If you do the math, their prices still don't make sense - Use the Garmin 60 csx (probably the best GPS for Thailand) :
Lets start from buying one at retail price in the USA.
So I buy a Garmin 60 csx from Amazon.com - USD $ 259.99
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GPSMAP-60C ... B000CSOXTO
[attachment=1:3v4buq95]60 csx amazon.jpg[/attachment:3v4buq95]
I ship it to Thailand, small box, U.S post air say USD $60 (running total now USD $ 319.99)
Thai customs import taxes 20% - use total shipped value ($ 319.99) = $64 (running total now $ 383.99)
ESRI wants to make 20% on their cost of capital - $383.99 - add 20 % = USD $460.76
In Thai Baht cost to a ESRI vendor in Thai Baht should be around USD $460.76 X 30 (USD$ exch rate) = 13, 823 Thai Baht.
Eagle GPS advertise the Garmin 60 csx for sale for 25,300 bht including the 7% sales tax that they will pass on to the Thai government.
http://www.eaglegps.co.th/index.php/lan ... egory_id=3
[attachment=0:3v4buq95]60 csx eagle gps.jpg[/attachment:3v4buq95]
If you add back the 7% sales tax - they receive roughly 23,500 bht (not exact)
So from the purchase cost of the Garmin 60 csx from ESRI, the Garmin importer (13,823 Bht ), that is a gross profit mark-up of 70% from cost!
Have I missed anything here?
Lone Rider said:
Well, this is Thailand and things are not that simple. The Garmin importer (ESRI) is quite restrictive in what shops can and can not sell. I know that Eagle GPS was warned by them that they could not sell any Garmin GPS type not imported and sold by ESRI themselves (ESRI had a limited range of GPS equipment). This happened when Eagle GPS advertised the Garmin Oregon which they had imported themselves from the USA and which was not sold by ESRI Thailand. They were advised to remove the advertisement from their website. In addition, the margin offered by ESRI is not high (about 10-15%). Import taxes are very high so retail prices tend to be high. In practice it is therefor difficult to make a living from it and Eagle GPS has now closed part of the shop and is making do with about 1/3rd of the floor area they had before.
Shops will have to do it the unofficial way by importing the Garmin GPS directly from the US to be able to compete with other shops in Thailand but, by doing that, they risk the wrath of ESRI Thailand who have indicated that they won't sell the GPS maps to GPS shops unless it is for a GPS imported by them.