30-Mar-2019, 22:05
my 2 cents...
Price differences are not necessarily explained by plain maths. Being French living in the US, I can share that the US price that I see on such high-end European products is often much higher here in the US. My guess is that the US market is simply more willing to pay big $, and therefore OEMs such as Devialet and their distributors can afford to get better margins.
I had the experience of buying both my Expert 120 and Clearaudio turntable (which is of German origin), and in both cases found it (much) more interesting to buy them from French stores.
For the 120, I bought it along with the Atom GT1s from Devialet Paris flagship store and elected to have them shipped, which prevented me from getting the VAT refund. Still, even after adding the FedEx shipping cost, I paid something like 1,000 USD less than what I could find in the US.
For the turntable, I was able to buy it during a business trip and bring it back with me on the plane, which gave me a 15%+ VAT refund, and overall I paid close to half price from what I could find here in the US.
Beyond this personal experience, depending on your country of residence and personal situation (typically whether you're a permanent or non-permanent resident), you may also have to factor an import tax...
Price differences are not necessarily explained by plain maths. Being French living in the US, I can share that the US price that I see on such high-end European products is often much higher here in the US. My guess is that the US market is simply more willing to pay big $, and therefore OEMs such as Devialet and their distributors can afford to get better margins.
I had the experience of buying both my Expert 120 and Clearaudio turntable (which is of German origin), and in both cases found it (much) more interesting to buy them from French stores.
For the 120, I bought it along with the Atom GT1s from Devialet Paris flagship store and elected to have them shipped, which prevented me from getting the VAT refund. Still, even after adding the FedEx shipping cost, I paid something like 1,000 USD less than what I could find in the US.
For the turntable, I was able to buy it during a business trip and bring it back with me on the plane, which gave me a 15%+ VAT refund, and overall I paid close to half price from what I could find here in the US.
Beyond this personal experience, depending on your country of residence and personal situation (typically whether you're a permanent or non-permanent resident), you may also have to factor an import tax...
Devialet Expert 220 Pro (upgraded from 120) + Atohm GT1 + Clearaudio Concept Wood (MM) - now back in Paris, France
