As a reseller I can't compete so I don't offer Canon any more. I sell some to existing customers who want to stay with my support but other than that, I just don't try.
Complaining to Canon gets a reseller exactly nowhere! I can disclose my current buy price on a 7D is $1767.00 ex tax! How can I compete with companies selling it full price for under $1,600.00 with a 3 year Australian warranty??? (that's with MACK too, not canon warranty but still as good. When I bought my 5D Mark II, I bought it cheaper from retail (JB HiFi) than I could buy it from my distributor! Of course, JB buy from a Canon distributor just like me but because they have more buying power, they get more discount...prices are tiered.
I agree that Canon Australia is just passing on the high dollar savings and that was confirmed in Canon's mail out to resellers just a few weeks ago. They haven't really lowered prices, nor will they! Canon doesn't do that.
I remember in a meeting with resellers a few years ago Canon admitted that their markups were much higher than other countries but said that this had to be as the Australian Market was so small.
I don't know whether any of you remember the Australian Government changing the law and allowing grey market competition into Australia. Well this was as a direct response to Canon Australia's cases against sellers of grey imports for breach of copyright (Canon Australia said they had an exclusive copyright on the canon logo in Australia and sellers who sold canon products were in breach of that copyright...so the Government stopped Canon - and others who were about to get on the bandwagon in their tracks!)
I too think it's about time that Australian 'brand' wholesalers woke up to the reality that they can no longer charge inflated markups any more and get with the one-world market!