Amazon shows they have "X" number of some given lens left, such as the 70-200 VRII. The price goes down for a few days, and the quantity on hand goes down. Then, with presumably the same lenses that were there the last few days (minus one or two), the price goes up. What gives? I could see if Amazon was continually adjusting prices as the price of new stock changed, but that can't be it. Are they simply changing the price they charge on their stock in response to what other retailers are charging?
What's with Amazon and Lens prices?
(19 posts) (14 voices)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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Price does not, unfortunately, have to reflect cost. A lower cost gives them more room to undercut and make the sales, but it doesn't dictate what people will pay for the lens (see Southwest airlines while their fuel contracts were in effect.)
Grocery stores do this all the time (at least, the ones that I go to). Fresh produce comes in and they have an abundance of it, and they discount it. A day or two later, the price drops, and it's full price again, and stays there until it's past its prime and gets reduced to clear the inventory.
Then again, cantaloupe != 70-200VRII
Posted 2 years ago # -
Maximizing profit through real-time sales analysis and targeted pricing.
If that's not the subject of at least 100 doctoral theseses this year the sky ain't blue.
But seriously, welcome to the 21st century. You think all these web services are given away out of altruism? Never before in history has such a rich treasure-trove of consumer behavior existed, much less in near-real-time as it currently exists! Amazon is simply charging the maximum price the market will bear, but doing so with the constant-tweaks-to-match-changing-conditions a theoretical economist could only have wet-dreamed of in 1996!
(it's actually quite exciting for those of us who love models)
Posted 2 years ago # -
I think part of it is that "Amazon" does not sell any camera lenses... they simply are a listing of other vendors who sell the lens. So, when the least expensive seller runs out of lenses, then Amazon shows the next cheapest, etc. So price goes up and down based on who has stock on hand and what price they are offering. Nothing magical about it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
JorPet said:
I think part of it is that "Amazon" does not sell any camera lenses... they simply are a listing of other vendors who sell the lens. So, when the least expensive seller runs out of lenses, then Amazon shows the next cheapest, etc. So price goes up and down based on who has stock on hand and what price they are offering. Nothing magical about it.Amazon does stock and sell lenses AND also list other sellers.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ok, had to look for a dozen lenses and none listed Amazon as the seller, had to actually go into the sellers list to find Amazon and only on a couple lenses. Even so, they are rarely if ever the lowest priced seller.
Even so, my answer is still correct. When browsing lenses on the site, you see the lowest priced seller with the item in stock. Price fluctuates based on who has stock.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I see it on ebay all the time. If there is a qty of 10 lenses and two sell fast, the price goes up then if none sell, the price goes down. I bought an 11-16 Tok the other day and the listing had about 16 or 17 price changes on it!
Posted 2 years ago # -
I thought this mainly due to what happened in japan? Suppliers and Nikon itself are directly affected, which means products or parts that came from the earthquake/tsunami affected area now very likely not able to deliver as they used to or it is fair to expect delay for future production.
Posted 2 years ago # -
JY said:
I thought this mainly due to what happened in japan? Suppliers and Nikon itself are directly affected, which means products or parts that came from the earthquake/tsunami affected area now very likely not able to deliver as they used to or it is fair to expect delay for future production.This could be. I stopped in at a local camera store on Friday night to get the ML-L3. The guy starts into a song and dance about how they just don't know what they are going to be able to get from Nikon for the foreseeable future. If you see it in the store now you better get it as it might not be available soon. I guess I took it to spreading FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) to try to get people to buy.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Well, the price fluctuations I'm actually talking about have been going on for years, and I'm only tracking Amazon's prices, not the prices from their "affiliates". But still, I think Kaos and Drab are on track with their responses. Amazon is merely tracking prices and selling for what they think is optimal pricing at the moment.
Yes, they often list other sellers first, if they can't match prices.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I've had the old Nikon 300/f.4 AF-S and TC-14E II 1.4 (Imported...grey market)in my wish list at B&H for awhile now and monday I noticed that the TC-14E had jumped from $299.95 to $319.95.I ordered both and today when I went to remove them from my wish list,I noticed that the TC-14E (imported) had jumped to $429.95.
It would seem that if you need anything Nikon,it's best to buy now before you have to take out a second mortgage to be able to afford it ;>)
Posted 2 years ago # -
That TC-14E price is high for the last six months, but not outrageously high when the entire past year is taken into account. I had to check because that seemed ungodly high to me too. I was shocked when I saw it had spent most the past year that high. Were there supply shortages of the TCs last year I didn't notice?
camelcamelcamel.com tracks historical prices of products on Amazon.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Awesome site, Drab. Thanks for the link.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Drab,no doubt you're right about the USA version,but the import had been selling for $299.95 at B&H for quite awhile.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Amazon's lens prices are really strange.
The 35mm 1.8 I know for sure is a $200 lens- that's what I got it for when it came out. But Amazon as of this posting is selling it for $299 with 2 left in stock. If you were in the know, you'd probably know that every other camera store is selling it for just under $200.
Meanwhile the 105mm macro listed on Amazon is also over the price I got it for from J and R.
About a week ago they were about the same, $889.
Another interesting thought- although J and R list their prices competitively with other dealers, they also mark up their lenses and then take a chunk off. For instance, they sell the 35mm 1.8 at $249, but take $57 off miraculously. Not sure if this is a misleading practice or not, but it certainly is weird.
Posted 2 years ago # -
NSXType-R said:
The 35mm 1.8 I know for sure is a $200 lens- that's what I got it for when it came out. But Amazon as of this posting is selling it for $299 with 2 left in stock. If you were in the know, you'd probably know that every other camera store is selling it for just under $200
This is very time dependant, but you actually saw a sub $200 price from someone with one actually in stock?
Based on my tracking the 35 f/1.8 is actually a perfect example of the pricing behavior I discussed earlier.
Posted 2 years ago # -
There was a thread (before the earthquake) discussing about Japan's debt and currency which basically we talked about prices rising at that time. We will see prices rise a bit for a while. Between that and the supply squeeze some people are starting to move prices.
At the same time, many "out of the box" web stores have built in inventory pricing systems where you can set it up to move product. Start cheap and as stock goes down prices rise. The idea is, if you have a "Hot" product as it sells, the system assumes it sells at competitors as well, and supply drops so it raises the price as demand stays steady or increases. The idea is that you can take advantage of the market and make more money. Where it doesn't work is when you have an outdated product (4 yr old Digi cam) and you have just a few left and the price is way over what it is worth. Many companies do not watch this well.
I do believe this is what many are seeing.Posted 2 years ago # -
I think lens prices are going up across the board because of something (the earthquake most likely). I ordered the Nikon 85 micro a couple weeks ago for $476 and it is up to $529 now. Same for the Nikon 105 micro up to $990 from $899 or so.
Glad I got me 35 f1.4 when i did...it is over $300 now.
Posted 2 years ago #
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