How can anyone sell a 99p item when postage alone starts at £1.55?
Amazon expects me to do it. Actually to be competitive I should list is for 98p.
How can anyone sell a 99p item when postage alone starts at £1.55?
Amazon expects me to do it. Actually to be competitive I should list is for 98p.
39 replies
Seller_IC5dxZRZpcM4T
In the Guardian today there is an interesting article "Newly unsealed records reveal Amazon’s price-fixing tactics, California attorney general claims".
It talks about how this exact issue is being called out in the court as anti competitive action from Amazon.
Wont be long before it trickles to the UK and EU
Seller_29wplfvgss2Kc
Amazon compares your total (price + shipping) against the bare shelf price at an external retailer, no delivery added on the other side.
That 99p at retail only exists inside a £15-£40 basket or in-store. Amazon treats it as standalone anyway, and ignores delivery, fees and VAT on our side.
Maths benchmark, not a commercial one, even Amazon would lose money hitting it.
It's the same pattern as countries that enforce prices below inflation or squeeze businesses to please the public: shelves go empty because nobody works at a loss, and the serious ones just move elsewhere.
Seller_l9DWGFvAaJQ2I
Perhaps Amazon isn't the right platform for a 99 pence product? (or even 98 pence)
There isn't a lot of room there for product cost, Amazon margin, your margin, plus postage!
I get what they are saying by offering multiples, but you shouldn't have to do that in the hope of possibly subsidising it.
Maybe just don't sell it on here and all your troubles fly away?
Seller_1QPsxXzbv0YGj
Amazon pulled one of my listing for being priced too high. Despite me opening a case (12185842782), and providing a link to the publisher's website showing the rrp of £9.95, Amazon still wanted me to sell it at £2.95, so I just sell it on eBay.
Seller_3FCTdZQDsLenM
The seller would only do this to liquidate the stock.
They will still lose on the sales, but it avoids ongoing storage fees, and also Amazon charges a disposal/removal fee if they want to return it.
For low-value items or end-of-line, it's better just to take a smaller loss than the loss they would incur from Amazon fees.
Seller_Fg2fqaWOnEtha
Often when Amazon imposes a price you see something like this:
Basically Amazon sell it at that price but it's always out of stock or it's available in November 2027. I don't think this is even legal. This particular product is £12 bought from the manufacturer, Amazon pretend to sell it for £13.99. The problem is that Amazon always get the Buy Box even if permanently out of stock.
Seller_W9yo5Cx6uU7iL
Hi. Just a suggestion. Include the P&P in the price and sell the item for £2.54. I sell records/CD's/DVD's. I never include a postage price and the suggestion works for me.
