UK Prices vs IRL Prices For TV & AV Equipment

Mark#1

Hi,

This is probably relevant in any HE forum, but I thought I'd post it here.

I've been surfing pretty solid and reading a few AV / Home Cinema / HiFi magazines for a few weeks now to gain as much knowledge as I can regarding the general concepts of AV systems and the details of some specific products that have caught my eye.

I've also been asking questions in local stores like Harvey Norman, Curry's, etc., but to be honest (and I didn't really expect different), at this stage I seem to know more about TV & AV than the guys I spoke with.

I did up a comparison table this morning on like-for-like products bought completely from Ireland vs bought completely on-line, mostly from the UK.

FWIW, this is basically what I've priced:

TV: Panasonic TH-50PZ80.
DVD: Panasonic DMR-EX88.
GAMES: XBox 360 Elite, extra controller, 2 rechargeable batteries, quick-charge kit.
GAMES + BLU-RAY: PS3, extra controller.
FREESAT: Humax Foxsat HD.
AMP: Onkyo TX-SR606.
SPEAKERS: QAcoustics 1020i fronts, 1010i rears, 1000Ci centre, 1000Si sub.
REMOTE CONTROL: Logitech Harmony 885, IR2BT converter for PS3.
CABLES & BRACKETS: all necessary HDMI, optical, co-axial, scart, speaker & phono cables, TV & speaker wall brackets.

From various vendors in the UK, including all shipping costs to my address in ROI, it all comes to under €4680.

From various vendors in Ireland, including all shipping costs from some on-line sellers (dabs.ie, platinumhome.ie & IR2BT.com), but not including any delivery charges some retailers may charge for stuff the customer can't collect, it all comes to just over €6540.

That's a difference of €1860, or over 28% . . .

The only products that are not specifically identical are:

QAcoustics speakers - I couldn't find the newer 1000i series on sale in ROI, but one vendor carries the older 1000 range (at higher prices than the UK prices for the newer 1000i range).

Panasonic TV - in Ireland it's 50PY80 rather than the UK's 50PZ80, but as we'll all probably be using DTT set-top boxes at some time in the future, and most homes seem to already have Sky / NTL / Freesat, the TV's built-in tuner seems to be irrelevant and / or superfluous.

The cables & the TV wall bracket were all different brands, but of similar quality.

So that's a top-brand 50" 1080p plasma TV, a top-of-the-range HDD DVD recorder, a Blu-ray player, 2 top games consoles, a Freesat receiver (not including dish), award-winning amp & speakers, a whizz-bang universal remote, and all the cables & brackets to put it all together - all for under €4700.

Buying from Irish retailers, that €4700 gets you just the TV, DVD player, XBox & accessories, PS3, the Freesat box & the cables to hook them up.

I'm not trying to cause trouble or scupper Irish jobs or ruin Irish retailer's profitability here - I just want good stuff at the best prices I can get.

"But you can't walk into those online seller's warehouses and compare products in the flesh".

That's true, so I'm finding reviews from magazines like What HiFi, Home Cinema Choice, etc, and online review sites like trustedreviews.com, hdtvorg.com, etc., and the advice and opinions of members of various forums, all very helpful.

To keep my €1860 in my pocket / bank account, I'm quite prepared to trust these reputed source's opinions.

All the components I'm listing are either winners or very high scorers in pretty much every review I checked out. Of course there are better performers out there (specially when you disregard cost), and there are surely equal performers available for similar prices, but these are the products that have caught my interest.

I'm not asking for a critique of the gear I've listed - I just listed it to illustrate that we're being ripped off: if these products can be sold in the UK market at these prices, surely it's possible that they could be sold for similar prices in Ireland, or even for slightly higher prices (given the probable lower trade purchase volumes) and still allow profits.

But check this out:

The TV is over 42% dearer in ROI.
The DVD recorder is almost 38% dearer in ROI.
The older QAcoustics speakers are, on average, almost 30% dearer in ROI than the newer models are in the UK.
The Harmony remote is almost 64% dearer in ROI.

Ripped off.


Mark

eddiem74

For the most part sad but true, cheaper to go elsewhere unless your really stuck, don't like shopping online, having to ship defectives back, are lazy, like to see things in the flesh, etc..

I purchased my Kef Speakers, and a complete HTPC kit for a self build from the UK. On the speakers alone I saved 600euro including exchange
rate and delivery !

Lots of folks on here are also starting to using RicherSounds (no affiliation to me) up in Belfast who can also source stock from their UK store for the very reason you are mentioning, plus you could drive up if you really wanted.

I guess now we know why many are shopping in Newry and the like too............ rip off republic

Mark#1

I went into Peats today.

They have the Onkyo TX-SR606 on "special offer" at €600...

Not one of three loitering staff in the empty shop came near me.

I knew I should have showered this week.


Mark

bucks73

Richersounds have the Samsung LE40A656 on their site for GBP770.00 which works out at under €1000. Currys in the UK and NI have the same LCD for GBP849 which works out at about €1060. Currys in Limerick are selling it for almost €1400. Well worth the drive up to Newry or ordering from Richersounds.

Cmar-Ireland

Rip off Republic indeed...

I bought a Jamo A10 5.1 speaker set this week. €265 delivered from the UK. Almost €400 in Peats. Too much of a difference in price IMO.

Mark#1

You could argue that it's all the more galling that Curry's, Dixon's, Peats (AFAIK) are all UK businesses.

If they can sell the same products in the UK for lower equivalent prices, it's insulting that they expect Paddy to cough up over the odds in their shops in Ireland. I'm not getting into a political digression - it's just a thought.

It's bad enough that the Irish dealers rip us off.

In fairness, I did see a 768 HD 50" Samsung in Curry's over the weekend for €900. That's pretty damn good...

Mark

Kashkai

And as I've posted elsewhere, I saved almost 2 grand in buying my new amp, speakers and 46 inch lcd tv from r'sounds online compared to what I would have spent in the usual suspects (DID, Peats etc) in this republic of ours. Pays to shop around and to use the net when possible. I've spent thousands purchasing online over the years and never had a problem. If you need to see something in the flesh, by all means go to Peats or DID to view but buy online if you want to save money.

And one more thing, if the "sales staff" in Peats and DID improved their attitude, were more helpful, more informative, and treated you as a valued customer, then they might win back some of the sales that are being lost to the net despite their higher prices.

Cmar-Ireland

I agree P.Dave. Most of the retailers in my experience are nothing more than box shifters. Granted, there are exceptions, but they are few and far between.
I would love to be able to talk to knowledgeable sales staff and it would encourage me to spend my money in Ireland rather than abroad.
But until that changes, I will be spending my hard earned outside of our RoR.

Kintarō Hattori

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

And as I've posted elsewhere, I saved almost 2 grand in buying my new amp, speakers and 46 inch lcd tv from r'sounds online compared to what I would have spent in the usual suspects (DID, Peats etc) in this republic of ours. Pays to shop around and to use the net when possible. I've spent thousands purchasing online over the years and never had a problem. If you need to see something in the flesh, by all means go to Peats or DID to view but buy online if you want to save money.

And one more thing, if the "sales staff" in Peats and DID improved their attitude, were more helpful, more informative, and treated you as a valued customer, then they might win back some of the sales that are being lost to the net despite their higher prices.

Hmnnn I'm sorry to hear you were unhappy with the service you received in Peats. What branch did you go into?

Kashkai

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Hmnnn I'm sorry to hear you were unhappy with the service you received in Peats. What branch did you go into?

I went into their main store in Parnell Street last June I think it was. I went down to the home theatre section in the basement and waited 20 minutes for the lone salesman to finish chatting up a girl who I believe had no intention of buying anything judging by the lack of questions she was asking about the equipment. She did however have a lot to say about the club she was in the previous weekend :rolleyes:.

I then went upstairs to find someone else but I got "I'm not familiar with the amps/not my section" line or "I'm busy at the moment" from 2 guys who were chatting to each other. So about €3 - €4,000 worth of sales lost there lads.:mad:

Richersounds.ie: Dave

Hi guys.

I can only comment on where we are at.

We did have a shop in Dublin as most of you know. I was looking after all the IT for the company so this meant that I travelled up and down from Belfast to Dublin and generally I would say that there were a lot of items in the store in Dublin that were more expensive that the store in Belfast.

Rip off you might say....and I would agree, but the reasoning behind this was :

(1) Insurance rates in the Republic are mught higher than the UK.
(2) Rates are much higher in Dublin than they were in Belfast...not sure about the rest of the UK.
(3) As the store was based in the Republic, they were having to buy from local distributors which meant that the initial cost price of the product was higher than Belfast.

There were a few other factors like staff wages etc etc, but these were the main 3. The 3rd one really came into affect when the Euro came in and all the pricing went up.

I can totally sympathise with anyone who wants to buy locally but doesn't want to pay over the odds. Not sure why other dealers in the South are not willing to play ball on price. It just doesn't make sense, but then we can't complain as we do get a lot of business from the South !!!!

With regards to the customer looking to buy the Q acoustic bits with the system. We can quote you for most of that system if you would like us to as we can get Q acoustics and most of the other products.

Mark#1

Dave@Richer wrote: »

With regards to the customer looking to buy the Q acoustic bits with the system. We can quote you for most of that system if you would like us to as we can get Q acoustics and most of the other products.

Thanks Dave.

PM-ing you this morning.

Mark

Mark#1

eddiem74 wrote: »

I purchased my Kef Speakers, and a complete HTPC kit for a self build from the UK. On the speakers alone I saved 600euro including exchange rate and delivery!

How did your self-build go? Or are you still at it?

I've got plans for my living room when I do get my new gear.

Have you any pics of how it turned out, any tips or advice, do's & dont's, what would you do differently if you did it again?

Mark

eddiem74

Mark#1 wrote: »

How did your self-build go? Or are you still at it?

I've got plans for my living room when I do get my new gear.

Have you any pics of how it turned out, any tips or advice, do's & dont's, what would you do differently if you did it again?

Mark

Self build went fine to be honest. It was my first one, and I am by no means an expert in anyway. Lots of browsing AvForums & Boards, and the advice from everyone was really helpful. It could be quite easy to over spec it.

I have gotten rid of my Oppo DVD player and now only use the HTPC for all movies direct from harddisk or bluray drive, have all my cd's (200+) burned to hard drive also, and all pictures too. It is pretty cool once its set-up and working.

I was originally going to take pics every step of the way, but then got so stuck into the build I ended up taking none. :rolleyes:

Once you start planning put up your questions, and I am sure there are many folks on here who will help.