Planet X discount pricing

[Blue Hills]

Is it just me or has anyone spotted some odd stuff/wondered.

Are they up to something or do they just have someone working on the web page promos who is in a semi permanent drunken haze?

I have previously seen little tiddly bits like, er screws or whatever selling naturally for pence but marked as having a previous price of something like £379.21. Clearly surreal so I'm not going to claim that is fraud.

But then you get stuff like this today:

http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=40fa628f0fbe316d0497b3c31&id=71f9c80100&e=ca25066a2c

scroll down to where you get to the bags, cleaner sprays etc. On the right, under the the green "buy now" button the advertised saving appears to often understate what it appears to be from, on the left, the current and "was" price.

Have I gone mad/been sniffing too much 3-in-1?

 

[fossyant]

I'm sure someone whollops the prices on there sometimes.

They do do crazy sales around when their VAT return is due - something a friend found out when he was there a few years back.

 

[Blue Hills]

They do do crazy sales around when their VAT return is due -

Sorry, I can be bit thick/naive - what's all that about?

 

[chr15b]

Sorry, I can be bit thick/naive - what's all that about?

Cash flow I guess. Do we know when this is?

 

[fossyant]

Sorry, I can be bit thick/naive - what's all that about?

It's about having additional cash in the bank to pay over the VAT. Money is tied up in stock, so they sometimes need extra cash for the VAT bill, hence a sale to tempt more buyers.

A company I worked for used to hold back paying suppliers at VAT bill time - it's all about cash flow.

 

[Blue Hills]

Interesting comments above about VAT though of course this doesn't account for the discrepancies in stated savings.

 

[chr15b]

They remind me a bit of Sports Direct.

I ordered a RT-58 Alloy from them last week with complete 105 Groupset for around £600. Looking forward to trying it out!

 

[DCLane]

Bear in mind that the 'brands' they sell are mostly all owned by Planet-X now. They buy up failing/withdrawn brands and re-introduce them.

As a result, being the only seller of their brand, the retail price can be anything they like. That allows the massive discounts which in reality are anything but except in the odd case.

It's the same as the Sports Direct model mentioned by @chr15b above.

 

[Roadrider48]

Is it just me or has anyone spotted some odd stuff/wondered.

Are they up to something or do they just have someone working on the web page promos who is in a semi permanent drunken haze?

I have previously seen little tiddly bits like, er screws or whatever selling naturally for pence but marked as having a previous price of something like £379.21. Clearly surreal so I'm not going to claim that is fraud.

But then you get stuff like this today:

http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=40fa628f0fbe316d0497b3c31&id=71f9c80100&e=ca25066a2c

scroll down to where you get to the bags, cleaner sprays etc. On the right, under the the green "buy now" button the advertised saving appears to often understate what it appears to be from, on the left, the current and "was" price.

Have I gone mad/been sniffing too much 3-in-1?

The sale price for selling now is "from". Still is a bit confusing though!
I have bought shed loads from PX, and you are right though, the prices are crazy up and down all,the time.
Saying that though, I have had many bargains from PX and never a problem with delivery or customer services.
Just last week I bought an EC-130e aero bike with Di2. Excellent bike for the price!

 

[Levo-Lon]

I got my RT 58 frame for £130..chuffed to bits..there usually 300

 

[Blue Hills]

The sale price for selling now is "from". Still is a bit confusing though!
!

Yes i know but i clicked on details of at least one of those products and it wasn't the "from" which accounted for the craziness/nonsense. I too have had some good stuff - recently two good tyres for around £5.50 each. I think the best thing to do is just ignore the supposed original prices and just try to judge the value of whatever it is. If you know what it is of course. Recently bought some elastic straps - not what i imagined. Pretty useless. One now being used as a bicycle clip.

 

[Crandoggler]

Their pricing is absolute cock. However they make/sell relatively good frames with the better end of the Groupset and wheel market, for less than any 'branded' bike. So win win. I got my RT58 for £549 with SRAM rival and Campagnolo Khamsin wheels. Which would have retailed at that price alone.

 

[uphillstruggler]

ive just bought one of the magicshine light jobbies as seen in the found a bargain thread. it looks like the light may be a model that is a couple of years old and they have got their hands on a bucket load of them - fair play I say.

are the group sets this years incarnations, they may do the same with those too but I don't see many people moaning about the products that come out of there.

a mate bought one of the tt/tri bikes about 6 months ago, took it for a fitting and the bloke doing the fitting couldn't believe the price.

BUT

I do agree, pricing is a confusing melee at best.

carry on the good work is all I can say.

 

[Blue Hills]

I do wish they sold a broader range of stuff. Heavy leaning towards the racing bunch and a certain lack of everyday shimano bits. They have a pretty high free postage threshold (fair enough - their decision) but with the best will in the world can be pretty hard to hit it without buying a load of cycling caps, possibly "non existent team" tops, tiddly gimicky lights you don't really need.

 

[gareth01244]

I bought a set of campagnolo khamsin wheels after a fellow cyclechat member pointed out to me that they would be £75 delivered in their fifty % discount offer. After placing my order I went back to check something the next day and the price had increased from £150 to £199 for no apparent reason.