[Matt]

Canon are using trademark infringement rules to halt imports of their own brand into the EU.

This will stop any grey market kit being available for purchase.

More can be read HERE.

[RobertP]

It seems to imply you could be prosecuted for making a personal import but stops short of actually saying it. It does say they will not provide warranty support but then you know that anyway if buying from Hong Kong.

Seems to be mainly aimed as a shot across the bows of ebuyer and the like that trade stuff from USA / Canada. Probably what they used to put an end to 7dayshop selling Canon stuff.

Would not stop me saving 20%+ by buying from HK but might make me think twice about 5-10%.

[Matty]

that does explain the whole 7dayshop thing

but posses the question, why do canon want to stop their own product being sold to customers cheaper? Is it to stop their dealers and distributers losing money?

[Warspite]

Problem with these exercises is that the only harm done is usually to the customers perception of the brand - just looks childishly desperate, and pathetic.

[Sparky]

doesnt suprise me.

Ive been looking about for a 350d and a 17-85 IS usm bargains/sale etc.

tbh i cannot see the point in buying from HK

take the well known digital rev for example.

Camera and lense £839.99 HERE

then add your postage.. £39.00
then add your £20 for the privilege of using Paypal (i want to use a CC,)

** shipping insurance is added automatically if you pay by paypal. We regret that we cannot accept payment by Paypal if shipping insurance is not used.

surcharge anyone??


I make that 839.99 + 39.00 + 20 = £898.99 with no vat promise.

the same from a UK source through Pricerunner

UK sourced, VAT paid, UK warranty

£919.95 Cameraking
£929.99 Cameraworld
£949.98 Best Cameras etc etc

and probably the best deal so far

£979 with a Canon BG-E3 Grip at warehouseexpress


so in this case i dont see any point with the worry of dealing with someone in HK over someone in the UK. The saving just isnt there.

same with second hand 350d's fetching 400+ on ebay, when you can get them new for sometimes less than old! or certainly with £75!

[CT]

Well.....I wouldn't have bought a camera from 7dayshop because of the warranty thing, but I did buy some lenses off them, so they're a sad loss as far as I'm concerned.

I always thought the reason they don't sell Canon kit any longer is because of complaints to Canon from other traders who couldn't match their prices. Collectively, they'd have a lot of clout with Canon.

So basically Canon are saying

"Unless we say so, you're not allowed to resell Canon equipment in the EEU.
But we will be allowing some retailers to do so".

Price fixing anyone?
How would that fair up under scrutiny of the law.

[digitalfailure]

I don't know if it's a mistake or not, but that news only shows up on the TV broadcast equipment section.

I can't see it in the news section for canon uk or europe for home products, or more specifically the digital camera sections, or corporate/consumer news or even new news sections.

It wouldn't surprise me though if it ever was enforced as a law, it's been done before but i think you'd need to see resales on a massive scale which in Canon's eyes would devalue the brand, bringing them into the pile em high and sell em cheap market.

[Steep]

You can't stop a company trying to protect their profit margins but said company has to realise that there is a difference between profit and extortion.

When you see the prices quoted by Canon UK's 'authorised dealers' for items and compare them with prices available abroad for identical products the difference can be staggering. It was only the coming of t'internet that gave us the clue as to just badly we were being ripped off by them and the chance to buy our goods at more reasonable cost. If a company in the USA or HK can supply something for vastly less then a UK company can excluding taxation etc why should we be forced to pay local prices?

As for guarantees well it's UK law that the company who supplies the goods are responsible for guaranteeing them and by rights any query regarding faults should be addressed to them first. If you decide to buy abroad you accept the risks (and possible exta costs) involved. What you should do is factor them into your original purchase price and only then if the product is still a good deal, buy it.

Price protection is not new though, I remember years ago Sony taking Comet to court because they were discounting Sony products, Sony won and for a long time Comet stopped selling their brand. In the end who got hurt more? Sony lost sales, Comet sold other brands. I don't know wether it will be the same for Canon in the long run, the dslr market is much narrower than the TV market is.

[Steve]

The pricing in the Uk for all electronics is much higher than in HK or the USA, it is not just Canon that have big price differences. On saying that it is only Canon (on paper apart from 7day) and Sigma which are using the vat/guarantee thing and are warning/trying to force customers to buy in the country that you live.

[ASH]

The words rip off Briton come to mind.

[Arkady]

The answer to all this is, of course...

Buy Nikon.

[Garnock]

Originally Posted by Arkady

The answer to all this is, of course...

Buy Nikon.

But what if you want quality gear.

[Arkady]

Buy Leica

[busterboy]

Originally Posted by Arkady

Buy Canon

I have to agree with Arkady here...

[Arkady]

You utter Smeg-Head!!!!