Nikon Aus realising grey is a threat?

[ricktas]

Wonder if the folk at Nikon (Aus) are starting to realise that people will continue to buy grey market when the pricing is worth it, and therefore are adjusting their prices to be more competitive. Hope we get to see more of this:

http://smarthouse.com.au/Digital_Photography/Industry/A9P7P5N4

[arthurking83]

Hopefully this is not limited onto to their cameras, but will also extend to their lens lineup too .. and not just for JBH either(or HN or other mega stores) .. but will apply to all Nikon selling retail stores too!

[LJG]

It is a simple case of keep up with market trends or fall by the wayside Rick. It has taken the local suppliers long enough to catch on. A friend of mine went into a HN store the other day and they matched an online price for a 60D, he was shocked (so was I) and naturally purchased it because of the local warranty. C.R. Kennedy already do this with price matching, so as above hopefully it will flow on to other items as well. If Nikon do it Canon will have to follow.

[Lani]

Lets hope so! Although it does amuse me how there is an implication that "grey" bodies are somehow inferior. The main issue for me is local warranty...and it would be nice to have a viable option to purchase and keep $$$ in Aus.
I must say I didn't realise that JB did direct imports.

[MarkChap]

It will have to flow onto the other big retailers, HN, Camerhouse etc, but will this see the end of the specialist bricks and mortar camera retailer ??
One advantage was always the local warranty, if I can buy at grey prices, with genuine OEM Australian warranty, why would I buy from a bricks and mortar retailer at an inflated price ??

[Bennymiata]

Nikon has seen the writing on the wall.
I'm sure they know they have been missing out on many, many sales of their better end cameras.

Now Canon have to come to the party too.

Considering that shipping to OZ is the same or cheaper than shipping to the US, why do we have to pay so much more for our cameras than they do over there?
Sure, we have a 10% GST, but there is no import duty on cameras, so our local prices should be only 10% dearer.

I also feel that the camera factories should warrant any item anywhere it is bought and anywhere it is taken for service, as the factory should be ultimately repsonsible for the goods they manufacture and not the local importers.

Us camera geeks are getting too smart and know full-well what the overseas prices are and we are now not falling for overinflated local pricing anymore and the sooner the camera importers realise this, the better for all of us.

An interesting comment in the article about buying a camera grey and getting non-genuine batteries and chargers in the box.
I've bought lots of stuff grey, and have never had this problem.

[Tommo1965]

if you go to a Jb site and read their Q&A on direct imported products bought from their on-line store..it states that the end user still has to pay any import taxes such as GST !!..so if your over the old $1000 mark..you would be up for the GST...its a bit of a con on JBs behalf offering the direct import option..must mum and dad purchasers would have a clue about that small print Id guess..

obviously we would all prefer to buy local..but quite often the price difference is so much..its hard to justify it.....CRK only price match the sigma line of its products..something that makes me believe the price mathing is factory backed

[I @ M]

if you go to a Jb site and read their Q&A on direct imported products bought from their on-line store..it states that the end user still has to pay any import taxes such as GST !!..so if your over the old $1000 mark..you would be up for the GST...its a bit of a con on JBs behalf offering the direct import option..must mum and dad purchasers would have a clue about that small print Id guess..

obviously we would all prefer to buy local..but quite often the price difference is so much..its hard to justify it.....CRK only price match the sigma line of its products..something that makes me believe the price mathing is factory backed

Tommo, that is what the linked article is all about. JBHF will no longer be offering grey import items in exchange for Nikon Australia providing locally distributed items at a realistic price and with a 2 year warranty.

As for CRK price matching, it is totally up to their discretion as to whether they do or don't match prices and if one reads their policy their price matching actually only refers to those grey import dealers that they list on their page. It doesn't actually cover every grey importer but they have been known to match other prices than the dealers listed.

http://www.crkennedy.com.au/v1/index.cfm?pageID=465&pageRef=179&

[arthurking83]

There's nothing like the SAFE feeling of walking into a store purchasing your sensitive electronic gear and walking home with it that same day!

That feeling is worth up to $100 for me, which is about the GST factor(unless you prefer to risk running the customs/ATO gauntlet and not declare the actual price of the goods.

My main concern with having gear purchased online is actually the delivery of the goods.

Once you've worked in the transportation sector and seen it from our their side, you'd be very selective as to what items you would have delivered to your door.
It's the handling of goods between the bulk section(palletised goods) going into the vans/utes/bikes/etc that would make your skin crawl, not so much the bulk transport of goods from manufacturer or storage to distribution centre or store. It's the personal delivery of goods where they'll get mistreated.

The Dell distribution centre was one of the worst DC centres I've ever seen, and it's simply due to the very low pay that the drivers get for each delivery.
Because their care factor is so low, all they think about is how to get as many items in the vehicle as quickly as possible, or how to stuff as much as possible in the smallest space available.

Never had much experience with smallish items at transport centres such as USPS, DHL and such .. but I've seen a lot of streamlined efficiency at Toll Express, where items get sorted in large cages according to delivery location. These items don't get placed carefully in their respective cages, they can get thrown many meters across the floor and don't always land in right spot.
They have the conveyor system, but I've never actually seen it used in most parts of the warehouse.

Knowing that a batch of sensitive goods have arrived smoothly on the back of a truck in bulk lots on pallets, to the retailer's loading dock and carefully forklifted on and off at both ends, and where the store people at the receiving end tend to take more care in the handling of the goods(lest they get the axe!).. is also worth the burden of the GST.


This turnaround by the local importers had to eventually happen. That Nikon have done it 'first' is surprising to say the least! :confused:
Others will surely follow and it will be interesting to see how it affects (local) Nikon's sales performance in the coming couple of years too.

What really worries me tho is that this may be a short term ploy to eradicate the opposition with a measured amount of financial force. They squeeze the grey importers for a couple of years, till the grey importers cry enough and either go bust or cease operating due to their unviability.
Then the local importers unjustifiably increase their prices once again for the longer term milking of us short sighted mugs ... profitability of the respective companies involved.

[gerry]

yeah its a bit belated and really, not unexpected, you have been able to nail nikon bodies for a while at quite close to grey market prices hence its a sensible market strategy by Nikon Aus to get more sales.

[MarkChap]

Actually Andrew, those listed websites are examples of sites that CR Kennedy won't provide warranty services on goods purchased from there
Kennedy's will match most Grey/Online Pricing, been there facilitated that, but the retailer does not get the sale. Kennedy's actually sell the item direct to the customer, so many retailers are reluctant to facilitate the price match



Tommo, that is what the linked article is all about. JBHF will no longer be offering grey import items in exchange for Nikon Australia providing locally distributed items at a realistic price and with a 2 year warranty.

As for CRK price matching, it is totally up to their discretion as to whether they do or don't match prices and if one reads their policy their price matching actually only refers to those grey import dealers that they list on their page. It doesn't actually cover every grey importer but they have been known to match other prices than the dealers listed.

http://www.crkennedy.com.au/v1/index.cfm?pageID=465&pageRef=179&

[Tommo1965]

Tommo, that is what the linked article is all about. JBHF will no longer be offering grey import items in exchange for Nikon Australia providing locally distributed items at a realistic price and with a 2 year warranty.

As for CRK price matching, it is totally up to their discretion as to whether they do or don't match prices and if one reads their policy their price matching actually only refers to those grey import dealers that they list on their page. It doesn't actually cover every grey importer but they have been known to match other prices than the dealers listed.

http://www.crkennedy.com.au/v1/index.cfm?pageID=465&pageRef=179&

yep I know that's what the article was about...I was pointing out that they still do it for other products...namely canon ...so the direct import option they do is still a bit of a con..most wouldn't expect those charges if you buy from a Aussie retailer ....

Ive had CRK price match a sigma lens I bought...I always thought it was only the sigma products that were aligned in that way

[Tommo1965]

double post

[fillum]

Are Nikon cutting prices elsewhere or just at JB? I think this is more a reaction to "direct import" rather than the grey market in general. There would be plenty of people that would be nervous about sending their hard-earned to some mob in China, but would feel quite ok buying online through JB. (Maybe Nikon Aus had noticed a drop in their orders from JB?). Be interesting to see if the price drop will be applied acros the range or just to a limited subset. (The linked article mentions D7000 for $1400 but I couldn't find it on the JB site).

Good move from Nikon Aus with the increased warranty (although still a year too short on the upper end bodies in my opinion).



Cheers.

[ricktas]

Are Nikon cutting prices elsewhere or just at JB? I think this is more a reaction to "direct import" rather than the grey market in general. There would be plenty of people that would be nervous about sending their hard-earned to some mob in China, but would feel quite ok buying online through JB. (Maybe Nikon Aus had noticed a drop in their orders from JB?). Be interesting to see if the price drop will be applied acros the range or just to a limited subset. (The linked article mentions D7000 for $1400 but I couldn't find it on the JB site).

Good move from Nikon Aus with the increased warranty (although still a year too short on the upper end bodies in my opinion).



Cheers.

Stay tuned re whether it is just JB or elsewhere. Things are afoot.

[rodw]

My son used to work for JB. They have a policy that they will match any price regardless if they make a loss or not. Now WOW have gone under, this may change do you think?

I don't think JB's policies are representative of the market though but it seems to work for them. They are subscribers to the lifetime value of the customer thinking. Make a loss now and you will come back later and they will make it up. I've spent a fair amount there, sometimes at mates rates or just over their cost other times at their full retail so maybe it does work!

[mechawombat]

JB as a brand is established with the likes of HN, Myer and David Jones.
whereas WOW was not.

My D7000 came from Grey importer eGlobal. It was sealed and packed so well it actually took me 10mins just to open the outer box. My D7000 box was marked Nikon Korea. It did not even have a bump on the camera box or the two lens boxes either. It was shipped by Fedex though.

EVERYTHING in the package was GENUINE.

[Cyza]

(The linked article mentions D7000 for $1400 but I couldn't find it on the JB site).


they are up now
http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/dslr-camera/

but funnily enough they list both the direct import items and non direct import items.
for example the 5D MKII with 24-105 direct import is $2845 whilst the normal item is $3371

[bricat]

B&H do this with Canon lenses and the difference is only about $50.00 American

[agb]

I suppose the idea is that if they can lower the price and give a better warranty then they can out compete the grey market, possibly to the point of putting them out of business, having done that they can then go about raising the price again.
We only win if the grey market stays there keeping them more or less honest.

[camerasnoop]

It's about time. IMHO the authorised importers here have been holding prices above the grey price for too long. There have essentially been two margins, one wholesale and another retail. We keep hearing about the global economy when it comes to wages. Time we heard of the global economy when it comes to prices. Two year warranties are offered as a matter of law in the UK (last time I checked), so why not here? Some of this gear costs as much as a small car.

Oh, and they'll never put the "grey" market out of business as long as we use the internet. Some australia-based parallel importers might feel the squeeze, but this won't affect offshore sources who ship into Australia, if their prices are still competitive. The move to the two year warranties is a marketing device to differentiate the product on something other than sticker price. Wonder if they intend to differentiate on service?:eek:

[russrad]

Good on JB.
I have been unable to find out the CR Kennedy policy. * removed - see site rules 3-7 for members with less than 50 posts*.

[KeeFy]

Camera snoop. From what i understand only Spain has the mandatory 2 year warranty, not UK.

Rissrad: I've price matched with CR twice and both times they came to about $50 of the grey import price. Which is awesome! Considering you get local support and warranty. Should have given them a call.

Kudos to Nikon to start the ball rolling. Hopefully Canon follow suit soon. I know loads of newbies will be picking up a nikon dslr instead of a canon due to the price difference and that will definitely poke canon in the butt! :D

[camerasnoop]

Camera snoop. From what i understand only Spain has the mandatory 2 year warranty, not UK.

My mistake. Nikon offer a free 2 year warranty in the UK as they apparently intend to now do in Aus. It is not mandatory.

http://www.europe-nikon.com/en_GB/service_support/Support_2_Warranty.page

Of course, the EU and the UK have some funny/strange contradictions. I was using the UK example as an illustration only, but read this if you are interested.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/may/23/tesco-consumer-guarantee

[seastorm]

As for CRK price matching, it is totally up to their discretion as to whether they do or don't match prices and if one reads their policy their price matching actually only refers to those grey import dealers that they list on their page. It doesn't actually cover every grey importer but they have been known to match other prices than the dealers listed.

http://www.crkennedy.com.au/v1/index.cfm?pageID=465&pageRef=179&

CR Kennedy has been good with me - I emailed them if they will pricematch a price for the Sigma 150-500 I saw on Camera Paradise and someone called me back the next day telling me no problem, but I have to go to Camera Electronic in Perth to pick it up since CR Kennedy doesn't deal direct with the public. Needless to say I'm extremely pleased with the mob @ CR :th3::th3::th3:

PS - Just saw the current price of the Sigma 150-500 on the Camera Paradise website :eek::eek::eek: