Probably the confounding factor when comparing prices between the US and EU is the inclusion of taxes in the headline price in the EU, but not in the US. Looking at the prices on PC Part Picker, the excl-VAT UK prices for the i5-11400 and i5-12400 are broadly in line with the US prices (around $5 higher). However, looking at the prices for RTX 3080's, there is substantially more variance, with some models being $500+ cheaper in the UK and Germany than US, whereas others are $200+ more expensive than in the US.First, 15-25% EU VAT taxes are a huge contributor ... There are several other reasons that cascade down from the above, and it all adds up to why you, being in an EU nation, pay outrageous prices for your computer tech hardware ... So saying we are spoiled is a completely non-starter for the discussion. I hope this helps clear things up for you.
Historically speaking, multi-national companies have "taken the mickey" with pricing in past - when £1 was worth $2, it wasn't uncommon for companies to just switch the currency symbol from $ to £, making them more-or-less twice the price here compared to the US (yes they have some additional costs, but nowhere near the difference seen - this was debunked in detail by the LSE) - this probably explains some antipathy towards the tech companies and perceived pricing differences.
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