollars to whatever. Apple's MSRP in the UK is different because the cost of Apple doing business in the UK is higher than the US, so the MSRP is higher in the UK Apple retail stores, reflecting the higher costs.

Do you know how much I have to pay for a coconut where I live?

All in all with a currency MUR as on Mauritius, I would ask the same:

We've said this I don't know how many times and people don't listen. I also wonder if they ever bothered to do the exchange rate and see if it's really cheaper.

Don't forget different countries have different VAT!

Swiss 7.7% Belgium 22% France 20% and so on.