Which way are prices headed?

Roger Ramjet

Roger Ramjet

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Hi all,

I'm just teetering on the brink of buying a new camera, probably a Canon 450D because it's so cheap, but I'm also very tempted by a Nikon D90. I'm just wondering whether to wait for the January sales or whether prices might even rise if I delay my purchase. Obviously the usual rules are that this gear gets cheaper over time, but the whole world seems to have been turned upside down and with the exchange rate fluctuations I'm noticing a lot of prices rising in other areas of technology.

Just wondering whether anyone has views on this?
 
Up up up.

All camera and peripheral manufacturers are imposing a 10-15% increase in week 1 Jan 09.

Bad news for all.
 
Could go either way, retail margins have been cut to the bone as it is, but there might be a wee bit more to go. On the other hand the pound, is sinking faster than the Titanic, so prices must eventually rise and rise steeply....
 
If this is the case then I should probably go shopping tomorrow - just not sure I can face the shops on the last Sat before Christmas :bonk:
 
I work for a large UK camera company.......as well as take pictures with a camera.

Between us and everyone here ;)
 
Another thing to consider - or way to look at it:

If retail margins have been cut to the bone, and the £ devalues, making imports more expensive......there is no more room for movement in the price because all the slack has already been taken up. Prices have to go up.
 
Lensflare said:
Another thing to consider - or way to look at it:

If retail margins have been cut to the bone, and the £ devalues, making imports more expensive......there is no more room for movement in the price because all the slack has already been taken up. Prices have to go up.
Click to expand...

Maybe....

But what if...

Retailers have no further room on margins - they put prices up - fewer buyers emerge - we could see some closing down sales during Qtr1 :shrug:
 
Lensflare said:
Another thing to consider - or way to look at it:

If retail margins have been cut to the bone, and the £ devalues, making imports more expensive......there is no more room for movement in the price because all the slack has already been taken up. Prices have to go up.
Click to expand...

Seems logical.
 
Turnover without margin is just as doomed to failure as margin without turnover.

You need a bit of each to survive.
 
If you are after a D90 I really can't see it being any cheaper than it is now for quite some time. £570 on Warehouse Express for example, standard price was £699 not so long ago.
 
maybe these companies are proposing price hikes in jan in order to get people spending now?

Then when january does come around prices maybe will stay the same?
 
Kerioak said:
...with all the media constantly talking down the economy I think further problems will be a self fulfilling prophesy
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watching it all unfold from my little hovel half way up a mountain out here, I think what Keioak says here is applicable to this whole fiasco.

Camera & equipment prices in UK are probably the keenest in Europe and have been for some time. I just last week bought a new 450D camera body from Warehouse Express, via internet, and it was 193 euro cheaper than the cheapest out here, including the currency conversion charge I have to pay.

The market place as well as the economy is so volatile at the moment anything could happen.
My old Dad tells me that Jessops are struggling a bit, maybe they are the ones to watch for s deal in the New Year
 
mysterio84 said:
maybe these companies are proposing price hikes in jan in order to get people spending now?

Then when january does come around prices maybe will stay the same?
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hmmm, yeah, funny how they're going up in January, after Christmas.
could just be coincidence I suppose, why not put them up now, or February or last month...:suspect:
It doesn't seem to be the best course of action, to put up prices when consumers already have less money to spend.
Maybe they're just covering recent additional costs, either way, if the things don't sell, they'll have to re-jig costings a few months from now anyway.
 
Maybe prices are goin up to allow big new cashback deals to start:

£100 cashback on a dslr that has just gone up £110.................
 
Joe T said:
You had to miss the point to make a joke didnt you! :lol:
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Nope :nono: Cash isn't king any more, the big retailers would rather have your plastic than paper money. Actual cash-money is just a hassle to stores nowadays, particularly big amounts, like my car example.

If, on the other hand, you mean cash as in cash-flow or working capital, most of them are so far into the banks it makes no difference anyway :lol:
 
TerryO said:
Camera & equipment prices in UK are probably the keenest in Europe and have been for some time. I just last week bought a new 450D camera body from Warehouse Express, via internet, and it was 193 euro cheaper than the cheapest out here, including the currency conversion charge I have to pay.
Click to expand...

That's not because we have keen prices here, it's because the pound has collapsed in value against the euro. Not long ago you would get 1,47€ for £1.00, now you'll get not much above 1,00€ for a pound..
 
Woodsy said:
I walked into Jessops with £2600 in 50's and 20's. they had no problem with it :D
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Did it get you money off for paying that way? In days of yore you'd get a discount for paying cash.

That's what the term "cash is king" really refers to, not cashflow...
 
Stock that is being sold now with low margin was bought months ago with a good pound level, when the companies go to re-stock after christmas (if they're still in business ;)) they will have to buy from Japan at the lower pound rate which will bump prices up.

I bought a 50D yesterday rather than wait/hope for the sales :)
 
The prices at the likes of Pixmania are already going up, £120 in two separate price increases within 3 days onto the price of a Sony a350 kit....
 
On the basis of this thread I've rushed out and bought an EOS450D today. Just wondering what if anything I should buy to go with it, given that I'm a raw beginner and don't know how heavily I might get into this hobby.
 
oh dear, well i was thinking about buying a d80 from jessops just after xmas i hope they dont go back up in price or ill be gutted.lol
 
In the first two weeks of january, I intend purchasing a Canon 100-400mm lens, I have no choice but to accept what price is being charged.
 
I think you will be OK in early January, it's when stores come to restock after then they will have to put up retail prices.

Old stock will still be keenly priced. New stock won't!
 
daytona63 said:
I think you will be OK in early January, it's when stores come to restock after then they will have to put up retail prices.

Old stock will still be keenly priced. New stock won't!
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eh? :thinking:

When the manufacturers put the prices up the retailers increase the prices on all their stock, not just stuff they buy after the increase is announced.

Otherwise you could have two identical cameras sitting next to each other on the shelf, with a £50 difference in price, just because one came into stock in Decemeber and one in January.....
 
From what I gather there's still 90%ish of the working population in work, problem is a lot of people are concerned how long they'll be in a job. Round here Wedgewood is in deep brown smellies and JCB are going to make another round of layoffs early in the new year.
A lot of folks won't lash out on big ticket hobby items under those circumstances. That means if camera shops have no margins or low turnover with high overheads they're stuffed.
I expect to see a few more AJ Purdy's after the Christmas spending orgy.

Kev
 
Flash In The Pan said:
eh? :thinking:

When the manufacturers put the prices up the retailers increase the prices on all their stock, not just stuff they buy after the increase is announced.

Otherwise you could have two identical cameras sitting next to each other on the shelf, with a £50 difference in price, just because one came into stock in Decemeber and one in January.....
Click to expand...


Not necessarily. It doesn't make sense to sell old stock at new prices when they have very few buyers already. So i think the keen prices will stay for a few weeks into the New Year. But after that they are only going up if the pound keeps falling!
They won't put new stock out til the old stock is sold.
 
dont you just love our country! lol:help:
 
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