> Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 10:25:58 -0500
> Subject: [M]: Meade Marketplace control [was Meade "support"]
>
> To change the subject slightly- My current beef with Meade: I recently
> asked Pocono Mtn Optics about purchasing a Meade #531 battery-driven RA
> drive for a small eq. mount. They informed me that they are not allowed
to
> ship Meade products outside the US (to protect foreign dealers so they
can
> keep their prices high?) So much for the fair competitive global
> marketplace! {:-^((( Will maybe advertise for a used one on AstroMart.
> They don't control that, do they?
>
> Rob Roy


R.R....

Meade are not alone, Orion has the same policy as well. (BTW, within the
E.U. such restrictive trade practices are illegal.) Recently I purchased
an item from a UK dealer advertised for UKP 900 ($1400). In the US it
costs $1000. When I told the dealer that I was prepared to buy it from the
US and pay import duty, he chuckled and said that US dealers would not ship
it abroad and, in anycase, the guarantee would be invalid. When I said
that a friend of mine in the US would mail order it and forward it to me,
he lowered his price by $175. Two can play this game. Do you have a
friend in the US !?

Regards

Philip

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