what a shame!!!!!

[PCPO]

as above, the companies want to keep the prices of thier products artificially high, so they make more money

[ugrow]

as above, the companies want to keep the prices of thier products artificially high, so they make more money

I always understood that if a company wanted to charge a price for a product then they could. As for their products being priced artificially high, if people are buying them then they must be being sold at an affordable price. Therefore how can they be artificially high. People have a choice to buy or not to buy, if they cannot afford the item that they want don't blame the company because it is to expensive.

I would like an Aston Martin DB7 but because I cannot afford one I do not say that the price is artificially high. The price is what the market will stand and I accept that.

[SalusLibrorum]

I always understood that if a company wanted to charge a price for a product then they could. As for their products being priced artificially high, if people are buying them then they must be being sold at an affordable price. Therefore how can they be artificially high. People have a choice to buy or not to buy, if they cannot afford the item that they want don't blame the company because it is to expensive.

I would like an Aston Martin DB7 but because I cannot afford one I do not say that the price is artificially high. The price is what the market will stand and I accept that.

But if someone managed to source a few hundred of them, say, one of their relatives died and they inherited a collection, but they weren't allowed to sell them at all, never mind at a bargain price, do you think that is right?

This is what is happening here. Sellers on eBay are getting wholesale supplies of the genuine article and were selling them cheaper than the 'authorised' dealers. They have been told that in France they can't do that, because it devalues the brand, ie. lowers the price and reduces it's exclusivity - us non super rich people can then afford to have them which is no good, can't have the riff-raff buying luxury goods.

I can't believe someone is actually defending price fixing. At the moment these perfumes are not being sold at an 'affordable' price, that's the whole idea, the prices are set to prevent the ordinary person from buying, like you with the Aston Martin (although since they are hand made, one can argue a case for the expense on their part, something that's difficult with a bottle of perfume).

Personally I think they should bring back the net book agreement, stop the likes of Tesco undercutting everyone. Books should be the sole preserve of the rich and educated again.

[leapingcat]

The French court's ruling was to do with Ebay allowing fakes to be sold on its site, but now other companies are cynically jumping onto the bandwagon to try and protect their artificially high profits and rip-off pricing in a completely different way:


http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle4258334.ece

At present this only seems to affect Ebay, as it is the largest and highest-profile site, but as other sites especially Ebid grow, then the risk of this could spread so for once we should be behind Ebay. Let's hope that EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes will be doing something to justify her salary.

[SalusLibrorum]

The French court's ruling was to do with Ebay allowing fakes to be sold on its site, but now other companies are cynically jumping onto the bandwagon to try and protect their artificially high profits and rip-off pricing in a completely different way:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...onsumer_goods/

At present this only seems to affect Ebay, as it is the largest and highest-profile site, but as other sites especially Ebid grow, then the risk of this could spread so for once we should be behind Ebay. Let's hope that EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes will be doing something to justify her salary.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle4258334.ece

Baby buggies next.

In the current climate, one wonders whether these companies aren't actually committing commercial suicide, since their buggies aren't exactly luxury goods. All they are going to do is restrict their market, probably not a good idea at the moment.

[haveit]

#10 - I dont blame anyone who wants to protect their products - if its too exclusive for you, dont buy it.

If you designed something, would you like someone to flogg it off cheaper or make fakes of it - I dont think so. The French were absolutely right in what they did. I hope more companies fine feebay who profit from it - they have a hypocritical brass neck.

[SalusLibrorum]

Fakes are a completely different matter. Although a lot of the time there is not actually any loss to anyone, the buyer doesn't believe what they've bought is real, and never would have bought an original for the inflated prices they are demanding, so there is no sales loss either.

And for 'exclusivity' read 'rip off'. Yes, I object to rip-off pricing (and mass produced expensive perfume is a supreme example of a rip off), and no I don't buy it. Not because I can't afford to, but because those companies separating rich idiots from their money don't deserve my business - that and all those supposedly designer labels remind me of idiotic, drug ridden anorexic buffoons who have nothing better to do with their time than laze around on endless holidays getting wrinkled, and attend mindless social events all trying to out-designer each other. I used to have a pair of £1.99 Woolworths sunglasses that I loved, but I've had to get rid of them now because they remind me too much of Victoria Beckham, YUK. I think those plastic airhead women are the epitome of what 'designer' is all about.

Price fixing cartels and monopolies taking advantage of their situation are illegal (theoretically - athough apparently not in France any more, for French companies).

If I designed a product that was so popular that people wanted to sell it, and started faking it, I would be absolutely delighted because that would mean that it was highly sought after and likely making me an obscene amount of money. I would also adjust my marketing so that there would be no point in making fakes.

[heatemyfather]

Well, we all know what the French are like

Price fixing happens all over the world in many different products, one could almost argue that oil is price fixed and being artificially kept high by investors (notice they have not said a word about it). In fact, investors never seem to pipe up unless they actually start losing money, or not making as much money as they were last month. You can almost guarantee that it's these same investors who have been lobbying the French law courts to bring this action against fleeBay, since their accountant was on the phone telling them they won't be able to afford that extra holiday home this year.

[deesignerstore]

I was pounced on earlier in the year for selling some Topshop products. These were genuine items, purchased in bulk from a clearance house.

The items in question were from a range that was finished 3 - 4 years previously, yet I was jumped on from a great height.

I replied to all their emails, giving them the information they asked for and heard nothing until I had a phone call from one of the main importers, who said they'd banged a £500 fine on him as none of their goods should be sold on without being de-branded!

Booger!

He was actually very nice on the phone and admitted that I wasn't to blame.

Needless to say I removed the items immediately and will sell them de-branded from now on!

Surely if Topshop can physically police the sale of their own goods then these companies can do the same without the need for court action?

[madelaine]

ebid will remove fakes so long as someone takes the time to report each one. I've done it for long enough

LV count currently 9 - all fakes.