[leinsterman]

August 31, 2006 at 12:41 pm

Here is the text of my latest email to Philip Brady at Canon –

Hi Philip,

This is just a quick follow up on our discussion last week. I attach some research I did through online forums on the subject of where people are buying their Canon gear. As you can see your customers are not shopping in this country. In fact 40% are not even shopping in the EU.

I really think Canon needs to address this as soon as possible for many of the reasons outlined in my letter. A few additional considerations –

Nikon DSLR’s are now equal if not better than most Canon DSLR’s, e.g. D200 is getter better reviews than the 30D
Sigma have caught up on lenses
The cost difference of buying Sigma and Nikon in Ireland vesus overseas is not as significant as that of Canon. In the EU it is not signifcant at all. In fact Gunn’s are doing the Nikon D200 body for less than Germany.
It is hurting your business not only forcing money overseas but also sending customers to Nikon. Follow the link to the thread I started for evidence of this.

This is an open discussion with many of your Irish customers following. I am keeping a thread on the subject open to others in boards.ie. The link is –

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt…p?t=2054960859

The is a similar thread ar photography ireland –

https://www.photographyireland.net/vi…hp?p=4517#4517

As discussed lets catch up in a few weeks when you have more to say on this subject.

For additional information please see the thread at boards.ie

[leinsterman]

August 16, 2006 at 12:30 pm

Hi,

Just a quick update …

The MD of Canon Ireland rang and left a message for me while I was away on vacation. I’ll return his call and post it here.

[leinsterman]

July 19, 2006 at 3:53 pm

Firstly … thanks for the warm welcome everyone …

Secondly – In realtion to the Canon prcing thread mentioned above by Dave. If you are only voting in poll on the thread of this site will you please add a note in the post to let me know so I can cross reference it with the one in boards.ie … also if your user id in boards is different to here then please let me know also.

This will help me use the poll more effectively when talking to Canon.

Thanks

Simon

[leinsterman]

July 19, 2006 at 3:41 pm

Hi,

Here is a draft extract from the (rather long… sorry) letter I have sent to Canon Ireland. I have removed some parts to protect my privacy –

Firstly let me say I am the owner of a Canon EOS 20d SLR and an assortment of other Canon products. (including 50mm F1.8 lens, Speedlight 420EX, iP8500 printer, 75-300mm USM lens, Powershot S400, EOS 500 SLR, Battery grip BG-E2). I purchased all of my Canon equipment overseas despite wanting to buy here in Ireland, keeping money and jobs in Ireland. The EOS range of camera equipment is excellent; the EOS 20d body is by far the best imaging product I have ever purchased.

As an amateur photography enthusiast, I have advanced to the point where I want to start to acquire better Camera equipment and build a good collection of quality lenses. I am currently considering the purchase of the Canon 100-400mm IS L lens for my first purchase (hopefully of many) in the ?L? range. I have investigated pricing of this lens here, in Germany, the UK and in the USA. My findings lead me to believe that Canon Ireland?s pricing policy towards retailers is causing a problem that is against the interests of consumers, the Irish camera retail business, the Irish economy and the Canon Corporation itself.

Let me illustrate this point by making a comparison of the retail pricing on the 100-400mm IS L lens to the Nikon D200 body. I have had occasion to do business with all of the retailers below, they are all reputable and none of these items are grey market ?
? Irish Retailer 1 – ?2,050 / net of Irish VAT – ?1,694
? Irish Retailer 2 – ?1,850 / net of Irish VAT – ?1,529
? German Retailer 1 – ?1,420 / net of German VAT – ?1,224 (Note: This is less than retailer?s cost in Ireland!!)
? UK Retailer 1 – ?1,745 / net of UK VAT – ?1,442
? USA Retailer 1 – ?1,200 / net of New York State tax – ?1,105

Let me compare this to the pricing of the Nikon D200 body as follows (same retailers) ?
? Irish Retailer 1 – ?1,940 / net of Irish VAT – ?1,603
? Irish Retailer 2 – ?1,700 / net of Irish VAT – ?1,405
? German Retailer 1 – ?1,700 / net of German VAT – ?1,465
? UK retailer 1 – ?1,670 / net of UK VAT – ?1,421
? USA Retailer 1 – ?1,460 / net of New York State Tax – ?1,341

As you can see, for the same outlets, Nikon pricing is far more consistent. This makes Nikon a more attractive option to Irish consumers wanting to buy Irish and have local support / warranty. I have no doubt this will hurt Canon business interests in Ireland now that Nikon have released the excellent D200.

I appreciate that one can expect a variation from retailer to retailer in a free market. I also appreciate that distribution cost, local VAT rates etc. can lead to significant variation between markets…..

…. I have shared this information with others in the photography forum of http://www.boards.ie. You can clearly see in this forum an indication of an overwhelming trend for Irish photography enthusiasts either to purchase their camera equipment overseas or buy from Nikon and others.

It appears we have all come to the same conclusion: Someone, somewhere in the Canon Ireland supply chain is overpricing. In my opinion it is not the retailers, the finger of suspicion points directly at Canon Ireland. There can be no justification for such wide variation within the EU zone. I would be interested to see how this lines up under EU law. It appears to be the application of outdated pricing policies long overdue for review in the light of a new global economy and the emergence of online retailing.

Whoever is at the centre of this problem is hurting the entire supply chain including Canon Ireland. It is stifling local business growth in the sector and forcing money directly out of the Irish economy. Something has to give here, Canon cannot expect local retailers to continue act as their showroom while overseas and online retailers reap the benefits of the sale.

I would be grateful if you could review this situation and let me know what, if anything, Canon intends to do in the short term to address it.

It is unfortunate that I am now forced to consider if it is in my interest to write off my losses with Canon and move to Nikon. I am willing to be patient to give Canon the opportunity to respond, but my patience is beginning to run out. In the interim I am without a suitable long lens which is not making me very happy with Canon.

[leinsterman]

July 18, 2006 at 11:04 pm

Hey Jay,

Thanks for posting in my Canon pricing protest thread in boards.ie … saw the link to this forum in you sig … now I’m a member thanks to you …