Strict Minimum Advertised Price Now In-Place

The Canon Price List is a sea of red: a strict Minimum Advertised Price, or MAP, has been enforced on almost all bodies and lenses. It appears to be so strict that stores aren’t even allowed to use the old “add to cart” trick. Not a single store is less than full MAP, even in-cart or at checkout. This is exactly as we warned last week.

Again, MAP does not prevent a retailer from selling below the advertised price, but in our experience it does result in higher prices because stores are not actively competing against one another. We are waiting to see how this will play out, but so far, the strict adherence to this new policy is ominous.

Again if you’re interested in a specific item be sure to sign-up for a notification at a price that you’re interested in, we will continue to find ways to share the current price trends across the Canon market.


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28 comments on “Strict Minimum Advertised Price Now In-Place

  1. sly
    March 31, 2014 at 11:52 am EDT

    Any info about Canon restock refurbished lenses???

    1. CanonPriceWatch
      March 31, 2014 at 11:54 am EDT

      We have no way of predicting if or when Canon will restock refurbished lenses.

  2. Matt
    March 31, 2014 at 12:01 pm EDT

    I’m sure glad I don’t have any Canon purchases planned for the next 3-6 months, as this is essentially an across-the-board price hike. Were they worried about too much market share?

  3. March 31, 2014 at 12:02 pm EDT

    wow… too bad for all canon fans like me

  4. manhattanboy
    March 31, 2014 at 12:10 pm EDT

    Maybe Canon and Nikon are trying to push everyone over to Fuji. You know, help a fellow Japanese company out by giving them your customers.

    On a different note, when is the next group buy…

    1. AK
      March 31, 2014 at 1:46 pm EDT

      Yes! Can you please explain the mechanics of the group buy? Are there minimum commitments that are needed which may cause only a few periodic buys?

  5. March 31, 2014 at 12:13 pm EDT

    I’m guessing more will be taking to ebay with buy it nows?

  6. March 31, 2014 at 12:13 pm EDT

    good thing for the used market, however, if you’re selling…

  7. March 31, 2014 at 12:15 pm EDT

    I’m sure stores will get around that by offering a gift card to their stores, like walmart does to push ipads

  8. March 31, 2014 at 12:28 pm EDT

    Maybe a good thing. An increase in price by adhering to MAP should cause a decrease in sales should result in a decrease in MAP. If not, Canon will have fewer sales and a lot more inventory sitting around collecting dust.

  9. pbianco
    March 31, 2014 at 3:02 pm EDT

    Goodbye Canon your not the only player in the market! This will just make selling all my Canon gear easier and for a lot more prior to MAP.

  10. Joe
    March 31, 2014 at 4:19 pm EDT

    Yea, it gives me a great reason not to spend any more money with them.

  11. March 31, 2014 at 4:51 pm EDT

    =/

  12. Haydon
    March 31, 2014 at 5:27 pm EDT

    I’m now good for glass & bodies. Capitalized around Christmas for glass & bought my 5dIII last week at the lowest authorized dealer price thanks to CanonPriceWatch

  13. March 31, 2014 at 6:11 pm EDT

    I switched from Canon to Nikon at the beginning of the year and it was the best move I could have made. The files are so much better coming out of the Nikon bodies and Sony sensors that once you see it for yourself you can see how far Canon is behind the competition in the technology race.

  14. Alex D
    March 31, 2014 at 8:26 pm EDT

    This has got to hurt their sales! I am not sure how this MAP can be compliant int he US under anti trust law? It clearly is not allowed in the industry I am in. Only MSRP is allowed. These dealers are independent businesses and not agents of Canon. This is clearly anti-competition and should be scrutinized by the FTC!

    1. Catclaw
      April 3, 2014 at 7:56 pm EDT

      They lose their authorized dealer status. There’s no law against a company taking away your privilege if they want to because you didn’t follow their rules.

  15. March 31, 2014 at 8:33 pm EDT

    Are any more group planned in the near future?

  16. March 31, 2014 at 8:34 pm EDT

    Group buys

  17. Alex D
    March 31, 2014 at 9:49 pm EDT

    Here is what SBA.gov (Small Business Administration) has to say about MAP and price displays in shopping carts:
    —-
    What Does this Mean for Online Businesses?

    Under typical MAP agreements, online retailers can’t “display” any prices that fall below the MAP price. But which part of an online store actually represents advertising display space has caused quite a bit of controversy. For example, say a product is listed on a site for $10. Once a coupon code or other incentive is applied, the actual shopping cart price could come down to $8. Is that still considered “advertising” since a transaction technically hasn’t yet occurred, or is it a commitment to buy and outside the scope of a MAP agreement?

    The difference between an advertised price and an actual price that you may be charged has come under scrutiny by U.S. Circuit Courts and FTC rulings, which tend to agree that an actual price displayed in a secure/encrypted shopping cart isn’t subject to MAP – because it’s technically not advertising space, but represents an actual storefront. So in an online world, an actual price may legally end up being a lot lower than the MAP-required advertised price.

    In fact, manufacturers are often advised to focus their MAP policies on advertised prices in paid search ads, shopping comparison ads, and internet landing pages but not in shopping carts or other point of sale interfaces.
    —-
    Read the whole story on MAP here: http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/how-minimum-advertised-pricing-impacts-your-retail-or-online-store%E2%80%99s-marketing-effor

  18. Emanuil
    March 31, 2014 at 10:43 pm EDT

    The best way around this policy is the group buy.
    We do not know who the online seller is, the seller does not need to advertize below MAP and there is a bulk purchase. This MAP enforcement should open the door for Gordon and the team to negotiate with more potential sellers.
    Long Live the Group BUY 🙂

  19. Jay
    March 31, 2014 at 10:45 pm EDT

    Could stores just announce something like “10% off Canon sell” to get around it?

  20. March 31, 2014 at 11:16 pm EDT

    How do I get in the group buy

  21. Barry Johnson
    April 1, 2014 at 7:58 am EDT

    B&H is still doing it. It says ‘Price’ in the price area and then a lower price is in the cart.

    1. CanonPriceWatch
      April 1, 2014 at 10:40 am EDT

      Which product? Doesn’t seem to be happening on the major Canon items anymore.

  22. Andy
    April 4, 2014 at 4:56 pm EDT

    Guess I won’t be able to buy any Canon products for a while.

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