Blackrapid

[bladesp2]

Is it right I was shopping around for a black rapid strap Classic RS4 ,So I phoned around after looking at internet prices .I rang my local camera shop they said $85.00 then another shop of the same name but different area they told me $73.00 and finally one from a different franchise and they told me $63.00 how can the price of the same strap vary so much .I would like to support local business but at what cost .I told them the price from black rapids own site has a rrp of $53.95 USD I realize postage cost would have blown this out but the variation is ridiculous and was advised by 2 shops to just buy elsewhere, and I wonder why so many bricks and mortar shops are disappearing .The story of we can’t compete with internet prices well not if it’s almost double, and they don’t even try to sweeten the deal .It’s sad when there all gone they will wonder why .

[Wayne]

Welcome to shopping in Australia.

It does annoy me no end when the same business sells the same product in 2 different (Australian) locations at different prices.

If they have the attitude of "Just buy it somewhere else then" I would do exactly that. given the margin on this ort of item is going to be small, they appear not to be bothered by the lost sale. Where it bites them in the arse, is when that same buyer wants that 1DX/D4 and a 70-200/2.8 piece of glass to go with it, but remembers how poor the attitude of that retailer was on the RS4 enquiry, and the sale again goes elsewhere, but this time that sale would have carried a much greater profit margin.

I know that I have been treated very differently by the same retailer on different occasions when I wanted a Nikon LF-1 rear cap worth $15, a light stand worth $60 and a cleaning cloth $2 Vs the time I went into the same store to buy a D3s and AF200/4 Micro worth $6200!

[ricktas]

To many cooks:

BlackRapid probably get it made in China and shipped direct to them to sell online.

Now to Australia.

Item is made in China and shipped to BlackRapid, then it is shipped to a distributor in Australia, then it is shipped to the Franchise warehouse, then it is shipped to the franchise store. Where the Franchisee of that store (withing the rules of the franchise operation) set a price for the product. In Australia, everyone along the distribution path charges a fee. As we have seen, stores are closing, and often due to 'not being able compete' and no wonder with everyone else taking a chunk out of the profit margin of the actual retailer, even before the product arrives at their door via the courier.

What is needed is the option to bypass all these people and let the franchise store owners just order the think direct from the company that makes it.

[bladesp2]

Yep it’s not always about one sale it’s the repeat sales , and the import costs don’t justify the same franchise shop selling at different prices that’s just greed !IMO

[davros]

Not that I'm defending the shops in this case, but one thing to consider is WHEN the store bought the product on their shelf and how big of an order they put in. One store may put in a small order one month when the exchange rate is poor while another may hold out until the exchange rate is favorable and then put larger order in. In the later case the store's cost per unit goes down so they can pass that on by sell the item for a lower price. This is basically how stores like BingLee and The Good Guys run their business. I've shopped around in the past and been told very politely by store owners that they simply can't match someone else's price because they don't have enough margin on the item to do so. On the flip side I've also been told to take a walk by some shops that just don't care enough about making the sale to bother haggling.

I like to support local business as well, but sometimes you just have take a stand on price and go elsewhere.

[bladesp2]

Hey I'm all for free enterprise ,however when I told the store of the price difference instead of just trying to help out a local amature photographer, who would have frequented their store they decide to be hard ass about it and say go elsewhere .so when I upgrade I wonder where I will spend my money .Oh and there excuse was the sales rep for blackrapid sets the price .Well different price for different store's it seems ,just makes me wonder .I know it’s only a relatively cheap item but it’s the principal like how much different are they on the expensive gear .fwiw I used to work in a large motorcycle shop I know they could have handled it better .