[vonBaloney]

That sounds like the Nintendo third party strategy. Nintendo have tried giving third party games leverage both with pricing and by holding off their own releases to boost third party sales, instead of building an actual market. To say the least the results have always been brutal as their reluctance to bring out new Nintendo games affected and affects sales of the whole system and therefore in the end dampens the third party support even more.

I know this is a different market but I have a feeling that it works pretty much the same way. They need to increase market share to get the third party makers on the train, not kill their own support of the system. Sadly it seems like a pretty common Japanese business strategy.

I was actually kidding, but nothing would surprise me...

[VisualDarkness]

I was actually kidding, but nothing would surprise me...

I understood that you were kidding but you brought the thoughts to my mind and I had to post them. I hope this isn't the strategy but I've seen is before. Do I have to say that this is the first time I don't own the latest stationary Nintendo console since 93-94?

[Docrwm]

Well, as I mentioned earlier,
J C Penney recently went from "everyday low prices"
(which apparently wasn't working for them)
to the "Mark up to mark down" strategy.

Oh, what a good idea - copy JCPenny policies. Wow, excellent. Next we'll copy KMart too.

[lytrytyr]

Oh, what a good idea - copy JCPenny policies. Wow, excellent. Next we'll copy KMart too.

Well, you did say
"Minimal presence, poor marketing, poor sales, and limited range of gear"

[kenafein]

Well, as I mentioned earlier,
J C Penney recently went from "everyday low prices"
(which apparently wasn't working for them)
to the "Mark up to mark down" strategy.

That is a shame. I always bought my clothes at JCPenny. I'm not a great customer for them though, as I buy clothes every 3-5 years. They were always my first stop for furniture too . You could always get a deal in their closeout section.

[vonBaloney]

That is a shame. I always bought my clothes at JCPenny. I'm not a great customer for them though, as I buy clothes every 3-5 years. They were always my first stop for furniture too . You could always get a deal in their closeout section.

This is a return to their long-time strategy they've had forever. New CEO decided to go with "low prices all the time without sales events" and business tanked (and CEO removed), so they went back to "higher regular prices with constant rotating sales and deals". People buy the stuff when it is "on sale" but not at that same price if it is always that low. Now all Pentax has to do is remember the constant special deals & sales part of the equation...

[DeadJohn]

PRIAC raised prices on a lot of lenses more than 6 months ago. I only recall one big sale afterwards, on Black Friday. Recent lens discounts only apply to package deals when you buy a new body. It looks like they are coaxing people to buy into k-mount, then discouraging them from buying another lens until it's time for a new body.

[NickLarsson]

I think Pentax USA has just committed a modern version of seppuku.

[Docrwm]

Well, you did say
"Minimal presence, poor marketing, poor sales, and limited range of gear"

Yeah, so copy a crummy companies solution to their self-created woes. Brilliant. Increase prices on already developed, mostly years old, products that are already not selling well. Absolutely they must have a huge brain with an MBA from Harvard Business in charge.

[Driline]

This is insane. I just noticed Adorama raising prices on the Fa's and now the DA 21 as well. How can you have the same stock purchased at last years prices, and then just bump them up like that. I am not happy.

[Eulogy]

This is insane. I just noticed Adorama raising prices on the Fa's and now the DA 21 as well. How can you have the same stock purchased at last years prices, and then just bump them up like that. I am not happy.

Technically speaking, if this is a Min. sale price hike by Pentax USA, it's not Adorama's fault. If a company threatens to cease ties with you unless you sell this product at a minimum price of _____, you're going to do it. There's a reason when the DA* prices went up they started offering more package deals with the lenses, so it was the same price as other sellers, but had free swag with it.

[Driline]

I know its not Adorama's fault. It's still disheartening. Just sad...........

[kenafein]

So how is it Ricoh can release a GRD, at a bargain price, send the whole internet into a feeding frenzy, and then do this? Why is their strategy so different for this camera and the rest of their lineup?

[Eulogy]

So how is it Ricoh can release a GRD, at a bargain price, send the whole internet into a feeding frenzy, and then do this? Why is their strategy so different for this camera and the rest of their lineup?

My thoughts on this was maybe they're trying to convert the serious side of Pentax to Ricoh branding, and the Kawaii stylings to Pentax. Sort of like Gibson/Epiphone or HP/Compaq.

[Cannikin]

It might be corporate greed, but something in me wants to see something deeper in this...

I notice that all the lenses there are relatively old, basically any remaining lens with an aperture ring (minus the FA 31), as well as most of the oldest DA lenses that haven't already been directly replaced (e.g. 50-200 and 100 macro with WR versions) or discontinued entirely (e.g. 16-45).

Now under a standard retail model, PRIC's revenue comes in when the retailer buys stock from them. Anything in stock at the retailer, PRIC has already gotten their money for. When those items are sold, hopefully the retailer orders more from PRIC, generating further revenue. Now what if there were no more for the retailers to order (i.e. discontinued/due to be replaced)? At that point it doesn't really matter to PRIC what those lenses are sold for. But at the same time, if those lenses are to be replaced, they don't want cheap old versions (for which they can get no further money) undercutting sales of new versions (their new revenue generator), so they deliberately price the old versions uncompetitively.

Or it could just be insanity...