magazine overpricing

Kersh

how come magazines are so overpriced here. One I buy regularly has a sterling price of £2.80 on the cover, yet over here i pay e5.16. It should only be around e4.24. Why is this.

Spocker

I'm sure there's some kind of charge for actually shipping the magazine from the UK to here but would that make up the difference...? :mad:

Kersh

It sucks. We are still being overcharged. Another one I buy for e7.11 only costs £3.78 in UK. Robbing b*******

Stark

Easons claim "Steling exchange rate" but this is obvious bull****. It's known as the "great sterling ripoff". Even when the punt was stronger than the pound sterling we still had to pay way more on magazines. :mad:

Ripwave

VAT on books and Magazines in the UK is 0%. It's 13.5% in Ireland. That means that Eason were using an exchange rate of about €1.62/£1, which is about 8%-10% over the current exchange rate.

alleepally

Unless it changed recently, I always understood that books were zero rated here and newspapers and periodicals were 13.5% - even so, the sterling line has been trotted out for years. it is still a rip-off. What bugs me is how come the Irish Times for example charges 75p in "sterling area" and the same paper is €1.50 here. Could it be that to compete in the north it has to be at that price point and isn't it amazing the way all the broadsheets are the same price and all raise prices in or around the same time. Cartel anyone?

silverside

AFAIK Eason's add a 10% 'distribution fee' which supposedly covers their extra distribution costs, foreign exchange commissions, etc. Add to this the VAT and exchange rate difference.

No matter that magazines cost the same in the highlands of Scotland as they do in Newry and London, Easons are able to charge this extra fee because it takes a lot to set up a magazine distribution business.

I think NewsSpread who are their competitors dont charge this 'distribution fee', so magazine prices vary depending on who distributes it.

Someone with industry knowledge might confirm this. I have way too much useless information like this in my head already.

Guy:Incognito

Originally posted by Stark
Easons claim "Steling exchange rate" but this is obvious bull****. It's known as the "great sterling ripoff". Even when the punt was stronger than the pound sterling we still had to pay way more on magazines. :mad:

You could always offer to pay in sterlaing at the cheaper rate, maybe if hundreds of people annoy thm with that they might level out the prices. Wishfull thinking.

Bluehair

Afaik Silverside you're pretty much bang on. Thing is they have a virtual monopoly on the distribution side so can set whatever margin they like for this.

For any magazine you get on a regular basis i've found it's well worth subscribing. Even with the sterling diff and p&p it's less per issue than from Easons plus delivered right to your door

watty

Though some mags charge an extortionate Rest of World or Europe rate for Ireland making sub MORE expensive.

I think Eason's almost monoply is problem (They don't import most of the Non-UK, that is "Comag").

Even with the VAT difference, there is always a percent or two in Eason's favor.

But why should the VAT be higher than 0 on magasines, especially Technical & Scientific.

MisterAnarchy

Reads in Cork are very reasonable.
Their magazines are cheaper than elsewhere and they then take an extra 10% off every mag at the till.

Ripwave

Originally posted by Bluehair
For any magazine you get on a regular basis i've found it's well worth subscribing. Even with the sterling diff and p&p it's less per issue than from Easons plus delivered right to your door

Delivered to your door 3 or 4 weeks later, in my experience.

(I subscribe to a weekly magazine published in the UK, and it takes 3 weeks to be delivered more often than not).

super_furry

Originally posted by MisterAnarchy
Reads in Cork are very reasonable.
Their magazines are cheaper than elsewhere and they then take an extra 10% off every mag at the till.

Same with Reads on Nassau Street, Dublin. They're great for books too - got that Encylopedia of Ireland there for €15 less than anywhere else.

honru

Reads is great, they hold the kind of competition I like to see in Irish retailers. I rarely go to Easons now.

Pataman

Originally posted by Ripwave
VAT on books and Magazines in the UK is 0%. It's 13.5% in Ireland. That means that Eason were using an exchange rate of about €1.62/£1, which is about 8%-10% over the current exchange rate.

are you sure the rate isnt 21%

RainyDay

Originally posted by Kersh
It sucks. We are still being overcharged. Another one I buy for e7.11 only costs £3.78 in UK. Robbing b*******

So stop buying it! As long as you keep paying it out, of course they are going to keep charging that price - they'd be crazy not to.

whosurpaddy

Originally posted by MisterAnarchy
Reads in Cork are very reasonable.
Their magazines are cheaper than elsewhere and they then take an extra 10% off every mag at the till.

is that a student discount or something? why would they take 10% off the price of every magazine?

btw reads are great, i try to give them business whenever i can.

Ripwave

Originally posted by Pataman
are you sure the rate isnt 21%

www.revenue.ie/pdf/it49.pdf

Reduced rate of VAT is 13.5% (from 01/01/03)
This applies to certain fuels (e.g., coal and domestic gas),
building and building services, newspapers, live poultry etc.,
magazines and periodicals, repair, cleaning and maintenance
services generally, restaurants, and provision of commerical
sporting facilities.

carrolls

Originally posted by alleepally
What bugs me is how come the Irish Times for example charges 75p in "sterling area" and the same paper is €1.50 here.

Simple solution: Boycot the Irish Times until such time as they bring the price down to €1.11 in the Republic.;)

AngelofFire

i saw a computer games magazine for €11.00 in a newsagent in dunlaoghaire. now the the sterling price was only £4.70. just because there was a free cd the newsagents took the opportunity to increase the price.

oneweb

Cue the catchphrase: "READS of Nassau Street!" do magazines at 10% off

DrEvil

Originally posted by AngelofFire
just because there was a free cd the newsagents took the opportunity to increase the price.

So how much more does the 'free' cd cost

Zoton

I pay about €5:50 for total film each month, which is pretty expensive, but i do love the magazine. I noticed though that in the dart/bus stations where its available they charge around €6:50. Shocking! 9Bus/train stations are savagely dear for everything though anyway)

i also noticed the Ireland on Sunday paper is €1.80 here and 80p in the north. A bit of a discrepancy methinks (kunts!)

The Real B-man

yeah brittish magazines like pc gamer are like a €10 where as irish published pc live is €2 madness!