Are Kogan’s Camera Prices Worse Than Traditional Retail?

Kogan is continually boasting it offers unbeatable prices for technology products, especially when compared to brick-and-mortar retailers. But do these claims actually hold up in reality? Not according to Canon, which conducted a pricing investigation of its DSLR range in Australia. It found that traditional retailers consistently beat Kogan’s prices for the same camera and sometimes came with additional accessories and longer warranties at no extra charge.

If you want the best price for your DSLR shop at a physical store. That’s the advise being trotted out by Canon Australia, which recently compared the price of its product range across the grey import market (including Kogan) and local stores.

Contrary to popular belief, it found that some of the lowest prices in the world are at authorised Australian retailers rather than their online rivals.

For example, the Canon EOS 600D currently costs $548 from Kogan (including shipping) with a 12 month Kogan warranty. The same camera can be snapped up from Officeworks for $488 with a bonus 8GB SD Card and a two-year Canon Australia warranty.

Below is a table that shows how the best retail prices stacked up against Kogan for various EOS camera models:

Model Local advertised price Kogan (Asia sourced) Variance
EOS 70D (Single lens kit) $1199 (Good Guys) $1199 (body only) N/A
EOS 700D (Single lens kit) $618.85 (Ryda) $722.99 $104.14
EOS 600D (Single lens kit) $488 (O’works) $548 $60
EOS 5D MARK III (Body only) $3090 (DCW) $3439.00 $349.00
EOS 6D (Body only) $1524.86 (Ryda) $1843.99 $256.04
EOS 1100D (Single Lens Kit) $368.85 (Ryda) $402.99 $34.14
EOS 100D (Body only) $438.85 (Ryda) Out of Stock N/A

 

“Despite the hype, people should take a look at their local store first,” a Canon representative said in a statement. “With great prices and 2 Year Local Manufacturer Warranty on fully compliant product for the Australian market, local retail offers the best Canon value in town this Christmas.”

While the above results were somewhat surprising, we wouldn’t treat them as gospel — Canon Australia obviously has a vested interest in promoting its local suppliers and channel partners. The company also notes that “actual examples fluctuate daily” which is a bit of a get-out-of-jail free card.

That said, a cursory online shopping search failed to turf up a better deal for most of the above models. In other words, heading into a physical store to buy your new camera could be a smarter move than you’d suspect.


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