Amazon pricing

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Brian
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Due to their corporate practices, (for example, not registering as a UK business to avoid corporation tax etc.) I'm no great fan of Amazon, and I often look elsewhere when making a purchase, even though it may be a little more expensive.

However, there are times when, purely based on pricing, that I have succumbed and purchased from them, usually books or software.

I've also noticed that, for very short periods of time, they have big price reductions on some of their items.
These reductions often last less than 24 hours and unless you are constantly monitoring prices (which I'm not), you might miss them.

I often browse equipment prices using the "Camera Pricebuster" site, and yesterday afternoon I was looking at prices for the 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Sony/Zeiss Lens for the NEX series.
This is a widely acclaimed lens, usually criticized only for it's premium pricing, and currently goes for over £700 in the UK.
To my great surprise, although it was not shown on "Camera Pricebuster," Amazon had it listed at below £500, and knowing that those Amazon prices can change by the hour, I couldn't resist, and I was "forced" to flex the plastic.
The order has all gone through and I have received a confirmation email at the advertised price.

However, looking at Amazon today, their price is now back to almost £760! (and currently "out of stock")
It looks like I may have got a bargain, but my question is, does anyone know how these "instant" price reductions on Amazon work, and has anyone else managed to grab a great deal on anything?
 
Few people on here including myself picked up a Canon 100mm L IS Macro lens for about 250 quid off the normal price.
Worked out even cheaper because Canon also had a cash back offer running at the time.
Only those who paid for next day delivery got it at the reduced price before they corrected it and cancelled the later orders as it was a pricing error
 
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Due to their corporate practices, (for example, not registering as a UK business to avoid corporation tax etc.)

That's not true. The tax avoidance practices they use are pretty straightforward, but not THAT simple! (I could explain with reference to UK company and tax law if you wished?)

But I share your concern about their practices.
 
That's not true. The tax avoidance practices they use are pretty straightforward, but not THAT simple! (I could explain with reference to UK company and tax law if you wished?)

But I share your concern about their practices.
I know it's more complex, but I was simplifying what I understood about their corporate operations.
I know that by doing what they do they avoid paying huge amounts to the exchequer.

At least it looks like I may have got a good deal from them so I don't feel any guilt, it's just that I was curious about these large hour-to-hour price variations.
 
Some of the time they will do it if another small supplier has managed to get a very exclusive deal, I know of at least one case with computer parts where only one supplier could get the price they had, and amazon just sold at a loss to match them. Other times I suspect they just do it to drive some traffic in and other times it's just a pricing mistake!

I struggle to get too wound up about the tax avoidance thing. All companies do what they can to limit their tax liabilities, amazon are just a nice big juicy media target. On top of that, whilst unethical, they aren't operating unlawfully, so I take as much of an issue with the law-writers!
 
Some of the time they will do it if another small supplier has managed to get a very exclusive deal, I know of at least one case with computer parts where only one supplier could get the price they had, and amazon just sold at a loss to match them. Other times I suspect they just do it to drive some traffic in and other times it's just a pricing mistake!

I struggle to get too wound up about the tax avoidance thing. All companies do what they can to limit their tax liabilities, amazon are just a nice big juicy media target. On top of that, whilst unethical, they aren't operating unlawfully, so I take as much of an issue with the law-writers!
I wondered if the pricing was to compete with a competitor, but the price I'm paying for the Zeiss lens is even lower than the Hong Kong or Korean suppliers on eBay.
Besides, if it were to undercut a competitor, surely the reduction would last as long as the competitor was offering the item, not just a few hours?
I thought "loss leaders" were something that supermarkets employed, to get you through the door, and once inside sell you more stuff.

I also agree that they are exploiting a loophole in the law, and it should be up to the legislators to address the situation.
If a loophole is created then you can be quite sure that someone will exploit it.
BTW there was a documentary about Amazon's operations on the BBC a few weeks ago, and it was revealed that, despite an annual turnover of billions of pounds (dollars) Amazon has never actually made a profit!

Personally, I shall continue my policy of seeking alternative sources of supply if I can, and only purchasing from Amazon if there is no reasonable alternative.
Only yesterday I was looking for a photography book and I saw that it was cheaper from an Amazon merchant than Amazon themselves.
On the Amazon listing the merchants price also had a delivery charge added.
When I went to the merchants own web site, the price was not only lower than on the Amazon merchant site, it also included free delivery, so it pays to shop around.
 
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I saw the same deal and took advantage of it too! I was going to put details of the deal here but by the rime I got round to it the lens had already gone up in price.
According to Camel Camel Camel it went down to this price on the 29th June:

http://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/Sony-...yshot-Black/product/B00EUFTT62?context=browse

Looks like at least 2 of us got a bargain.

I have been debating on getting the 1670 for a while but been put off by the price.
At £500 I thought that I could afford to try it and then sell it on if I don't like it.

My order is showing as delivery between Wednesday and Friday this week. Note that I am not certain that I will get the lens at this price until it is despatched.
I have taken advantage of this kind of thing from Amazon before and a couple of times it didn't work out. Once they claimed a miss-price (we haven't paid for the lenses yet so Amazon can cancel the order if they wish) and the other time Amazon said that the item was never going to come back in stock.
 
My current status shows "Preparing for Dispatch" with an estimated delivery between Monday, 7 July 2014 - Wednesday, 9 July 2014.
Price as that advertised, although I realise they can change or cancel at any time.

I have a lightweight NEX 5N outfit, for when I don't want to lug my full Canon kit around, and I too had been looking at the 16-70 for a while.
Eventually I will upgrade to the A6000, so the 16-70 should suit that nicely.
As you say, at £500 you can probably sell it and not lose money, but I don't intend to do that.
 
My order says "Not yet dispatched DELIVERY ESTIMATE Wednesday, 2 July 2014 - Friday, 4 July 2014"
Hopefully I will get a chance to try it out this weekend.
I have the A6000 and I am really pleased with it. An A6000 with the 1670 should be a great combination. Now I need to get myself a prime - not sure whether to get the 35mm or 50mm. I had a 35mm on my previous Nikon set-up but I take a lot of family portraits so the 50mm may be a better option and it is significantly cheaper.
 
FYI - my order was around 9am yesterday. i wonder if it was actually ever in stock at the reduced price?
Don't you mean Sunday?
I'm pretty sure that when I pulled the trigger Sunday afternoon it said there were three in stock.
When I looked later, the price had gone back up, and it said "out of stock."

The only prime I have is the 16mm F2.8 pancake, which is pretty good alone, but I also have the ECU1 and ECF1 ultra-wide and fisheye adaptors which I use on it.
 
This morning I got a price alert email telling me that the price had gone down on Amazon to £402!
The price fell at 3am this morning but went up to £451 by the time I had got up and read the email. I thought I was getting a bargain at £495 but £402 is a steal. Anyway at least Amazon agreed to refund me the £44 to take the price that I paid down to £451.
 
This morning I got a price alert email telling me that the price had gone down on Amazon to £402!
The price fell at 3am this morning but went up to £451 by the time I had got up and read the email. I thought I was getting a bargain at £495 but £402 is a steal. Anyway at least Amazon agreed to refund me the £44 to take the price that I paid down to £451.
Doh!
Looks like I'm too late to do anything.
Just looked and the price is now £799 and out of stock!
The good news is that my order status "Despatching Now" at £498, so I'm still quite happy.
£402 would have been better or even £451 but I'll take it as it comes.
I wonder how long that £402 price was for, and why these prices go up and down like a Yo-Yo?
 
http://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/Sony-...yshot-Black/product/B00EUFTT62?context=browse

It was £402 for less than 4hours! I contacted Amazon this morning and they refunded me £44 immediately to match the price at the time I phoned. I have just had an on-line chat now with Amazon and they had agreed to refund the other £49! Even though that price was no longer available - and neither was the £451 as it had gone up to £800 again by then. Fantastic service.

I sent them the camel camel camel link above during the discussion and mentioned that I had seen others claiming to have got a refund to bring their order down to £402.

At £495 it was a bargain. £451 was even better and £402 is unbelievable.

And as an added bonus my lens has arrived! (I ordered on Monday when they were out of stock but I have Amazon Prime which may have made a difference in how quickly it got delivered.)
 
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http://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/Sony-...yshot-Black/product/B00EUFTT62?context=browse

It was £402 for less than 4hours! I contacted Amazon this morning and they refunded me £44 immediately to match the price at the time I phoned. I have just had an on-line chat now with Amazon and they had agreed to refund the other £49! Even though that price was no longer available - and neither was the £451 as it had gone up to £800 again by then. Fantastic service.

I sent them the camel camel camel link above during the discussion and mentioned that I had seen others claiming to have got a refund to bring their order down to £402.

At £495 it was a bargain. £451 was even better and £402 is unbelievable.

And as an added bonus my lens has arrived! (I ordered on Monday when they were out of stock but I have Amazon Prime which may have made a difference in how quickly it got delivered.)

Sounds like someone has got a real bargain there :D seems to be very good customer service from Amazon as well to refund you the money

Enjoy your new lens ...
 
Incidentally, when checking book prices on Amazon, their market place sellers can end up cheaper on their own website. At least that's what I discovered with Wordery
 
Incidentally, when checking book prices on Amazon, their market place sellers can end up cheaper on their own website. At least that's what I discovered with Wordery
Yes. I've found that to be the case several times.
I was looking for a book recently and noticed it was cheaper from an Amazon merchant.

Not only that, when I went direct to the merchant's own website, it was not only cheaper still, it also had free delivery!
 
It is also worth checking the prices on other Amazon EU web sites as they vary considerably. With the current strength of stirling those of us in the UK can get some very good prices at the moment. For example, I was looking at getting a Sony A6000. On Amazon UK it is £649 but is around £100 cheaper from other EU Amazon stores. As they are within the EU there are no import duties or other taxes to pay:

https://pricenoia.com/sony-a6000-in...al-camera-with-selp1650-lens-kit-black-24-3mp
 
It is also worth checking the prices on other Amazon EU web sites as they vary considerably. With the current strength of stirling those of us in the UK can get some very good prices at the moment. For example, I was looking at getting a Sony A6000. On Amazon UK it is £649 but is around £100 cheaper from other EU Amazon stores. As they are within the EU there are no import duties or other taxes to pay:

https://pricenoia.com/sony-a6000-in...al-camera-with-selp1650-lens-kit-black-24-3mp
Blimey!
I didn't know such a site existed.
Any idea how the warranty works on an item bought through Amazon from, say, Germany?

PS. The 16-70mm f/4 lens arrived this morning, but no chance to test it yet.
 
I believe that a warranty for someone like Sony applies across the whole of the EU - though it might be worth checking first.
I have seen reports from some people that when they ordered from another European Amazon company the goods ended up being shipped from the UK.
 
It is also worth checking the prices on other Amazon EU web sites as they vary considerably. With the current strength of stirling those of us in the UK can get some very good prices at the moment. For example, I was looking at getting a Sony A6000. On Amazon UK it is £649 but is around £100 cheaper from other EU Amazon stores. As they are within the EU there are no import duties or other taxes to pay:

https://pricenoia.com/sony-a6000-in...al-camera-with-selp1650-lens-kit-black-24-3mp

what a cool site! good find, thanks :)
 
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