A word of advice about flights

[Vultch]

But what if you buy from Amazon because of their superb reputation, no hassle on warranties etc.
And say you have an established track record with them.

They know you have visited this product a few times so chances are you will bite, people especially on a big purchase tend to shop around revisiting sites to compare features, but what if the price just creeps up a few quid every few days. Its a great algorithm to make a few more quid.

[Apache]

But what if you buy from Amazon because of their superb reputation,

You're joking, right?

[Vultch]

They have been pretty good to me...
I take it you had problems

[Rustinho]

I'm pretty sure Amazon do the same as well, a printer I was looking at kept creeping up in price every time I logged on to look at it, it went up £60 I purchased it elsewhere closer to the original Amazon price.

So would cleaning out the cookies on my machine solve this or does their server remember my IP address.

Exactly the opposite happens with Amazon Marketplace.

Ever noticed how some suppliers have goods at 1p, 99p, £1.06, etc?

According to my mother-in-law (who runs an online bookstore and sells through eBay, Amazon, etc) some suppliers set things up so that they are cheaper than their competitors. They take the loss in the hope that you'll buy from their website or buy other items from them via eBay/Amazon on the same order.

[flounderbout]

Its a great algorithm to make a few more quid.

It just isn't I'm afraid. Amazon's entire business model is predicated on the fact that they are cheap because they are online. Online retail is as close to perfect competition as you can get in the real world, particularly because of comparison sites and google shopping etc which instantly identify the cheapest supplier.

One of the principle reasons Amazon has enjoyed so much success is that people shop for products on the high street, and then order them through Amazon online, confident that they will be the cheapest retailer or close too it.

And they usually are, because they have huge logistical economies of scale that dominate other online retailers.

The idea that they would jeopardise that whole model in relation to observant customers or customers using comparison sites in order to squeeze a few quid out of some customers who blindly go to Amazon is just really hard to swallow.

[Apache]

Mmmm... Amazon.

My trouble was not directly with Amazon, rather with a courier they used to deliver an expensive telly. I took my issues up with Amazon, and their attitude was 'As soon as the courier has it, it's not our problem mate'. Fact is, they aren't forced to use courier A over courier B. It *is* their problem.

I wont use Amazon again for anything of value.

[12 Bore]

With the major national carriers, I often found it was cheaper to go direct to the airline than the 'cheap flights' websites too.

There's no such thing as a cheap flight, not from Stansted anyway

nohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPyl2tOaKxMt

[flounderbout]

There's no such thing as a cheap flight, not from Stansted anyway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPyl2tOaKxM

Mended that for you. Brilliant.

[Albannach]

Exactly the opposite happens with Amazon Marketplace.

Ever noticed how some suppliers have goods at 1p, 99p, £1.06, etc?

According to my mother-in-law (who runs an online bookstore and sells through eBay, Amazon, etc) some suppliers set things up so that they are cheaper than their competitors. They take the loss in the hope that you'll buy from their website or buy other items from them via eBay/Amazon on the same order.

Amazon's fee structure means that it's sometimes possible to make more money on a, light, 1p book, than it is on a, heavy, £4.99 one.

I used to sell USB cables for 1p, once I was paid Amazon's flat postage fee, less their selling fees, my Jiffy bag and postage, I made about £3 per cable. A far bigger mark up than I could have got selling the cable elsewhere.