> There may be a flaw in my thinking but it seems all you need is someone not > living in NY to make your purchase for you, thus avoiding sales tax, and > then sell it onto you for the same price. A 14n body should cost you less > than a grand at the current exchange rates ($2700 - $1000 = $1700 = �899 @ > 1.89 dollars to the pound) once you have taken the discount into account. > > Too good to be true?.....
Well, you know the saying, "if it sounds too good to be true...." I think you'll find that the prices headlined by the big dealers generally reflect "after applicable discounts." That's common practice here in the states, if it isn't in England. FWIW, the Kodak list price on the new DCS SLRn will be $4,995 here in the states, although Kodak acknowledges that "street prices will be less." I have already received offers from two dealers to sell me one at $4,795. The cost of the upgrade of a 14n (to a 14nx, not exactly the same as a SLRn) is to be $1,500. So, if the economics of paying ,let's say, $3,700 for the 14n, waiting a couple of months for your $1,000 rebate to arrive, then sending the camera in at some point for it's $1,500 upgrade (and I'll bet there'll be a bit of a queue initially) and ultimately receiving back a camera that's not quite at SLRn works out for you, that's the way to go. We suffer the same pricing disparities here in the US. Twenty years ago, gray market Hasselblad gear was commonly available at 35-40% discount to US distributed gear, but in that case, the dealer warranted the equipment, not Hasselblad US. I think Hasselblad has pretty much stamped that out, but currently you can buy some of the pricier Nikon items (lenses, but not cameras) for instance, gray market, at a 15-20% discount - but without factory support. Presumably, some of the price disparity between US and UK list prices for items reflects a company's increased costs in setting up separate marketing, support and repair facilities in the second market. It seems a bit disingenuous to expect to be able to avail yourself of those facilities if you haven't paid for them by buying offshore instead. At the same time, I understand the line of thought that says the markup seems far too much for what is offered. That was certainly what I was thinking when I bought that 500CM and lenses with the manuals in German back then. If the US list for the SLRn is $4,995, that appears to be �2,697. Is shipping, duty and in-country support worth �300? --------------- Jay Busse Photo Illustrators =============================================================== GO TO http://www.prodig.org for ~ GUIDELINES ~ un/SUBSCRIBING ~ ITEMS for SALE
