Beginning of 2024 Tornado of unreasonable pricing at all High-End handheld DMM

[Kiriakos GR]

Its is practically unexplained, of how it is possible all High-End handheld DMM which was competing at the price range of 470~650 Euro at the year 2020, in the past two years 2022~2024 the same product's to be retailed at 800~900 Euro.

Price comparison parameters:
a) Always including VAT.
b) Average pricing at most European capitals. 

Brand names: Keysight , FLUKE , HIOKI, at most to all of their product prices are now up by 30% as minimum.
Neither DMM accessories as is test leads, these escaped from this Tornado of unreasonable pricing.

And so far Keysight spotted as leader thieve, this went totally crazy, as they doubled the price of their Bluetooth adapter 100m for the U1272A, past price 85 Euro, latest 200 Euro. 
Another example 100 Euro for two alligator clips ? 
100 Euro for a single LED Probe Clip Light ?  (Tiny LED torch past price not more than 30 euro).

It is a fact that China stubbed at the back, all non Chinese brands, by doubling raw materials pricing for export.
But how much higher the cost of a passive resistor this can be increased? 
And or how higher the cost of molding material this can be?

Nothing can justify 30%+ of end product price increase.

My personal opinion is that these brands now shooting their legs.
The real good working instruments are now hard to get (very expensive), and from the other hand the Chinese trash starts again to seem as appealing equivalent especially at the poor youth.     
     
Tiny light at that tunnel of darkens it might seen, the economical (branded) DMM at 150 Euro price range which most of them can perform very basic electrical measurements and or they are suitable for electrical applications as is hobby or learning.

How we should rename the description of High-End handheld DMM for professionals?
Scientific gear for outer space research? 

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China never had or ever will have High-End R&D, so to compete at the sector of High-End multimeter development, the worst that they can do is to sabotage developed countries at raw material pricing.

Even so all three, Keysight , FLUKE , HIOKI, they have significant contribution at this unreasonable pricing.
And they will not benefit from these pricing games.

[overvolt]

The ones which upgraded their tooling three years back, today they do feel lucky.
From the other hand, this pricing strategy it does kill demand about new products.

[Andrew-88]

As first, I think that this topic it should become sticky.

At February 2025, and especially within EU, most to all products under American branding, they are unreasonably overpriced.
No one can justify the retail price of Fluke 87V from 470 Euro this be now priced at 800 EUR.
Especially when this model did not received any technical modernization since 2005.

I will come to agree with Kiriakos, all of them they care more of how to please their Shareholder than to care of what their products truly worth. 
 
I would expect that the German T&M industry, this will serve better the Europeans, pricing and product support, but they do not.

Therefore and within the past fifteen years, the smart field technician, he should end up exploring the market of Taiwan.
Simply because and even up to date, China mainland this is not in position to deliver worth buying electronics for professional use.

[Kiriakos GR]

My calendar this shows 2.5 years passed, after this article creation.
Official sales sources / brands / retail chain, NO CHANGE at all, no pricing correction initiatives. 


But they are and a few positive signs. 
At the market of used equipment, smart sellers within EU, they did readjust their pricing at close to reasonable levels.

I keep track of used U1272A pricing on eBay.
Yes, it is more reasonable adjusting used equipment pricing, according of how much a customer he is willing to pay ( street price ).
Than not selling anything, at all.

What about these Chinese listings on eBay, with tremendously inflated prices?
If you pay attention, they are one or two opportunists in China,  they own a number of ten eBay shops (store front) its one of them.
An single and identical DMM, this appears at 20 listings simultaneously. 

This dirty game, in Asia, it does not translate to statistics of average street price.
The best way dealing with that,  this is using Region Filtering.
Europeans they should focus seeking for pricing opportunities, only from European based sellers.

Europe and the USA
It is somewhat sad, that high cost shipping barriers lifted at 2013 and later, due the domestic American postal services, they are still active.
You cannot buy from the USA even a ten grams Tea-bag,  without paying 35 Euros for shipping.