Why does the CHT-15 cost 3.5 times more here than the US?

Dimmy

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It sells for as little as $400 new in the grand old USA, whereas here I've only found it new for £815 (approximately $1425).

I know there's a cost for import, but that's $1000 dollars more!

Anybody know why it's so much over here?

Dimmy
 
You could ask the same about most other things that are AV related (and other stuff!). Amazing how the dollar = pound as well, miraculously bypassing exchange rates.:rolleyes:
 
yeah for later or something it came out in the UK for example the ps2, when it came out in the us it was 300 dollars, then a few months £300...buggers
fred
 
well the UK will not be able to buy in bulk like the US so in the first place we wont ge the same trade rate. So before we start, it will be more expensive. There is the shipping which will be significant in its cost. There will be fees for the changing of moneys between currencies. Then there is a fee for the guy who went to the hassle of arranging this in the first place.....

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Originally posted by buns
well the UK will not be able to buy in bulk like the US so in the first place we wont ge the same trade rate. So before we start, it will be more expensive. There is the shipping which will be significant in its cost. There will be fees for the changing of moneys between currencies. Then there is a fee for the guy who went to the hassle of arranging this in the first place.....

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If circumstances are that severe, then it makes you wonder why they even bother importing in the first place.

Dimmy
 
They wont be that severe...... the biggest cut is to the guy who is arranging it all. It is obviously worth his while doing it because at the price people are still buying them yet he is happy with what he is making!

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Well, I was originally going to buy one, until I learnt the US price.

Dimmy
 
I was in Detroit on business the other week, but took a day aside for Christmas shopping. It would've been rude not to take a look at all the HiFi shops I could find, so I went looking for subwoofers.

I found a CHT-15 for $475 in 'Circuit City', an electrical chain store. This was a display model though and it had a few scratches on it. Around $500 seemed like the average post-haggle price for a boxed model in the other specialist shops.

I worked out that I could purchase and import the thing for around £400-£450 ish depending on exchange rate, taxes and duties (I can get a good personal shipping deal through the American side of our company :smashin: but I would owe a few favours due to the hassle)

The guy selling for £815 is obviously making a healthy profit, but of course has taken a hit on speculating that he can sell the stock he bought, can store the huge things somewhere and can market the fact that he's selling them. I think you are right to question the difference in price though Dimmy - I don't know much about profit margins in this industry, but I'll guesstimate that he (or she) could be making over £300 per unit.

Anyhow, I almost bought it, as I've been looking for a subwoofer for a while, but...I deceided against it for a few reasons: it looked a bit tatty; it's so imposing :eek: ; I wasn't too impressed with the build quality - it just seemed a bit cheap looking. I'd been kidding myself that the missus wouldn't mind it, but it was just too large for our room.

I heard the sub in the demo room with X-Men 2 and it sounded awesome. Really awesome. I was left to my own devices and I had a little play with it and wound it up...:eek: ...it is a monster. I'd never heard anything like it i.e. I realise now that most bass I have heard in the past has been noise rather than detail. Very deep, but no woolyness - the clarity of delivery at volume was fantastic. It was this though that finally put the nail in the coffin for my purchase - it's just too much for my room. If I had the space, I would love something like this. I speculatively made an offer on the forum a short while ago on one of these. If I'd got it, I would've kept it and made it fit, but I'm happier with something that fits the room for now.

So, what have I done after messing around for so long? Well, I've just bought a nice little 6.1 speaker setup - 5 Keff eggs, a Q9c and an MJ Acoustics Reference 100. Tried it for the first time last night hooked up to the projector and watched Pirates of the Caribbean (minus the Q9c, as it's on order) and I think I made the right decision for the room size - just enough from the eggs and the sub is quality in every respect. I haven't set it up properly yet, as I'm waiting for my sound meter, but I am soo looking forward to playing around with it. Besides, doing it this way lets me have more fun next year when I can build the extension on the house and upgrade the whole system :smashin: I am due back to the USA in the summer and may just well have a rethink about importing.

Neil.
 
Originally posted by Jase
You could ask the same about most other things that are AV related (and other stuff!). Amazing how the dollar = pound as well, miraculously bypassing exchange rates.

Having had a little experience in this area (when I was the distributor for Adire Audio), the answer is shipping costs, handling charges, import duty and VAT. Unless you can fill a container the shipping charges are extortionate.
 
But look at the import costs of SVSubwoofers, and then compare the price difference between the CHT-15 in the US and UK.

Doesn't add up really???

Dimmy

[edit]

Before somebody jumps in, I just remembered that SV sell their subwoofers directly to the public, which probably helps :).
 
There is an extra sets of mouths to feed with Velodyne as both the importer and retailer will want a slice of the pie as well.

Checking up on Dimmy's figures I found the Velodyne VX-10 on sale in USA for $149.88 including delivery. This is less than £100 and includes a profit for both the manufacturer and retailer.
 
It sells for as little as $400 new in the grand old USA, whereas here I've only found it new for £815 (approximately $1425).
I believe the list price is $800 in the US.

This is why the Paradigm Servo 15 is (or used to be :( ) such a good deal: $1500 in the US, £600 here. (That's including an X.30 in both cases).

Things made in america cost a lot more here for all kinds of reasons.
  • Different UK mains voltage and frequency means you have to make a specially modified small batch rather than sell everybody the normal version.
  • The cost of shipping it insured across the Atlantic.
  • Import duty.
  • The price of petrol in this country compared with the US.
  • American stuff sold here is bought from the manufacturer in america by a distributor. The distributor adds its own mark-up to the price it then sells on to the shops at. In america the shops buy direct from the manufacturer.
  • Prices in america are generally quoted as "before tax" (the equivalent of "ex. VAT") so the price you actually pay in an american shop will be higher than the advertised figure. British prices are usually quoted with VAT.
  • The tax rate in america varies from state to state, but is typically only about 5%. In Britain the VAT rate is 17.5%.
  • The product is rare enough that it acquires rarity value.
However, having said all that, in my personal opinion, consumers are being ripped off on a large scale in this country. And it is my belief that it is often (although by no means always) the distributors who are primarily to blame.
 
Originally posted by Ian J
Checking up on Dimmy's figures I found the Velodyne VX-10 on sale in USA for $149.88 including delivery. This is less than £100 and includes a profit for both the manufacturer and retailer.

Christ that's cheap! Wonder what Uncle Eric would have to say about that :laugh:...

I've no qualms with increases in price between the UK and USA, but the hike seems unusually large with the CHT-15 compared to every other product, a 250% increase in price for god's sake!

I suppose, we did get the clean end of the stick with the Servo 15 for a while, so these things even out.

Still a shame though, imagine how many CHT-15s would sell if the going price was that of the US price (about £250 on the current exchange rate?)!

Dimmy
 
also, dont forget..... buy from the US and it goes wrong...... BIG problem getting it fixed! Having a Uk distributor means that this is his problem, not yours

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Hi Buns
Thats why it makes sense to order from svs the driver and amp are quite easy to change and svs customer service is second to none.One of the forum members had a problem with his sub and the spare part was shipped promptly and fitted(driver and plate amp only take arond 25 minutes to fit) by the forum member and you do get a 3 year warranty.
Cheers Gonzo.
 
Neil put us down for one of those subs if you decide to import in the summer, I would definately have one for that price.

cheers Dave.
 
yeah, but that is svs....... i suspect velodyne US (who this would be purchased from) would tell you to talk to velo UK..... then you tell then it wasnt from velo UK...... well who knows what then..... 'send it back sir'...... i doubt they are going to be much mroe helpful

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Hi Buns
Still cant think why forum members who are looking to buy a sub around the 500 quid mark dont order the svs pci range or pb1isd which will still give them a subwoofer capable of outperforming what you can buy in this country for the same price.
Cheers Gonzo.
 
I can name you a number of items which blow away the competition at their price and way above..... i can also confirm that very few people have bought them. Why...... well they havent heard them, something goes wrong, it is a hassle..... some people dont want to have to cope with that. Same with a sub.

In any case, this is not an svs discussion, so we shouldnt drag it that way

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In any case, this is not an svs discussion, so we shouldnt drag it that way

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No but it is based around value for money on what you are buying(sub).
Gonzo.
 
in which case there are alot of silly velodyne owners who should have bought a servodrive since it kicks hgs18 ass

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One thing that puts me off buying a SVS is the height at 39" it is too tall to hide.


Dave.
 
maybe its because there is 3.5 times as many people in the US than there is here.....(or maybe more)
 
Originally posted by Dave H
One thing that puts me off buying a SVS is the height at 39" it is too tall to hide.


You could get the 25-31 PC+ instead, block one of it's ports and tune it to 20hz.;) Bit easier to hide than the 20-39 PC+.
 
Oh I'd love a subwoofer of that height. Something the same height as my 775e's, it'd look fantastic.

Bet it needs a fair bit of space though :D.

Dimmy
 

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