Nikon anti-consumer.

[Draconian Guppy]

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/10/07/another-nikon-price-increase-in-the-us.aspx/

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/10/09/clarification-on-my-last-nikon-price-increase-post.aspx/

WTH or WTF.. I was planning on upgrading my body (D5000), but with this, nikon is making me think of selling all my gear and going canon! You can see the effects already, the D7000 could be found on amazon w/kit for $1100 now it's $1,299.99

On Sept 1, Nikon announced that there will be a new pricing policy going into effect on all Nikon DSLR, Lens and Flash product. This will go live October 16, 2011. What does this mean? Any retailer that prices Nikon DSLR, Lens or Flash product below their National price will be in a violation of the policy (Unilateral Pricing Policy = Maximum Value Policy (MVP).

Benefits to the Policy

According to Nikon this policy is designed to allow customers to make purchasing decisions based on service provided and not have to worry about hunting for a better price.

Violations listed: Any pricing discounts on Nikon MVP product outside of the approved national promotions, free promotional gift cards tied to a customer purchasing MVP product, company or category wide savings that discount MVP product, sales through *** for Business that include a bulk discount, and employee discount.

Not considered a violation: Corporate generated bundles can be up to 10% value of the MVP product price (example given: D3100 at $649 could have a bundle savings value of $64.90 or less), category wide free shipping, category wide financing, open item and demo model sales as long as they are clearly marked as such.

Read more on NikonRumors.com: http://nikonrumors.com/2011/10/07/another-nikon-price-increase-in-the-us.aspx/#ixzz1afiB43Vo

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[neufuse Veteran]

Don't be suprised when Canon raises prices also in the coming year

[Ironman273]

But all you'll need in the future is an iPhone 4S, right? :rolleyes:

[Draconian Guppy]

Don't be suprised when Canon raises prices also in the coming year

I bet, but i'm also hoping not every camera manufacturer will do this:

Sony

Pentax

Fuji

@Ironman lawl. yeah, hopefully next year we'll have a 12mp iphone 5 /sarcasm.

[crazzy88ss]

Not that I believe in camera phones... but they did a lot of things to improve the quality of the camera on the 4S that a lot of non-photo people don't understand. Hence why they have to keep up with the MP race (because it's still very much alive in cell phones).

Back to the Nikon topic... I've watched nikon/canon continuously raise prices since I got into photography ~5 years ago. They do it all the time, nothing new. Their "policy" is a bit ...excessive, though.

[M_Lyons10]

Not that I believe in camera phones... but they did a lot of things to improve the quality of the camera on the 4S that a lot of non-photo people don't understand. Hence why they have to keep up with the MP race (because it's still very much alive in cell phones).

Back to the Nikon topic... I've watched nikon/canon continuously raise prices since I got into photography ~5 years ago. They do it all the time, nothing new. Their "policy" is a bit ...excessive, though.

Yeah, I agree. You should still be able to find deals if they're out there.

Off topic, what's your avatar from crazzy88ss? It looks cool. Is it original? It looks like you can see the strokes.

[Draconian Guppy]

Not that I believe in camera phones... but they did a lot of things to improve the quality of the camera on the 4S that a lot of non-photo people don't understand. Hence why they have to keep up with the MP race (because it's still very much alive in cell phones).

Back to the Nikon topic... I've watched nikon/canon continuously raise prices since I got into photography ~5 years ago. They do it all the time, nothing new. Their "policy" is a bit ...excessive, though.

Yeah, it's not just MP, but like you said crazzy, trying to prove to most people what they did is meh, you'll just get yelled out "fanboy"...

Yeah price hiking has always been here, but FORCING stores to sell at your price is draconian to say the least :p Hopefully the competition takes advantage of this and lowers their prices!

edit: @ M_lyons10, yeah but their policy will practically erase the possibility of any online deal :/

[Draconian Guppy]

As for this new policy its unlikely to affect prices much. And it will cut down on gray import and loss of reputation for Nikon because people don't get their warranty.

But it already has, some lenses, dSLRS and kits have gone up around $200-300 in amazon, b&h, etc.

[threetonesun]

But it already has, some lenses, dSLRS and kits have gone up around $200-300 in amazon, b&h, etc.

This probably has more to do with the supply chain damage in Japan still being an issue. I looked recently at what my 18-200 VR is selling for, and it's almost $300 more than what I paid for it.

While this policy will raise prices overall, it will also give Nikon a legal reason to go after all of those D5100 for $400 sites that are online that probably scam a good number of people.

[Draconian Guppy]

^^ threetonesun, if you check the link on my OP, you'll see that prices raised just after nikon issued that policy... Whilst it will probably help stop scams, it is a big blow to the consumers down the line!

If you could buy a body for $1,500 on amazon that cost you $1,800 in a brick and mortar when the Minimum advertised Price should be $1,700, it will be 1,700 for both amazon and brick and mortar and that's only one example, also, the policy clearly states "no add to cart price" !

[Draconian Guppy]

New Nikon Pricing Policy

Nikon has announced a new Unilateral Pricing Policy on many cameras and lenses for the entire retail market. This should clean up the marketplace from discounting and non-authorized sellers. We are FULLY supportive of this program.

Beginning, this Sunday, 10/16/11 the following models will be covered by this program:

• D3100 all configurations
  
• D5100 all configurations
  
• D7000 all configurations
  
• Nikon 1 – J1 all configurations
  
• Nikon 1 – V1 all configurations
  
• 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR
  
• 14-24mm f/2.8
  
• 24-70mm f/2.8
  
• 55-200G VR
  
• 16-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR
  
• 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR
  
• 35mm f/1.8
  
• 70-200mm f/2.8 VR
  
• 18-200mm f/2.5-5.6 VR
  
• 24-120mm f/4 VR
  
• 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR
  
• 50mm f/1.8G
  
• 40mm f/2.8 Micro
  
• SB-700
  

What does this mean to us?

NO DISCOUNTING AT ALL.

----------POS pricing only.--------------

Read more on NikonRumors.com: http://nikonrumors.com/#ixzz1b3CuUzXm

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[Vice]

"According to Nikon this policy is designed to allow customers to make purchasing decisions based on service provided and not have to worry about hunting for a better price."

What a load of rubbish. As a consumer I enjoy hunting for a better price. I got my own Samsung DSLR at a much better price than retail by over £200 because I looked around for a better price. This policy of Nikons would mean all the retail prices would be super high. This isn't how things are supposed to work.

I can see big companies like Amazon dropping Nikon entirely because for them it becomes a question of stock space, when old stuff won't sell and they can't slash prices to get rid of old stock they will become angry with this new policy and stop selling Nikon. That is what I think will happen.

[Draconian Guppy]

"According to Nikon this policy is designed to allow customers to make purchasing decisions based on service provided and not have to worry about hunting for a better price."

What a load of rubbish. As a consumer I enjoy hunting for a better price. I got my own Samsung DSLR at a much better price than retail by over £200 because I looked around for a better price. This policy of Nikons would mean all the retail prices would be super high. This isn't how things are supposed to work.

I can see big companies like Amazon dropping Nikon entirely because for them it becomes a question of stock space, when old stuff won't sell and they can't slash prices to get rid of old stock they will become angry with this new policy and stop selling Nikon. That is what I think will happen.

This exactly is what i've been ranting about! When bodies go old, retailers offer discount to get rid of old stock!

IMO it's just a matter of time before retailers drop or stop keeping nikon SKU's

[threetonesun]

"According to Nikon this policy is designed to allow customers to make purchasing decisions based on service provided and not have to worry about hunting for a better price."

What a load of rubbish. As a consumer I enjoy hunting for a better price. I got my own Samsung DSLR at a much better price than retail by over £200 because I looked around for a better price. This policy of Nikons would mean all the retail prices would be super high. This isn't how things are supposed to work.

I can see big companies like Amazon dropping Nikon entirely because for them it becomes a question of stock space, when old stuff won't sell and they can't slash prices to get rid of old stock they will become angry with this new policy and stop selling Nikon. That is what I think will happen.

Old stock won't apply to this policy, I imagine, based on the release above. That is to say, once a new model comes out (say, the D7200), the D7100 won't be on this list any more.

Nikon has always had a gray market problem, and if you search for any of their products on Google, the price ranges returned are widely variable. It's borderline predatory advertising, even on some of the big name sites. So, while I don't like the price increases, I'm all for them controlling their distribution channels to make sure everyone is buying what they think they're buying.

[Vice]

Old stock won't apply to this policy, I imagine, based on the release above. That is to say, once a new model comes out (say, the D7200), the D7100 won't be on this list any more.

Nikon has always had a gray market problem, and if you search for any of their products on Google, the price ranges returned are widely variable. It's borderline predatory advertising, even on some of the big name sites. So, while I don't like the price increases, I'm all for them controlling their distribution channels to make sure everyone is buying what they think they're buying.

That isn't how retail works at all. Prices fall as soon as things are released not when the new model comes out. This pricing thing is just ridiculous and it's anti-consumer. Having sites list things at different prices is a good thing it means we can get good deals. Without this there is no retail competition and that is bad.

[threetonesun]

That isn't how retail works at all. Prices fall as soon as things are released not when the new model comes out. This pricing thing is just ridiculous and it's anti-consumer. Having sites list things at different prices is a good thing it means we can get good deals. Without this there is no retail competition and that is bad.

As I noted above, the 18-200VR (as is the case with most of the lenses) has continuously gone up in price since it was released.

As an aside, the new prices are clearly in effect on Google search. A D7000 (body only) is $1099 everywhere now.

[the evn show]

That isn't how retail works at all. Prices fall as soon as things are released not when the new model comes out. This pricing thing is just ridiculous and it's anti-consumer. Having sites list things at different prices is a good thing it means we can get good deals. Without this there is no retail competition and that is bad.

There one "what is the benefit" line is actually true. When you buy a Macbook or iPad the price is uniform across all retailers. It's nice to know that I can pick where I buy my computer gear based on how close the store is to my home, what sort of service I'm likely to get, or some other factor. The price I pay for the kit is standardized which means I never have to go shopping around for deals. I suspect Apple's policy is the same as Nikons: you can sell X, but you must charge at least $Y for it. $Y is high enough that the retailer makes a healthy profit and competition between retailers (on price) is therefore limited: nobody is going to jack the price up higher than $Y because everyone knows you can go to any other shop and pay the same price you would ordering it from Apple directly.

The down side here is that Nikon kit seems to be selling for below their recommended price at many places as competition (on price) has driven some places to take less profit in exchange for higher volume. So in order to gain the uniform pricing we're all going to have to pay an extra $100+ per lens because the cheapest places will be raising their prices.

There is a clear benefit: stores will have to compete for business on service or knowledge or selection or…because price is not longer an option. Unfortunately most people in this thread are willing to put up with crappier service to save a few dollars, or they think stores will simply continue with business as usual and take in a few more dollars on each sale. We all like boutique store service, but not when we have no choice but to pay for it.

Maybe Nikon sees a "superior" retail experience as one way to get people into their platform. I'm not sure how well that'll work given that there are no 'nikon stores', camera shops already have great staff, and I doubt that best-buy will be hiring photography experts to better help people new to the whole DSLR thing. More likely is that big box retailers will see the extra profit margin on Nikon and instruct staff to push that over Canon/Sony/etc. gear the same way the flog Monster Cables (with the notable exception that Nikon kit is actually good and useful).

[Andre]

Maybe you all should come to Europe and check out our prices.

[Argote]

More likely is that big box retailers will see the extra profit margin on Nikon and instruct staff to push that over Canon/Sony/etc. gear the same way the flog Monster Cables (with the notable exception that Nikon kit is actually good and useful).

You may be on to something there. Lots of people, especially people new to photography or parents whose teenager asked for a DSLR go to a big box store such as Best Buy to buy the (oh so profitable) entry level cameras...

[Draconian Guppy]

@ evn.

It is about the cheapest price here there and everywhere, I bought nikon from amazon simply because it was cheaper. The majority of the people don't care and just want cheap from a reliable seller.

What do you think a store wil push more, X product $300 cheaper and thus sell more units or try to push a more expensive product.

Also even though it has a slight resemblance to the apple policy, its a completely different market, canon, pentax, Sony and Olympus all offer similar products in the same price rang. Whilst apple products are 'worshipped' because of build quality that their competitors lack. This isn't the case in dSLRs, you've entry level, midrange and pro. Like I said above almost every brand with it strengths and weakness

[crazzy88ss]

What do you think a store wil push more, X product $300 cheaper and thus sell more units or try to push a more expensive product.

Neither; the one that has the highest profit. X product @ $300 cheaper makes them $3 while Y product at $300 more makes them $303. Which one would YOU push?

[Draconian Guppy]

Crazzy, but i'm not talking about 1 single product, almost all of nikons product line has seen a big price increase. But I do see your point, I imagine going into costco, walmart etc. and seeing big ass nikon banners all over the place... :/