[Rod_Bod]

Hi to all,
this is my first (and hopefully last) post in this Forum......

I'd been wanting to get a pair of Headphones for a while, especially since I have to do so much of my listening at low-volume.

So, after much deliberation and weighing up the apparent pros and cons of different makes and models, I decided to play it safe and went for a pair of Sony 7506's.

But when it came to ordering.... I found a discrepancy between foreign and UK prices that was beyond a joke, even by the usual standards....

These sell here for £110-130, so I went to order them from Amazon US, but was denied due to 'Market Restrictions'. Anyway I thought I'd try my luck with another US eShop, who also stated on their Site that some manufacturers prohibited their products to foreign customers.

I left it to chance, and ordered from them. Even with a $23 (!) delivery charge, the total price only came to £65.... I thought, even if I get hit by Customs I'll be saving £20-30.

My headphones arrived today, and though I'm baffled by the fact that there's a massive Form all in red on the package, stating that the Customs charge is £12.92 and can't be delivered until paid, I haven't had to pay it (??).

So £65 all-in, from the other side of the world. When I would have to have paid nearly double at the minimum from anywhere here..... it's just an insult.

I do sound like an old man indeed!

[GBDG1]

It's partyly due to the market. There arn't many high-end heaphone shops in the UK so they can all maintain high prices due to lack of choice. The market in the UK is much more competative so prices are lower on this basis amoung others.

Although the few things heaphone related that are made in the UK/EU are a little cheaper here.

[Reano]

Im not going to defend UK, it is rip off britain but then we also have the choice a lot of times thanks to eBay and the like I am normally able to outbid my US counterparts because they may not be willing to pay the full dollar price for something and I am as it's still less than UK (including the postage). Especially now with Dollar to £ so attractive. I find I'm spending more time on US sites trying to get that bargain for example in my studio I wanted some top class shure microphones.

IN UK cheapest I could get it for was around £550 (Cheapest) brought from the states less than £300 (even with delivery, etc) not more than £350. Even though not half price the saving is massive. I do this with any goods that can be shipped quite reasonable.

I even brought a Roland Fantom x6 (synth) UK price back then was £1600 I got from abroad for under £1000 brand new and with warranty. The only issue you get is how much you declare it's worth. As if you declare it's worth say £100 you can only claim that in the insurance but if you declare it's more you may get hit my customs but either way it's still cheaper abroad.

This leads me unto one thing. (I'm off on a tangent) this is why the UK is losing so much manufacturing Jobs we just cannot compete and whats worse the service job's are gradually being lost too. Nursing, IT, hotel, etc. It's globalisation ....

[Peterr_ibg]

Sorry you feel ripped off, but have you weighed up all of the pros and cons related to buying from the USA?

Now you have the headphones, what happens if they go faulty? Do you have to ship them back to them for repair at another $23 shipping cost and be liable to customs charges again?

I have seen these headphones available in the UK for £99 so the saving isn't as big as at first seems. At the end of the day you pays your money and you makes your choice but to call UK pricing 'an insult' seems a bit strong .

The internet is a great place for spotting a bargain, but you should always consider all factors, not just lowest price, when purchasing. If the absolute lowest price with no after sales service or advice is what you want then buy from the cheapest on-line reseller. If, however ,you want some peace of mind, and/or advice etc then be prepared to pay for that service. But don't automatically assume that you are being ripped off just because it is a bit cheaper elsewhere.

At the end of the day you always have the choice of where to spend your cash.

With regard to some manufacturers restricting where they can sell to. This is common practise amongst global brands. Remember Tesco vs Levi Jeans court case? Sony UK could argue that if every customer bought their headphones from the USA then they would not be generating any revenues locally to pay for their sales, marketing and support functions and would ultimately have to withdraw from the market, leaving the consumer at the mercy of exchange rate fluctuations, no ability for demonstrations or seeing the product and all repairs having to be handled by their facilities outside of the EC.

Not meant to be a rant, but I do get frustrated when peoples first reaction to a cheaper price is 'rip-off Britain'.

[unique]

Originally Posted by Peterr_ibg

Sorry you feel ripped off, but have you weighed up all of the pros and cons related to buying from the USA?

Now you have the headphones, what happens if they go faulty? Do you have to ship them back to them for repair at another $23 shipping cost and be liable to customs charges again?

I have seen these headphones available in the UK for £99 so the saving isn't as big as at first seems. At the end of the day you pays your money and you makes your choice but to call UK pricing 'an insult' seems a bit strong .

The internet is a great place for spotting a bargain, but you should always consider all factors, not just lowest price, when purchasing. If the absolute lowest price with no after sales service or advice is what you want then buy from the cheapest on-line reseller. If, however ,you want some peace of mind, and/or advice etc then be prepared to pay for that service. But don't automatically assume that you are being ripped off just because it is a bit cheaper elsewhere.

At the end of the day you always have the choice of where to spend your cash.

With regard to some manufacturers restricting where they can sell to. This is common practise amongst global brands. Remember Tesco vs Levi Jeans court case? Sony UK could argue that if every customer bought their headphones from the USA then they would not be generating any revenues locally to pay for their sales, marketing and support functions and would ultimately have to withdraw from the market, leaving the consumer at the mercy of exchange rate fluctuations, no ability for demonstrations or seeing the product and all repairs having to be handled by their facilities outside of the EC.

Not meant to be a rant, but I do get frustrated when peoples first reaction to a cheaper price is 'rip-off Britain'.

you seem to have the wrong end of the stick

what the OP is pointing out is the high price in the uk compared to the usa price

why should we pay twice as much, 50% more, etc, over and above the usa? we shouldn't have to personally import goods from other countries, we should be able to buy them in our own country, supporting our own country, and getting the benefits of warranty etc without being ripped off and paying so much more. not only that, but the goods shouldn't become faulty in a short period of time as you warn.

due to our taxes etc, we are paying far more for certain items than comparitively elsewhere. it's a disgrace when we can personally import items, paying individual shipping and taxes, and still get them cheaper than we can over here. if the pricing was better here, people wouldn't be tempted to shop elsewhere (ie. outwith the uk)

[Rod_Bod]

Originally Posted by Peterr_ibg

If the absolute lowest price with no after sales service or advice is what you want then buy from the cheapest on-line reseller. If, however ,you want some peace of mind, and/or advice etc then be prepared to pay for that service. But don't automatically assume that you are being ripped off just because it is a bit cheaper elsewhere.

Firstly, I was indeed aware of the Warranty being void when buying from abroad. But going on the apparently ultra-durable reputation of this particular model of Phones, and all I have read from studio Engineers etc. using them for 15+ years without problem.... I'm willing to take that risk.

As to the 'Customer Support' in relation to any fault, you do realise we are talking about Sony here right?? I can assure you, you'd have a far less stressful time by just buying another set of Headphones

I understand the logic of what you are trying to say, but IMHO it simply cannot be stretched to examples as extreme as this. If we were maybe discussing a smaller, more 'specialist', exclusive brand, then more extreme variations in price due to geography could be expected - due to the effect of such administrative costs on a much smaller company. But when you apply it first to Sony, the absolute Monolith above all others - everything they make is intended for worldwide distribution. And secondly, as it is of their pro-Gear, you can pretty much bet all of these were produced in the very same place; there is nothing different about the product whether you're buying in Iceland or India.

What I really must take issue with though is how casually you just drop in the line
"don't automatically assume that you are being ripped off just because it is a bit cheaper elsewhere."

... a bit, a BIT??? We are talking literally about a 130% increase in RRP. here between the UK and US. If you are honestly of the opinion that a colossal difference of that magnitude is justified, that it is a matter of pure 'market differences' and local Tax, and that there is no hint of opportunistic greed - I just can't take you seriously. If the differences in price were anywhere in the region of £10-25 then your argument would definitely hold more weight.

The real reason that makes this all so absurd is precisely the buying habits & information resources of the consumer NOW.... everyone (and especially multi-national corporations) know how people research and consider their purchases - through the INTERNET, even if they don't intend to buy through it. And they know that as such the average consumer has become far more savvy and aware of such things in the GLOBAL context. As such, I would think that in the real long term, the situation as it is now will be ultimately untenable.

And in the above context, an example such as this I do consider nothing less than an insult.

[Peterr_ibg]

Rod Bod, are you saying that the RRP is 130% higher in the UK than in the USA as set by Sony, or that the price available in the open market is the problem?

If Sony have set such a differential between regions then they potentially will create an untenable position as you mention. ( Although it doesn't seem to effect vehicle manufacturers who have massive differences in RRP between USA and UK and sell to both markets successfully).

If the differential is between the price that you can purchase from a retailer/etailer in the UK versus the price from similar in the USA then the argument is very different. The product is freely available in the US from various etailers including Amazon, in the UK the product tends to be stocked and sold by quite specialist companies who sell professional audio and broadcast equipment. I assume that these companies have a very different business model to Amazon, this would lead to price differential.Exchange rates do have a significant impact on this with our £ being worth about 10% more today than it was a year ago.

Nevertheless, you have exercised your ability to purchase elsewhere and the UK retailers lose your business. If enough consumers do this then either they have to change their prices or go out of business. However there will always be differential in prices for identical products in different markets. I don't think though that the issue here is one of 'opportunistic greed',( or if it is I don't see whose greed it is, Sony or the UK retailers?)

My original point was that you need to compare exactly like for like when looking at prices. Your faith in the product has led you to accept the warranty issue, and for you that is not a problem. However, for many people they seem to want the best of all worlds, cheapest price and full service etc.

[Shockabuku]

Grado RS-1 headphones.

USA RRP = $695
UK RRP = $1400

Grado prohibits USA vendors from selling to the UK.

The UK has long been seen as the golden goose for many consumer product manufacturers, and although the whole "rip-off" Britain thing has raised the profile of the issue, there are still many companies who think they can fix the prices of their products over here. In the modern world, with cheap international logistics and simple communication, they're fighting a losing battle. In the meantime, Grado loses a sale.

[marty2005]

Interesting read. Found it searching google for something.

I've just emailed Onkyo UK and Sony UK to ask why their av-amplifiers are double the price of the USA prices. I said to Sony that only their top str-da5300es is the only amp with hd decoding and at their ultra-high prices were stopping people getting into hd.

I asked them how come £1=$2 +/- and yet we are paying £1=$1 +.

So they've made in Japan, shipped to the USA and UK but along the line there is a double+ increase in price.

Will post the replies.

[mrmicp]

Its things like this that really pickle my ******, no matter how you look at it, whatever argument you have there is no reason why we should be made to pay over double for products that are available half the price overseas!!

I will be intrested to see what responses you get marty2005 (but not suprised)

[mattski73]

£130 over here?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...rocess=default

you can always find a deal somewhere. getting stuff from amazon.com, is a dead loss 95% of the time.

...Or, you can look at it from a different perspective...

Sony MDR-V6 are exactly the same as the MDR-7506, the only difference being how they're marketed... and, you'll see the price there (interestingly, now these 'standard' version headphones are more expensive in the UK than their 'Pro' equivilant...)

Anyway, just a heads up for those not in the know setting up a studio or otherwise, if you can get the MDR-V6 (NOT V600 which is rubbish) in your home country / imported for cheaper than the MDR-7506, then that is where the money is at

[tmcg]

In this day and age there is no reason why a manufacturer such as Sony cant supply support and ship from one centre in Europe- you can ship and return anything in Europe overnight, so dont believe we should pay cost of that support in higher prices in the UK.
As for US manufacturers (forgetting the exchange rate issue) typically a $2000 product sells for £2000 in UK? Why? Even if dealer takes a 50% GP it should only sell for £1500. Power supply issues are just a smoke screen.

All I want is an even playing field.