Foresight Sports International Pricing Structure

[Kmurray]

Foresights Sports products are rated amongst the best there are ,used by pros and club fitters and are trusted to perform to industry standard.

Quality does not come cheap , which I understand but what I do not understand is how their pricing model works internationally.

Lets look at the current USA Black Friday deal for GC2 + HMT +FSX https://shop.foresightsports.com/pro...-friday-bundle which is available to US addresses and credit card holders for $9995.00 plus state sales tax if we use California as an example at 7.25 % gives us that package for a total outlay of 10,719 USD or £8360 GBP where I am in Scotland.

If we now look at the current UK Black Friday Deal https://foresightsports.eu/black-friday/ the same package is at the asking price of £11190.00 before VAT at 20% which adds another £2238.00 to the bill which is a total of £13,428 or $17,215 dollars which is a price differential between the US and the UK of £5068.00 GBP or $6947.00 USD.

I fully understand how different market pricing has to account for various tax rates and import charges and other costs that have to be incorporated but the price differential between the US and the UK seems extreme.

I personally would jump on the GC2 +HMT+FSX deal if it was available to UK customers at a similar price point to the USA market but the massive market pricing discrepencies make me feel uncomfortable about a company that can't or won't retail products at similar price points in different markets as lots of other manufacturers of electronics are able to do .

I really don't see why that package has to cost me almost $7000.00 more because I live in the UK.

The current pricing structure will only encourage grey imports .

[wbond]

Probably could fly round trip to USA first class and buy one cheaper

[p3eps]

That’s why I buy all my stuff from Foresight US.
I got both Black Friday emails from USA and Europe yesterday and was utterly shocked.

4 years ago when I bought my GC2, it was $6500 (at 1.61 dollars to pound) compared to the UK £6250 + VAT.
No brainer!

[Kmurray]

For sure which is why I query the structure of the pricing , it makes no sense .

$7000.00 is a huge differential which I struggle to understand. I know they make great products which I applaud but when I look at the way they market , I really feel uncomfortable and it puts me off committing to their product line even though they have a stellar reputation with regards to quality and performance .

I would appreciate to hear an explanation from Foresight for the reasons financial behind the large differences market to market . I don't want to form a relationship with a brand regardless how good the product is if the company policy is to allow gouging of the customer based on location only.

I could have a great holiday in the US , buy the product there using my pals details , swallow the import charges and duty coming back to Scotland with the equipment and still be better off than If I was to buy from the UK agents. So if anyone from Foresight is watching , how does that scenario benefit the Foresight brand in Europe?

I am absolutely open to a detailed analysis of why the 7k discrepancy is necessary for buyers in the UK from Foresight if they care to chime in?

[LEO MODE]

I remember Foresight charged some extra money if you were to move out of the States for transferring into a world wide warranty. But I don't think it was $7000 haha. I think it's pretty absurd and I'm sorry to hear that as a United States resident. I think they should include free shipping back to back and a loaner unit bonus for this much of a price difference or include some extra to compensate.

[frankiepap39]

i live in australia and looked at GC2+HMT / GCQ... a GCQ would cost almost $28,000 AUD.... its just simply not option for a non pro / club fitter / pga member like myself... ive learnt to live with the skytrak & no club data now!

[Kmurray]

I have written to Foresight asking how they set their pricing for the different markets. I don't really expect to get much of an answer because I cannot see how a 7k differential on a package can be justified in any sensible way. I would be curious to find out if the local distributors are allowed to set their own pricing based on what they think the local market can stand. If that was the case then I certainly would not buy from a local distributor. The crazy price difference simply encourages the grey import market, I would always prefer to buy through the local official channel but not if I am simply lining greedy agents pockets.
I will post up if I get any response from Foresight.

[StuartG]

Well, to be fair, you can't blame Flightscope for the VAT portion of that cost increase. No reason they should drop the prices just because of the taxes on the receiving end.

But I agree that the other $4.5k does seem strange if there are no other import duties besides the VAT.

[Kmurray]

Tax structures differ from country to country and am not blaming the Vat portion on Foresight. Vat here in the UK is hefty 20%, Sales tax in California is 7.25% so 12.75% difference right off the bat there .
If you look at other electronics manufacturers selling in the same markets , computers for example the products are available at similar price points and not with extreme variances like the Foresight products.
Take Skytrak as another example , normal USA price when no deals on is around $1995 I believe , in the UK the unit would be £1895.00 with no deal on which is only a few hundred pounds difference not the massive price hike like Foresight employs from region to region. Other manufacturers can do it why not Foresight?
Foresight products are very very good there is no denying that , what is not so good is their willingness to scalp customers.
As being discussed currently in another thread the more manufacturers out there succeeding in the launch monitor market can only be good for the consumer in the long run........maybe Foresight see the day coming where they are not one of the few industry benchmark manufacturers and are happy to make hay while they can......
If I could see a legitimate reason for the massive differential in price region to region then I would seriously consider buying direct from the distributor but the Skytrak comparison I made in this post makes me believe that there is no reason other than profiteering.
Which leads buyers in Europe to considering grey importing which does not benefit Foresight unless you need support or parts that you will then have to register for a fee. Don't see how that helps Foresight at all, why not employ a competitive pricing structure across all markets and benefit from greater volume in sales...?

[Maxomoto]

It does not make a lot of sense and when working with them, it appears to quite disfunctional. Reps are changing a lot of they are very pushy and super super keen on "separating" US clients from other clients to keep their extra margin in Europe or whatever. For somebody who lives and works in Europe and in the US, the experience is borderline unprofessional. I think minor differences and tax differences are ok, the rest is just masking a shitty strategy. My 2 cents.