Abercrombie & Fitch RIP OFF

alchemist

I used to be a regular shopper at Abercrombie & Fitch for years both when I visited the US and via their US website. A few years ago they set up a European website and you now automatically get re-directed to that one, presumably by identifying your IP address.

The thing is that the prices on the European site are a complete rip off and if that is what people are paying in their London shop then they need to think again because they are being taken for a ride.

For instance for a shirt they are charging £82 ($126) in the UK and on the US website it is $78 (£50)! That's $48 more in the UK or 62% more.:mad:

Ok so they have to probably pay 12% customs duty and 19% turnover tax on the value of the goods into Holland where I think it gets shipped from. But they will have to pay something like this to get the stock into the US from which ever far east country they are made.

The shirt probably costs them less than $20 so that makes it about $27 with duty and tax. Wow that is quite a margin they are making from the people duped into buying their rip off clothes. I used to have respect for their brand and what they stood for, no more!!!!!

People need to realise how they are being ripped off compared to the customers in the USA.

texranger

alchemist wrote: »

I used to be a regular shopper at Abercrombie & Fitch for years both when I visited the US and via their US website. A few years ago they set up a European website and you now automatically get re-directed to that one, presumably by identifying your IP address.

The thing is that the prices on the European site are a complete rip off and if that is what people are paying in their London shop then they need to think again because they are being taken for a ride.

For instance for a shirt they are charging £82 ($126) in the UK and on the US website it is $78 (£50)! That's $48 more in the UK or 62% more.:mad:

Ok so they have to probably pay 12% customs duty and 19% turnover tax on the value of the goods into Holland where I think it gets shipped from. But they will have to pay something like this to get the stock into the US from which ever far east country they are made.

The shirt probably costs them less than $20 so that makes it about $27 with duty and tax. Wow that is quite a margin they are making from the people duped into buying their rip off clothes. I used to have respect for their brand and what they stood for, no more!!!!!

People need to realise how they are being ripped off compared to the customers in the USA.

you can say the same thing to any organisation/retailer that is in the USA and Europe.

fluffnutter

I suspect shoppers in the States feel the same way about European companies (which will charge more in their US branches than they do their home-based ones).

Same goes for electrical goods that are made in the far East. Or petrol in the Middle East! This is hardly news - it's just the way the world economy works.

Hintza

OP you are just a slave to the brand name. Try Primark you will get similar for a tenner.

If you want to show off the brand then pay the price. The company will charge whatever the market will stand if you and others vote with their feet the price will come down. Basic economics and the company is duty bond to it's share holders to maximise profits.

wealdroam

alchemist wrote: »

People need to realise how they are being ripped off compared to the customers in the USA.

Rip off?

Do they tell you the price before you pay?
Thus giving you the opportunity not to pay.

paddyrg

And yet that shirt only costs a couple of quid to make - yes, UK customers are being fleeced, but so are US ones.

I just had 2 heavy cotton dress shirts (double-cuff, concealed button, etc) hand tailor-made to measure for £25 for the pair. Or a tenner for a short-sleeve summer shirt hand custom-made to order. And I wasn't even in a particularly cheap country, and ordering a one-off. Bring a bulk/non-tailored pattern, buy in bulk, go somewhere cheap and you could be paying a few quid a shirt. Sweat-shop bulk-produce it and it'll probably cost the same as a portion of chips. Then £82 or £50, you're being taken for a chump either way... ;-)

arcon5

Isn't the average US min.wage much less than ours? And most likely prices across the board at a lower rate. So the prices are relative to their disposable income. So it's not a case of us getting ripped off at all

CoolHotCold

This is a Vent/Rant and does not belong on the consumer boards.