Why it's more expensive to buy a Nikon camera in Australia

Purchasing a Nikon camera is Australia is more expensive than some overseas countries. After being asked the questions through unofficial channels, John Swainston, the Managing Director, Maxwell Optical Industries (National Distributor for Nikon Imaging across Australia) has the following reply.

"In relation to Australia, several factors come into play. I will try and discuss each in turn.

1. Nikon digital products (scanners/digital compacts, digital SLR's) are warranted only in the first country of importation. This is because each country has subtle but important safety compliance requirements in chargers, power supplies radiation and so on. Different countries also bundle different software, so support is not available for software not supplied in this country, for example.

The power supplies for our digital camera chargers, for example, are AS designated - that means they are marked with the N150 approval number from the Australian authorities, they comply with RF radiation standards and they are supplied with an approved electrical cord that has its own approval number from the authorities.

2. Digital Product imported from overseas by a consumer, say via the Internet, is subject to warranty by the vendor overseas, who is bound by the trade rules as to merchantable quality of the country of purchase. Typically a year's warranty. The EU varies this and sometimes it is longer. The cost of freight and duties of returned merchandise are subject to payment by the buyer in almost all cases.

3. At the time of importation in purchases from the Net, the vendor is required by Australian law to declare the actual transaction cost and declare that value for GST payment to Customs when imported into Australia. The importer or buyer is required by law to pay GST and any duties at the value of the purchase. Failure to do either of these things is a breach of Australian law and subject to possible confiscation of the goods by Customs and payment of GST plus damages.

4. In the situation where a trader imports goods from another retailer or vendor overseas, other than the manufacturer, whether they are digital goods or not, the carton of the goods should be marked with suitably visible markings to indicate the name of the importer and the address to which the buyer should return the goods should they fail. Maxwell, who in this case is not the importer, is not legally bound to repair such goods under warranty, even if, as in the case of a lens, there is in fact a worldwide warranty. The reason is that as another company actually imported them it is that company who has the legal liability to warrant the goods as merchantable and fit for sale. Where that does not continue for a reasonable period, that company is required to effect make-good arrangements. Any failure to distinguish the goods from other goods imported by the authorized distributor could be subject to further prosecution under the Trade Practices Act, as passing off goods of a deceptively similar nature, without making clear the different warranty outcomes and provisions that apply.5.

5. Where a consumer buys a lens, say, with worldwide warranty while the consumer is physically overseas, provided that the lens does indeed have a valid Nikon Corporation worldwide warranty (and not a USA-only or EC region only), or much more frequently a Hong Kong "Worldwide Warranty" form issued by the HK retailer, a consumer is entitled to seek warranty repair by Maxwell or its approved service agents in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne, for such objects, but only after producing the original sales docket, proof of purchase (charge card receipt) AND the Nikon warranty form..

6. The same consumer, buying over the Net, must seek all warranty from the vendor overseas, notwithstanding they may indeed have a valid Nikon Worldwide Warranty form. There is no contract of sale between Maxwell and the buyer and we were neither the importer nor the vendor of the goods they have purchased. As Maxwell is a distributor and not an agent for Nikon, there is no obligation on us to provide warranty for such purchases."



www.maxwell.com.au

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