Clarification on my last Nikon price increase post

Several readers have emailed me about my post from Friday on the upcoming Nikon price increase starting on October 16th. I just want to clarify that Nikon will not be raising their prices. They will just start enforcing their MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) policy which will lead to a price increase for certain products in some online retailers in the US. The idea is to have identical prices on Nikon equipment in your local store and on Amazon for example.

For example, the Nikon D3100 kit is listed for $699.95 on Nikon USA. The MAP on the D3100 kit is $599. Even after the current $50 instant rebate, Amazon is selling it for $533 (same price with B&H after you add it to your cart, Adorama sells it for $599).