Canon losing 30% sales to grey market

[Xenedis]

I'll research, as tempting as it may be to get the hands on reasurance, it's literally stealing to go get your hands on using up staff time to then turn around and buy from online.

Doing so is not stealing. Remember, you're under no obligation to buy from a store simply because you've received advice there.

However, if you have decided you are going to buy a lens from an online supplier, yet deliberately visit stores and spend time with sales staff seeking advice, then that is unfair behaviour.

[peterb666]

This topic is very interesting I've been wondering all the thoughts raised I know about the importance of supporting local but like was mentioned when your talking $400 difference on a lens under 2k!!!

The lens I bought last week - Tamron 60mm f/2 macro - local price $850 (try and find one in a shop) - purchased from Japan $397 including EMS shipping and over-the-top PayPal currency conversion fees.

Funny thing is I have 2 outstanding internet orders from Australia at the moment, both made before the lens and still not delivered. The mail service from Japan is excellent. This is the 3rd lens I have got from Japan.

[neil70]

The main issue is with the restriction placed on retailers by the "sole importer" who is a middle man making a profit on the sale of goods. If the retailer was able to go direct to the manufacture and skip the middle man, like they do in other countries then the price for goods would be cheeper. I have these problems in my other areas of intrist, where here in Aus we pay 2-3 time more for goods than others around the world. This would have to be one of my buttons that gets pushed. teh origanal reason for "sole importers" and wholesalers was to get the goods cheeper by buying in bulk, but that has gone the way of masive profits for some and dont worry about the consumer. Now that the consumer has a way to fight back with out a plane ticket, the importers (like Gerry Harvey, yes he is also an importer) sook up that the retailer is loosing out and if we dont stop buying of the net then there will be no shops to give us the specilised service that we get now. This is the specialized service where i take my camera/lens in for a clean or adjustment and they send it away and talk to you as if they are doing the work them selves.

I could go on and on and on but i better get of the soap box .

[I @ M]

Neil70, all non parallel / non grey importers of photographic gear in Australia are either factory owned / based / backed distributors or are independent companies that have the makers blessing to represent them in Australia.
In the case the original post Kym is referring referring to Canon ( Aus ) specifically and they are directly controlled by Canon Japan. The same goes with Nikon. Pentax are handled by a private company who actively attempt to match grey import prices when approached. When we get down to smaller makers in the accessory field we see areas where the price differential leaves a lot to be desired.
Harvey Norman (in particular) simply buy from the established authorised distributors and are highly unlikely to even attempt to import photographic gear through the "back door" as they would simply end up with no Australian backup at all.
Ask yourself why they don't sell Pentax and Sigma gear!
If you can't think of an answer, I will tell you privately the exact reason that they don't stock those brands.

[colinbm]

Neil70, all non parallel / non grey importers of photographic gear in Australia are either factory owned / based / backed distributors or are independent companies that have the makers blessing to represent them in Australia.
In the case the original post Kym is referring referring to Canon ( Aus ) specifically and they are directly controlled by Canon Japan. The same goes with Nikon. Pentax are handled by a private company who actively attempt to match grey import prices when approached. When we get down to smaller makers in the accessory field we see areas where the price differential leaves a lot to be desired.
Harvey Norman (in particular) simply buy from the established authorised distributors and are highly unlikely to even attempt to import photographic gear through the "back door" as they would simply end up with no Australian backup at all.
Ask yourself why they don't sell Pentax and Sigma gear!
If you can't think of an answer, I will tell you privately the exact reason that they don't stock those brands.

Perhaps it is because the importer makes more profit from the other brands they imports & so stiffle the other obscure brands to increase sales in the prefered brands ??
Col

[I @ M]

Perhaps it is because the importer makes more profit from the other brands they imports & so to stiffle the other obscure brands to increase sales in the prefered brands ??
Col

Can't quite see the logic there Colin, Canon import Canon, Nikon import Nikon, CR Kennedy import a variety ( Pentax and Sigma as predominant products I guess ) and are pretty proactive when it comes to price matching. Maxwells import quite a bit of stuff as do Adeal and I can't see them favouring one brand over another seeing as they don't really have competitive brands in their lineup.

[colinbm]

Thanks Andrew
I have just had a months dealings to get a Sigma camera. Could get the camera, but no price matching & lenses were not available to me
I went off-shore
Col

[Colinc1]

I used to work in a wholsale import warehouse(not cameras) and the average mark up being passed onto the retailers, was somewhere in the region
of 150% - 200%, and i would not be surprised that it would be the same for cameras.

Then the retailer has to put their own mark up on top of that.