ink cartridges
Superstores have huge buying power and the ability to sell products with very low profit margins. So why do you need to go online for cheap printer ink cartridges?
Anyone who has tried to purchase cheap ink cartridges from a superstore before will know just how difficult this can be. Unless the store is holding a massive promotion as a loss leader or to shift old stock then it is very unlikely that printer cartridges will be priced cheaper than online e-commerce shops.
The main reason why most cheap ink cartridges are found online is supply and demand. The demand for printer consumables is absolutely huge however the supply online is far greater than on the high street. The majority of these online discounted inkjet and toner sellers will specialise in this market and sell nothing else. This pushes prices down as online retailers all fight for a piece of market share. Superstores can rely on shoppers paying a little extra for the convenience of purchasing while they are in the store and not having to worry about delivery from unknown discount e-commerce sites.
Another reason why printer ink is cheaper online is that there are far less costs associated with this method of selling. Where as a superstore has to pay rent, rates, maintenance and staffing costs for prime commercial premises an online retailer is merely sending stock from a warehouse. As the location of the warehouse is unimportant it can be in a very low rent area to minimise costs allowing for a lower price point to achieve a profitable margin.
Finally, specialist online retailers of ink and toner cartridges are extremely focused on their industry and keep close relationships with their suppliers. An internet retailer selling cheap replacement ink cartridges may be at an advantage whereby they have a re-manufacturing company supplying them with cartridges that the large superstores could not buy from due to their unfavourable payment terms.
A new breed of online cartridge retailer also exists which has caused prices to drop even further. These are the e-commerce sites that are willing to sell certain product lines at a loss in order to secure a new customer. This customer is then marketed to aggressively and offered alternative products which are priced with a higher profit margin. This method of customer acquisition is very risky however retailers with large customer databases are adopting it in a bid to price their competitors out of the market.
One thing is for certain; as long as the online market place has such an abundance of cheap ink cartridge sellers prices will continue to be kept well below the reach of high street superstores.