--- Jim Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I ordered in my 100-400L IS lens from Adorama to > Japan and saved > money, even including the fact that I had to pay 5 > percent Japanese > tax, shipping, and a small broker fee. And this lens > was made just up > the road from me here. You go figure. > > It seems to be what the marke will bear, or in other > words, what the > greedy distributor decides to gouge for in each > country. Japan > however, is a different matter and I do not > understand it, except that > the Japanese are affluent and used to be gouged. > Prices here are also > fixed, you can't get a cheaper price anywhere, every > store is the > same.
There are several things that make Japan a "special case." One is the price of land. The camera retailer in Tokyo probably pays 10 times the amount of rent per unit sale as one in the U.S. Other costs are similarly high. And Japan's protectionist policies are, of course, legendary, and this protectionism isn't limited to imports. Small sellers are "protected" from large ones, making it difficult for large retailers to lower prices. ===== Bob Meyer I wish I knew what I know now, when I was younger... http://www.meyerweb.net/epson __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
