This is simply Byzantine and Neanderthal. I recognize that some companies' management decides to price products differently in different markets. Their hope is that their pricing isn't transparent because customers dont travel that much, dont have friends in other places, or are too lazy to get competitive quotes on a product.
Companies have gone through GREAT efforts to make this happen. After all, why should the wealthy who can pay more, pay what the poor pays? Its all about segmenting customers and applying a pricing policy. Its like B-School 101. So, certain companies brand their products differently or distribute under different names to hide their pricing (alcohol companies, automotive companies, etc). Some forbid publicizing their prices, hoping that ignorance would be bliss (check out some camera gear in shutterbug sometime). Some use grey market warranties.
The essential element is to do anything a company can do to avoid price transparency. Basically, don't let a customer buy something for less than they are willing to pay for it by not telling them there is a lower price.
The biggest con artists, before the mid 1990s, was the airline industry. No one had a clue what the right price for a ticket would be. Basically, some clueless $10/hr telephone agent would use archaic text commands in a green screen terminal to call up prices based on the customer's request. The problem was, that airlines price every seat differently on every flight. They call it Yield Management. It gets so damn confusing to the customer, you end up in mini revolts about airlines not sharing accurate pricing.
Then the internet happened. Customers could log into expedia, etc. and see prices for all tickets on competing airlines, and change dates/times/flights to get a cheaper price. You know what happened?
The cheap, who always traveled cheap, traveled more because they realized just how much cheap travel there was. The business men, who routinely got screwed by the airlines by paying full fares, got HUGELY upset and starting booking cheap tickets. The airlines suddenly became awash in people wanting cheap travel, but their infrastructures cost too much for those low profit customers. And now, one by one, they are going into bankruptcy.
So, what does this have to do with EC? The company thinks it can swindle the customer by pricing items differently in different markets. Its probably right in some regards. However, the problem with goods vs. services is that goods have a lifetime...and they may end-up anywhere in the world after their initially sold. So, while EC practices 1980's pricing strategy games with its consumers (pissing them off more now than ever because we can SEE the european and asian pricing), the consumers eventually want to sell their products as they continue the road toward audio nirvana. And you know what, EC? These customers sell them to the highest bidders, just like you're doing on new products because now there are internet sites, like this and ebay, that makes pricing COMPLETELY transparent. And voila, the products end up in the USA.
So, what is good for the goose isn't good for the gander? EC can sell its products for whatever it likes to specific markets, but restrict free trade of the used products by its customers through grey market warranties and explicit policies to not upgrade so-called "grey market" units? Its no wonder that customers get angry.
You know what I like? I like companies that warranty and service their products because they know that the products and the accompanying services are their ONLY vehicle to make a customer relationship. Companies that dont understand this are going to go the way of Communism - extinct because the governments/companies forgot that their citizens/customers are their #1 objective. Customers should be anyone using one of your products. I could cite a dozen CRM books on this exact subject, but I'll let EC figure out how to manage their own customer relationships. Hint: customer acquisition is the first part, initial customer retention/cross-selling/servicing is the second, and 2ndary customer retention/cross-selling/servicing is the third. Your competition shouldn't be on PRICE, it should be on product differentiation and COGS.
I, too, have been shopping for certain components, a preamp and a CDP. I struggle with BAT because they wont support 2ndary customers with the initial warranty, so I'll probably go to a company like Thor or ARC that warranty products, not initial customers. As far as CDPs, EC wont get a nickel from me, either as a customer of new products or as a customer of old products. I want a relationship I can trust when buying a $5k CDP.
