Complete rip off

[786ARS]

i was having a look at the e6600 prices, and in the uk its going for a whopping $415 (£220). Now I understand that stuff across on the european side of the atlantic is more expensive, but a 33% mark up from intel's rrp of $316 is absurd. It's just soo infuriating. (sorry i really am just annoyed because we dont get any deals as good as newegg or the like )

[AnotherMuggle]

Tight isn't it.

From my experience nobody in the UK beats eBuyer.com prices.

I ALWAYS buy from them...cheap prices, fast delivery and reasonable customer service...MASSIVE selection to top it all :P

[mbossman2]

the question I have (and it may relate to the 'why') is what is the import duty on these items?

I know that you have a VAT of 17.5%, perhaps that has something to do with it.

[rjfvillarosa]

the last time I imported something when I was in the UK was direct from California and I think the import duty was 9%.

[freakitchen]

From my experience nobody in the UK beats eBuyer.com prices. I ALWAYS buy from them...cheap prices, fast delivery and reasonable customer service...MASSIVE selection to top it all :P

I used ebuyer for many years but have now switched to overclockers.co.uk for configuring builds. Unlike ebuyer, they describe their products well and carry a defined range of products. At times it seems ebuyer just get in whatever they can get cheaply these days.

Regarding expensive prices, its just something I've come to accept. VAT has a lot to do with of course, but our components are up to a third more expensive before this.

If it makes any fellow brits feel any better - It can be a lot worse. In the guitar biz, we often didn't need any complex conversions between dollars and pounds. $799 in the states ususally meant £799 here!

FK

[mbossman2]

Originally Posted by rjfvillarosa the last time I imported something when I was in the UK was direct from California and I think the import duty was 9%.

9+17.5 = 26.5% plus handling and paperwork and 33% is not unreasonable.

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by mbossman2 9+17.5 = 26.5% plus handling and paperwork and 33% is not unreasonable.

Boss when you say it like that it doesn't sound that painfull but when it comes out of your pocket it's like parting with an arm full of blood.

[mbossman2]

I never said it was painless, just reasonable price delta.

[786ARS]

however the £220 i have seen is actually one of the cheapest, prices range from £220 to £270!

[blue60007]

Core 2 Duo *just* came out. Prices are inflated in the US as well. Give it some time, prices will come down.

[AnotherMuggle]

Hey Freakitchen,

I'd never even heard of overclockers.co.uk but man am I impressed!!! The sound of the name says expensive to me but the prices are amazingly good

Feeling a little sick mind you, as I've just seen an X2 4400+ on their site for almost half the price a paid a few weeks back

Oh well, as they say "S*&t happens"

[Mr.Ferrari]

Newegg is so far the worst price gouger of them all. Ive seen so many other sites offering the same motherboards for conroe at 40-50 bucks less..

[786ARS]

but what confuses me is that a lot of usa sites which i have looked at have not got c2d listed.

[freakitchen]

Tomkear, glad you found overclockers, I like them a lot. Their range is excellent and prices decent, though they charge a lot for delivery (£8 minimum per order for Next Day only), so get a few things if you order from them!

The price of the AMD X2 isn't an Overclockers thing particularly, AMD have slashed prices for that processor across the board in view of Intel's new chip being a lot better!

FK

[mbossman2]

pricing is an interesting game.

Product pricing does not ONLY include the price of the physical product and overhead and markup.

It also includes the undefinable "value" of the retailer.

While price is certainly a factor, when ever I hear the comment that "Price is everything" I have to laugh...that "statement" is only half of the true statement:

All things being equal, price is everything

the key here is "all things being equal". again, like the above comment, what the product is, is only half the equation. into this "all things being equal", you must factor in:

reliability
trustworthiness
availability
sales/return/shipping policies
ease of buying
accessibility of the sales/customer service departments
ease of returning
location of stock

all of things go into exactly what you are willing to pay for a product. Many of these factors may not be conscious decisions or based upon direct knowledge : how do you know Newegg is a good player? if you haven't bought from them yet, you have no direct knowledge of them. Everything else is hearsay. There is an immense amount of trust that goes into online retailing: trust in the product, trust in the retailer, trust in the shipping company etc. and that directly influences what you are willing to pay.

lets take 2 examples:

2 identical widgets:

retailer A has it for $500
retailer B has it for $600 (20% premium)

retailer A:

• Not in stock
• Stock will come into nothern Lithuania (1 week)
• Shipping will be via ground (estimated shipping time from "in stock" date: 2 weeks)
• Shipping method: Ahmed's camel and ground transportation (read that as "you never heard of them")
• Insured (insurance? you don't need no stinking insurance!)
• Website is a www.geocities.com/retailerA domain and pops up sometimes with the message "subscriber has over utlized their bandwidth, please try later"

Retailer B

• Also not in stock
• Stock in 2 weeks (stock will be in Nashville, TN)
• Shipping will be via ground (ship time 7 days)
• Shipping method: Fedex Ground
• Insured: yes
• Website: always up, always fast.

Now, both retailers don't have it in stock (of all sources they have the best ETAs), bsed upon the above information: who do you order from? why?

[glc]

It's all you people with no patience that are driving up the street prices of C2D. Just WAIT a bit, things will settle down! Pricing is ALWAYS driven by supply vs. demand!

[AnotherMuggle]

Freakitchen I was aware of the price cuts...but am also aware that PC World is still selling it at £359...so I'm sure there are customers who would feel very seen off if they were aware.

[freakitchen]

I wouldn't have thought PC world are particularly bothered about hurrying along the price drop. People who know enough to build a computer wouldn't be buying parts from there anyway!

FK

[gunsite]

You are right about PC World. High prices and staff who know almost nothing about computers.
I buy a lot of my climbing boots and equipment from the USA and find that the delivery is usually within the week and the duty I usually have to pay is 27% if it gets caught in the Customs. Some times you are lucky. Even with this and the postage it is still much cheaper than in UK.

[rjfvillarosa]

Freak, Tom. When I was back in the UK I very easily opened a trade account with dabs.com, their trade prices were very good, even though I am back in the States I still receive their special offers email and their trade offers are excellent.