There seems to be something rather odd (and rather unattractive) about the United Kingdom price of the Z3100 when it is compared to the price of the same printer in the United States.
When HP announced the new Z2100 and Z3100, they gave the expected street price for the 24 inch models as being $3,395 and $4,095 respectively. See their announcement at http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:YaWgEYkSu3EJ:www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press_kits/2006/photokina/fs_zseries.pdf+hp+z3100&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=38 A quick Google search around United States dealers for dealer prices confirmes that these are indeed the approximate prices being charged by dealers there. The premium for the 12 ink model is about $700 over the 8 ink model. At the current exchange rate of U.S.$ to the British Pound of about $1.95/£1 means that the premium is roughly £360. I can find the Z2100 in the United Kingdom for £1,685 plus sales tax, or about $3,300. In other words, the price is about the same in both countries. When one turns to the Z3100, the picture is very different. I was at a demonstartion last week and the lady from HP said that the Z3100 was about £900 more than the Z2100. I reacted with incredulity. She said that I was not the first to say the same. The best price which I have been able to see quoted on a United Kingdom website is £2,524 plus sales tax, or a premium of £839 more than the Z2100. This equates to $1,636 more. What are we getting for the extra £480 or $936? Is the printer not the same on both sides of the water? The difference cannot be explained by duty, as there is no difference between the two prices for the 8 ink model. It is not caused by transport costs, as there is not a great difference between the weights of the two printers. In any event, are they not supposed to be made in Spain, so no import duty when HP send them into the United Kingdom and surely it costs less to move the printers a few hundred miles from Spain rather than over the Atlantic. Are we getting something for the extra money, or are we just being ripped off? I am really keen to purchase one of these beauties, but I am not attracted by this price structure. Anyone else have any thoughts and/or insight here? Peter M. Macdonald
