UK prices

[ChrisDevismes]

We over here in the UK seem to have the rough end of the stick when it comes to most things electronic - PC bit an' pieces being no exception. Comparisons with the USA leave me drooling. Does anyone know of really sharp prices over here and ain't it about time we here started to liven up the complacent price fixing markets we have to live with ?

[Bovon]

Yep, I read your other thread.

You might like to consider trade agreements, taxes both local as well as import/export ect. Quite often, there are a lot of things in the background that affect prices, sometimes a lot.

For instance, a manufacturer in Taiwan makes a motherboard, and they sell it for $50 bux by the carload. By the time tarrifs, import taxes, local and (over here) state taxes are applied. Trade agreements can be huge. By the time that $50 board reaches the shelves here, it now has cost the supplier another $50 bux, so they now have to sell it for maybe $125 - $135 bux to make a profit. That same item going to the UK may be more or less according to the various agreements, taxes ect.

[Sickboy]

You could try Ebuyer (http://www.ebuyer.com) they're quite cheap, but hard to deal with if you have a problem.
I'm on the lookout for hardware wholesalers in the UK if anyone knows of any - I agree with Chris; US prices are so much better than over here. Alternatively does anyone know of a good US supplier who will ship to the UK? If only newegg shipped internationally!

[Shent]

there u go.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/

[Ammok]

my favs

www.komplett.co.uk

www.novatech.co.uk

www.watford.co.uk

and ebuyer as mentioned, www.dabs.com has a good value range but you really need to search out the bargains. Patience is definately required.

[ChrisDevismes]

Thanks, there's a couple there I like the look of. I get the same using Dabs Ammok. Overclockers look nice and independent and fairly competitive. More power to our UK elbows, thats what I say.:)

[Shent]

Overclockers is a top site

Good service
Good delivery
Good prices (infact there very hard to beat)
Top of the range gear and good staff
;)


Hey i should get commission for this (not) :D :D :D

[Gee]

Prices are shocking I must admit however I may be able to help you there. I'm a UK reseller and have been in the game for a while. I quite often get perks from the Distributors and Manufacturers. I have worked for several Disti's so I still get top prices and first pick on anything going cheap. Drop me a mail and I will see what I can do.

[Open Case]

RIP OFF BRITAIN
:mad:

Check out www.redstore.com (uk) Good value, lots a specials and stuff

The shipping prices are v good too £5 up to a certain weight

Priced up a desktop system inc. monitor, less than £10 shipping.

They beat the dabs and watfords of this world.

:t

[silten]

Another one to consider is

Eclipse Computers (http://www.eclipse-computers.co.uk)

Competitive prices and free delivery in the UK.

[Ammok]

I have just bought from www.komplett.co.uk two 256mb DDR C2.5 for £32.00 each, vat included.(plus £3.50 post and packing)

Get em while their cheap, last month they were over £50.00 each.

[Wayniac]

You could try a computer fair, like:

http://www.computermarkets.co.uk/NCM.html

Want to see what a bit of competition can do? Look at the prices on each stall.

People often shiver when I mention computer fair or market, but the reality of the one's like the above are that you're buying the stuff you would otherwise get out the shops - with receipt and guarantee. Except you're obviously not paying shop prices!

For instance, "certain" PC stores are charging £29 for a USB card, yet they're £12 at the fair. You can also get "specials", like a motherboard and CPU with fan for less than you would pay even at the fair. At Xmas I bought my Brother a Gigabyte motherboard, Duron 850 and fan for £99 all in. Hardest bit was giving it to him and resorting back to my Cyrix 333+ system!!

The people selling most of the goods are not here today gone tommorrow types, but are actually representitives of their companies dealing with trade and retail customers.

You can also get new DVD's and just about every brand of blank media, printer accessory you can think of at a bargain price.

You can get some fantastic bargains at a computer fair, just by looking around and comparing prices. The only downside is that because it's a British thing it can get a bit crowded sometimes! Also, they used to sell MP3 cd's by the bucketload, but as you all probably gathered they've clamped down on such fun so they're almost non-existent :-(

I'm all for a bit of competition. It IS about time the British started getting their own back on the high-street rip-off merchants; there's nothing like the feeling of paying "under" the odds for something.

Makes a great day out if you fancy a slimmer wallet!

[silten]

It's true, you can get a good deal at trade fairs, but I'd urge you to be cautious. I used to get all my hardware from such places, but after being stung for the third time, I've vowed never to go to one again.

I bought some SDRAM from one vendor that was of such poor quality it would cause the system to become unstable almost every time. It took several months to track him down again and an hour of arguing before he agreed to refund the full price that I paid.

The next problem I had was when GeForce 2 MX 200s hit the market and every vendor was selling them as standard GeForce 2 MXs, most of them unaware of the huge performance difference. I took the card back, only to be told that it was up to me to check what I was buying at the time of purchase, not for them to advertise it properly. I hounded these guys for weeks, visiting their stall on three consectutive fairs, arguing in front of their customers, warning people who went to buy the cards from them that they were not what they appeared to be and I'm **** sure cost them a few hundred quid in lost sales as a result, but still they would not refund me. It took 3 more purchases from different vendors before I managed to find a standard GeForce 2 MX and not a 200 variant.

The third and final time was a monitor that had a faulty video cable. The vendor told me I must have damaged it as he tests them all personally before sale, but I eventually managed to get a replacement from him then watched as he took the damaged one back and put it on sale again!

I'm not saying every merchant is a rogue. Most of them are on the level, but don't just go for the cheapest prices. Get some recommendations from friends first, talk to the vendor about their refund policies and pay by credit card for the extra insurance.

[ChrisDevismes]

All good advice - once again thanks to all you folks out there and keep spinning in the suggestions 'cos we need a cuuting line in the UK.
:t

[jimmy cobra]

http://www.planetmicro-online.co.uk/

http://www.aria.co.uk/

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/