world wide prices

[phill-k]

I reside in New Zealand & as a direct result of reading the extensive articles on the woodshopdemos.com site
I'm about to buy a Festool setup to build my own 32mm kitchen
2 x guide rails
1 x plunge saw
1 x router
1 x 32mm drilling jig kit
1 x domino
1 x vacuum system
what really aggravates me is the difference in price structures, here in New Zealand this setup will cost me more than twice the equivalent prices in the USA.
Anyone with some ideas to save on the deal, I'd appreciate hearing
cheers from the bottom of the world
phill kibblewhite
northland new zealand

 

[Mirko]

Capitalism in North America dictates to major companies that they compete with one-another, to the point of us consumers wasting time hunting down that sweet bargain! anything to sooth the regretful feelings that accompany the Impulse buy... but... but, it was on sale we say. :-\ Hmmm I think I just bought something I don't need again
Big box store, propaganda fliers =Consumer Crack! Its relentless!  I think my mailman works for home depot

I guess in other parts of the world, a company can sell a tool for what its worth.
I know, I have a problem... rant over

Mirko

 

[phill-k]

I understand what you are saying about consumer pressure on pricing, goes on here as well, I believe though a company's base line is to survive and thus there is a point where they will become negatively geared if their prices fall below a certain point. Or do small markets support the compition in the larger ones.
I hope Festool among others provide active support to this forum and websites such as woodshopdemos, as my buying decision is as a direct result of seeing the set up used in a "real life" situation / workshop. Finding this forum was the icing on the cake.

cheers

 

[Ned]

I reside in New Zealand
Anyone with some ideas to save on the deal, I'd appreciate hearing

Welcome Phill,

Some Brits have mentioned taking cheap flights to the USA, buying tools, and getting a net savings.  Your mileage may vary--I'm sure that a NZ-USA round trip is more costly, in part because of lack of competition.  You would also have electrical compatibility to consider.

Mirko--

Toyota Canada has recently dropped the prices on 16 models (one by more than 8,000 CAD).  While the official story is that it's "to better represent the loonie's value", in fact it's because increasing numbers of Canadians are coming south to the US to buy the same vehicles at US prices.  Customers decided the prices would change. 

That advertising from Home Depot isn't a command to you, it's pleading, trying as hard as possible to attract your interest.  And capital. 

Ned

 

[Dan Clermont]

We Canadians complain about the prices Hafele charges us for Festool's. Really though, they are pretty much in line with every other Festool nation except the US. From what I have been told by Hafele Canada the volume of Festool's sold to the US gets them a larger discount and therefore lower prices. The lower prices in the US make it easier to justify buying Festool's compared to some other brands. For example, the price of an ETS 125 in the US is $160ish (don't have the catalog in front of me right now). To me that isn't that much higher then the Porter Cable's and other sanders.

My wife got a new Honda Odyssey van with 0.9% financing, $6000 off.... blah.... blah.. blah. She got that price cause Honda Canada recognized Canadians were jumping the border to buy cars in the US and they couldn't really do anything to stop it.

When I call Hafele and talk Festool they readily admit people are always complaining about the Cdn vs US prices on Festools and they eventually had to drop their prices.... now they are more competitive but know nothing about the product line. Hopefully someday we will get Canadian ISA's who can offer Canadian's Festools at US type prices with knowledge about the line
;D
Dan C

 

[phill-k]

I guess this is all part of the world wide economy, we certainly see price competition in some areas of the consumer market, whiteware, electronics, that sort of thing, and I guess because many New Zealanders travel overseas and now with the internet we are better educated to the ways of price structures. We have a lot of "parallel importing" in New Zealand, businesses buy goods in Asia / USA etc and then on sell in New Zealand, happens a lot with electronics, we see a lot of the "official" licenced importers advertising that this or that product unless purchased through them will not be covered by warranty. I've done a lot of purchasing via the net and for the first time have recently got burned by an American company selling Z-wave remote controlled switches. As an information resource its fantastic.
Our local agent for Festool whilst a likeable person doesn't have any experience with the tools and certainly wouldn't have inspired me to purchase the setup, that inspiration is directly as a result of this median.

 

[Paul Perry]

Even more curious...

Has anyone noticed how Festool, despite the strong euro, continues to maintain very low prices in the US? Festool products currently cost MUCH less in the US than in Germany or elsewhere in Euro-land.

For example:

The Domino DF 500 Q Set costs $750 according to Festool USA

The same set here in the Netherlands costs EUR 686 / $999.43 without sales tax and a whopping EUR 816,34 or $1,189.32 including tax.

The German price is similar:  EUR 792,54 / $1,154.65 including tax.

:-\

 

[CharlesWilson]

Shhh! Not so loud, Paul. Some things are better left unsaid.

 

[Markus K.]

Festool Machinery is really cheap in the states when you're looking out of Germany. Good for you, folks! Biggest Problem is the Voltage! So I have to wait for your Power-upgrade to European Standart 

 

[AndrewDS]

I looked at this topic before I saw this:  http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2458.0
Tool prices usually seem to go up this time of year.

 

[spikfot]

  It is interesting to hear of the good prices with the weakness of the dollar in the euro market.  Keep in mind that list prices are not paid by professionals who buy regularly, discounts of 20% are common. On top of that the high tax you quote is rebated with your tax return if your profit is not too high. The prices in my part of Sweden are less after conversion to USD considering discount/rebates by a considerable amount.
   

 

[Dave Rudy]

Festool Machinery is really cheap in the states when you're looking out of Germany. Good for you, folks!

That's because we can't get any (Kapex, Belt Sander, CMS, Precisio, etc etc)!  The non-existent tools are the least expensive.    ??? ;D

 

[alg]

I got to see a 1998 Festool price list, almost all the equivalent gear was more 10 years ago then it is today... the equivalent dust collector had 2 motors was over $600. The PS2 jigsaw was over $300.  The circular saw equivalent to the TS55 was about the same price.  Two months ago, I was an outsider, looking in the Festool prices seemed outrageous and I was determined to find what I deemed to be equivalent quality for less (Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita, Hilti). Now, the prices don't seem out of line.

 

[Paul Perry]

  It is interesting to hear of the good prices with the weakness of the dollar in the euro market.  Keep in mind that list prices are not paid by professionals who buy regularly, discounts of 20% are common. On top of that the high tax you quote is rebated with your tax return if your profit is not too high. The prices in my part of Sweden are less after conversion to USD considering discount/rebates by a considerable amount.
   

Less than the US prices! Well that's interesting to hear! I don't know about Germany but here in NL there is a strict policy about list prices and discounts to professionals (the best I've found is 5% off) but indeed those who use the tools for their business can claim the 19% sales tax back.

At the moment a euro costs about US $1.50 
Outside of euroland has the Swedish kr. also risen in relation to the dollar?