Hi I wll foward this message to my blog.
One of HAPPY users of KX1, K1, K2 and K3 73 aki ja1nlx Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote: > Looks like there is a lot of confusion surrounding K3 pricing in Japan. :-) > > We've worked with EDC in Japan for 10 years. They are a very small > company, owned by JA8CCL, that is honorable and that gives support above > and beyond what is normally required to their customers. That includes > fixing improperly customer built K1s, KX1s, K2s and K3s under their > 'warranty' at no charge. They are a high value added distributor who > does not forget the customer once the sale is made. > > I agree that the prices can look high when just comparing the raw EDC JA > price to our web price. What many do not realize is that EDC bears a lot > of import and transport expense that would normally be borne by the > customer if they buy a product direct. > > The K3 prices listed by EDC also include the following ALL of the > following import and support costs that do not appear on our price list > here: > > 1. The local JA consumption tax. (VAT) In the US this is added to the > invoice at time of sale. In JA, EDC shows it already included on their > K3 price list. > > 2. Import duty entering JA. > > (The above two items are computed based on the total cost of the product > on the shipper invoice, including all shipping and handling costs. ) > > - EDC can't fly 'under the radar' as many individuals try to do. Like > us, they are carefully watched by the import officials and have to be > squeaky clean - paying all taxes, duties etc. > > 3. Import shipping to JA from CA. (not cheap!) > > 4. Cost of handling all the customs paperwork, fee payment etc. > Especially when importing larger value and size shipments, Japan can be > one of the more time consuming bureaucracies to deal with. > > 5. Cost of the variation in the Yen - Dollar exchange rate. > This is significant. The exchange rate has varied between 110 and 90 yen > to the dollar over the past 18 months, 22%, and even more so over the > past 2-1/2 years. I know of specific periods over the past ten years > where EDC has actually lost money importing our products due to shifts > in the exchange rate. > > 6. Cost of funds to carry inventory. EDC orders many of our products > well ahead of time and stocks them at their cost, tying up funds that > could be used elsewhere. > > 7. Cost to pay for their offices, test equipment and employees. > > > EDC also carries all of the cost of advertising in the JA local market. > Ads in JA CQ are way more expensive than QST. > > They also translate all of our manuals into Japanese. Not an easy > undertaking. > > On top of these costs they also need to make a small profit. It isn't > much, based on what I've observed. (He makes most of his revenue from > designing custom medical equipment and custom hard disk drive > manufacturing test equipment.) > > To be honest, JA8CCL does this out of his love for the hobby, and out of > a personal friendship with me going back 20 years. Once he sells a > product to a customer, he supports them for life. Period. He has a large > following of loyal customers, many who have emailed us directly to > compliment EDC on their support. > > That said, we're also always working with them to try to get the JA EDC > price lower. Its a challenge, but we'll keep working on it. There is not > a lot of margin to play with in the ham radio market. > > While others have pointed out that its difficult, if not impossible, to > buy most JA manufactured top end radios directly from Japan, please > let's not let this thread degenerate into a pro-con of one manufacturer > or government against another. > > Rather than tie up the reflector with an extended conversation on this, > please feel free to email me directly with any comments and suggestions > you might have. > > 73, Eric WA6HHQ > ---- > > >>> Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2010 13:09:32 -0800 >>> To: [email protected] >>> From: [email protected] >>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Disgrunteled Japanese >>> >>> I would personally prefer to buy from a local distributor, for the exact >>> reason you mention. >>> So I'm willing to pay a little extra for that convenience. >>> The question is how much will I (or more generally, one) be willing to pay >>> for the additional convenience. >>> >>> With regards to ham radio equipment, bands could be different from one >>> country to another (and certainly the case between US and JA), so there's >>> another reason you might want to deal locally. >>> >>> Regards, >>> Fumi Okushi/KB2KVV >>> >>> From: Duncan Carter <[email protected]> >>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Disgrunteled Japanese >>> Date: Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:51:19 -0700 >>> >>> >>> >>>> Another consideration is the degree of risk in acting as your own >>>> import/export agent. Almost all vendors sell on terms where the buyer >>>> is the owner of the equipment once it leave the seller's facility. If >>>> there's a problem during transit, it becomes the buyer's problem. >>>> Insurance can help but it's not a cure-all; avoidance of claims payment >>>> is a common practice. In many countries, getting equipment through >>>> customs can be a real "adventure". Most countries are also familiar >>>> with the many ruses for avoiding import duties; most have a high degree >>>> of regulation of payment for just this reason. Attempting to avoid such >>>> duties can produce a high risk of having the equipment confiscated. >>>> >>>> Dunc, W5DC >>>> >>>> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:[email protected] >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> >> > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
