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2 currency prices on products don't equate

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  • 04-09-2014 4:49pm
    #1
    Kent Brockman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,282 ✭✭✭


    Was in a shop today & the items had the price on them in both Sterling & Euro.

    The GBP price was £7.99 but the Euro price was €12 on the same item.

    £7.99 at today's rate = €10.09 not €12

    How much should I have to pay for this item?


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    #2
    dan1895
    Registered Users Posts: 4,597 ✭✭✭dan1895


    €12. Rates of tax and pay are different between Ireland and the UK, therefore the Irish price is higher.


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    #3
    Miaireland
    Registered Users Posts: 4,065 ✭✭✭Miaireland


    This is fairly common practice. Our taxes, pay rates, and overheads are more expensive than the UK. However there are a few UK business that really take this excuse too far.

    I find if I am buying an item with dual pricing I ask myself am I happy to pay the Euro price, if I am I buy it and if I am not I don't. I don't really take the UK price into account.


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    #4
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,382 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    Nothing new about this, except perhaps the products it is seen on nowadays.

    For many decades you would see dual pricing on newpapers, books & magazines, but now it appears on the likes of clothes. Some people are demanding to pay the sterling price while I expect most of them would never have done the same with books etc.

    Dual pricing should lead to cheaper prices in both markets. I hated the fact that some shops here ended up having to employ staff to cross out sterling prices to stop the whingers -no doubt these costs will be passed onto future customers. If they only go with dedicated price tags at the factory it should cost more too.

    If the shop has an online store check it out. Some shops force you to use a .ie site, in which case you could try using parcel motel which give you a UK address.

    Some items can be very different prices, e.g. cycling helmets are zero vat in the UK and 23% here.


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    #5
    Cabaal
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,497 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    Kent Brockman wrote: »
    How much should I have to pay for this item?

    The price in euro's that the shop advertises the item at, in this case 12 euro's.
    Shops in Ireland don't change their prices daily based on currency changes, shops in Ireland also have higher staff, rent costs etc then the UK.

    If you are unhappy with the price in that retailer then shop elsewhere, expecting it at the GBP to Euro rate at today's rate without taking into account different costing factors is just plain silly and shows a lack of understanding of how much it costs for a company to operate in Ireland when compared to the uk.


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    #6
    Big Eejit
    Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭Big Eejit


    I've bought clothing items online from Euro companies that tag their items in multiple currencies. I have often complained where there's been a bigger difference between the tag price (in Euro) and the price I've been charged on my credit card (ultimately, also in Euro) than can be attributed to exchange rates and/or Irish VAT rate. I've always been refunded the difference.

    Amazon UK/DE/FR are terrible for this as you end up buying from Amazon Germany/France, but through the UK (and therefore GBP).


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    #7
    keithclancy
    Registered Users Posts: 9,208 ✭✭✭keithclancy


    Big Eejit wrote: »
    I've bought clothing items online from Euro companies that tag their items in multiple currencies. I have often complained where there's been a bigger difference between the tag price (in Euro) and the price I've been charged on my credit card (ultimately, also in Euro) than can be attributed to exchange rates and/or Irish VAT rate. I've always been refunded the difference.

    Amazon UK/DE/FR are terrible for this as you end up buying from Amazon Germany/France, but through the UK (and therefore GBP).

    Why not just buy it on Amazon.de then ?


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    #8
    Big Eejit
    Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭Big Eejit


    keithclancy wrote: »
    Why not just buy it on Amazon.de then ?

    Shipping costs... and sometimes it also happens that they won't deliver to Ireland at all (but will deliver via UK or I can sort it out with Parcel Motel etc - there're reasons).


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    #9
    jahalpin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,031 ✭✭✭jahalpin


    Kent Brockman wrote: »
    Was in a shop today & the items had the price on them in both Sterling & Euro.

    The GBP price was £7.99 but the Euro price was €12 on the same item.

    £7.99 at today's rate = €10.09 not €12

    How much should I have to pay for this item?

    What you actually mean is that the price that the UK branch company is inviting you to buy the product at in the United Kingdom is £7.99 whereas the Irish subsidiary of the company is offering the product for €12.00 in the Republic of Ireland (not actually part of the United Kingdom)

    There are a lot of reasons for the difference in price;
    - Different VAT treatment of product in different jurisdictions
    - Much smaller economies of scale in ROI than in UK
    - Higher distribution costs in ROI due to low population density
    - Higher minimum wage costs in ROI

    Regardless of anything else, the company is under no obligation to sell the product at the UK price outside of the UK (and actually within the UK) and can actually charge whatever they want for the product


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