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Just a mad idea ..... Does anybody out there know anything about the markets in other major European countries? Who are the equivalents of Warehouse Express, Park Cameras, Jacobs, Jessops, etc? How competitive are the prices?
The reason I ask is that I'm looking to spend serious amounts of money on lenses this year and in the current climate I'm looking for any price advantage I can get. A shopping trip to Europe could easily pay for itself if the prices there are anything like last month's UK prices, as opposed to this month's UK prices!
Why do I think it might be worth pursuing? Two reasons.
Firstly the markets might be quite different. For example, last Christmas I wanted to buy my wife a Wii Fit. In the UK they were incredibly rare, and the stores that did have them were charging £120-£140. But in France they were super-abundant, and Amazon France had them for 86 euros.
Secondly, the huge price hikes we've seen lately have been caused by stirlings's fall relative to the yen, and by the retailers' responses to sudden increases in import prices. The euro hasn't fallen as much as sterling relative to the yen, so there might be scope for the euro retailers to absorb some of that. Here's a simplistic example:
* UK: import prices go up 20% => retailers panic and prices go up 20%
* Europe: import prices go up 10% => retailers don't panic and prices go up <10%
So in this example, even taking account of the fact that the euro has gone up 10% relative to the pound, it would still be cheaper to buy in Europe.
So ..... can anybody help?
The reason I ask is that I'm looking to spend serious amounts of money on lenses this year and in the current climate I'm looking for any price advantage I can get. A shopping trip to Europe could easily pay for itself if the prices there are anything like last month's UK prices, as opposed to this month's UK prices!
Why do I think it might be worth pursuing? Two reasons.
Firstly the markets might be quite different. For example, last Christmas I wanted to buy my wife a Wii Fit. In the UK they were incredibly rare, and the stores that did have them were charging £120-£140. But in France they were super-abundant, and Amazon France had them for 86 euros.
Secondly, the huge price hikes we've seen lately have been caused by stirlings's fall relative to the yen, and by the retailers' responses to sudden increases in import prices. The euro hasn't fallen as much as sterling relative to the yen, so there might be scope for the euro retailers to absorb some of that. Here's a simplistic example:
* UK: import prices go up 20% => retailers panic and prices go up 20%
* Europe: import prices go up 10% => retailers don't panic and prices go up <10%
So in this example, even taking account of the fact that the euro has gone up 10% relative to the pound, it would still be cheaper to buy in Europe.
So ..... can anybody help?
