The good news: Poland has finally got an Oakley retailer! The company has even got a swish website!

The bad news: the owners of the site have decided that the best way to work out price levels is to just double the US retail price and convert it to local currency. For example, x-metal Juliets with black non-polarised lenses = PLN 1329. PLN 1329 = US$ 603. Exactly the same glasses on oakley.com cost US$300. Or you can find them on ebay for under $250 a pair.

I believe the phrase to describe the owners of this shop rhymes with bucking fastards.

Wow ! Worst than french retailers, that's bad !

I think that it is Oakley that sets the prices for international pieces if I am not mistaken. I know Fred and posted some stuff awhile back with the euro conversion, that sounds about what the prices were. It is still a bunch of crap but what can you do I guess.

That's crazy. But just think: all you have to do is get a job there & maybe - if you're lucky - you'll have the privilege of buying Oakleys with the employee discount: half price! And you'll still be paying full retail!

In the UK Oakley Premium Dealers charge as low as GBP 172.48 for black lens Juliets and the recommended retail price is GBP 224 (USD 435). Converting that in Polish currency gives a recommended retail price of PLN 945.

Admittedly sales tax in Poland is slightly higher than in the UK (here it's 22% and in the UK it is 17.5%), so the price should be slightly higher than in the UK. But PLN 1329 compared to the equivilent of PLN 945? That's just wrong.

I will be trying to find out if Oakley have set this price as their recommended retail price for Poland. If they have, I'll be reporting it to the European Union competition authorities. It is very clearly illegal to set different recommended retail prices in different countries. As Oakley will know now that they are European owned. Small variations to hegde against currency risk are permitted but we're talking more than 30% difference!

As for now, I'll be paying a visit to that shop the next time I'm in that city (should be there sometime next month). I'll try on every single pair in the shop, make a note of everything I like and just buy it from the USA.

Wow! Sales tax is 22% in Poland! And I thought living in Vancouver was expensive ...

At luxury retailers in China (cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Qingdao), you're looking at least 2x the US price. Regular black gas cans, black lenses are around 3000 RMB, or 300 or so US.

Expensive stuff. Glad I live in the US.

D

The owners of that site most likely buy their product in Europe, and they are more expensive here in all countries, so you have to convert from €. I can't of any American lifestyle company that is cheap in Europe. Vans f.e.: In California, I paid $70 incl. tax. Here in Germany it's € 95 (about $147) for the same shoe.

Of course the price difference is huge for Oakley now, but they were about the same in $/€ when the € was introduced. They prices themselves have not changed dramatically in the past years, it's just the exchange rates.