Pixmania Irish prices higher than UK

MOH

Just been searching online for a digital camera (Fuji F10). Came across a good price on Pixmania's UK website. Various accessory pack options, all at very good prices.

Went to their Irish site to order - and found that prices for each pack varied from 10% to 13% higher than the converted UK prices. The basic camera on it's own costs 14% more.

Neither set of figures includes delivery, and I used current exchange rates for the conversion.

When I e-mailed Pixmania about the difference, their response was that the price difference was due to VAT. Fair enough - that might account for the 3.5% VAT difference between the UK and here.

I mailed them back and asked for an explanation of where the other 10% was coming from, and received a one line e-mail citing 'VAT and various other criterias'. They also told me if I want to order from another county's website I need a delivery address in that country.

I could get the package delivered to friends in the north, but given this seems to be a blatant example of ripping off customers in a particular market, I'll never be dealing with Pixmania again.

coolwings

5% extra for VAT in Ireland (UK17.5%, IRL 21%)
3-4% for shipping it here
and if the Irish suppliers are forced to get it from UK (as opposed to from EU) there is about 3-5% for bank charges on the currency Euro-Sterling conversion
That's about 11%. normal.

If u buy from UK u will have to pay the 2nd and 3rd of these charges too.
So add them in and compare like for like (freight & charges paid)

As for the VAT. Have you ever written or complained to your TD (when he comes at election time to your door) about excessive VAT, and when are they going to do what they said and equalise with EU? Most have not, but they should, we all pay the price and our govt spends our cash.

MOH

coolwings wrote:

5% extra for VAT in Ireland (UK17.5%, IRL 21%)

How is it 5% extra for VAT? 21 - 17.5 = 3.5% difference.

coolwings wrote:

3-4% for shipping it here

No, 0% for that:

MOH wrote:

Neither set of figures includes delivery

I know their Irish delivery costs will be higher than the UK ones - but what I was comparing was the basic price of the product, not including delivery.

coolwings wrote:

and if the Irish suppliers are forced to get it from UK (as opposed to from EU) there is about 3-5% for bank charges on the currency Euro-Sterling conversion
That's about 11%. normal.

If u buy from UK u will have to pay the 2nd and 3rd of these charges too.
So add them in and compare like for like (freight & charges paid)

It's a French company, and most of their sites are in the EU. So then surely you'd expect the UK to be 3-5% more expensive, since the charges would be going the other way.

I was comparing like for like - I was comparing the basic price excluding delivery. (I bought a 32" LCD TV from the UK last month, delivered in 4 days for GBP20, and didn't notice any 5% bank charge on currency conversion - it was more like 1.5%).

coolwings wrote:

As for the VAT. Have you ever written or complained to your TD (when he comes at election time to your door) about excessive VAT, and when are they going to do what they said and equalise with EU?

I live in an apartment, so they don't come knocking. I'm not complaining about the VAT difference. I fully understand there's different VAT rates, and I'm willing to pay the extra 3.5% VAT.

My point is that Pixmania are charging up to 14% more in Ireland than the UK, before delivery charges are added in, then trying to fob it off on a 3.5% VAT difference.

po0k

Smaller market => larger relative margins

I'm not saying it's right, but it sounds like something a business would pull/attempt

I commend you for spotting it and following it up, I'll be in the market for a camera within the next month and pixmania will have to perform adequately.

What site/source did you use for the currency conversions?

MOH

SyxPak wrote:

Smaller market => larger relative margins

I'm not saying it's right, but it sounds like something a business would pull/attempt

I commend you for spotting it and following it up, I'll be in the market for a camera within the next month and pixmania will have to perform adequately.

What site/source did you use for the currency conversions?

I thought of that, but sill thought figures like 14% were a bit high.
Particularly given that for one of their packs (including 256MB xD card + case), I could walk into either of two actual shops in Clarendon St or Dawson St and pick up the same stuff for ten quid less than pixmania's irish price (excl delivery). Surely those shops would have higher overheads, plus they've already imported the stuff for me. May actually end up doing that.

Used www.xe.com for the conversion, even allowing a couple of cents difference in the rate it's still over 10% higher here.

neilled

Thats weird, a friend of mine saved €150 off a camera in comparison to all the places in dublin he checked.

I believe pixmania may have an office in the UK - they offer a collection facility in london so perhaps all the orders are processed through there????

Theres also the fact that Irish consumers are prepared to typically pay about 10% over the odds for goods as well.......so distributers decide to charge the extra 10%!!!!!

coolwings

MOH wrote:

How is it 5% extra for VAT? 21 - 17.5 = 3.5% difference....

I rounded it off ... not making a big specific point there, just counting it as a cost

MOH wrote:

I know their Irish delivery costs will be higher than the UK ones - but what I was comparing was the basic price of the product, not including delivery....

If you went to their Irish site, it would allow for freight to Ireland from wherever they come from...

MOH wrote:

It's a French company, and most of their sites are in the EU. So then surely you'd expect the UK to be 3-5% more expensive, since the charges would be going the other way.....

Absolutely. We should be within 1-4% of the UK price if the stuff comes from the EU.

MOH wrote:

...and didn't notice any 5% bank charge on currency conversion - it was more like 1.5%......

It is 1.5% each way. So if you buy fx at the bank here ..1.5% :mad:
However if say they send it France - - UK, 1.5% for that payment (adding it onto their prices) ...then the UK sends it here and you get hit for another 1.5% for EUR-Sterling conversion.

MOH wrote:

My point is that Pixmania are charging up to 14% more in Ireland than the UK, before delivery charges are added in, then trying to fob it off on a 3.5% VAT difference.

Very likely you are right, but I was merely saying that if they have inefficient means of getting it to Ireland, that makes the price bad here. In which case deal with another Irish rep for an EU company which does not insert UK into the supply chain.

I have been trying to do this for years, and it's a real pain. It got better when we went into EU, but many UK distributors have negotiated agreenments whereby they sell UK and Ireland for their supplier. This messes up the Irish dealer who might want to get it from say paris, but is told "our UK rep takes care of Ireland, talk to him.." The Irish dealer gets a bad reputation for bad prices, and has to try to locate another product similar but available direct from an EU supplier. He finally gets it at a fair price, and in walks the costomer who says "But I want the one I saw in the UK magazine I have in my pocket...."

coolwings

Just located this thread which you should read....
previous thread about Pixmania

MisterAnarchy

You can buy items off the UK Pixmania site if you live in Ireland.
I have bought stuff off them in the past and it allows you to enter an Irish (Republic address) no probs.#
This way you can take advantage of the price differences.
Bear in mind some items are more expensive on the UK site though.

RainyDay

MOH - Pixmania are under no obligation to explain their pricing policy to you. They are under no obligation to keep their selling prices in proportion to their costs. Ever heard of 'market pricing', i.e. setting the highest selling price that the market will bear?

If you don't like their prices, go elsewhere.

PS How do you negotiate your salary? Do you look at your cost of living and aim to get a little bit above that, or do you try to get the highest salary you can get in today's job market?

MOH

RainyDay wrote:

MOH - Pixmania are under no obligation to explain their pricing policy to you. They are under no obligation to keep their selling prices in proportion to their costs. Ever heard of 'market pricing', i.e. setting the highest selling price that the market will bear?

If you don't like their prices, go elsewhere.

PS How do you negotiate your salary? Do you look at your cost of living and aim to get a little bit above that, or do you try to get the highest salary you can get in today's job market?

They're quite welcome to follow any pricing policy they want. And I will go elsewhere, rather than buy at prices of their Irish website that are higher than bricks-and-mortar shops in Dublin city centre. I just felt on some products they're deliberately ripping off Irish consumers, and it seemed worth a mention.

Also, if, as MisterAnarchy says, you can actually order off the UK website for delivery to Ireland, then I think it's all the more important that people are aware of differences between the two so they can compare them to get the best price for their product.

PS: I'm unfortunately not in a position to do much negotiation on my salary. I'm sure I could get higher elsewhere, but it's currently a bit above my cost of living and my job's OK, so I carry on

ROVER

MisterAnarchy wrote:

You can buy items off the UK Pixmania site if you live in Ireland.
I have bought stuff off them in the past and it allows you to enter an Irish (Republic address) no probs.#
This way you can take advantage of the price differences.
Bear in mind some items are more expensive on the UK site though.

I have previously bought of the UK Pixmania site but am unable to do so now has anyone else had issued using UK site?

SeaSide

twas the same for me with Amazon when I tried to order a new memory card. They claim that they are not able to cope with the WEEE recycling

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

RainyDay wrote:

If you don't like their prices, go elsewhere.

That's exactly what MOH said he is going to do.

He was just giving us a heads-up, so we are aware of Pixmania's discriminatory pricing policy.