charging 50% more

jeanette58

Why does a shopping channel charge 50% more than normal web shops. Example:- a certain large shopping channel is charging 50% more for an item. I googled the same item and found it on 2 x different websites for 50% less. Can someone explain why they can do this. I would have thought the shopping channel would buy alot more stock than the smaller web shops so the shopping channel would be able to cut there prices more.

WTFH

Shops and shopping channels can charge what they want.
If they can sell them at a higher price they will. They rely on people thinking they are getting a bargain.

Shopping channels work on the principle of what people want, not what they need. They will try to convince you that you need it, then make it sound like you're getting a great deal. I'd say avoid them.

WestonDave

Probably the overheads of broadcasting come into play as well - someone has to pay for the channel licence, the presenters, the studio etc etc, whereas the web shop can probably get by on a warehouse on some scruffy industrial estate, a few low paid people picking and packing, and a website.

There's no law against a bad bargain and so long as the TV channels are clear about the price, if people are stupid enough to buy at those prices, then good luck to those selling!

mattyprice4004

jeanette58 wrote: »

. Can someone explain why they can do this.

It's a free market - they can try to sell a penny sweet for £1,000 if they want.
A TV channel has much higher overheads than a normal Internet shop.

This should probably be in Praise, Vents and Warnings as there's no consumer rights issue here.

jeanette58

Thank you for your replies. You have all answered my question.

DKLS

Simply they can, when I worked for a large corporate we had quarterly meetings to try and work out how we could put the prices up.

transient

Because muppets like my nan and that sit all day watching it and think they are getting a bargain because they know no different and believe the spiel. My nan just purchased a no named tablet from them for £380, I work in IT and never heard of the name of it (have since researched it) and it is poor, they could have got a new ipad air for that price and far better hardware

InsideInsurance

jeanette58 wrote: »

Can someone explain why they can do this. I would have thought the shopping channel would buy alot more stock than the smaller web shops so the shopping channel would be able to cut there prices more.

Why from what aspect? Legally? From a business sense perspective? Ethically?

Profit = revenue - expenses

A business wants to maximise its profit and so will increase its revenues as much as possible and reduce its expenses.

They may well be buying more stock and so getting lower expenses from that but wholesale price of goods has little to do with retail price of goods. Why does a web store sell it for less? Because they have to to get sales, its a more competitive market place with a customer base that will switch loyalty to save £0.01. Why do shopping channels charge so much? Because they can and web stores would too if they could get away with it.

shaun_from_Africa

It's probably a bit like the "It's on ebay so it must be a bargain" mindset.
I've lost count of the times I've been pricing goods up online and have found some ebay sellers with prices far higher than Amazon etc, but if people are willing to pay the higher prices, good luck to the sellers in question.

transient

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

It's probably a bit like the "It's on ebay so it must be a bargain" mindset.
I've lost count of the times I've been pricing goods up online and have found some ebay sellers with prices far higher than Amazon etc, but if people are willing to pay the higher prices, good luck to the sellers in question.

Spot on there Shaun, I know loads of people think they got a bargain from ebay when couldnt be further from the truth