Price of Photo Lithium batteries

Beano

I bought a film camera today (€20 for a Canon 3000) so I picked up some batteries on the way so I could make sure it worked. I nearly dropped dead when the guy in the shop told me how much they were. At first I thought he was telling me the price of 2 but he wanted €8 for 1 battery. As I needed them I had to pay it. I can get them for a little over €2 each online. I dont see how they can justify such a markup.

rymus

Beano wrote:

I dont see how they can justify such a markup.

Its the unique "Welcome to Ireland" tax. enjoy.

DotOrg

my shop sells lithium batteries, fuji, duracell and energiser brands, we don't buy them for €2, the rip off isn't from the shops, we have a set mark-up of 33% so if they cost €8 in the shop, we're buying them for €5, adding 21% VAT on and then the rest (€2) is profit which we use to pay wages, insurance, rent, lighting, heating etc

Enygma

Not trying to be cheeky here or anything, but how was I able to save approximately €900 on a brand new 20D by buying it from Germany as opposed to buying it in a shop here?
Markup is fair enough, that's how things work, but €900 is just gone beyond crazy.

Again I'm not trying to be cheeky or wind anyone up or anything. I think €8 for lithium batteries is fine. I just can't get my head around how someone can defend a €900 difference in price (esp. when the difference in tax is only 5%)

I guess I'm being a bit naive, I guess *thats* you're "Welcome to Ireland" tax eh?

DotOrg

i bought my camera stuff from b&h in new york. i could have bought them through my work at wholesale cost price. b&H, a US retail shop was still cheaper.

the problem in that particular case is Canon Ireland, not the retail shops.

Enygma

Hehe, that's some breakdown in the system when it's cheaper to buy retail somewhere else than it is to buy wholesale here!

You can't help but laugh! And then feel immediately depressed!

Beano

DotOrg wrote:

my shop sells lithium batteries, fuji, duracell and energiser brands, we don't buy them for €2, the rip off isn't from the shops, we have a set mark-up of 33% so if they cost €8 in the shop, we're buying them for €5, adding 21% VAT on and then the rest (€2) is profit which we use to pay wages, insurance, rent, lighting, heating etc

If you're paying €6 for an item that can be purchased elsewhere for less than half that you should really be changing suppliers.

Alun

Just to make sure we're actually comparing like with like here, could the OP state what make each of these batteries are (shop vs. online) and give a link to the online source?

We get the same kind of thing here on boards regularly with memory-cards, USB sticks and the like, but often deeper analysis reveals that we're often comparing branded goods, EU sourced with VAT paid, and with guarantees against no-name items from some dodgy seller in Timbuktu on eBay imported without 'getting caught' for duty, which isn't really a fair comparison.

Beano

The shop batteries were Kodak. The online batteries are Fuji or Panasonic http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/default.php?cat=3&type=3020&man=0&filterwords=cr123A&filterwordsalldb=1&filterwordsdescs=1&go=SEARCH&comp=

I wouldnt really call 7dayshop.com a dodgy seller from Timbuktu.

Alun

Beano wrote:

The shop batteries were Kodak. The online batteries are Fuji or Panasonic http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/default.php?cat=3&type=3020&man=0&filterwords=cr123A&filterwordsalldb=1&filterwordsdescs=1&go=SEARCH&comp=

I wouldnt really call 7dayshop.com a dodgy seller from Timbuktu.

Nor would I, although some of their stuff does occasionally almost seem "too cheap", if that's possible. They had some McAfee antivirus software the other day that was ridiculously cheap, but if you read the fine print it was a CD only, with no packaging. Sounded suspiciously like OEM software that had 'escaped' somehow and was being resold. Might not even have had the full years worth of updates either, although they didn't mention that.

I'm always suspicious of things that appear cheaper than they normally are. Have you checked the sell-by date for instance? Lithium batteries have a long shelf life, that's one of their big advantages, but these could maybe be approaching the end, which is how they got hold of them so cheaply. Counterfeit or faked batteries aren't exactly uncommon either.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a bargain, but sometimes things just seem too good to be true, and often they aren't upon closer inspection.

Beano

I've beoing buying from them for a while now and they've always been legit. I would be shocked if they were counterfeit or faked. I take your point about the sell-by date but they usually say if something is shortdated. At least they do for film.

DotOrg

you should also note, 7dayshop is based in the Channel Islands on on Guernsey, technically not part of the EU so you aren't actually paying any VAT at all.

Yes, if I found a supplier that sold batties below €2 that allowed us to make enough of a profit to continue renting a city centre premises. we wouldn't however want to buy in huge bulk as holding a lot of stock is an expensive way to do business for an independently owned shop with limited storage space (compared to online shops with just a warehouse)

If we did find and sell these batteries at €2 each, would that attact customers into our shop over others, maybe a couple but we can't spend advertising budget on attracting a tiny niche market. Our target audience is only the people who walk by our shop. Internet stores can target millions, so they can sell niche products in large quantities

We on average would sell maybe a maximum of 10 cr2 batteries or 123 lithium batteries a month.

Borderfox

Crazy prices alright, you could set up a shop and just buy your stock off the net, even with paying vat you could still sell cheaper than all the shops... mad situation. God bless the net..:)

Benster

DotOrg - That's the difference in consumers these days, I'd say most of your clientele is the occasional kind that walks in off the street for the odd thing here and there, am I right? You might have a few regulars, but unfortunately for you, those of us who require a regular supply of consumables buy in bulk off the net and save money (well, I do anyway).

Photo shops are where I'd turn to if I needed something in a real hurry. I had to run into Gunns last week to get wetting agent, I couldn't wait 2+ weeks for An Post to deliver. Also, to get back to the OP, I never seem to plan too well as regards batteries and alweays need to run in somewhere at the last minute when I'm in town.

Just the changing nature of the shopping experience, the way I see it.

[BTW - 7dayshop.com had a lens I was after at Christmas for 1/2 the price that Amazon had it for, exact same lens - Their occasional offers are killers!]

Cheers,

B.

Beano

I received the batteries I ordered today and the expiry date is 2010 so no problem there. And they're definitely genuine fiji batteries.

el capitaine

Benster wrote:

DotOrg - That's the difference in consumers these days, I'd say most of your clientele is the occasional kind that walks in off the street for the odd thing here and there, am I right? You might have a few regulars, but unfortunately for you, those of us who require a regular supply of consumables buy in bulk off the net and save money (well, I do anyway).

Photo shops are where I'd turn to if I needed something in a real hurry. I had to run into Gunns last week to get wetting agent, I couldn't wait 2+ weeks for An Post to deliver. Also, to get back to the OP, I never seem to plan too well as regards batteries and alweays need to run in somewhere at the last minute when I'm in town.

Just the changing nature of the shopping experience, the way I see it.

[BTW - 7dayshop.com had a lens I was after at Christmas for 1/2 the price that Amazon had it for, exact same lens - Their occasional offers are killers!]

Cheers,

B.

Gunn's are €2.80 for Ilfotol wetting agent, where is cheaper on the net- And thats not an item to buy in bulk.

el capitaine

Beano wrote:

I received the batteries I ordered today and the expiry date is 2010 so no problem there. And they're definitely genuine fiji batteries.

Not to take the piss but genuine Fiji batteries?... i would imagine Fuji would be more genuine.

Beano

I, of course, meant Fuji.

rabbitinlights

whats wetting agent?

el capitaine

rabbitinlights wrote:

whats wetting agent?

its the solution used after washing B&W negs to make sure they get no drying marks. like a very light washing up liquid

rabbitinlights

Thanks.