Why so expensive in North America?

[John Patten]

Watched a review of the Squier Affinity Active Jazz bass by UK-based podcaster Jonny Dibble yesterday. He had lots of good things to say about the bass, especially since one can buy it for under £270 (about $340 US).
Sounds pretty good so I checked them on Sweetwater and Guitar Center - where are wasayyy more expensive. Checked Canada’s Long& McQuade store, same thing…
I thought maybe Jonny was wrong about the price, but nope. Anderton’s has it … also Thomann in Austria? Germany?
So why do these bottom-level, Chinese made basses cost us North America bassists so much more than it does for our European bass brothers and sisters?

 

[ajkula66]

As a European who lived in the U.S. for a long time, I'll just say: buy used.

Tons of nice gear are available in The States at the prices we can only dream of here across the pond.

And if one must buy new...yeah, there's some pain involved.

 

[skycruiser]

And we have $600+ Squier basses now! Yay

 

[Mike N]

Sigh...... when we say "no politics" at TalkBass, what we really mean is "no politics."