I have a bone to pick with IFI.
I look at IFI products and I think I would love to try them, they look appealing and may well sound good to my ears.
However, what puts me off buying them is when I see the UK prices!
My unfairness gland is immediately triggered!
Set aside the the exchange rates (at the time of writing: £1 = €1.12 and $1.09) which usually means we would pay lower "number" not the same "number" (£1,299, €1,299, $1,299) in the UK, which equates to the same value as a buyer would pay abroad.
Take transportation from manufacturer to consumer (bearing in mind the current cost of fuel) the cost of transporting goods from one part of the UK to another is usually lower than the cost of transportation to most parts of the EU, let alone the US. Most EU countries have similar VAT rates as in the UK, add to that the import penalties which come with Brexit. Why do we have to pay the exact "number" instead of the exact value, factoring in exchange rates, transportation and taxation, as the EU and the US?
I would love to support a UK manufacturer but it seems totally unfair to me, to pay more in the country where the goods are made than in countries to which the goods are exported!
If there is a valid commercial reason why we pay more, please tell.
I'd use 'Sony' as an example to best qualify what happens when selling into 'world markets'...
Based on years of looking at their cameras, home hifi and TVs and other 'consumer tech' etc...
As consumers buy based on 'price points' and retail consumer mindsets, based on years of psychology and 'studies' show that consumers are easily led to buy one product over another based on 'price perception', many times I have seen Sony products come to Australia and the price is literally doubled (or some weird ratio applied) and the product simply is sold into a price 'bracket' (gotta end with X99.99!) that suits the model, and that consumers see it as competing in.
That being said, Sony did recently up the price on their Playstation 5 in many markets, but not in the US (presently) where they have a fierce battle going on with Microsoft (on their home soil, no less).
At the start of this 'console generation'
war, Sony even shipped most units OUT OF JAPAN (leaving their home soil devoid of just about any option to pick one up at retail)- it really wanted to take the fight to Mickeysoft on their home turf.. (and thusly seems the only continent presently without the price hike)..
But Sony full frame cameras and, well, 'quite a few' devices I have seen Sony sell following no rhyme nor reason for their price to land on Aussie soil as it does.
The only rule that seems to be followed is 'choosing a pricepoint' that appears to consumers as being 'below the next threshold' for next tier up kit.
I gather in an internet world where we can all check prices instantly (for world markets) -some consumers will check these details and 'consider their options'.
I never buy from the internet (bricks and mortar/local market consumer, myself..), and so I do not get concerned with such practices, as 'how much I could save if I imported from just over the blue horizon', especially given than many of those 'small hop away' sales channels might even deliver to me quicker...
I am not saying ordering from overseas is a skill I have never developed.. in the eighties and nineties I imported most of my games and gaming consoles.. (generally preferring the faster gameplay from the output of NTSC standard systems vs the PAL TV signal..)
Now most gaming is HDMI standard (equal everywhere around the globe), and most releases are more or less global, I left such hobby purchasing methods altogether, approaching two decades ago.
I know there can be a saving to the consumer, but I watched an intelligent take on 'supporting your local market' (by Russel Brand, no less!!), and so I do everything in my power to keep my coin in my local area..
I support the shops that support me, and in a few instances where I thought things were a wee bit of a price shock, have been happy negotiating with my local retailer that I
want to support them; can we find a middle ground?
I truly believe that your local head-fi store would appreciate your long term custom, and would be happy moving their goalposts a wee bit more if that was the difference between keeping your business vs losing a customer to a cold international 'internet' sale.
True, internet businesses can operate with WAY less overheads, and so I pay a markup for any retail business that 'carries product' (especially if I can touch it).. but I'd never rort my local business for 10% coin or less..
And when it comes to warranty and support-=taking my product back to my local is practically a joy, vs sending a box blindly overseas=-
I gather Europe has some slight price variations, but I doubt they'd be anything like what Sony are happy to pull on some niche items (literally doubling the price for no reason, but because it 'looks nice')..
if some parts of the distribution channel are absorbing aspects of the 'subtle difference' in order to keep a clear and concise pricepoint for us to see, then , that seems like a good thing to me...
Again,.. I always encourage users to be willing to pay up to 10% more (vs internet 'average sale prices'), in order to support their local businesses that actually support them..
I like local bricks and mortar, and I know I would miss them if they were gone.
