How 'tight' are Camera House with their prices?

[Linnie]

After some much needed advice off this forum I have chosen my new lens, I am heading into Melbourne tonight to buy it, they are selling the one I want for $1050 but I can get it online for $850 in 3 different places but im going overseas in a week and dont want to risk not getting it through slow postage.

What are my chances of twisting their arm do you think? Has anyone had any dealings with them and had any success at getting them to match prices?

[campo]

I have bought stuff through these guys (4 years ago now) and I got a good price on the gear I was getting. That said, I used a price from a sydney camera store with a shopfront (ie. not an online one) and they matched it.

[I @ M]

You probably won't have much luck bending them on price when you are at the counter looking at the lens saying that you can get it "grey" from xxxxxx, after all they have you there and you WANT it.

Try price matching them against the other shops in town and see how you go, after all most of them are within 5 minutes walk of each other.

[swifty]

If u can get it down to below 1000, then get the TRS receipt cos u're going overseas then claim back ur GST at the airport then u're pretty close to net prices and u get it on the spot with Aussie warranty etc.

[rellik666]

I would say you could get $200 off it....maybe....play the Stores off against each other as they know that everyone does it. They won't match an online price, but you may get close!

Michaels, JB HI FI Cameras, Teds and Camerhouse are all within 2 miutes walk of each other on Elizabeth St.

Roo

[Raven]

I got them to match Vanbar easily. He didn't even check but the guy did grumble about it being too close to cost

[boggo]

call up before hand and ask if they will match 900 if you buy it tonight and see what they say?

[ameerat42]

Don't tell 'em you're going OS.

[Linnie]

As I suspected, they were tight asses

I couldnt get them any lower than $999 but I did get them to throw in a filter... I hate it when they say "no sorry, id love to give it to you cheaper, but the boss says thats as low as I can go" Hmm....

[JM Tran]

As I suspected, they were tight asses

I couldnt get them any lower than $999 but I did get them to throw in a filter... I hate it when they say "no sorry, id love to give it to you cheaper, but the boss says thats as low as I can go" Hmm....

I used to work at a Camera House yrs ago, and the cost price per unit of a camera via Australian stockists like Canon or Nikon is quite high, and we dont make much profit at all for cameras, only on accessories like memory cards and bags. I remembered when the D90 came out in 2008 - cost price per unit was $1100 or so, and we were selling them for $1210 body only. Naturally we get ppl like you coming in expecting to shave hundreds of dollars off below 4 figures to match grey import or cheaper than them. We cant, otherwise we would be broke.

Before you call them tight asses, think as to why they cant go cheaper? Maybe because Australian stockists sell to retailers for quite a bit, and some of them - ie. Sony - has a price protection policy to stop retailers from selling for too cheap?

[swifty]

Did u ask for the TRS receipt? If so then that's almost another $100 back at the airport and u're only a few tens of dollar higher than the online store plus u got a free filter and have the lens straight away.

[Linnie]

Did u ask for the TRS receipt? If so then that's almost another $100 back at the airport and u're only a few tens of dollar higher than the online store plus u got a free filter and have the lens straight away.

Yep, I got the receipt so should make a bit of a saving there

JM TRAN - I know a few people that work in places like Harvey Norman and the like and they tell me how much their cost price is and how much the charge, I dont know if Camera House is any different.. But I know some places do take advantage of people, but I suppose its a dog eat dog world

[Ozzi Paul]

I have only ever purchased gear from camera house. Mainly because I don't live anywhere near a city and there the only photographic shop around, apart from Harvey's and the like but none of them stock any Pentax or Sigma or Metz or or.
Maybe because I have got a few things there and they know me, but I always get a bit of a discount on nearly anything, but then I'm probably still paying more than the city price anyway.