I have not experienced it myself but I believe that US customs can and have
impounded Mamiya equipment at the border/by shipment if there was a
suspicion of unauthorized importing for resale.
Dan S.
From: olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of ScottGee1
Subject: [OM] Re: [lens] Re: E-500 specs (long)
Mamiya USA is an excellent example of a distributor with protected
territory. Back when I was shooting RZ, I wanted to buy some new gear and
searched the Web for it. Found the well reviewed Cathay Photo and was
amazed at how much lower their prices were than the best U.S. prices --
35~50% less. However, when I tried to make a purchase they told me they
were not allowed to ship to the U.S. under pain of losing the Mamiya line.
Very frustrating to know that the exact same gear can be had for much less
and the distributor was obviously taking a nice markup. Certainly they have
a right to do so, but as a child of a Capitalist country I chafe over
restraint of trade. Interesting lesson on the concept of 'what the market
will bear'.
ScottGee1
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