Hi all,
I have been reading with great interest all of the recommendations to opt for the 8300 over, say, the Epson 9890 or more appropriately the 9900. I am completely sold on Canon based on such incredible admiration here on the forum. However, I notice in most posts that the cost of the Canon was always mentioned. That is, I can't tell if it's a great printer BECAUSE it is (was) so cheap or if it's a great printer that also happened to be used by Canon to steal market share.
I guess my question is: what happened to the pricing? Posts from only months ago state that 8300s were being had for under $3,000. Here in Canada, pricing for the 8300 is $6,000 and the 9900 is $4,500 (both prices represent $1,650 in savings from my retailer). In the USA, both are ~$5,000 from B&H. How is it that the 8300 seems to be twice as expensive as the prices people were quoting in late 2011?
Right now, my retailer is selling the Epson 9890 for $3,500, and I was so close to making the purchase, but after reading about the ink wastage and clogged heads, I decided that the 8300 might be best for me (a casual printer), but I'm not sure I can justify nearly doubling my ceiling. Did Canon successfully steal market share by giving away the 8300? Essentially buying people's positive reviews by blinding them with such an alluring 'give-away' machine, only to double the price when interest became high?
Thanks for all opinions!