Originally posted by Docrwm Thanks. I appreciate the ad hominem attacks from those outside the US that just want to see us pay higher prices.
It's amazing to me that its that hard for you folks to grasp - there aren't the mythical B&M stores in the US to get into and support somehow. That is not merely my opinion, read the posts from anyone other than a couple here who apparently do have a B&M left near them. Such stores DO NOT EXIST outside NYC and a few other small enclaves in this VERY large country.
Perhaps you folks are the ones that are slow. You pay more for the exact item that I have been paying less for, and you get what precisely? If you get extra value then maybe you aren't slow. But then the reverse might be true too. Hmmmm. If I get less value then you do, shouldn't I pay less for less value received? Hmmm. No, that would actually make sense.
So, when you tell me that its more expensive in Europe because you do have B&M stores my question to you is - Why? Why frequent a B&M store when they charge you a lot more? Here they have all gone the way of the dinosaur because they can not compete. Pentax is trying to swim upstream. Best Buy, which is the largest of the B&M mainly electronic stores left in the US is closing another 50 stores.
I don't believe anyone outside the US actually wants you to pay more, but I see people who live in the US constantly complaining here about the lack of store promotion, and the attitudes of the sales staff to enquiries about Pentax products. Where are those stores? If you say they don't exist outside a few major cities, then there's an anomaly to be explained.
You should also realise that many of us appreciate the value that B&H, Adorama and the other US online stores provide to areas outside the US. I've bought several Pentax lenses from them, because they were much cheaper than I could obtain elsewhere, both from local online and high street stores. I've bought online from Australian stores, too, who have a high street presence as well as an online shop. The point is that many people still prefer shopping for expensive, complex items where they can get to see and operate them, and where they know they can go to get after-sales service. I know that last point's debatable, as repairs are done remotely anyway, but notwithstanding, that's still the way a lot of people think.
A friend of mine here recently bought a K-5 after she'd borrowed my K20D to use on a trip to New Zealand and had seen the results from my K-5. She bought the body from an Australian online store that has a high street shop in the major cities (I live in a small city) and the lens (an 18-135) from B&H. There a two points make here. The local camera store sells lots of Canon and Nikon DSLRs over the counter. They had a K-7 on display and stated that they wouldn't be getting the K-5 in stock. Other stores here have the same attitude. If I hadn't known her and been able to show how good the Pentax products were, she would undoubtedly have bought one of the other brands. She is completely taken with the K-5, and I should add that her father's a long-term Nikon shooter, but a broad-thinking one who's very close to her. I also introduced her to B&H, who she bought from because the local online camera vendor couldn't match their price for the lens.
So, you see, it's not just US buyers who will be paying more for lenses.
I apologise for going on a bit, but I think it's important to be clear why some of us don't quibble too much about these changes Pentax USA is making. We want the brand to survive everywhere because we still see it as a value proposition in many instances.
By the way, if you read Ned Bunnell's blog, you may see that he's talking about running lens rebate programs, too, as well as explaining the strategy. I hope that helps alleviate some of the pain.