RRP pricing

[chonz]

Looking around for hardware to buy, I can't help but notice that the prices for the same product by different vendors is the same.
I noticed this to be the case for mug presses and for [at least some] printers.

Has anyone else noticed this?

[pw66]

Pretty standard for branded products. The manufacturer dictates the selling price, and the seller has to comply ( or he won't get suplied again). Business to business transactions are not like retail sales, where there is some control of price 'fixing'.

[chonz]

Pretty standard for branded products. The manufacturer dictates the selling price, and the seller has to comply ( or he won't get suplied again). Business to business transactions are not like retail sales, where there is some control of price 'fixing'.

Kind of puts me off from buying them, so that I can keep some dignity by not taking part in this cartel.

Can't the manufacturer just sell the product to the distributor, then the distributor can charge what they like? Or even do a drop-shipping arrangement?

I don't want to go down the road of buying Chinese-made stuff, but I also don't want to willingly bend over and get shafted by buying British/ Allied products which are part of a cartel.

Do distributors ever sell at the RRP then give you cashback or credit or some other benefit afterwards, so that they can both do the bidding of their masters but also behave like decent people at the same time?

[pisquee]

Phone up and negotiate - they may not be able to advertise that they are open to sell at lower prices, or give you discounts on other products you buy at the same time.

[chonz]

Phone up and negotiate - they may not be able to advertise that they are open to sell at lower prices, or give you discounts on other products you buy at the same time.

Yeah, I was planning on doing that.

I must be in a moany mood today, but I do find it frustrating that this practice goes on. It's quite clearly a criminal thing to do, even if not against the law.

[logobear]

there are often sales, the Print show sun to tue will have many.
ALSO, its not just about price, - what about tech support, training,. type of warranty etc

[chonz]

there are often sales, the Print show sun to tue will have many.
ALSO, its not just about price, - what about tech support, training,. type of warranty etc

I thought about that, but it doesn't explain the same price across the board.
If different suppliers were offering different "add-ons", then the prices would be different.
Company A: "buy the ABC550 heat press for £600 from us and we'll show you a Youtube video on how to plug it in, switch it on, set the timer and pull down the handle."
Company B: "buy the ABC550 heat press for £800 from us and we'll send round a tech to show you how to plug it in, switch it on, set the timer and pull down the handle."
Company C: "buy the ABC550 heat press for £1500 from us and we'll have it delivered by a troupe of singing honeybadgers."

Instead, what I see is this:
Company A: "buy the ABC550 heat press for £1200 from us."
Company B: "buy the ABC550 heat press for £1200 from us."
Company C: "buy the ABC550 heat press for £1200 from us."

When I look at the Chinese-made mug presses (the Freesub ones), I see the price set by the market.
One business is selling it for £85, another for £95, another for £120, an so on.
You can choose to buy on price (not my thing) or you can buy based upon how "trustworthy" the vendor appears to be (more my kind of thing).

I would love to buy a British-made piece of machinery or at least a Western-made one, and would gladly pay several times the price of the Chinese-made ones, but what I see is price fixing all over the place.

[pisquee]

The thing with the Chinese generic products which all look the same in the photos, and are for sale at different prices - they aren't all necessarily the same product. Chinese factories copy each other, or the same factory does different quality levels of the same product.
In terms of wanting to buy a British press, buy a pressmech - you won't go wrong with one of them. give Dickie a call, and talk to him on the phone - he's a nice guy. don't know if he'll sell direct rather than making you go through a dealer, but worth a go.

[logobear]

I suspect you are referring to the Adkins beta maxi which is £1195 from all suppliers. (plus vat)
It's a great press, that's the price you pay.
Alternative is but one off ebay for £400 to £600ish (zero vat), then send it back to Adkins for a full refurb for £250 + vat + carriage. get one good as new, thou takes a few weeks to get done and save a bit.

[chonz]

The thing with the Chinese generic products which all look the same in the photos, and are for sale at different prices - they aren't all necessarily the same product. Chinese factories copy each other, or the same factory does different quality levels of the same product.
In terms of wanting to buy a British press, buy a pressmech - you won't go wrong with one of them. give Dickie a call, and talk to him on the phone - he's a nice guy. don't know if he'll sell direct rather than making you go through a dealer, but worth a go.

Thanks for the info.

I don't want to deny a dealer their cut. My gripe is with the price fixing.
The market is a good thing; not a bad thing.

It represents a missed opportunity as well, because if a UK manufacturer could offer high quality products but allow the market to set the price, then they'd benefit from "brand loyalty" from newbies like me who could buy their products from the start and buy from them again and again due to being happy with the build quality and not being shafted by price fixing.