A few months ago, i wrote about my problem buying retail in India, where it is hard to return defective items. I am now happy to report that one store, Diana Stores in Defence Colony, New Delhi, does provide an exchange. When my Belkin DC to AC car inverter died, they were happy to take it back. Reason? The manufacturer, Belkin itself stands behind their product and will take it back from the distributor.
However, while it is great that Diana Stores and Belkin stood behind their product, it was also insightful to interview some of the managers at Belkin about the business process and rationale behind their move. Speaking off the record, they told me that any product brought into India is manufactured in China, shipped all the way to the United States (yes!) then brought back to Chennai via the Middle East and then finally distributed to other points around the country.
Why not bring products directly from China to India? The official answer, which i also hear from other manufacturers, is that the Indian market demand is largely unrecorded so sales and product placements are mostly a result of careful guesswork. Hence, product moves to the US first and then is sent to "ancillary" centers like India.
Once the product arrives at Chennai port, there are still the uncertainties of roads and slow trucks to deal with.
Yet, after all this, the price was about Rs 1500 in the market, which is about $ 35 and similar to the street price in the US. Hearing this story, my sympathy has moved entirely to the side of the manufacturer! The costs and challenges are mind-boggling and i don't grudge them a penny of the money they earn.
However, while it is great that Diana Stores and Belkin stood behind their product, it was also insightful to interview some of the managers at Belkin about the business process and rationale behind their move. Speaking off the record, they told me that any product brought into India is manufactured in China, shipped all the way to the United States (yes!) then brought back to Chennai via the Middle East and then finally distributed to other points around the country.
Why not bring products directly from China to India? The official answer, which i also hear from other manufacturers, is that the Indian market demand is largely unrecorded so sales and product placements are mostly a result of careful guesswork. Hence, product moves to the US first and then is sent to "ancillary" centers like India.
Once the product arrives at Chennai port, there are still the uncertainties of roads and slow trucks to deal with.
Yet, after all this, the price was about Rs 1500 in the market, which is about $ 35 and similar to the street price in the US. Hearing this story, my sympathy has moved entirely to the side of the manufacturer! The costs and challenges are mind-boggling and i don't grudge them a penny of the money they earn.
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