Most Insulting Price Difference of the Day

[Astro_Bot]

When browsing today, I came across a CGE Pro 1100 (product code 11087) - i.e. it's a regular C11 on a CGE Pro mount.

• At OPT it retails for US$6,999 and is currently discounted to US$5,999.
• At Sirius Optics, it's $17,159 !!!

The CGE Pro 1400 (product code 11088) is not quite as badly afflicted:

• At OPT it retails for US$16,897, currently discounted to US$8,999.
• At Sirius Optics, it's $22,749 !!!

[Larryp (Laurie)]

There's no justification.

[TrevorW]

Not with the Aust dollar worth more than the greenback and when all is said and done they all come out of the same Chinese factory

I've said it before and I'll say it again a lot of retailers rip off the consumer in this country and they scream blue murder because we buy goods on the internet

Keep buying on the net and things may change

That is one of the reasons I no longer buy Bonds

[LewisM]

I have had cause for pause more than once in price differentials. Some scarily WIDE gaps. A lot of the time though, it comes down to warranty and trust.

I trust Ron and Peter at Sirius IMPLICITLY. IMPLICITLY. I can only say the same about 1 other dealer, and that's Steve Massey at myastroshop.

[keni (Ken)]

For what's it worth I have spoken to the only 2 stores here in Brisbane.
I complained bitterly about Celestron prices in particular and blamed the Australian importers/distributors.
I was politely told it is Celestron themselves that is the cause of the outrageous prices.
I have no affiliation with either shop, just wanted to mention this example.

Ken.

[Astro_Bot]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

... a lot of retailers rip off the consumer in this country ...

Sometimes it's the retailer but sometimes it's the importer/distributor. In this case, based on conversations with several retailers, I suspect it's mostly the latter.

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

If the warranty costs more than the price of the original item, it would be cheaper to buy a new one if the first one broke.
So warrantee has little to do with it - it's the supplier who has a strangle hold on the market.
I'm presently inthe uk and find that prices here for almost everything are a lot less. Even with VAT (GST) at 22%
Oz is rip off land at the moment.

[Steffen]

Lee Andrews sells them for $10,799 and $14,499, respectively.

What's interesting is that he lists the RRPs as $15,999 and $19,999. How can Sirius expect people to pay more than RRP??

Cheers
Steffen.

[Astro_Bot]

Originally Posted by LewisM

I trust Ron and Peter at Sirius IMPLICITLY. IMPLICITLY. I can only say the same about 1 other dealer, and that's Steve Massey at myastroshop.

I've dealt with most of the major retailers in Aus and have yet to have a problem. I trust each of them to honour a warranty ... which they are required to do by law, BTW.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Didn't you know that Australia is a rich country and that we can afford to pay more!

And if you think things are bad here in Australia, check out some of the prices in the UK, they appear to be even worse than ours.

About a year ago, I wanted to buy a Celestron Astrometric eyepiece, only to be told that it isn't stocked in Australia. The Australian distributor couldn't even give a delivery time, according to Bintel, at the time. Frankly, after this episode I will never buy Celestron in Australia again, because of their Australian pricing practices, particularly given the US prices.

And I am a Celestron owner, so let me be clear here and say that I am not saying that there is anything wrong with their telescopes or accessories, as there isn't. I like my Celestron gear, they make great stuff.

Anyway, it was in stock in the US at a third of the price, however, US dealers are not allowed to ship outside the US. I took this matter up with Celestron and they said that the price difference is due to freight and GST, however, this doesn't equate for the price difference, as it is far in excess of freight and GST, particularly given the value of the Aussie dollar.

On the matter of their unfair practices, I questioned their policy of restricting dealer sales outside of the country of origin. I raised the matter that this restricted competition and basically, they said that was their policy. In their defence, it comes down to sales volumes, they just don't sell that much in countries like Australia and the UK, as compared to the US, therefore prices are higher in order to make a profit, and companies have to make a profit or go out of business.

I wonder if this actually contravenes Free Trade Agreements, particularly in relation to US dealers not be able to sell outside their country? I am not going to bother to ask that question anyway. I am going to the US, for 6-8 weeks next May (in time for the RTMC), so will pick up any Celestron I want then.

Basically, the story is this, Australian distributor, can set whatever wholesale price they like and there is nothing we can do about it, as there is no competition at the wholesale level. It isn't the retailers fault, as they are governed by the wholesale price set by the Australian distributor.

Bottom line, we live in the antipodes, so if you want access to this type of equipment, then you have to pay for that access. Or, it may be cheaper to fly to the US and buy it there and then ship it back (you could make a holiday of it). OK, you won't get a local warranty, and as previously mentioned in another post here, I too wonder how much that is actually worth. It is well made gear and I haven't had anything go wrong, except with a hand control, which was outside of warranty anyway, so I had to pay for a new one. Although power compatibility may be an issue in some circumstances.

In the end, I bought the Baader equivalent from Extravision in Qld, who had it in stock, and frankly, it turned out to be a much better eyepiece anyway. For the record, I mostly support Aussie companies anyway, except where there are wide pricing differences, and find some to be quite good to deal with, such as Bintel.

[Larryp (Laurie)]

Originally Posted by Astro_Bot

Sometimes it's the retailer but sometimes it's the importer/distributor. In this case, based on conversations with several retailers, I suspect it's mostly the latter.

There has been a major discussion on another astronomy forum about Celestron prices in Australia-the blame seems to lie with the importer/wholesaler

[Irish stargazer (John)]

Celestron have their local markets sown up. When I bought my CGE11 mount and C11 package about 5 years ago I had to buy it from the Irish dealer so I had to pay the dealer mark up. No seller in the UK would ship Celestron to Ireland. They were not allowed to. When my mount was faulty out of the box it took months to get it repaired. A real rip off which is why I won't buy Celestron again. Most dealers won't ship Celestron out of the US either.

[PeterM]

Hi guys,

Just a quick reply on behalf of Sirius Optics.

A few weeks ago Ron (the owner) decided to no longer stock Celestron products.
The Celestron product listing was to be removed from our website and will be done asap.

Among the many other products we stock and sell we are now a Meade dealer, being able to buy directly from Meade we are able to pass on the best possible prices we can to our customers.

Sincerely, thanks for the support we receive from our customers.

Peter Marples
Sirius Optics

[JZG (Jason)]

This sort of thing isn't specific to astronomy either. My other passion is music. I can pay $3000 for a guitar here that retails for about half that in the US.

It seems local wholesalers or importers sign exclusive deals with overseas-based manufacturers that preclude other companies from sourcing the same product from other sources (so some resort to grey importing) and they thus protect their prices from competition. The exclusive importer justifies the relatively high prices on the basis of much lower volumes in the Australian market, but I struggle with the idea I can fly half way around the world, walk into a shop, buy something, mail it home, fly back...and I save money compared to buying locally. I can accept paying a bit of a premium for Australia's geographic distance from manufacturers or for the small number of customers here (particularly in the astronomy market), but it does seem out of proportion.

[Hans Tucker (Hans)]

Originally Posted by PeterM

Hi guys,
Just a quick reply on behalf of Sirius Optics.
A few weeks ago Ron (the owner) decided to no longer stock Celestron products.
Among the many other products we stock we are now Meade dealers and able to deal directly with Meade allowing us to pass on the best possible prices we can to our customers.
The Celestron product listing was to be removed from our website and will be done asap.
Sincerely, thanks for the support we receive from our customers.
At Sirius Optics we can assure you that wherever possible we will continue to pass on the best prices we can on all products we sell.
Peter Marples
Sirius Optics

Smart move. I hope they let Celestron know the reasons along with letting Celestron know that they are moving over to their competition. For the high prices you pay for Celestron you might as well pay a little bit more and move to the superior Takahashi brand.

[allan gould]

Good one, Peter. Live long and prosper!
Allan

Originally Posted by PeterM

Hi guys,

Just a quick reply on behalf of Sirius Optics.

A few weeks ago Ron (the owner) decided to no longer stock Celestron products.
The Celestron product listing was to be removed from our website and will be done asap.

Among the many other products we stock and sell we are now a Meade dealer, being able to buy directly from Meade we are able to pass on the best possible prices we can to our customers.

Sincerely, thanks for the support we receive from our customers.

Peter Marples
Sirius Optics

[JB80 (Jarrod)]

It's the same here in Europe and even worse locally than buying from our neighbours.
In considering my next scope I have to seriously consider the US even with the risks invoved and the hassle to go to, do I want something second hand with no warranty or something brand new with no warranty?
May as well go second hand from the states and save a bundle more.

The two major dealers are digging themselves in a hole with their policies and I hope it back fires eventually.

[Astro_Bot]

Originally Posted by PeterM

Among the many other products we stock and sell we are now a Meade dealer, being able to buy directly from Meade we are able to pass on the best possible prices we can to our customers.

Sounds fair - cut out the (what seems to be) unnecessary middle man and pass on the savings - that at least puts prices in the same ballpark.

BTW, the thread is titled the way it is for a reason - it's not aimed at a specific retailer or manufacturer. The example I chose was simply the most glaring one I saw today.

[marki]

Doubt they have sold more then a handful of scopes outside of their junk lines in a last couple of years in Australia. The prices remain stupidly high so I guess they don't care either. If you really want one simply import from the states using one of the many organisations that will supply a US postal address and send it on. At those prices local warranty is meaningless as if it breaks you could just buy another one from the US and still have change in your pocket. Bottom line is their scopes aren't that good so why bother, there are far better options out there anyway.

Mark

[pmrid (Peter)]

Originally Posted by Astro_Bot

When browsing today, I came across a CGE Pro 1100 (product code 11087) - i.e. it's a regular C11 on a CGE Pro mount.

• At OPT it retails for US$6,999 and is currently discounted to US$5,999.
• At Sirius Optics, it's $17,159 !!!

The CGE Pro 1400 (product code 11088) is not quite as badly afflicted:

• At OPT it retails for US$16,897, currently discounted to US$8,999.
• At Sirius Optics, it's $22,749 !!!

It is probably not the retailer that fixes the price. In many instances, you'll find that the price they charge is highly controlled by the principal importer or by the terms of their licence from the manufacturer. I doubt that Sirius are any more pleased about this than we are.

Just noticed Peter's posting. Good move Ron and Peter.

Peter