Britain and binoculars (1 Viewer)

[Troubador]

Will the U.S. and Britain negotiate freer trade or more restrictions?
How about the U.S. and the E.U.?

It has taken Canada 7 years to negotiate a trade deal with the EU.
Don't expect deals with the USA to happen more quickly.

These deals involve all sorts of considerations that aren't immediately obvious. Like whether US agricultural produce is genetically modified when this is banned in the EU. Not to mention whether animal welfare standards are the same in both areas. Then there are protests from different industries if they fear cheap imports like steel, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Its not a simple business especially if under the counter government subsidies of industries are suspected via tax breaks and losses offset against taxes.

It will be a while before the shape of Brexit becomes clear, for example, not only the terms of trade but also control of immigration. This uncertainty may keep the value of the £GBP depressed leading to increases in the price of binoculars and many other less important imports.

Lee

 

[Binastro]

Thanks Lee.

You mean less important imports like food and energy

 

[Rotherbirder]

Please excuse my ignorance/naïveté but one thing that has always intrigued me is why alpha optics seem to be offered periodically at substantial 'sale' discounts and discontinued models sold with attractive reductions in price in the USA. I cannot recall ever seeing this in the UK. Are we just being taken for a ride here?

RB

 

[Binastro]

Hi RB,
It may be different expectations or different accountancy write downs every year.

I saw a Pentax 100mm f/12 beautiful white refractor telescope in a photo shop window abroad when visiting over a four year period. About 1980.
It was way more than I could afford, over £2,000, but I asked if I could make an offer.
The shop owner said it was the the Pentax demonstrator and I should go to Pentax.

I did.

I sat with the senior Pentax man and he said. What do you offer?
I said I can only afford £250.
He went through all the years write downs and to my amazement said yes.
I followed his instructions, got the £250 and took it to the shop.
The manager was not a happy man.
I paid and took the beautiful telescope away in a taxi.

I have not had such luck in England.

But if you don't try, you never know.

The telescope is absolute perfection, as good as Pentax could make a demonstrator.

I have recently passed it on to the younger generation.

 

[Troubador]

Please excuse my ignorance/naïveté but one thing that has always intrigued me is why alpha optics seem to be offered periodically at substantial 'sale' discounts and discontinued models sold with attractive reductions in price in the USA. I cannot recall ever seeing this in the UK. Are we just being taken for a ride here?

RB

Some of those discounts will be the result of stores deciding to stock more of other models so they get rid of those or some of those that they do not want to promote or give display space to. The retail business in the UK is different and doesn't change as frequently in this way. Some discounts come from the brands themselves and this happens in the UK from time to time.

For example Zeiss had some promotions at Bird Fair with £50 RSPB vouchers given when HT and SF were bought and there was some nice accessories FOC with other models. I am pretty sure other brands have done special discounts at Bird Fair too. Kowa has done a nice promotion on their Genesis 8x33 reduced from £952 to just under £500 and I think there are still some units around at this price. Kowa will also be running a special discount for Christmas on this model bringing the recommended price down to £719 and dealers may discount this a bit further.

So special offers do happen in the UK.

Lee

 

[Binastro]

Just chatted to a large scale seller of optics and he says that there have been recent big increases in wholesale prices, nearly all, if not all imports.
However, some lines, which maybe don't sell well or are being replaced, are being cleared.

Old Jessops frequently bought old stocks of binoculars and sold them at a third or even a fifth the normal price. Maybe that was one reason they faded away.

I remember similar things happening in the U.S.A.

 

[fazalmajid]

Don't panic regarding binocular availability and price.

Even World War I could not stop British imports of German binoculars:
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2012/01/trade-between-belligerents.html

The British are some of the keenest birdwatchers anywhere, and the UK will remain a major market for sports optics.