Rant - discounting (or the lack of)

[2careless]

Well, the pen shops in Australia don't discount MB. period.
I rang several ADs in Australia asking them if they have received the latest Thomas Mann WE LE pen. Nope, none of them has received a Mann fountain pen. The only thing they have are rollers and ballpen.
When I asked if they discount, none of them offered and said that MB keeps a tight leash on their margins so they can't discount profitably. What a load of bollocks!

I think the ACCC (our competition watchdog) should take a look into the relationship between MB and the ADs, especially relating to the Trade Practices Act (e.g. a manufacturer is not allowed to set a floor price of their goods to the retailers, or penalise the retailers if they see fit to discount).
Who would be willing to pay A$1400 for the Mann FP while I can get it for USD 825 (A$900)? Even the US retail price of USD960 sounds very cheap compared to the money MB Australia is charging (A$1400) for the Mann.