[Mid Life Crisis]

Originally Posted by Tony474

Oi, you lot, stop squabbling, please. The original question was why a MIM Strat that sells for $400 in the US costs $690 in France, and it seems to me that we've answered that by adding up and factoring in all the additional costs involved in shipping, taxes and duties and importer/distributor and dealer mark-ups, fair and equitable or otherwise; also the relative sizes and rates of activity of the US and European markets.

Whether a MIM Strat is a guitar worth owning, whether it represents good value for money in one location or another and whether the Fender logo is a desirable feature or otherwise are entirely different and separate matters that may well merit discussion, but I suggest that they are not relevant to this thread.

Well said!