OK, so what's the REAL price of an ENEL-15 battery?

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>I just did a quick online search for the price of a Nikon EnEl-15 battery, with a view to seeing how much the extra bits-and-pieces for a D800 are likely to add up to. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw that several *Bay sellers were asking well over £100 ( about $160 US)!<br>

This can't be the official price surely? Is there a shortage and some unscrupulous dealers are just cashing in? What's the story folks?</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>As we have been saying over and over, prices are determined by supply and demand. When I bought my 3rd EN-EL15 for my D7000 in late 2010, I paid less than US$50. Right now the problem is that there is a recall and Nikon seems to be very eager to get all the ones in lots E and F back ASAP: <a href="00aJHo">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00aJHo</a>. Therefore, pretty much all the new EN-EL15 available are used as replacement battery or to accompany new D800/D800E, D7000 and V1 cameras. When there is little supply, the price goes up.</p>

<p>Unless you must have an EN-EL15 now, I would wait another month or two until the recall is done and new battery will go into the market again. When there is more supply, the price will come down.</p>

[wes_darby]

<p>That is the battery currently being recalled by Nikon. I paid $69.99 for one at Best Buy last week. </p>

[edgard_engelman]

<p>This week in Europe (Belgium) I paid 67.0 Euros</p>

[georges_pelpel]

<p>I paid $49.99 from www.crutchfield.com last week. With a $20 off coupon I was able to reduce the price to $39.99 a piece as I ordered two.<br>

They didn't have them in stock though. I can wait. At least this company didn't take advantage of the lack of current supply to bump the price.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Well, prices are kind of meaningless unless the item is in stock. But Crutchfield's price indicates what the "noraml" price for the EN-EL15 should be. Again, unless you are in a hurry, I would wait a couple of months. Nikon seems to be very aggressive in the recall process.</p>

<p>The OP is in the UK. For whatever reason, Nikon prices in general and especially batteries are a lot cheaper in the US. Even Canadian prices are very high (see Michael Freeman's exchange with me on this thread: <a href="00Tny7">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Tny7</a>. Michael is Canadian.). So if you want low prices, also try get them in the US. Nikon provides no warranty on batteries anyway.</p>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Try local camera stores. I've been finding that the local stores, independent camera shops and big box places like Best Buy, offer prices that are identical or nearly identical to the online stores. I got my spare ENEL-15 about 2 weeks ago in a local shop for the same price Adorama was showing online.</p>

<p>A month or so ago I went looking for a lens to replace my 80-400 VR. One local shop had the Sigma 150-500, so went down there, put the lens on my d7000, and took a few shots. It was clearly not equal to my 80-400 and I thanked them, but left. Another shop had the Tamrom 200-500, so I tried it, and immediately bought it. It cost me $50 plus sales tax more than Adorama, but that was well worth it to make my selection based images on my camera rather than advertising and online reviews. It saved me from buying a lens I would have hated.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>Thanks for the responses. Shun's given me the answer I was looking for; that the high price is an anomaly due to a temporary shortage. I can wait!</p>

[pc_b]

<p>Like Wes, but different store/country/continent.</p>

 

[ShunCheung]

<p>A slight correction: I bought my 3rd EN-EL15 in March 2011, a little more than a year ago, for $44.95. At that time the initial shortage was over and the D7000 was the only camera that uses this battery. I recall that initially when the D7000 first became available in November 2010, the EN-EL15 was hard to find and I paid somehwere around $60 for my 2nd one. (The first one came with the D7000.)</p>

<p>Later in 2011 Nikon introduced the V1 that also uses the EN-EL15 and now so do the D800/D800E so that the overall demand is higher. I am sure Nikon had anticipated the demand increase and planned for it, but the recall is messing up the supply/demand balance for the time being.</p>