XL2 in Japan

[Peter Koller]

You guys want to hear something really depressing?

My dad just came back from a trip to Japan and told me he could get the XL2 for 380.000 Yen there. That's USD 3.529 at todays exchange rate. Not at some dubious greymarket-internet-import-export-shop, but at a stinky electronics store in the middle of Osaka.

Have fun crying a little...

Cheers, Peter

[Thomas Wagner]

What about tax if you order it in japan?


Thomas

[Peter Koller]

If I would buy it in Japan and officially import it to Austria (where I live) I would have to pay 20% Austrian VAT plus 4,9% customs (same for the whole EU) for broadcast equipment. A total of EUR 3.457 or USD 4.495. If I were a company I would get back the 20%, if I were a private person, I would risk getting it through customs without getting noticed. This doesn't work if you have it sent by mail, of course. Japanese taxes won't apply since you export the camera from Japan.

Considering that, I would really like to know what the production cost of such cameras are... I mean, even the japanese dealer makes a profit at his price.

Cheers, Peter

[Rob Moreno]

That's the price for the body only.

[Peter Koller]

No, it was for the complete package.

[Charles Saeger]

It's the same with laptops and other great gear I think. Also, sometimes we don't even get the newest and latest models; they keep those in Japan.

I was thinking though, what about warranty? You'd have to ship your camera to Japan if you bought one there, correct?

[Don Palomaki]

NTSC or PAL or both versions?

[Peter Koller]

Unfortunately NTSC only.

[Rob Moreno]

I suggest you double check that price before ordering. Most major electronic stores here sell the XL-2 body for 380,000 yen and the kit for around 470,000 yen. If the price of 380,000 yen your dad found is for the kit, then that's one heck of a deal. Did he give you the name of the store? I lived in Osaka for six years and know most of the electronic stores in the Nihonbashi area. I can call them up and verify the price. If it's true, I may pick one up for myself.

[Lauri Kettunen]

Without taking sides to the question whether the price is for the whole kit or only the body, just a small detail; I've been traveling to Japan every now and then for a long time, and I've noticed the dependency between good offers and exchange rates. Sometimes I've bought consumer electronics, on other times realized there is no reason to bother. (The airport shops in Helsinki had made better offers than the stores in Akihabara in Tokyo.)

Currently the euro is rather strong against the dollar and yen, and accordingly, Japanese prices may appear right now rather tempting for Europeans. However, things changes with time and it's not that fruitful to make conclusions of the produtions costs based on the day's best offer.

(However, among some friends we have a yoke. If anything has a Canon tag, think of a reasonable price and multiply that by 5 or 10 and be prepared to pay that. The lesson is, never loose the lens or body cover, they are amazingly expensive. Whether this is just a local effect, I have no idea.)

[Peter Koller]

Rob:
I'll post the address as soon as I see my dad again. We just met at the airport yesterday, because I was at work there and he and my mother flew off on vacation to Bankgok for 2 weeks. Since we both work for the airline I do have a little advantage buying stuff from abroad compared to "normal" people, I admit. :-)

Lauri:
Absolutely right! Shopping in the US has never been that cheap in my life. Bad for the US trade balance and for half of Asia's economy but good for my wallet ;-)

Cheers, Peter