Late last year, JB HiFi made headlines for importing grey DSLR cams. The tough move was a protest against price-gouging vendors and recognised JB was competing against foreign online sellers. However, the company’s protests could be over following the disappearance of its direct import site.
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The call to grey import cameras was prompted by the inflated prices Australians were paying for the same DSLR cams and lenses available from other countries at a fraction of the price.
The move solidified JBs mantra of offering quality products at the lowest prices, and by putting up a year warranty themselves, ensured JB’s customers could have peace of mind.
Furthermore it recognised local retailers were now competing against a plethora of online sellers, and not only neighbouring bricks and mortar stores.
Despite all of these advantages, JB’s direct import site has disappeared.
Banners advertising direct import DSLRS and lenses on their homepage are no longer there. Worse yet, the dedicated URL generate a barren yellow page, while the terms and conditions have gone walkabout, saying “Sorry but the requested content is unavailable.”
The site’s disappearance was first acknowledged yesterday (12th of June) by Whirlpool member Whitus.
“Flamin’ heck!! I was about ready to splash the cash on their grey market Canon 15-85mm … and now it’s goooooooonne,” said the budding DSLR owner.
“I went looking for the JBHifi direct import store but it had seemed to have disappeared,” said another Whirlpool member, who goes by the alias brightandnoisy.
JB’s grey import strategy was making headway with local developers, encouraging Nikon Australia to moderate the prices of their DSLR products, keeping them in line with those overseas.
Read: JB Hi Fi Drops Grey Nikon Cameras For Cheap Full Monty Deal
Unfortunately JB HiFi did not respond to questions at the time of publication, but this article will be updated with their response and developments.