Digital BW, The Print

I think the bottom line is that UK/European customers don't complain enough.
They just pay.

I tried to get one sent from the US directly but guys like Inkjet Goodies
said they weren't allowed to ship offshore.

So the price we pay here is a result of 1. No complaining and being prepared
to pay the price, 2. Taxes (the US has such a stupid sales tax regime that
means that people don't pay any consumption tax on anything that can be
shipped across a state border), 3. Inefficient retailing - we still buy off
local suppliers rather than EU-wide suppliers that could, firstly, command
EU-wide distribution contracts from Epson and, secondly, run lower margins
due to greater throughput.  Epson has likely hedged it's dollar forex risk
for a period of time and so can absorb a fall in the dollar and remember it
is dollar-yen they care about not dollar-euro.  (Watch US import prices jump
massively when companies' (notably European companies') hedging rolls off
and they decide they can't absorb the margin hit anymore, eg Hahnemuhle
paper prices. That time is getting closer.)  Epson is enjoying a boost to
its margins from sales to Europe as a result of the yen-euro.  We just pay,
pay, pay...and nobody squeals.  So blame apathy, inefficiency and while
you're at it the French and Germans for stupidly slowing/watering down the
Services Directive and derailing future efficiency gains.  Many in Europe
deserve to pay more...for their own stupidity.

So shop around my friends and always complain about price.  Steve, thanks
for posting the link to a more competitive supplier.


> From: Ernst Dinkla <E.Dinkla@...>
> Reply-To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 00:10:57 +0200
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Epson 4800 - UK Price
> 
> Steve Kale wrote:
> 
>> Wish I had known that a while ago - I paid £1395 + 17.5% VAT + £50 shipping.
>> UK Epson users need to set up some sort of complaint email to Epson....
>> 
>>  
>> 
> We better complain in Bruxelles that they should take action against the
> Epson pricing policy.
> For the smarter replies: it doesn''t have anything to do with EC
> inefficiency or import taxes, it was the same with the 9000 models that
> were produced in the EC.
> 
> Sometime ago I wrote this on the wide format list:
> 
> It is as usual, Epson doesn't understand that the Euro total should be 25%
> lower than the US dollar total, instead they add 35% on top of the US price,
> counting the Euro-US rate another 25% goes on top, not mentioning the 19% VAT
> that consumers have to add.  Estimated price in Europe for the 9800 will be
> 6700 Euro excl VAT which is 19% in The Netherlands. The US price will be 5000
> $ if the information is correct.
> 
> For a business this means you have to pay approx. 8437 US dollars in Europe. A
> European consumer pays twice the US price. This is ridiculous. Is this a
> secret plot to keep the dollar value higher?
> 
> 
http://www.fotografen.at/fachbereich/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=40>
6
> 
> Ernst