Originally posted by carlb I'm going to use this approach with my wife. Let's see how we go!!
Good luck!
The US prices are normally the lowest world-wide. They are often the result of significant purchasing power and don't have any tax on them.
In my experience, seeing prices lower than those elsewhere in the world is really unusual.
N.B., I wouldn't count on the price coming down. Ricoh appears to keep prices pretty stable for their premium products (I like it!) and the lens seems to be in high demand. I don't see any reasons to be hopeful for future deals becoming better. Just my 2 cents, they could be worth nothing!
P.S.: You might get a better warranty deal locally and it won't be a grey import (unlike a US purchase).