Bargains

[Alain Maréchal]

Seriously angry and fed-up now

My apologies: I had not intended to upset anybody, but I suppose with hindsight it was likely to happen. We must all follow the dictates of our conscience, and I admit that I am fond of a bargain, in fact given my impending status of retired, even more so.

[amateur51]

My apologies: I had not intended to upset anybody, but I suppose with hindsight it was likely to happen. We must all follow the dictates of our conscience, and I admit that I am fond of a bargain, in fact given my impending status of retired, even more so.

Anger directed in no sense at you Alain - I'm retired and bargains are a way of life, and often life-enhancing they are too

It's just when I hear that the people who pay for my benefits etc are being ripped off ...

[teamsaint]

Seriously angry and fed-up now

Yes, I'm afraid that Alain and his legal mate (they get everywhere don't they?!) are at least partially correct.

Not least of the problems in decision making is that supply chains can be very complicated, especially in gigantic industries like food and clothing.
Sometimes bad practice is deliberate, sometimes its casual, sometimes it is happens by mistake or due to sloppiness, haste, urgency, short term pressure or whatever. There are canny/unscrupulous operators further down the supply chains of course.

More up market brands do get caught out, as M and S did. I don't think it necessarily makes M and S the worst, or a serial offender, but we need to be careful to watch what they do, not listen to what they say.

Speaking personally, I try(not always very well) to spend my money, if possible where it has a visibly positive effect on others who need the work. EG use a milkman, pay somebody to do my windows, use local shops. But I'm afraid I succumb to the price temptations of the big boys as we all do.

I have almost (but not completely) stopped using Amazon direct, although I do use market place a lot.

[hafod]

I have almost (but not completely) stopped using Amazon direct, although I do use market place a lot.

If you are small marketplace seller like me - 2 or 3 items a month of duplicates or changes in taste - then Amazon takes a 17.5% cut of the selling price and helps itself to a portion of the postage and packing charge for what seems to me to be sweet FA. I console myself with the thought that the few items I sell go to other music lovers.

[teamsaint]

If you are small marketplace seller like me - 2 or 3 items a month of duplicates or changes in taste - then Amazon takes a 17.5% cut of the selling price and helps itself to a portion of the postage and packing charge for what seems to me to be sweet FA. I console myself with the thought that the few items I sell go to other music lovers.

Thanks for that Hafers. I was aware that this was the sort of take that amazon get. I console myself that sellers get something, and that amazon don't get as much as on new product.
Tend to feel a bit guilty that the artists miss out, but try to get round this by remembering that I spend a good bit supporting artists by paying for live performances.

Its a bad world, basically. But full of good people !!

[Beef Oven!]

.............But I'm afraid I succumb to the price temptations of the big boys as we all do.

Naughty, naughty

[cloughie]

Maybe next time one of us tries to put one over Amazon on a price that looks too good to be true we'll think about the Swansea slaves - or maybe more about our bank balances?

[vinteuil]

If you are small marketplace seller like me - 2 or 3 items a month of duplicates or changes in taste - then Amazon takes a 17.5% cut of the selling price and helps itself to a portion of the postage and packing charge for what seems to me to be sweet FA. I console myself with the thought that the few items I sell go to other music lovers.

... thanks for that insight, hafod.

Makes it all the more baffling, all those books on sale at 1 penny plus postage at £2-80....

[amateur51]

Maybe next time one of us tries to put one over Amazon on a price that looks too good to be true we'll think about the Swansea slaves - or maybe more about our bank balances?

i'm not quite clear what you're driving at here cloughie. Surely those of us with a conscience should be doing as teams has suggested and go just for market-plaace dealers as often as possible if not all the time?

Or are you saying that there's evidence that 'the prices that look to good to be true' rebound on the staff who perhaps made the error, and so we shouldn't take the bargains up as an expression of solidarity? Worthy as that sounds, I can't see how it works in practice.

[amateur51]

... thanks for that insight, hafod.

Makes it all the more baffling, all those books on sale at 1 penny plus postage at £2-80....

Particularly the ones that come all the way from the little ol' US of A

[muzzer]

£2.80 post and packing is plainly unfair. I have seen for some time however that some of the larger marketplace sellers of books now have orders "fulfilled by amazon". These can be eligible for Prime as in next day delivery but you still pay the £2.80 not just a penny. These stores tend to be the ones who sell in not great condition so you're paying £2.80 for something you could get for half that at your local charity shop, but which you can't see beforehand. I'd be very curious as to the relationship between those sellers and amazon.

That said, there are bargains to be had on amazon, often - as with my radio - where something has been bought in error and returned. I have benefitted from this when buying very large art books by taschen and saved 70% from list price.

As to the workers in Swansea I can only sympathise. I had a clerical job a few, ahem, years ago that involved writing legal aid account numbers onto bills. We were quick but we weren't on piece rates. IIRC we were paid £2.80 an hour. Much of which found itself into the coffers of Messrs Truman's. But I digress.

[cloughie]

i'm not quite clear what you're driving at here cloughie. Surely those of us with a conscience should be doing as teams has suggested and go just for market-plaace dealers as often as possible if not all the time?

Or are you saying that there's evidence that 'the prices that look to good to be true' rebound on the staff who perhaps made the error, and so we shouldn't take the bargains up as an expression of solidarity? Worthy as that sounds, I can't see how it works in practice.

It doesn't and I guess the bargain seeking side of us usually wins over the moral debate. Small marketplace sellers probably need to put a price of £3 on an item to make it worthwhile and if the postage rates increase again without an increase of the postage allowance from Amazon we may as well shut our shops. When I started in 2009 2nd class post for a single CD was 76p - it is now £1.10!

[mathias broucek]

It doesn't and I guess the bargain seeking side of us usually wins over the moral debate. Small marketplace sellers probably need to put a price of £3 on an item to make it worthwhile and if the postage rates increase again without an increase of the postage allowance from Amazon we may as well shut our shops. When I started in 2009 2nd class post for a single CD was 76p - it is now £1.10!

Agreed. That said, I sometimes send first class from my store as it's £1.20 which seems cheap compared to £1.10 for second class.....

[Stunsworth]

Makes it all the more baffling, all those books on sale at 1 penny plus postage at £2-80....

The sellers are probably using automated software that ensures their item is the cheapest. Hence if two sellers are using similar software the result is a race to the bottom.

As an occasional seller on Amazon I used to dread Zoverstocks selling the same item, it was impossible to undercut their price.

[hafod]

Agreed. That said, I sometimes send first class from my store as it's £1.20 which seems cheap compared to £1.10 for second class.....

Agreed. The big increment for second class is when the packet exceeds 25mm thick e.g. for the larger 2cd jewel case, which is £2.60!

As an occasional seller on Amazon I used to dread Zoverstocks selling the same item, it was impossible to undercut their price.

Zoverstocks uses two condition descriptions - 'new' and 'very good'. In reality the latter is often less than this but sometimes is 'like new' except for the jewel case. Often my discs and artwork are like new but it is the jewel case that has marks warranting an overall 'very good'. In these circumstances I make a point of stating that the disc/artwork is 'like new' or 'pristine' or 'unmarked'. This is usually enough to be preferred over Zoverstocks for a small differential when the product sells. I never list anything at less than £2.50 as it is not worth the effort.