W.H. Smith's selling Gen3 for £149.99 (now £179.99) - Page 5

tompe · 09-09-2008, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

So do you reckon that the cost of the complete machine is under €120?

Yes, I think so.

anahid · 09-09-2008, 12:32 PM

And don't you all feel a bit cheated???

HarryT · 09-09-2008, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anahid

And don't you all feel a bit cheated???

Cheated? No, certainly not. I paid what I considered to be a fair price for an excellent machine - I'd be happy to pay that price again, because to me the device is worth it. I really don't give a damn what someone else has paid for it or what it costs to manufacture.

nekokami · 09-09-2008, 12:48 PM

In theory, a free market and competition will force the price as low as it can go and still allow the company to stay in business. There are more costs involved than just manufacturing. I doubt these companies are making huge profits from the e ink business, and someone along the supply chain to W.H. Smith may actually be taking a loss as a long-term investment.

That being said, the single vendor for the e ink screens (PVI) represents a monopoly, so we may not see those costs go down until Plastic Logic or another competitor actually brings some new screens to the market.

anahid · 09-09-2008, 12:53 PM

The machine is excellent indeed, and I do not regret buying it, but considering todays prices of hardware you must admit it's expensive, and most of us are just normal people with normal wages.

Obviously what we pay for is the novelty, just let's hope other suppliers follow the example of W.H. Smith.

jljones · 09-09-2008, 01:21 PM

I've just looked at Pixmania's website. And -
"Applicable Conditions for Price Matching:
If you find your product for less on another UK website within 7 days of purchase, PIXMANIA will refund you the difference (same new product, including the same accessories and equivalent warranty)!
Price Matching only applies to products in the following ranges: CAMERA, CAMCORDER, TV VIDEO, I.T. PRODUCTS, SOUND and TELEPHONY (accessories and consumables not included).
The product price is the price displayed (VAT inc.) excluding discounts such as, promotional codes, gift certificates, and any other promotional offers (stock liquidation or sales)."
Nothing there about what if the item is out of stock on the rival site, and there's nothing on the WHS site sbout it being a promotional offer. So I've just emailed Pixmania about this.

pdurrant · 09-09-2008, 01:23 PM

My Bookeen CyBook arrived today from W.H. Smiths.

I've attached the obligatory unwrapping photos. There are four things in the box

1. CyBook
2. Black Leather Case
3. USB Cable
4. Quickstart Instructions

In short, everything you need and nothing you don't. (USB Chargers, headphones and SD Cards being completely standard items.)

Getting the leather case included is wonderful. A great bargain. I wonder how long it'll take them to get more stock in hand.

Paul

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Yes, mine too. So they did have more than one!

The email was sent around 1am this morning, and confirms the price of £149.99. I've just retrieved it from my spam filter!

Paul

petermillard · 09-09-2008, 01:42 PM

I paid around £285 in June for a Gen3 and don't regret it for a second, though I pondered the purchase for a while before diving in. I've just ordered another from WHSmiths as a present for my wife, as at that price it's really a no-brainer; agreed, £150 is still a decent sum of money, but it's less than a half-day fee for me personally, and a lot closer to my 'impulse-buy' threshold than £285 was.

I think it's entirely possible that Smiths are selling this at a loss or near-loss, and many of the possible reasons have been referred to earlier in this thread. To be honest, I'm still half-expecting Smiths to come back to me with a 'whoops! sorry, made a mistake!' email but I'm in no hurry and am prepared to wait it out and see what happens.

So on that basis, no, I don't feel cheated at all!

JSWolf · 09-09-2008, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jljones

I've just looked at Pixmania's website. And -
"Applicable Conditions for Price Matching:
If you find your product for less on another UK website within 7 days of purchase, PIXMANIA will refund you the difference (same new product, including the same accessories and equivalent warranty)!
Price Matching only applies to products in the following ranges: CAMERA, CAMCORDER, TV VIDEO, I.T. PRODUCTS, SOUND and TELEPHONY (accessories and consumables not included).
The product price is the price displayed (VAT inc.) excluding discounts such as, promotional codes, gift certificates, and any other promotional offers (stock liquidation or sales)."
Nothing there about what if the item is out of stock on the rival site, and there's nothing on the WHS site sbout it being a promotional offer. So I've just emailed Pixmania about this.

Most price matching is usually only done if the item is in stock at the place who has the lower price.

jljones · 09-09-2008, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Most price matching is usually only done if the item is in stock at the place who has the lower price.

Indeed, but Pixmania's conditions don't say this. I don't expect to get anywhere, but was just curious to see how they reply.

Snowman · 09-09-2008, 02:35 PM

The box contents show that this is the basic package, as sold by bookeen and pixmania at approx £269, plus the latest leather cover at £30. (Pixmania, btw, is also a French company).

Given that the WHS price just jumped by the amount of the cover, along with the cost breakdown by Tompe, this makes me think that the basic package only is what they really thought they were selling. Still a rock-bottom price, though, and a very good deal.

bbusybookworm · 09-09-2008, 03:16 PM

Indeed, I've talked to one of my lecturers about readers and she was very much interested. I was originally going to suggest she get the Sony as they were the easiest to get in the UK, but WH smiths price is a ton better.

Getting the Gen 3 would mean that she could buy ebooks from Fictionwise / booksonboard without having to format shift. So a saving in price, & effort while providing a wider Selection. Based on what she says they spend on books, I figure they'll recover the cost of a couple of readers in a few months.

kalpesh · 09-09-2008, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

Indeed, I've talked to one of my lecturers about readers and she was very much interested. I was originally going to suggest she get the Sony as they were the easiest to get in the UK, but WH smiths price is a ton better.

Getting the Gen 3 would mean that she could buy ebooks from Fictionwise / booksonboard without having to format shift. So a saving in price, & effort while providing a wider Selection. Based on what she says they spend on books, I figure they'll recover the cost of a couple of readers in a few months.

if someone can wait till christmas the whsmith again drop the price down i think so even waterstone sell sony for cheaper price if market getting down

NetSlut · 09-09-2008, 04:45 PM

If any non-UK people want to get one of these while the price is still pretty good, I don't mind receiving them and forwarding them on to your respective countries, as long as it doesn't get too overwhelming.

Obviously you'd have to pay for the postage+insurance from here to you, and of course it means that you'd be paying the VAT (i.e. it wouldn't be any cheaper than the list price, since it would be being delivered in the UK), but if you really want one and it's just the delivery that's stopping you, then I'm prepared to help.

DDHarriman · 09-09-2008, 06:49 PM

Hurra!!!

Great it’s true! And the first “official” costumer got his outstanding machine at this price - hey pdurrant great and wish you really enjoy your new toy.

About the “too much cost” issue…
We are in an open market… things cost what one accepts (in the second) he/she is able to pay to lay hands on the “thing”, any “thing”.

Being an early adopter for ages… I’m used to pay zillions for stuff that gets 10 times less expensive in less time then… well you know…

My state is: price is… well… what we accept to pay… in the moment we pay it…

There is just one thing we can do:

1) train ourselves to wait until it’s time, and just buy when it’s time (even if it’s too much “several months/year/whatever after we want to buy”);
2) just buy. Nothing pays the fun of having the gadget we are wanting…

As you can imaging: I’m in the 2) group all the way! (or at least I try)

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09-09-2008, 12:32 PM	#62
anahid Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 49 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Cybook gen3 + Kindle 3	And don't you all feel a bit cheated???

09-09-2008, 12:48 PM	#64
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	In theory, a free market and competition will force the price as low as it can go and still allow the company to stay in business. There are more costs involved than just manufacturing. I doubt these companies are making huge profits from the e ink business, and someone along the supply chain to W.H. Smith may actually be taking a loss as a long-term investment. That being said, the single vendor for the e ink screens (PVI) represents a monopoly, so we may not see those costs go down until Plastic Logic or another competitor actually brings some new screens to the market.

09-09-2008, 12:53 PM	#65
anahid Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 49 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Cybook gen3 + Kindle 3	The machine is excellent indeed, and I do not regret buying it, but considering todays prices of hardware you must admit it's expensive, and most of us are just normal people with normal wages. Obviously what we pay for is the novelty, just let's hope other suppliers follow the example of W.H. Smith.

09-09-2008, 01:21 PM	#66
jljones Enthusiast Posts: 43 Karma: 54 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Iliad	I've just looked at Pixmania's website. And - "Applicable Conditions for Price Matching: If you find your product for less on another UK website within 7 days of purchase, PIXMANIA will refund you the difference (same new product, including the same accessories and equivalent warranty)! Price Matching only applies to products in the following ranges: CAMERA, CAMCORDER, TV VIDEO, I.T. PRODUCTS, SOUND and TELEPHONY (accessories and consumables not included). The product price is the price displayed (VAT inc.) excluding discounts such as, promotional codes, gift certificates, and any other promotional offers (stock liquidation or sales)." Nothing there about what if the item is out of stock on the rival site, and there's nothing on the WHS site sbout it being a promotional offer. So I've just emailed Pixmania about this.

09-09-2008, 01:42 PM	#68
petermillard Evangelist Posts: 496 Karma: 2384998 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: London, UK Device: iPad, iPhone, K3 & Amazon - between them they cover my needs.	I paid around £285 in June for a Gen3 and don't regret it for a second, though I pondered the purchase for a while before diving in. I've just ordered another from WHSmiths as a present for my wife, as at that price it's really a no-brainer; agreed, £150 is still a decent sum of money, but it's less than a half-day fee for me personally, and a lot closer to my 'impulse-buy' threshold than £285 was. I think it's entirely possible that Smiths are selling this at a loss or near-loss, and many of the possible reasons have been referred to earlier in this thread. To be honest, I'm still half-expecting Smiths to come back to me with a 'whoops! sorry, made a mistake!' email but I'm in no hurry and am prepared to wait it out and see what happens. So on that basis, no, I don't feel cheated at all!

09-09-2008, 02:35 PM	#71
Snowman Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 3566 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London UK Device: iPhone 5, Kindle K3, Kindle Voyage	The box contents show that this is the basic package, as sold by bookeen and pixmania at approx £269, plus the latest leather cover at £30. (Pixmania, btw, is also a French company). Given that the WHS price just jumped by the amount of the cover, along with the cost breakdown by Tompe, this makes me think that the basic package only is what they really thought they were selling. Still a rock-bottom price, though, and a very good deal.

09-09-2008, 03:16 PM	#72
bbusybookworm Tech Junkie Posts: 1,027 Karma: 10080 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Earth Device: iPad, MotoXStyle, OnePlusOne	Indeed, I've talked to one of my lecturers about readers and she was very much interested. I was originally going to suggest she get the Sony as they were the easiest to get in the UK, but WH smiths price is a ton better. Getting the Gen 3 would mean that she could buy ebooks from Fictionwise / booksonboard without having to format shift. So a saving in price, & effort while providing a wider Selection. Based on what she says they spend on books, I figure they'll recover the cost of a couple of readers in a few months.

09-09-2008, 04:45 PM	#74
NetSlut Connoisseur Posts: 99 Karma: 657 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Slough, UK Device: Sony Reader	If any non-UK people want to get one of these while the price is still pretty good, I don't mind receiving them and forwarding them on to your respective countries, as long as it doesn't get too overwhelming. Obviously you'd have to pay for the postage+insurance from here to you, and of course it means that you'd be paying the VAT (i.e. it wouldn't be any cheaper than the list price, since it would be being delivered in the UK), but if you really want one and it's just the delivery that's stopping you, then I'm prepared to help.

09-09-2008, 06:49 PM	#75
DDHarriman Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 4380 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Almada, Portugal Device: Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS 505, Kindle DXG and Samsung Galaxy Note	Hurra!!! Great it’s true! And the first “official” costumer got his outstanding machine at this price - hey pdurrant great and wish you really enjoy your new toy. About the “too much cost” issue… We are in an open market… things cost what one accepts (in the second) he/she is able to pay to lay hands on the “thing”, any “thing”. Being an early adopter for ages… I’m used to pay zillions for stuff that gets 10 times less expensive in less time then… well you know… My state is: price is… well… what we accept to pay… in the moment we pay it… There is just one thing we can do: 1) train ourselves to wait until it’s time, and just buy when it’s time (even if it’s too much “several months/year/whatever after we want to buy”); 2) just buy. Nothing pays the fun of having the gadget we are wanting… As you can imaging: I’m in the 2) group all the way! (or at least I try)

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