DAISO OFFER!!! EM1 with 12-40mm PRO!!! FREE BATTERY GRIP!!!

[wonglp]

Keith,

For this case, I do feel for Olympus Singapore, I really do.

But this still boils down to the basic problem.
What the hell things cost more in Singapore?! Please pardon my tone. I am talking all the imported items.

I am not comparing prices between retailers or disty here with any online stores. I am comparing with the overseas' brick & mortar stores.
If their standard of leaving is lower than Singapore, fair enough. So be it if the prices are cheaper than us.

Since we are in camera, I shall focus on camera.
Anyone heard of B&H? Their store in NY. Is NY standard of leaving lower than Singapore? Does Olympus EM1 manufactured in NY?

Keith, just like you have shared with the FujiFilm story. Let me share what I have learnt.

I did have a chance to talk to one camera maker staff whose HQ was in Yurakucho 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku (go figure out which brand)

He mentioned their India counterpart spoilt the market.
They were allowed to buy the cameras at a cheaper rate from the HQ after much convincing persuasion because of the high consumer tax (like our GST). The goods were stored in their bonded warehouse. The problem was, some of these bonded warehouse instead selling to India domestic market, they were further distributed elsewhere outside India.

There were no proper record documented how cameras actually sold in India domestic market. All the HQ knew was that the India ordered hundreds sets.
Paid for the hundreds sets and ordered next hundred sets.

Such problem, I don't expect it will last for long. Once the Overseas Sale Offices suffer lower sales, I am sure they will take internal corrective action.

So, what are the 2 highest components make up of the price of the camera in Singapore? Labour cost? Common on! I don't think either our monthly or hourly pay are higher than the New Yorkers.

Rent! And who control the rents here?

Businessmen in Olympus or other groups, please direct the problem back to the source instead of passing to us as consumers.

Thank You
EisMann

Just a quick comparison. B&H charges local sales tax of 8+% and it's not VAT, so tourist can't claim them back.

Em1 current bh price is us$1399, but there's $100 cash back so it's 1299. A quick est makes it ard s$1780. Local prices now is S$1598, so that's abt $200 cheaper, and of course if you call the shops you will get it cheaper this. A quick call to funan shop confirmed it at s$1507. So you might think the original rrp was s$1948(iirc), but again you shld be comparing bh price before cashback of us$1399, which works ard S$1920, so this "savings" is easily gotten by making a trip to funan.
So yes, while I'm dissappointed that worldwide warranty is no longer available, I have to say Oly SG has done well to have the promotions abd price drops just to keep local customers happy. I hope future prices will be pecked to international prices and better. My 2 cents of course.

 

[wackykid]

let's say I'm bored today and wana share a story :

You are a honest down to earth business owner investing into R&D and producing quality products earning a reasonable profit. And of course understanding that different economies have different market needs/budgets and thus you price your products accordingly for outreach - all the while standing behind your products no matter where they are from so that your customers enjoy that peace of mind and they are proud to use your products.

Once in a while, private consumers jet around and buy something that's cheaper from an overseas market and out of goodwill, you provide the warranty. Afterall, why say no to another satisfied customer? Its a win-win situation.

Then someone appears and manages to obtain a cache of your products from unknown sources and sells them for around 50% of the price in a market you've invested so much in. This person is smart, sell way below margins and say no returns if defective, afterall just do a hit and run - you will bear the repair and replacement of spoilt goods anyway. When it begins, you tell yourself - life's like that at times - never mind, afterall no matter what, brand is getting outreach.

Then the next thing you realize is that your service centers start to receive a whole more lot of broken, defective, dead on arrival products, never mind about the dubious origins, but then you start to realize that your new customers are starting to worry about the quality of your products. Who will blame a reseller for damaged goods anyway? People blame the brand, not a reseller who sold them dirt cheap.

so you decide you have to make a stand, tighten up the warranty coverage to protect your brand image - but then because you still am so protective of your customers - you make even better efforts to price your products even better to show your customers they still matter.

wait... in the first place.... is olympus facing more problems with servicing faulty products from dubious sources or with local distros losing business...??

if they face problems with servicing faulty products from dubious sources... they will still face the problem if these are bought locally right...? or are they going to provide warranty only if you buy from authorized dealers...?

but if the main problem is due to local distros losing biz... then if they are going to continue sell the cameras at so high price.. there will still be ppl who would risk buying from reputable online sources (like amazon) and enjoy the much cheaper prices.... then doing away with the worldwide warranty wouldn't actually help too much if they don't adjust the prices to match overseas ones...


regards,
wacky

 

[relakbro]

Just to play devil's advocate (I hope Oly SG not reading this!): based on your example, what's to stop Oly SG from RAISING prices now, to match overseas (or just not gradually dropping them, the way they have done so the last few months) now that there's no international warranty offered?

Like any free market (which it was, before, with the international warranty), it was bound by the pricing of other markets, to keep prices competitive.
Now it is more like a monopoly, it will be far less incentivised to do so, don't you think?

Just a quick comparison. B&H charges local sales tax of 8+% and it's not VAT, so tourist can't claim them back.

Em1 current bh price is us$1399, but there's $100 cash back so it's 1299. A quick est makes it ard s$1780. Local prices now is S$1598, so that's abt $200 cheaper, and of course if you call the shops you will get it cheaper this. A quick call to funan shop confirmed it at s$1507. So you might think the original rrp was s$1948(iirc), but again you shld be comparing bh price before cashback of us$1399, which works ard S$1920, so this "savings" is easily gotten by making a trip to funan.
So yes, while I'm dissappointed that worldwide warranty is no longer available, I have to say Oly SG has done well to have the promotions abd price drops just to keep local customers happy. I hope future prices will be pecked to international prices and better. My 2 cents of course.

 

[keithwee]

Hi ,

Not in defense of Olympus but just sitting down to think things thru logically

1. There will always be market differentiation in prices ; there will be nothing to stop you or me buying from Amazon etc and of course ; if they are reputable why not ? And frankly like what I shared this has always been the case and Olympus unlike other camera brands have always supported the international warranty.

2. One of the factors for the change to policy is obviously a certain unauthorized reseller with a policy of not taking back any returns for defective good. Not hard to guess which it's all smart people in the forum here.

3. True , what's to stop Olympus from raising it prices ? But factually wise all I see is an EM10 with 14-42Ez with free batt and free 45/1:8 selling at $90x now. Simple math tells me neh, Olympus prob won't be so dumb to price itself out of the market also right ?

4. Like u , Wong and the ones who have shared ; it's of course a sad moment that Olympus has decided to stop offering worldwide warranty , but then for me if they continue to offer great equipment at reasonable prices I'll support them. For those who know me , u will know I'm damn flippant in camera buying (Fuji, Sony FF, Q, Leica M, T) so far in 4 months but somehow yes , Olympus MFT stays in my dry cabinet.

5. Let Olympus prove herself in being able to offer what u customers want to have. So far , facts show me they are working to ensure they not only are giving good prices , but are giving prices better than whatever other resellers can give

 

[Kopi O]

Hi ,

Not in defense of Olympus but just sitting down to think things thru logically

1. There will always be market differentiation in prices ; there will be nothing to stop you or me buying from Amazon etc and of course ; if they are reputable why not ? And frankly like what I shared this has always been the case and Olympus unlike other camera brands have always supported the international warranty.

2. One of the factors for the change to policy is obviously a certain unauthorized reseller with a policy of not taking back any returns for defective good. Not hard to guess which it's all smart people in the forum here.

3. True , what's to stop Olympus from raising it prices ? But factually wise all I see is an EM10 with 14-42Ez with free batt and free 45/1:8 selling at $90x now. Simple math tells me neh, Olympus prob won't be so dumb to price itself out of the market also right ?

4. Like u , Wong and the ones who have shared ; it's of course a sad moment that Olympus has decided to stop offering worldwide warranty , but then for me if they continue to offer great equipment at reasonable prices I'll support them. For those who know me , u will know I'm damn flippant in camera buying (Fuji, Sony FF, Q, Leica M, T) so far in 4 months but somehow yes , Olympus MFT stays in my dry cabinet.

5. Let Olympus prove herself in being able to offer what u customers want to have. So far , facts show me they are working to ensure they not only are giving good prices , but are giving prices better than whatever other resellers can give

One of the discrepancies I hope Olympus Singapore would address is their pricing regarding their lenses.

The 25mm f1.8 cost the same as the 45mm f1.8 in the US, USD399, not only in the US, but most part of the world. Here the 25mm cost SGD 598, a good 100 bucks more than the 45mm SGD 498.

 

[jackwolf]

this debate is getting a little complicated and difficult (for me only maybe) to understand.. haha.. for all we dont know, whether oly sg react with their promo offer in view of the competitive threats from 'international sellers', or they originally have sg customer's best interest in mind that drives them to provide those promo offer. we dont know.. and prior to those threats came in i dont recall any oly sg offer that has
the 'wow' factor.

anyway, like what Keith pointed out in his no 5, time will tell.

 

[keithwee]

One of the discrepancies I hope Olympus Singapore would address is their pricing regarding their lenses. The 25mm f1.8 cost the same as the 45mm f1.8 in the US, USD399, not only in the US, but most part of the world. Here the 25mm cost SGD 598, a good 100 bucks more than the 45mm SGD 498.

Agree lol standardise by adjusting downwards not upwards so the MFT family can grow even bigger.

And like what Jackwolf has shared , time will tell n of course consumers will readily vote with their wallets.

 

[tyrtok]

One of the discrepancies I hope Olympus Singapore would address is their pricing regarding their lenses.

The 25mm f1.8 cost the same as the 45mm f1.8 in the US, USD399, not only in the US, but most part of the world. Here the 25mm cost SGD 598, a good 100 bucks more than the 45mm SGD 498.

hmm I think there is a mistake. i got my 25 at 460 from cathay

 

[edutilos-]

One of the discrepancies I hope Olympus Singapore would address is their pricing regarding their lenses.

The 25mm f1.8 cost the same as the 45mm f1.8 in the US, USD399, not only in the US, but most part of the world. Here the 25mm cost SGD 598, a good 100 bucks more than the 45mm SGD 498.

Erm I think you are looking at RRP, when the reality is street price..

 

[edutilos-]

Businessmen in Olympus or other groups, please direct the problem back to the source instead of passing to us as consumers.

Thank You
EisMann

I think you should take a look at UK prices and weep for the Brits. And a lot of other brands actually don't provide worldwide warranty. :bsmilie: The 25mm for example is going for a whooping 350 pounds on Amazon UK. It's, of course, human to pick and choose the examples that work to our advantage.

Anyways, I personally don't understand the negative reaction UNLESS Olympus jacks up its prices in Singapore after pulling this move.. And even if that happens, at the end of the day, if you don't like Olympus pricing, no one is holding a gun to your head. If this is a bad move by Olympus, then the consumers will vote with their wallet and they will find a way to attract them back or die out. That's how it is.. In today's market, no brand is immune to such consumer reaction, and there is no certainty whether your brand will still be around in the market 10 years, or even 5 years later.

What I'm sure of, is that the prices can only get lower and lower, as technology improves and flows on to other brands, resulting in increasing competition. New cameras today are so much cheaper! I probably won't even have thought of owning a top end DSLR or mirrorless 10 years ago.

 

[wonglp]

Just to play devil's advocate (I hope Oly SG not reading this!): based on your example, what's to stop Oly SG from RAISING prices now, to match overseas (or just not gradually dropping them, the way they have done so the last few months) now that there's no international warranty offered?

Like any free market (which it was, before, with the international warranty), it was bound by the pricing of other markets, to keep prices competitive.
Now it is more like a monopoly, it will be far less incentivised to do so, don't you think?

there's nothing to stop them from doing certainly. and pretty sure Oly SG is reading this, even if they dun, there will be feedbacks to them

 

[richiemccaw1]

there's nothing to stop them from doing certainly. and pretty sure Oly SG is reading this, even if they dun, there will be feedbacks to them

I would absolutely not be surprised if Oly SG raised prices here in Singapore since they pretty much now have a monopoly on Oly products here as compared to previously.

 

[diCam]

I would absolutely not be surprised if Oly SG raised prices here in Singapore since they pretty much now have a monopoly on Oly products here as compared to previously.

Camera market is very competitive. There is no incentive for manufacturer to raise prices.

 

[alamak]

I would absolutely not be surprised if Oly SG raised prices here in Singapore since they pretty much now have a monopoly on Oly products here as compared to previously.

If they raise the prices significantly then that would make the grey sets attractive again.

 

[richiemccaw1]

Camera market is very competitive. There is no incentive for manufacturer to raise prices.

Well there would always be a group of hardcore Oly fans who would stand by the brand. It may not be as competitive one would like to think it is I feel.

For instance, if you just have a special liking towards Oly colours, it doesnt matter how cheap or expensive it is, as long as it is not outrageously expensive.

 

[richiemccaw1]

If they raise the prices significantly then that would make the grey sets attractive again.

Yes you are absolutely right. They dont have to raise prices to that extent. There would lie a sweet spot where yes, grey sets are cheaper, but is it worth giving up on a year's warranty to save the $100-200? Some people value warranty at more than that so they would rather get a local set.

 

[diCam]

Well there would always be a group of hardcore Oly fans who would stand by the brand. It may not be as competitive one would like to think it is I feel.

For instance, if you just have a special liking towards Oly colours, it doesnt matter how cheap or expensive it is, as long as it is not outrageously expensive.

Hardcore fans will pay. Each fan, depending on the level of hardcore-ness has a threshold of course. :bsmilie:

The majority of consumers are dollars and cents sensitive.

 

[theITguy]

Some overreaction here.

1) None of my 10 lens or so on mft has an issue before.

2) Oly SG has good pricing locally with promo that applies to street price compared to HK street price. Keep this up and I will support local warranty than grey sets.

3) Panasonic has no international warranty but I still have no issue buying their items

4) There will be official grey sets with greater pricing discrepancy now without international warranty. More HK trips for me.

5) The last I check, Panasonic GX7 grey set sells for SGD860+/- in HK with 20mm/1.7 while TK Foto sells for SGD1279. Oly stuff has 7-12% difference due to international warranty.

 

[daredevil123]

It is all about how a business is run and how costs are charged.

In the end, it is best to keep costs charged to the same center where the revenue is charged. The only way that can be done is to limit warranty service only to local sets.

The world economy is not doing any better. Camera markets are declining at the moment. Companies need to survive as well.

 

[keithwee]

I would absolutely not be surprised if Oly SG raised prices here in Singapore since they pretty much now have a monopoly on Oly products here as compared to previously.

That would be an over reaction. It's too competitive now coming to the camera market.

Olympus wouldn't want to shoot themselves in the foot unnecessarily too.

And the way I see it factually ; prices have been coming down , not the other way round. Instead of thinking in the negative side : limited warranty -> Olympus sure raise prices for local mkt ; I would rather think on the positive side : limited warranty -> they sure gonna work harder at keeping consumer loyalty and yes, let Olympus SG prove it to us.