I have collected a lot of material (100+ pages) on pricing and importing costs differences worldwide you can review online at: http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/hongkong.html Direct Importing saves 40-60% When Nikon gear in the USA was imported by an intermediary importer (EPOI), prices were also higher here by 1/3rd or more. When Nikon lenses etc were imported directly via a nikon affiliate (NikonUSA), prices were greatly reduced. From your post, I presume Canon may be using a direct importing arm, while Nikon gear may be imported by a third party importer who has to add on their costs and modest profits to your local Nikon prices? In the USA, we have seen some interesting effects from the growth of the grey market importers in the USA. Some are good responses, such as the new extended warranty of NikonUSA imported items (e.g., 5 years) to coax us to pay the higher prices of non-grey market gear to get the extended warranty. Others are less benign, such as the slowness with which F5 repair parts and manuals were/are being made to competing non-NikonUSA repairers. But the effect of 15% or so grey market imports has not gone unnoticed by NikonUSA, you can tell! ;-) Even if you don't use grey market gear, you are benefitting from the increased competitiveness here... Similarly, Rollei has switched from the excellent service of their previous third party importers (HP Marketing) to a direct importing route to try and compete better with Hasselblad USA, I believe, - and it shows in the very substantial price drops for Rollei gear. This model is the new model, and it alone permits a company like Rollei or Nikon to respond aggressively and with the parent company direction and resources to local needs... I think the Internet is going to put a lot of pressure on Nikon's third party importers worldwide. If you can buy cameras in Hong Kong or Seoul or Bangkok for 20% less than USA mailorder, and half the "discounted" retailer prices, who is going to buy cameras in Argentina for a surcharge of 50% to 150%? And if you can go to my list of USA and Worldwide used gear dealers at: http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/albro.html Jeff Albro's IMPACT! Used Photogear pages of dealers and online ads - well, who is going to pay lots more for a local used Nikon when you can buy one using Visa/MC for much less and have it shipped for a few dollars more? Granted, there may be VAT or other import duties, but these are often surprisingly light thanks to GATT (now about 3% or less in the USA etc.). In short, I think the Internet will help folks such as yourself in high price countries to at locate low-cost sources of supply, the "going price" and encourage Nikon direct importing and increased benefits needed to keep people from revolting over higher official import prices by reducing these local prices while extending useful benefits (warranties etc.). in the meantime, it sounds like you have joined the many overseas who are buying internationally rather than suffer paying these much higher costs ;-) * Robert Monaghan POB752182 Dallas Tx 75275-2182 [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Bronica 6x6 medium format: http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/bronica.html site * * Medium Format Cameras: http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/index.html megasite*
