Overpriced Printer Cables
After being laid off a few weeks ago I found a good reason to go out and get a printer so I can finally print out my resume and give it out at interviews ( should there be any) and I was absolutely taken back by the outright blasphemy of the prices of printer cables. Now it should be noted that most new printers do NOT come with the USB A/B cable that is needed to connect them to the computer, and the way retail stores are making money is by charging a horrendous markup on printer cables. But fear not because there is a way around the $30 – $40 outrage you see at stores like Best Buy and Circuit City.
See we live in an age where internet shopping is easily the best alternative to shopping in a retail store and it’s surprising that so many people get suckered into buying at the store instead of shopping online for a better price. As you can see this cable from amazon is $25 cheaper than the store brand cable that you can buy at Best Buy (Dynex is best buy’s own brand in case you didn’t know) and it’s the same quality.
I’ve been trying to figure out how these companies get away with charging such a high price for items that can be bought for significantly cheaper online. You’d figure that they would be forced to change their prices but they don’t.
I just wanted to help you all save some money the next time you buy a new printer by avoiding the cables at the retail stores and instead buy them online.
On a side note J.K Rowling’s new book is ready for pre-order so get yourselves over to your nearest bookstore or pre-order it through amazon to guarantee your copy
August 26th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I think it’s probably because a sizable percentage of the population still does not shop online. You would think it would be a very small percentage of tech buyers these days, but apparently not.
Then again, maybe it’s all in the marketing. I’m sure Wal-Mart probably has cheaper cables than Best Buy or Circuit City, but people will still go to those stores and pay more. They probably think they are getting a good deal, but don’t actually do any price comparisons to try to confirm it.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
it’s shocking how many people don’t shop online. you’d think by the fact that online shopping sites keep popping up that it’d be catching on but apparently not as fast as it should be
August 27th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Jeez, I’m having a hard time doing getting rid of my old USB cables. I never get rid of them, because they are so expensive.
I did see them at the Goodwill earlier (cheap stuff rocks!) for 1.50, so if you’ve got one near you, you might want to take a look.
September 25th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
The stores get away with it primarily because of the “Expensive = better” meme. The most spectacular examples of this are found in the world of audiophoolery, where hucksters sell $1200 speaker cables to the rich and credulous, and one company set a world record for chutzpah with a $480 wooden *VOLUME CONTROL KNOB*.