e-Films Australia releases the e-HDR Hard Disk Recorder

Enrique Orozco Robles · August 13th, 2009, 04:08 PM

Alex: Could you please be more specific about the "12V/5V converter plate" ? ...I already have the battery, the Dtap connector AND a cable (that I use to power a microlite)... is it just a "cable-converter" solution ?...

kind regards

Alex Dolgin · August 13th, 2009, 07:13 PM

Enrique, if you look here EX-V adapter on the right side the EX-V5V model of the plate has some electronic circuit inside the plate, which steps down the voltage from 12V to 5V, and sends it out the cable to power the drive. In this configuration the plate is taking 12V power from its own BP battery. What we could do is install a small jack on the side wall of the plate, so you do not have to insert the battery on the plate, but connect your own 12V cable. This cable would be a D plug on one end, 2.1mm plug on the plate end. Please send us a PM if you need a bit more information.

Jamie Roberts · August 16th, 2009, 04:00 AM

Hi Ross

What about those of us who live in Australia? Will you be doing a deal again with Australian re-sellers which like your MxR Express cards means a far more expensive price for somebody who lives in Australia compared to customers from overseas?

Yes ive done the maths and allowed for exchange rate/freight etc and buying your products off someone like 'video guys' or whoever else, means paying a LOT more (about 50%) if you are Australian.

Of course I didnt want to pay 50% more and buy from your opposition who allthough based in Australia, dont seem to mind giving other Australians a fair deal.

Cheers

Jamie

Ross Herewini · August 28th, 2009, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie Roberts

Hi Ross

What about those of us who live in Australia? Will you be doing a deal again with Australian re-sellers which like your MxR Express cards means a far more expensive price for somebody who lives in Australia compared to customers from overseas?

Yes ive done the maths and allowed for exchange rate/freight etc and buying your products off someone like 'video guys' or whoever else, means paying a LOT more (about 50%) if you are Australian.

Of course I didnt want to pay 50% more and buy from your opposition who allthough based in Australia, dont seem to mind giving other Australians a fair deal.

Cheers

Jamie

Thanks for your question Jamie.

Can you please give me an example of how you have come to the conclusion that resellers are adding a huge 50% margin on. I would be concerned if that were the case, but without an example I can't comment.

Jamie Roberts · August 28th, 2009, 06:07 PM

Happy to do so Ross.

I did actually email your company in April but was directed to buy off 'Video Guys' or any other of one or two retailers who sell your product. They all sell at the same retail price so these prices no doubt apply across the board as perhaps they are working off your suggested retail price?

My post was in regard to express cards as you can see. You sell them from your website to the overseas market for $49.95. As your sales representative made it very clear, as I live in Australia, I can not buy them via your website.

$49.95US at todays OZ dollar value = approx $59 dollars.
Back in April when I emailed, the oz dollar was about .72 US so that would make the price then at approx $69 Oz.

Then and now if I bought the E-Films Express card from Video Guys (or the other Oz retailers) I only have the option of buying the Express Card with a 16gig Sandisk SDHC for $209 Australian (we can look at postage separately if you like).

Everyone knows you easily pick up a 16gig Hispeed SDHC card for around $65 - 75 dollars. I also note your Australian competitor sells the 16gig card (as an OPTIONAL extra - the same choice you offer overseas customers but not to Australian customers) at $75 so we can use their price if you like to keep it fair.

So..$209 from video guys less $75 = $134 to buy your MxR Express Card if you live in Australia. Lets convert that to US dollars shall we...That means Australians pay $112US dollars to buy your MxR Express card.

Ok...that means Australians if they want to buy your MxR Express card (and having no choice but to buy the SDHC card from Video Guys et al) are paying a little more than 50% more..they actually paying 125% more!!!! Gee I was really underestimating at saying only 50% more wasnt I!!!

Its actually much cheaper to buy Express Cards from Hoodman in USA and have them sent to me here in Australia than buy your product here in Australia. Fortunately I dont have to do that as there is an Australian manufacturer/seller who doesnt have a problem giving Australians a fair deal.

I havent made any of these prices up..they are all easily found on your website, as well as all the other prices I quoted from their respective websites. Even if you argue that Video Guys etc are putting all their mark up into the SDHC card, at the end of the day that really makes no difference to Australian buyers. We have the 'choice' to buy our SDHC card separately or elsewhere when we buy the equivalant product to yours from another source.

My question on this post was if you are planning on doing the same thing with your new products..that is do a deal with Australian retailers which will significantly impact on how much Australians have to pay for your new products compared to what overseas buyers will have to pay.

To be honest Im a little suprised you needed to ask for a specific example as it would seem to me that the difference in price would be fairly clear.

Either way, I wouldnt want you to go to any trouble, and I have since learnt that there will be alternate sources for hard disk recording solutions in the near future available in the market place so I am happy to wait and buy at a price I would consider fair.

Kind Regards

Jamie

Ross Herewini · August 30th, 2009, 07:45 AM

Hi James,

Thanks for your response, and inviting me to respond.

We chose to use distributors in Australia and around the world to ensure that users like you, had direct and local access to sales and more importantly support from a reseller. We couldn’t see how that could be achieved from Sydney. And as you know in our game, if someone is having a problem, they want to go into the place they purchased the product for help.

In Australia, a distributor will not stock your product if you are selling direct in competition with them, the market is too small, which is why you were correctly directed to a reseller.

There are a number of factors to be considered when calculating prices. The first is that the exchange rates are usually fixed for a period of time by businesses, in this case it was 65c not 72c. We have subsequently recalculated for 80c. The second is that you didn’t allow for our 10% sales tax (GST). The third is that you are assuming that our resellers were pricing their memory at $75, which they were not. So your calculations are a bit off.

Secondly, in the background we have moved our manufacturing across to another company that was willing to meet our exacting standards in quality and product development. So the E-films MxR card that people are buying today is of a higher standard than our previous manufacturer could ever attain. So you are comparing different products, and asking why they aren’t the same price. Please note that a genuine E-films MxR will only be supplied through distributors listed on our site, and that we do not have OEM customers for our products.

Resellers in Australia routinely advertise items at one price, and then give a street price upon application, so a published price is no indication of the actual price a user will end up paying. I encourage you to shop around resellers to get the best deal you can, you may well be surprised the deal they will offer you.

Our distributor and resellers marketed the MxR as a combination including memory. This includes support not only on the MxR but also the memory.

After several enquiries from Australians, yours amongst them, asking that the card be supplied without memory, we responded several months ago with two resellers agreeing to stock the cards without memory.

We want to provide users like yourselves, the best products at the best prices possible, while still providing local sales and support. It’s a model that is used by businesses throughout the world, to allow them to increase sales and improve support.

We really hope to have you as a customer in the future, as we are embarking on some groundbreaking research and development, and would love to see you and all our users benefit.

Jamie Roberts · August 30th, 2009, 04:44 PM

Thanks Ross for your reply.

I'm not sure if 10% GST would make much difference when comparing what Australians pay for your product compared to Overseas customers.

With the internet giving buyers access to sellers all over the world, I for one buy nearly all my gear online (I also live in regional Australia so dont have local outlets) and if the price stated on the sellers website is high and another sellers is low, I will just buy from the one who has the product I want at the best price. Im not into emailing/calling re=sellers continually to get better prices for things like express cards, or other recording media etc. Perhaps thats just me!

So allthough I dont agree with your numbers, nor do I believe there is any real difference in product quality between manufacturers, I do wish you well in your business venture.

At the end of the day I guess Australian buyers (myself included) will decide whats the best deal for them and go with it!

Again, all the best with it!

Kind Regards

Jamie

Bob Grant · August 31st, 2009, 08:06 AM

I can only echo exactly what Jamie is saying. Ross had a business plan that worked well for all. Adding extra tiers into the supply chain has only served to add cost and create a fair amount of ill will amongst the locals.

The days of people wanting to buy from shop front businesses are long gone, especially for items like these. We all click to buy. Almost all my kit comes from a DVInfo sponsor in NY at around half the local cost. If I have an issue with it I contact the manufacturer.

I do work for a local business that resells goods of USA manufacture. Our sell price is based on parity with USA prices. We cannot sell for more than that. We still make a decent margin as we buy in bulk from the USA.

I simply cannot understand why a business would move from direct online sale to retail when everyone else is moving or has moved the other way.

August 13th, 2009, 04:08 PM	#31
Enrique Orozco Robles Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Chihuahua MEXICO Posts: 146	Alex: Could you please be more specific about the "12V/5V converter plate" ? ...I already have the battery, the Dtap connector AND a cable (that I use to power a microlite)... is it just a "cable-converter" solution ?... kind regards __________________ Enrique Orozco - Sony/JVC/Nikon/Panny cams, DJI/Yuneec drones, VegasPro www.aerofilm.com.mx

August 13th, 2009, 07:13 PM	#32
Alex Dolgin Contributor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Lexington, Ma Posts: 286	Enrique, if you look here EX-V adapter on the right side the EX-V5V model of the plate has some electronic circuit inside the plate, which steps down the voltage from 12V to 5V, and sends it out the cable to power the drive. In this configuration the plate is taking 12V power from its own BP battery. What we could do is install a small jack on the side wall of the plate, so you do not have to insert the battery on the plate, but connect your own 12V cable. This cable would be a D plug on one end, 2.1mm plug on the plate end. Please send us a PM if you need a bit more information. __________________ Alex Dolgin Dolgin Engineering Camera DC Power accessories, Fast 4 position Battery Charger http://www.dolgin.net

August 30th, 2009, 07:45 AM	#36
Ross Herewini Sponsor: eFilms (MxR) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 171	Hi James, Thanks for your response, and inviting me to respond. We chose to use distributors in Australia and around the world to ensure that users like you, had direct and local access to sales and more importantly support from a reseller. We couldn’t see how that could be achieved from Sydney. And as you know in our game, if someone is having a problem, they want to go into the place they purchased the product for help. In Australia, a distributor will not stock your product if you are selling direct in competition with them, the market is too small, which is why you were correctly directed to a reseller. There are a number of factors to be considered when calculating prices. The first is that the exchange rates are usually fixed for a period of time by businesses, in this case it was 65c not 72c. We have subsequently recalculated for 80c. The second is that you didn’t allow for our 10% sales tax (GST). The third is that you are assuming that our resellers were pricing their memory at $75, which they were not. So your calculations are a bit off. Secondly, in the background we have moved our manufacturing across to another company that was willing to meet our exacting standards in quality and product development. So the E-films MxR card that people are buying today is of a higher standard than our previous manufacturer could ever attain. So you are comparing different products, and asking why they aren’t the same price. Please note that a genuine E-films MxR will only be supplied through distributors listed on our site, and that we do not have OEM customers for our products. Resellers in Australia routinely advertise items at one price, and then give a street price upon application, so a published price is no indication of the actual price a user will end up paying. I encourage you to shop around resellers to get the best deal you can, you may well be surprised the deal they will offer you. Our distributor and resellers marketed the MxR as a combination including memory. This includes support not only on the MxR but also the memory. After several enquiries from Australians, yours amongst them, asking that the card be supplied without memory, we responded several months ago with two resellers agreeing to stock the cards without memory. We want to provide users like yourselves, the best products at the best prices possible, while still providing local sales and support. It’s a model that is used by businesses throughout the world, to allow them to increase sales and improve support. We really hope to have you as a customer in the future, as we are embarking on some groundbreaking research and development, and would love to see you and all our users benefit. __________________ Ross Herewini - E-films Makers of the new MxR Extreme

August 16th, 2009, 04:00 AM	#33
Jamie Roberts Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: bendigo, australia Posts: 204	Hi Ross What about those of us who live in Australia? Will you be doing a deal again with Australian re-sellers which like your MxR Express cards means a far more expensive price for somebody who lives in Australia compared to customers from overseas? Yes ive done the maths and allowed for exchange rate/freight etc and buying your products off someone like 'video guys' or whoever else, means paying a LOT more (about 50%) if you are Australian. Of course I didnt want to pay 50% more and buy from your opposition who allthough based in Australia, dont seem to mind giving other Australians a fair deal. Cheers Jamie

August 28th, 2009, 06:07 PM	#35
Jamie Roberts Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: bendigo, australia Posts: 204	Happy to do so Ross. I did actually email your company in April but was directed to buy off 'Video Guys' or any other of one or two retailers who sell your product. They all sell at the same retail price so these prices no doubt apply across the board as perhaps they are working off your suggested retail price? My post was in regard to express cards as you can see. You sell them from your website to the overseas market for $49.95. As your sales representative made it very clear, as I live in Australia, I can not buy them via your website. $49.95US at todays OZ dollar value = approx $59 dollars. Back in April when I emailed, the oz dollar was about .72 US so that would make the price then at approx $69 Oz. Then and now if I bought the E-Films Express card from Video Guys (or the other Oz retailers) I only have the option of buying the Express Card with a 16gig Sandisk SDHC for $209 Australian (we can look at postage separately if you like). Everyone knows you easily pick up a 16gig Hispeed SDHC card for around $65 - 75 dollars. I also note your Australian competitor sells the 16gig card (as an OPTIONAL extra - the same choice you offer overseas customers but not to Australian customers) at $75 so we can use their price if you like to keep it fair. So..$209 from video guys less $75 = $134 to buy your MxR Express Card if you live in Australia. Lets convert that to US dollars shall we...That means Australians pay $112US dollars to buy your MxR Express card. Ok...that means Australians if they want to buy your MxR Express card (and having no choice but to buy the SDHC card from Video Guys et al) are paying a little more than 50% more..they actually paying 125% more!!!! Gee I was really underestimating at saying only 50% more wasnt I!!! Its actually much cheaper to buy Express Cards from Hoodman in USA and have them sent to me here in Australia than buy your product here in Australia. Fortunately I dont have to do that as there is an Australian manufacturer/seller who doesnt have a problem giving Australians a fair deal. I havent made any of these prices up..they are all easily found on your website, as well as all the other prices I quoted from their respective websites. Even if you argue that Video Guys etc are putting all their mark up into the SDHC card, at the end of the day that really makes no difference to Australian buyers. We have the 'choice' to buy our SDHC card separately or elsewhere when we buy the equivalant product to yours from another source. My question on this post was if you are planning on doing the same thing with your new products..that is do a deal with Australian retailers which will significantly impact on how much Australians have to pay for your new products compared to what overseas buyers will have to pay. To be honest Im a little suprised you needed to ask for a specific example as it would seem to me that the difference in price would be fairly clear. Either way, I wouldnt want you to go to any trouble, and I have since learnt that there will be alternate sources for hard disk recording solutions in the near future available in the market place so I am happy to wait and buy at a price I would consider fair. Kind Regards Jamie

August 30th, 2009, 04:44 PM	#37
Jamie Roberts Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: bendigo, australia Posts: 204	Thanks Ross for your reply. I'm not sure if 10% GST would make much difference when comparing what Australians pay for your product compared to Overseas customers. With the internet giving buyers access to sellers all over the world, I for one buy nearly all my gear online (I also live in regional Australia so dont have local outlets) and if the price stated on the sellers website is high and another sellers is low, I will just buy from the one who has the product I want at the best price. Im not into emailing/calling re=sellers continually to get better prices for things like express cards, or other recording media etc. Perhaps thats just me! So allthough I dont agree with your numbers, nor do I believe there is any real difference in product quality between manufacturers, I do wish you well in your business venture. At the end of the day I guess Australian buyers (myself included) will decide whats the best deal for them and go with it! Again, all the best with it! Kind Regards Jamie

August 31st, 2009, 08:06 AM	#38
Bob Grant Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,570	I can only echo exactly what Jamie is saying. Ross had a business plan that worked well for all. Adding extra tiers into the supply chain has only served to add cost and create a fair amount of ill will amongst the locals. The days of people wanting to buy from shop front businesses are long gone, especially for items like these. We all click to buy. Almost all my kit comes from a DVInfo sponsor in NY at around half the local cost. If I have an issue with it I contact the manufacturer. I do work for a local business that resells goods of USA manufacture. Our sell price is based on parity with USA prices. We cannot sell for more than that. We still make a decent margin as we buy in bulk from the USA. I simply cannot understand why a business would move from direct online sale to retail when everyone else is moving or has moved the other way.