If you provide the evidence of how those hypothetical factors do actually apply in practice to the pricing of Canon goods here, then I would certainly believe you if they accounted for the price difference. Without details, it's just speculation.
So basically the reps are saying wildly different things to different people and the reality of what's arriving doesn't seem to match either thing they're saying. It's starting to look increasingly like the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing.
LOL. I know you’re going to believe what you want, but you need to loosen the tinfoil hat just a little bit and check your facts once in a while. The screenshot you posted from “Japan Camera” is a store of that name in Ontario, Canada. The English text and the $ in front of the price were rather significant clues, don’t you think?
When the RF 28/2.8 was announced, it was put on the delay list on the Canon Japan website the month it was supposed to ship. I have no idea when it was available in Japan, but US stores had stock to ship even before the announced availability date (I got mine from Adorama without a preorder). It was off the delay list the next month.
A few years back (when the 5DIII was launched) I wrote a very polite but direct letter to the UK CEO of Canon distribution to ask why the camera was substantially more expensive in the Uk vs the USA. At the time the UK Pound was worth 2 to one US Dollar and we were being charged Pound for Dollar plus UK VAT. It took him about 3 weeks to reply and he sent me a very nice set of brocures. A copy of LensWorks III and a hand signed letter. He basically said that the USA pricing excludes all local taxes and their nuanced market expects a low common pricing across all shops with no discounts expected.
Just because I did not notice that this was not a store in Japan does not mean that is is not available at many other places. What conspiracy? It has been established that the delay notice was for worldwide availability... My turn for:
Established because Canon said so? Or by something akin to a CR3 post on a this rumor website? Did you know that 'gullible' is not in the dictionary?
Dont be stupid Neuro. Or prove that it was Japan specific.Established because Canon said so? Or by something akin to a CR3 post on a this rumor website? Did you know that 'gullible' is not in the dictionary?
So, is the R5II available in Japan or not?
You are absolutely correct and further Canon actually does not allow dealers in the UK to discount. I should have had the patience to wait but I was so fortunate to get the original R5 early that I was hit by FOMO this time. Again, it beats me how people who do not know the situation here make unwarranted claims about pricing, including claiming the different taxation - whenever I compare prices, I quote the UK price with tax/VAT taken off to compare with US pre-tax price.
Not allowing discounting would amount to price fixing under competition law and would be illegal. Generally, manufacturers are allowed to set a RRP which distributors/retailers must not exceed, but they cannot generally prohibit distributors/retailers from going below this price. The difficulty is that the price to the distributor/retailer probably doesn't leave much margin for profit, which is why you don't see any discounts because there is no incentive to do so.
