Bye, bye Rip-off retailers.

Sleipnir

From Unison Breaking News

Irish shoppers are increasingly buying gifts online. A new survey also shows that massive savings are also to be made on books, CDs and DVDs purchased on the internet. A European survey has shown that you can save €85 buying the the top tens CDs on line. The top DVDs are cheaper and many of the bestselling books are less expensive as well. The European Consumer Centre say that with such savings, customers also face less stress in buying on line.

star gazer

It would be brilliant to think that the european single market actually meant we could get goods at other countries prices plus the online discount. Maybe we will see real competition in many markets increasing at last. There is a draw back, the European Consumer Centre says they did a survey of online goods and one third of a set number of items did not arrive. good but by no means perfect.

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

star gazer

originally posted by smiaras
Some people don't know, others don't have a credit card, most are more comfortable actually going into the store and purchasing the item themselves. For instance shopping for cloting will never really take off online.

Fair point, there is something better about walking into a store and actually seeing the display of goods and browse in the physical sense. However when one can save up to a third online, more people will become willing to forego the plessure of shopping offline. Online will keep the retailers more competitive in terms of price if ennough people switch for a short period. Trouble for retailers would be that once people do shop online, they may not go back to the high street retailer.

Belfast

same product in England and Ireland
http://www.peats.ie/cgi-bin/shop/db.cgi?view=1&id=5994&type=6&path=14x122x504
Asus A7N8X Deluxe DDR Motherboard - With 8X AGP & 6 Channel Audio €222.31 €269.00 inc. VAT

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/
LN4561 Asus A7N8X-Deluxe V2 - nForce-2 - x8 AGP+Lan+6Ch Sound+SATA+1394+SATA-RAID+USB2
£67.50 97.2721 EUR
£79.31 vat 114.291 EUR


that a differentce in price of €154.709

Sleipnir

Originally posted by smiaras
Go into town on a saturday, say into HMV and see how many people take advantage of buying goods cheaper online.

Some people don't know, others don't have a credit card, most are more comfortable actually going into the store and purchasing the item themselves. For instance shopping for cloting will never really take off online.

Of course, It doesn't say that HMV is empty but word is getting around that they are expensive.
Does the article say
"nobody is going into shops anymore!"

No, it says

"Irish shoppers are increasingly buying gifts online"

It's never been easier to get a credit card (not sure if this is a good or a bad thing!)

And of course, clothes shopping is different.
You don't get different size DVD's or colours, or designer labels. What's your point?
you might as well say

"People aren't buying dog's on the internet"

You'd be techincally correct but what does that have to do with the article posted? And who the hell cares?

Many high street shops are FAR more expensive for than on the internet and people are beginning to realise that.
Yesterday the CSO released figures that said only around 35% of the population have ever been on the internet.
The same test in 5 or ten years will obviously have very different figures. And that's when high street shops will really feel the pinch.

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

de5p0i1er

The more we shop online the more we damage there sales, I'm not saying that were going to put them out of business but we can make them take notice that not everyone will let them take there hard earned cash when there are better options out there.

bk

Originally posted by smiaras
I guarantee that if you walk into any games, cd, dvd store none of them are going to be doing less business then they were last year. Obviously more and more people are turning to the internet but its not like in the states where it plays a more important role. I'm saying irish people are more hesitant in using the net for online shopping.

Nope, the music stores are seeing a real, noticeable downturn in sales, which is much greater then the downturn that the record labels are seeing. Therefore we can assume that sales are going to online retailers.

The word has gotten out. Almost 100% of my friends (both techie and non techie) now buy their CD/DVD/Games off the net. Most of my colleagues in work are buying most their christmas presents on the net. One guy today bought e300 worth of presents off the net for his family and friends, it took 1 hour and he saved about e200.

Today, when I went into work, I literally couldn't see the secretary's desk because of the pile of Amazon, play.com, cdwow boxes piled up in front of it, I'm not kidding.

I have purchased 4 copies of each season of the Family Guy DVD sets, I had to buy the extra copies for all my friends who didn't have credit cards when they heard how cheap I got mine for.

The thing is HMV's/Virgins largest customer base are 15 - 30 year olds. But this group is also extremelly price sensitive and tech savvy. A dangerous combination. The only thing that saves them is the need for credit cards, but must kids are getting them now when they turn 18 and go to college or they know someone with a credit card (like me), parents, brother, sister, etc.

Also a number of high profile radio DJ's are now telling their customers to buy from CDWOW and don't go near HMV/Virgin.

The proof is that the Irish record industry is currently taking a court case to get cdwow banned from Ireland, they are scared.

The ironic thing is that I first heard about cdwow, was when I was standing in Virgin Megastores in Cork and I overheard a Virgin Sales person tell a customer that they didn't have a particular DVD, but he should try CDWOW as they would probably have it and they are much cheaper.

ixoy

Originally posted by bk
The ironic thing is that I first heard about cdwow, was when I was standing in Virgin Megastores in Cork and I overheard a Virgin Sales person tell a customer that they didn't have a particular DVD, but he should try CDWOW as they would probably have it and they are much cheaper.

'Course if the IRMA cnuts have their way, we won't be able to shop there :mad:

spongebob

Originally posted by bk
Today, when I went into work, I literally couldn't see the secretary's desk because of the pile of Amazon, play.com, cdwow boxes piled up in front of it, I'm not kidding.

Sounds like my office, CD Wowe parcels almost every day. AIB CC users generating cards be the shedload.

The proof is that the Irish record industry is currently taking a court case to get cdwow banned from Ireland, they are scared.

That Article in the Indo seems to have galvanised them. Its mostly wind at the moment. They have lost the propoganda war already.

The ironic thing is that I first heard about cdwow, was when I was standing in Virgin Megastores in Cork and I overheard a Virgin Sales person tell a customer that they didn't have a particular DVD, but he should try CDWOW as they would probably have it and they are much cheaper.

OOOOOhhhhhhhhhhh , has anybody told IRMA that the greatest enemy is the one within. Tell them Here and ask why we should pay €22 for a CD that costs less elsewhere and what have they done for the Music Lover in Ireland.....ever.

M

sovtek

Originally posted by Muck
Sounds like my office, CD Wowe parcels almost every day. AIB CC users generating cards be the shedload.

That Article in the Indo seems to have galvanised them. Its mostly wind at the moment. They have lost the propoganda war already.

OOOOOhhhhhhhhhhh , has anybody told IRMA that the greatest enemy is the one within. Tell them Here and ask why we should pay €22 for a CD that costs less elsewhere and what have they done for the Music Lover in Ireland.....ever.

M

Oh they've given us such crap, manufactured talent like Westlife and Boyzone.
I wonder if it ever enters their mind that's the reason their sales are down.

Calibos

This is why I found some of the comments very funny which were posted by some people in a thread I started a while back about getting my Visa card....on this Forum. Loads of people started harping on about the €40pa tax on Visa cards and how it was a rip off and how these people tore up their cards in protest!! Talk about biting off your nose to spite your face! HMMM?? Pay the €40 a year but make huge savings on internet purchases OR Cancel my card so I don't have to pay the ripoff tax and then pay 30-50% more for every single purchase of various items in a bricks and mortar Irish store which could end up costing you hundreds more. I know which I picked :D

sovtek

Originally posted by Calibos
This is why I found some of the comments very funny which were posted by some people in a thread I started a while back about getting my Visa card....on this Forum. Loads of people started harping on about the €40pa tax on Visa cards and how it was a rip off and how these people tore up their cards in protest!! Talk about biting off your nose to spite your face! HMMM?? Pay the €40 a year but make huge savings on internet purchases OR Cancel my card so I don't have to pay the ripoff tax and then pay 30-50% more for every single purchase of various items in a bricks and mortar Irish store which could end up costing you hundreds more. I know which I picked :D

Thing is a CC tax is exclusive to Ireland and a really bad idea. I can't fathom having to pay tax on a debt.
Seemingly you now get hit with a €40 "tax" when you cancel your card as well.

ThreadKiller

Originally posted by smiaras
For instance shopping for clothing will never really take off online.

Haven't bought clothes in Ireland for nearly two years. Buy absolutly everything online. Much cheaper, better selection.

sunbeam

There's not much choice when it comes to (formal) womens clothes though. As far as I know none of the major UK highstreet stores will send online orders to Irish addresses.

therecklessone

Originally posted by sovtek
Thing is a CC tax is exclusive to Ireland and a really bad idea. I can't fathom having to pay tax on a debt.
Seemingly you now get hit with a €40 "tax" when you cancel your card as well.

You don't pay the tax on a debt, you pay it on the card.

And the €40 "tax" for cancelling your card is the same stamp duty, just charged at time of cancellation rather than in April (like most card companies charge).