Canon PowerShot G11 Price Controversy

Canon's latest compact digital camera, the PowerShot G11, is still not yet on sale in the UK, but its official RRP will be £569.  Surprisingly, though, it's just appeared in the US on Amazon, at a rather different price:

Amazon.com $498.00

Using a rough dollar-pound exchange rate of $1 = £0.61, that leaves the G11 at around £304. Ah, but what about the VAT? Well, let's add that in: £304 + 17.5% = a grand total of £357.20.

So, the question is: what justifies such a massive difference in pricing--37%!--between Europe and North America? Canon will have a difficult time preventing UK stores from going elsewhere to obtain their stock to undercut the official supplies. But we all know the risks that consumers run buying in this way: products that are missing manuals, come with the wrong charger, and, often, no guarantee … When will we get fair prices to avoid this circus?

Same story with the S90

It's exactly the same with another new camera from Canon, the S90, which is already available in the US for $430, or £265 before VAT and £311 all-in.  The list price in Canon's press release, though, is £449.

Amazon.com $430.00

This time, the difference is a 'mere' 30%, rather than 37% with the G11 … but that's hardly much of an improvement …

> Product Survey: Compact Digital Cameras