A Conversation for Ask h2g2

Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 1

Pink Paisley

Today I hwent to a DIY superstore for hover mower blades. They are nothing special, but cost me £7 for 15. My mower takes three at a time. They are a 3 inch long tapered and curved bit of plastc with a keyhole shaped hole in one end. I bet they don't cost more than a couple of pence each to make.

I have just looked at ebay and ordered a pack for less than £3 and will return the £7 ones.

I understand overheads and so on, but £4 more? Really?

Where is the extra money going?

PP.


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 2

Icy North

Don't confuse pricing with cost. Very, very different.


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 3

Rod

Well now, if you owned such a shop, what would you do?
a) put on a low price then increase it until people stopped buying
b) put on a high price then reduce it until people started buying
c) keep watch on similar shops' pricing


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 4

Pink Paisley

There is a fourth option in this case.

It was an 'own brand' mower. So charge so much that people buy a new mower instead.

At some point in the chain - or throughout it, several hundred percent profit is being made. That can't be normal.

For the same money, I could have bought a rechargable electric screwdriver or a 16 piece set of cutlery (and get £2 change from a £7 note) or an electronic kitchen scale.

PP.


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 5

Icy North

Remember that you may not always be the target market.


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 6

bobstafford

Printers are the same all singing and dancing from a big supastore £35..
excellent value...

Full set of ink refils £59... smiley - wah


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 7

winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire

I (depressingly) suspect your answer is 'market forces'. This answer seems to justify and explain most 'why does x,y and z cost what it does' type questions smiley - erm


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 8

Mol - on the new tablet

Printer ink is the most expensive liquid on the planet at the moment, isn't it? I know we have in the past bought a new printer when all we actually wanted were ink carts.

Mol


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 9

Bald Bloke

Trouble is they have spotted that game

The last cheap inkjet I bought has special low capacity cartridges which only lasted about 20 pages.
Guess what 2 days later...

Not so Cheap
smiley - grr


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 10

2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side...

Does, it, and I don't know if this is the case, but I expect it is;

the store in question sells... in the shop... what 1000 items? (differnt products), the price paid by a customer for any single item, isn't necessarily connected to the cost of the item, or the value of the item, but to the overall level of propfet the store wants to make; primarily for its shire holders, I guess. thusly, the price set to any given one of the thousand (or wahtever it is ) products, is just what they need to charge for that item, at that price, given the level of sales (units shifted), at that price, necessary, overall when taken in conjuction with other products, to produce the profet level, for the store; not the profet level, therefore for any actual given single item/product smiley - erm if that makes sene..... like when supermarkets get ssomething in really cheap cost price, but don't lower the price of that item, as they know it'll sell well enough at its normal price; but instead shifrt the price reduction onto a more expensive produt, to increase sales on that product, wtihout altering/reducing sales on the product with the sactal price reduction on the stores cost of buying/stocking it smiley - erm


Who does all the money go to? Some stuff is stupidly expensive.

Post 11

Pink Paisley

I took the mower blades back yesterday having bought an alternative at £2.48 and had them refund my £7. (I was passing the place so made no extra journey).

Having secured my refund, I then hunted down the manager and had a grumble about the price of them.

He was disinterested. I was unsatisfied since I know (and already knew) it will make no difference at all.

PP.


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