PRICE FIXING

realspeed

realspeed

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Bazza
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I thought price fixing was illegal here in the UK. Just go onto somewhere like Camera Price Buster site and you can easily see main camera dealers prices are the same or near as damn it. Yet trading standards do nothing to stop it.
 
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eh, think you might find this applies to 99% of all goods sold in the UK.
 
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Ever heard of RRP, or Recommended Retail Price?
 
There isn't rrp anymore.
It is price fixing back handedly.
Supplier says if you don't sell in line with our terms, we won't supply you...
 
Is this not price matching rather than price fixing? Through the wonders of modern technology, any supplier can know instantly what an item is being sold at by all of their rivals and match them if they choose. Many of these mechanisms are now automated.
 
I sell computers for a living and if I source from tier 1 suppliers they almost insist on RRP for products. Even when I have argued that some major high street retailers sell for less !
My conclusion is that the manufacturers seek to set prices for their products, presumably to protect their brands and margins. Buying from tier 2 suppliers seems not to have the same restrictions but on the flip side does not have the same backup and support. I guess photographic gear follows the same pattern.....
 
if you know a seller well they are normally open to doing a nice deal for you. I can normally get ~10% off on new prices with some shops and they do that since I keep returning to their shop for more purchases.
what that tells me is that there is some kind of back handed fixing (whether its via. suppliers or whatever) as mentioned above and there is some leeway for them to move prices around for their regulars without advertising it widely.

I feel this one of the reasons why a lot of grey seller have gained traction in UK and also in lot of places in EU. Almost like slowly digging their own graves.

also what really gets me is you pay more for being an early adopter. You get to pay more for buying first and making their new products a success. this is one thing I do like about kickstarter or crowdfunded projects where early adopters are thanked with nice discounts for making their product a success,
 
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nandbytes said:
if you know a seller well they are normally open to doing a nice deal for you. I can normally get ~10% off on new prices with some shops and they do that since I keep returning to their shop for more purchases.
what that tells me is that there is some kind of back handed fixing (whether its via. suppliers or whatever) as mentioned above and there is some leeway for them to move prices around for their regulars without advertising it widely.

I feel this one of the reasons why a lot of grey seller have gained traction in UK and also in lot of places in EU. Almost like slowly digging their own graves.

also what really gets me is you pay more for being an early adopter. You get to pay more for buying first and making their new products a success. this is one thing I do like about kickstarter or crowdfunded projects where early adopters are thanked with nice discounts for making their product a success,
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I agree with you on the early adopter thing - it’s odd isn’t it.

I disagree with you on some suppliers offering discounts as being ‘back handed’. All goods have a margin, some positive and some negative and it’s up to the retailer what to do with those. It’s why some stores push their finance / service packages hard or ‘accessory bundles’ after a large purchase as these are usually high margin items - 3rd party damage insurance is a good one! Larger stores like tesco can run negative margins on some product justified through shoppers purchasing other items as they’re already in the store.
 
I don't go through camera busters as I tend to go for the personal approach, I know the camera body prices tend to be very firm from one retailer to another and one has admitted to me that there is very little profit in camera bodies, it's the additional equipment that you can get discounts on if you haggle (my OH is good at that),,,
 
Retune said:
Isn't insisting illegal?
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Never pushed it, I sell for a price I decide and never had an issue - but I am only small fry - suspect some of the bigger guys comply so as to maintain their trade discounts as their prices are all very similar - just like cameras. Also the big guys get lots of free promos' and special discounts so its in their interest to play nicely. Some bigger high street names buy direct 'from the factory gates' and provide their own warranty to keep prices down. My conclusion is that as long as your decision is informed you make your own choices.

As to being illegal to set prices - I live on the Isle of Wight which has one if not the most expensive piece of water in the world, 2 ferry companies - pretty much same prices - been referred to commission several times but they never find any evidence of price fixing !!!! - Rant Over !
 
I have been suggesting this on here for quite a long time. I usually mention it in threads about buying grey - along the lines of "if the official suppliers/retailers weren't operating some kind of price fixing, there would be more competition and less temptation for people to buy grey"

There is obvously something going on here, illegal or nearly illegal.
 
When I had my own business, If we put something on promotion, the suppliers would phone us and tell us to put the price back up or they would increase our trade price.
Some would put our account on hold until the price went back up.
I was selling hi-fi and home cinema equipment etc....
Didn't stop us offering free accessories though....
 
I remember the Net book price agreement.
Never got a book cheap until big players like Amazon changed it
 
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