Binoculars and GST-a review of sorts

[Matt. K]

I'm posting this because many photographers carry binoculars or at least own a pair....it's the love of optics!
If you wanted to buy a pair of high quality binoculars then the Rolls Royce choices would probably look something like this:

1. Best of all...Swarovsky. Nothing beats them.
2. next best...Leitz/leica. Of course.
3. Probably Ziess.
4.I'd go Kowa, but others might disagree. There are numerous other brands and models that would fit...for instance Nikon Monarchs are highly respected.

All of the above (except the Nikons), would probably cost, depending on the model, more than $2500. Goods optics are expensive.

A few months ago I walked into a Sydney telescope store and enquired about a pair of good binos....something from the above selection. The store owner then became rather animated/excited and told me about this fantastic new model from Bushnell (not a brand I was ever overly keen on), that were receiving rave reviews all over the globe and I should check em out. He handed me a pair, (I was sceptical) and lo and behold....these were very very good. I enquired of the price and told "Only $800.00!" Certainly much cheaper the the top brands. I erred on the side of caution and said I'd think about. When I got home I Googled the Bushnells and found I could get them for $699.00 from 2 other Sydney dealers. There's $100 to be saved straight away. I then checked the USA price and..............$299.00.
I did some serious reseach, read all the reviews I could find and the consensus was that these were seriously high quality without the high price. Reviewers were amazed at what Bushnell had done by redefining the price/quality benchmark. I purchased a pair from Planet Optics, total cost including postage $349.00 AU. Note to government, I would have been quite happy to pay GST on this purchase. Anyway, they eventually turned up on my doorstop and I'm very, very happy with them. They are stunning optically and rugged, waterproof and lightweight when compared to the other brands. Highly recommended. Now....for those Sydney retailers who mark up their goods by 200% or 300%. You want to make $500 profit on a $300 (retail) pair of binos......Clearly your days are numbered. Your greed will be your undoing. I would happily pay $40 or so extra for the convenience of buying in-store....but $500.00! Goodbye.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/reviews/rev ... trprf.html

[surenj]

Thanks for this Matt.

What do you use your Binos for?

[Matt. K]

Whale watching or checking out landscapes or anything of interest. The world looks beautiful through a good pair of binos.

[aim54x]

Good to hear that you have managed to pick up a bargain...200% is too much to pay.....

[surenj]

Hey, Matt I would like to have a look if possible. Perhaps during another meet?

[Matt. K]

I'll bring them along next meet Suren.

[gstark]

Highly recommended.

Good to hear; thanks for letting us know.

Now....for those Sydney retailers who mark up their goods by 200% or 300%. You want to make $500 profit on a $300 (retail) pair of binos......Clearly your days are numbered. Your greed will be your undoing. I would happily pay $40 or so extra for the convenience of buying in-store....but $500.00! Goodbye.

I hope that Gerry Harvey is paying attention.

[aim54x]

I hope the good folks at TASCO are listening in.....because it may not be just the retailer

[Killakoala]

I hope the good folks at TASCO are listening in.....because it may not be just the retailer

For the price, Bushnell are pretty good. I like my Bushnell 10x42's, also bought from the USA.

[muzz]

Isn't some of this increased pricing down to the "middle-man"? For instance, my understanding is that in Australia, if a retailer want's to sell Canon camera goods, they can't deal directly with Canon, they must deal with their distributor, who wants an income from this arrangement. However in Hong Kong, the retailer can deal directly with Canon Asia and therefore can control the final price/profit margin without having to factor in the distributor's cut. Perhaps it's the same in the US.

I may be wrong, but this is how I understand it. I'm not sure what advantage there is to having a distributor in Australia when Canon themselves have bricks and mortar infrastructure throughout Australia.

[aim54x]

Isn't some of this increased pricing down to the "middle-man"? For instance, my understanding is that in Australia, if a retailer want's to sell Canon camera goods, they can't deal directly with Canon, they must deal with their distributor, who wants an income from this arrangement. However in Hong Kong, the retailer can deal directly with Canon Asia and therefore can control the final price/profit margin without having to factor in the distributor's cut. Perhaps it's the same in the US.

I may be wrong, but this is how I understand it. I'm not sure what advantage there is to having a distributor in Australia when Canon themselves have bricks and mortar infrastructure throughout Australia.

Most camera shops will have a direct account with Canon Australia, however some places will buy via an agent or distributor (Ingram Micro being an example). Both Canon Australia and their agents/distributors make a cut of profit, just like a Canon Asia and Canon USA makes a profit.