OLYMPUS: why is Zuiko lens SO expensive in Singapore?

[wind30]

Hi people,

I am thinking of starting a thread to show olympus that users in Singapore are unhappy of over the high price of Zuiko lens in Singapore.

I need reliable pricing overseas to show the inflated pricing in Singapore. And if enough people come here and show their unhappiness, maybe we can email this thread to Olympus and they MAY have a "promotion" for their lens.

Why are there NEVER any promotion for their lens? Do they intend to sucker people into buying their bodies and then pay for "overpriced" lens? I do feel that zuiko lens are very good but why are Singaporeans paying more than others? Maybe we can sign a petition to ask olympus for a promotion on lens for all their e-system users. I think that is not impossible and will encourage more people into the e-system.

Does anyone know someone in olympus singapore personally?

Singapore
50-200mm: $17xx. generally

USA:
BHphoto.com
50-200mm Zuiko: US$849, US$749 after rebate. SGD1250.

 

[Mikefellh]

Well, in Canada we also get our Olympus supplies from Olympus America so we also get the rebate (but not in all cases)...the Olympus 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 is $1249CDN, which is $1055USD, subtract the $100 rebate and converted to SGD is $1625SGD...actually not far off from the $17xxSGD you mentioned above (and that's WITH the rebate!!!). Without the rebate we'd pay the equivalent of $1795SGD, and we'd have to pay 15% tax after that, or a grand total for $2064SGD!

For the record, prices in the UK is also usually more expensive. The lens costs 700UKP including tax (VAT) at Jessops, which is $2084SGD...not far off from the Canadian price.

 

[eric69]

Those who can afford it, will buy it eventually. Those who cannot afford it, will not buy it, despite the prices drop to within their comfort financial level. My point is, the Oly is a big MNC that employs marketing people and probably some department is monitoring its marketing responses etc. If they think that their products are expensive, they would have revised their prices list long ago.

Frankly, I think we are paying reasonably prices for the Zuiko lenses as they are real well-made. If you believe in its quality, you won't mind its price. If Zuiko lenses are marketed cheaper, then chances are its quality will be compromised somehow.

Want cheap Zuiko lenses? Buy 2nd-hand hor.

 

[noelleong]

You got to add in New York State tax if you fly over to buy it at B and H.

850 X 1.0843 = USD 921.655 X 1.7 = SGD 1566.81

If not, you order online and get it shipped

850 X no tax(export) = USD 850 + USD80(freight)(I believed no insurance) = USD 930 X 1.7 = SGD 1581.00

About SGD 100-150 difference, but if you use your lenses well enough, I don't think the difference matters.

No Rebate if you don't have a US address + you will have to wait 2 months for it.
No guarantee if the rebate will arrive at all.

Ben

 

[wind30]

You got to add in New York State tax if you fly over to buy it at B and H.

850 X 1.0843 = USD 921.655 X 1.7 = SGD 1566.81

If not, you order online and get it shipped

850 X no tax(export) = USD 850 + USD80(freight)(I believed no insurance) = USD 930 X 1.7 = SGD 1581.00

About SGD 100-150 difference, but if you use your lenses well enough, I don't think the difference matters.

No Rebate if you don't have a US address + you will have to wait 2 months for it.
No guarantee if the rebate will arrive at all.

Ben

I don't see the logic in adding the shipping. I am comparing what a US citizen would pay for in his own country and what a singaporean would pay for in his own country.

Unless you tell me that the lens is made in US and olympus Singapore has to shipped it here then it makes sense to price it higher in Singapore.

The rebates takes 2 months but you will get it in the end. Just keep copies of the documents. So the average US citizen should be able to buy the 50-200mm lens for US$750. I think you don't have to pay tax if you buy online from another state.

Ya,
UK prices are very high too but their standard of living is so high, everything is much higher than Singapore when I went there in June this year. Only designer stuff (bags) are cheaper

 

[wind30]

Those who can afford it, will buy it eventually. Those who cannot afford it, will not buy it, despite the prices drop to within their comfort financial level.

What sort of logic is that? If the price drop withis their comfort level, they will buy it. Why not? That is what promotions/sale are for. If olympus have a sale on their zuiko lens, I am sure more people will buy it.

I am quite surprised by the response I am getting out of this. I thought people will be quite enthusiastic in nudging olympus to have a promotion on their zuiko lens. I thought maybe Olympus singapore is kind of neglecting there E-system users as I don't remember any promotions for the e-system stuff at all.

 

[Sp9914957]

If things are expensive then people write a petition to the seller then you think the seller will give a promotion or give in for a lower price.

Personally I think that the price is reasonable. Compare to Nikon and Canon lens, those good lens like zuiko are equally expensive. So I dont think it is wise to write in for discount.

For another example, if I like LV so much and their bags are so expensive, can I gather 1000 people and write a sign petition into LV and ask for a promotion price.

Your ideals are good but I dont think it is possible to be done in Singapore. If you really want a cheaper price, you can always ask someone u know in that country to get that stuff you want.

I want to get something too and its second hand. In Japan is about SGD$400 and Taiwan is about SGD$800 ....but Singapore is about $1000. All are second hand stuff, but so what is it cheaper there. If u mangage to get someone to buy then u are the winner. If not, I dont think its wise to compaint so much ....

 

[wind30]

If things are expensive then people write a petition to the seller then you think the seller will give a promotion or give in for a lower price.

Personally I think that the price is reasonable. Compare to Nikon and Canon lens, those good lens like zuiko are equally expensive. So I dont think it is wise to write in for discount.

For another example, if I like LV so much and their bags are so expensive, can I gather 1000 people and write a sign petition into LV and ask for a promotion price.

Your ideals are good but I dont think it is possible to be done in Singapore. If you really want a cheaper price, you can always ask someone u know in that country to get that stuff you want.

Actually it is possible if enough people feel the same way. Example, the free OM mount which olympus gave out in Singapore after some users feedback. The rationale was it was given out free overseas why not singapore? The whole point is that Olympus DOES have promotion (rebates) overseas on the lens so Olympus Singapore should have something similar. I am not asking them to GIVE us the lens you know.

I just think that Olympus Singapore is focusing their efforts too much on the bodies, the E500 pricing is VERY competitive even compared to US. They could something similar for those who have invested on the E-system.

Anyway, your LV bag analogy is wrong. LV does not have sales. I don't complain about the lack of LV sales in Singapore as I know LV WORLDWIDE does not have sales. For a LV bag, I buy them in Europe as they are cheaper as we can claim back the tax.

mm... The replies I have on this thread is mainly by people who are not really looking to buy Zuiko lens, right? anyway I am not an avid photographer and this was just an idea.

One more thing, if US was not selling the 50-200mm lens at US$750, I will probably buy one locally. I just cannot tolerate price-markups by our local distributor. That was the main reason why I bought the E1 cuz it was prices competitively in singapore. I just don't want to be treated like second class citizens by the camera manufacturer. Canon IMHO is the worst. even their bodies are marked up very high.

 

[ricohflex]

It is a business.
They must make enough to cover operating expenses, and still have profit.
Actually Oly's core business is medical scoping.
User base in Singapore for their cameras seem small, so consumer photo products may not feature importantly in their enterprise strategy.

Pricing theory is complex. Sometimes if you suddenly reduce price of a product, people who used to buy will not buy anymore. Try a bad analogy here. If premier golf clubs are $1 per year and $10 lifetime entry fee, such that the foreign maids or manual labour worker from Sri Lanka or Batam can afford to join and play regularly, some golfers who currently play the game may give it up as it has lost it's "snob appeal". Then they may want to go buy their own yatch to show they have "made it". Of course it is pathetic but it is real and it is human behavior.

 

[serene]

It is a business.
They must make enough to cover operating expenses, and still have profit.
Actually Oly's core business is medical scoping.
User base in Singapore for their cameras seem small, so consumer photo products may not feature importantly in their enterprise strategy.

Pricing theory is complex. Sometimes if you suddenly reduce price of a product, people who used to buy will not buy anymore. Try a bad analogy here. If premier golf clubs are $1 per year and $10 lifetime entry fee, such that the foreign maids or manual labour worker from Sri Lanka or Batam can afford to join and play regularly, some golfers who currently play the game may give it up as it has lost it's "snob appeal". Then they may want to go buy their own yatch to show they have "made it". Of course it is pathetic but it is real and it is human behavior.

I do agree that certain lenses like the 50-200mm as well as some others are more expensive than compared to US. From what I know in Japan, the retailers have leeway of setting the prices (and you can find variance of about 20%, some equalling Singapore pricing). In bigger markets, where it is ultra-competitive as product differentiation blurs, price competition is intense. I suspect that in the case of pro-line lenses, the demand in Singapore is not very elastic - this could be due to lower levels of demand. On the other hand, you will note that in the P&S market, Olympus prices their products very competitively. Again, here the demand may be elastic as consumers can switch easily from one brand to another - not forgetting that the total demand in this P&S market can be very substantial. Hence, the pricing must be very competitive. I guess economics rule where price setting is concerned.

 

[noelleong]

Hi wind30,

There was actually a rebate when they first launch the E-1 in Singapore. I think a SGD 200 rebate. No more after that.

WHY ARE THE ZUIKO LENS so expensive? Because neither Canon or Nikon is giving rebates here, no competition. Therefore most camera lens here are expensive.

A 70-200 VR is about SGD 2400 after rebate but check out the price here in Singapore, about SGD 3200.

Canon 5D SGD 5610, Singapore SGD 6850 (I think)

However, not everything is expensive in Singapore 11-22mm is about the same US price. D2X in US SGD 7650, here is SGD 6850.

PS. the OM adapter is no longer given free. You got to pay for them now. It was given away to boost up E-1 sales, so that the old OM users can bank into their old OM lens.

 

[NMSS_2]

the reason Y i bought the 11-22 right after the kit lens and 40-150mm was becos of the pricing. the pricing is slightly better than US online price. the rest was a no no :cry: dunwan to be a "carrot head".

 

[nightpiper]

correct me if i m wrong wind30, i think u feel the ZD lenses r more exp here is mainly becos of 2 factors:

1) overseas pricing
2) focal length comparison.

for reason no.2, i think its fair enuf cos when u buy a lens, u buy the focal length. eg, u go to the shop counter & ask for a ZD50-200mm zoom lens. u dun go there & ask for a 100-400mm bcos of the 2x crop (in relation to 35mm film) in the E sys right?

so comparing focal length with focal length, why wud a ZD 50mm sells for S$900 & a Canon/Nikon 50mm F1.8 is less than S$200? lets compare macro with macro, their 60mm macro lens & ZD50mm, one is selling about S$6xx while the other is selling S$900 & 10mm shorter.

the Nikon 300mm AFS is ~S$9000 but the ZD 300mm is ~$14000!!

u can argue that the optics properties from Oly is better but ultimately, the quality from other makers r very acceptable too. no one in other camps r complaining that their lenses (better grade ones) r not good enuf. even 3rd party lenses (some focal length only) r of acceptable quality, eg 90mm macro lens.

but Oly is smart enuf not to duplicate too many similar focal length by other makers. so u really dun have a good idea of the price range but to compare with their 35mm equiv, eg Canon 100-400mm vs 50-200mm. i guess its a sub-concious method to make u accept the 2x crop as the digital standard so they sell u lenses at the 35mm equiv price. :sweat:

not complaining about the crop factor, juz the price. :angel:

 

[NMSS_2]

correct me if i m wrong wind30, i think u feel the ZD lenses r more exp here is mainly becos of 2 factors:

1) overseas pricing
2) focal length comparison.

for reason no.2, i think its fair enuf cos when u buy a lens, u buy the focal length. eg, u go to the shop counter & ask for a ZD50-200mm zoom lens. u dun go there & ask for a 100-400mm bcos of the 2x crop (in relation to 35mm film) in the E sys right?

so comparing focal length with focal length, why wud a ZD 50mm sells for S$900 & a Canon/Nikon 50mm F1.8 is less than S$200? lets compare macro with macro, their 60mm macro lens & ZD50mm, one is selling about S$6xx while the other is selling S$900 & 10mm shorter.

the Nikon 300mm AFS is ~S$9000 but the ZD 300mm is ~$14000!!

u can argue that the optics properties from Oly is better but ultimately, the quality from other makers r very acceptable too. no one in other camps r complaining that their lenses (better grade ones) r not good enuf. even 3rd party lenses (some focal length only) r of acceptable quality, eg 90mm macro lens.

but Oly is smart enuf not to duplicate too many similar focal length by other makers. so u really dun have a good idea of the price range but to compare with their 35mm equiv, eg Canon 100-400mm vs 50-200mm. i guess its a sub-concious method to make u accept the 2x crop as the digital standard so they sell u lenses at the 35mm equiv price. :sweat:

not complaining about the crop factor, juz the price. :angel:

he is not talking about the crop factor thingy but rather the local distributor tight control over high pricing when compared to our oversea counterpart. especially so for the big gun brand with our next door neighbour.

 

[nightpiper]

sorry, shud have put a OT for the last para. but the whole post is really mainly about the pricing.

overseas pricing comparison is very physical & obvious whereas the FL vs FL is quite sub-concious & subtle, that makes me tick with a price alert alarm. i can buy a macro lens for less than a ZD 50mm & have longer reach with 1:1 magnification, so why pay more? quality is acceptable thou not the best. it really depends on individual reasoning & perception, some view it as on par with big names, so dun mind the premium. for me, i view it in FL & mind paying the premium. :sweat:

 

[nightpiper]

alamak, 7-14 vs 12-24 is so far off.... :sweat:

read my post no. 14:
but Oly is smart enuf not to duplicate too many similar focal length by other makers. so u really dun have a good idea of the price range but to compare with their 35mm equiv, eg Canon 100-400mm vs 50-200mm.

not a good analogy? have a look at my old gallery taken with Nikkor 55mm AIS micro lens with E1:
http://photobucket.com/albums/v224/flatscreen/55mm Nikkor/

how come can take pic with similar FOV as the ZD50mm macro lens? again i must emphasise that the image quality is not the best but good enuf of acceptable standard.

 

[eric69]

The intention of Wind30's email is good, although his motive is very unclear. But if he even wanna start a petition to request Oly to lower down their lens pricing, I won't mind supporting, just to proof the point that Oly S'pore won't give a damn to such petition.

I seriously doubts Oly will blink an eyelid because the users-base for digital DSLR stuffs is not much, unlike the major players like Nikon's and Canon's. More likely, Oly will request the person to consolidate all the gears and buy collectively to get a bigger one-time off discount.

 

[ykkok]

correct me if i m wrong wind30, i think u feel the ZD lenses r more exp here is mainly becos of 2 factors:

1) overseas pricing
2) focal length comparison.

for reason no.2, i think its fair enuf cos when u buy a lens, u buy the focal length. eg, u go to the shop counter & ask for a ZD50-200mm zoom lens. u dun go there & ask for a 100-400mm bcos of the 2x crop (in relation to 35mm film) in the E sys right?

so comparing focal length with focal length, why wud a ZD 50mm sells for S$900 & a Canon/Nikon 50mm F1.8 is less than S$200? lets compare macro with macro, their 60mm macro lens & ZD50mm, one is selling about S$6xx while the other is selling S$900 & 10mm shorter.

the Nikon 300mm AFS is ~S$9000 but the ZD 300mm is ~$14000!!

u can argue that the optics properties from Oly is better but ultimately, the quality from other makers r very acceptable too. no one in other camps r complaining that their lenses (better grade ones) r not good enuf. even 3rd party lenses (some focal length only) r of acceptable quality, eg 90mm macro lens.

but Oly is smart enuf not to duplicate too many similar focal length by other makers. so u really dun have a good idea of the price range but to compare with their 35mm equiv, eg Canon 100-400mm vs 50-200mm. i guess its a sub-concious method to make u accept the 2x crop as the digital standard so they sell u lenses at the 35mm equiv price. :sweat:

not complaining about the crop factor, juz the price. :angel:

I'm OT too, but I think it's unfair to judge Oly ZD lenses based on the 'crop-factor', and it isn't cropped at all!

Lenses do have resolution limit. We are talking about a sensor 1/2 the area/size of 35mm format, and yet need to resolve the same resolution. So, ZD lenses are designed to resolve twice the resolution on the same surface area.

More precise and high quality optics are needed for smaller lenses to achieve high resolution.

Agree that certain things/deals are better in other countries than in Singapore. So let's hope that the increasing popularity of the E-system will drive the price down.

 

[hammer_400]

just a thot, but compared to Canon/Nikon/KM/Pentax users are Olympus stuff the only one where we get higher prices? Or does it apply accross the board? Where most brands camera's are more expensive?

 

[tao]

just a thot, but compared to Canon/Nikon/KM/Pentax users are Olympus stuff the only one where we get higher prices? Or does it apply accross the board? Where most brands camera's are more expensive?

From the looks of things, it generally applies across the board. Lenses and accessories in Singapore are not as cheap as many countries such as US, Taiwan and Hongkong.