Wisper 905SE 2009: different prices?

[hardrock15]

Well after I bought my Wisper 905SE City 2009 version bike(in 1400 GBP), apparantely I discovered that they are available in different prices at different places:

Wisper website: sells the same bike in GBP 1400.00

but following websites:
Powarider
All about bike
sell Wisper in around: GBP 1300.00

Are the bikes sold by above 2 websites different in any ways from the bike sold on wisper website? If not, then why such price difference (of around 100-125 GBP) ?

 

[rog_london]

Wisper quote a recommended selling price which obviously includes a profit margin for a distributor....

As with most products (and many e-bikes) it does pay to shop around. The lowest quoted price I'm aware of for a 2009 model 905SE City is currently £1275, and that's with no effort at all. It would still be a 'proper' Wisper.

I think the full recommended price for the 2009 model is actually £1399 but of course Wisper need to be careful not to undercut their distributors. It's a tricky balancing act for a manufacturer who also supplies direct. Also, I think that in view of the volume of bikes they are now shifting, they are trying to move away from supplying direct and encourage more prospective customers to deal with a distributor.

Of course that may mean the bike has to be shipped to you from a seller some distance away. I took that small risk when I bought mine (an SE Sport) in January, though I have had no cause for regret.

Rog.

 

[Django]

I suspect Wisper are selling at the RRP while some distributors are prepared to take a hit out of their own profit. If Wisper were to undercut them directly there wuld be little point in suppliers taking on the brand as very few people would buy from them.

EDIT: Just saw Rog's answer which explains it much better than mine.

 

[Mussels]

I dare say you will get better service from Wisper as a retailer than you would many of the others so the money is probably not be wasted.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Prices

All of you are of course correct except on one point. We do not sell directly in the UK at all, all orders when placed on our web site are sent to the dealer most convenient for the purchaser.

We only work with retailers who are prepared to go the extra mile in servicing and looking after Wisper riders, of course we are always here to offer back up through Wisper Service. We now hold a huge stock of spare parts in the UK to ensure Wisper riders are not inconvenienced if anything should go wrong.

Retail profits are not massive and although we don't (and of course can't) stop competitive pricing we believe that the margins are about right considering the back up and after sales service we expect our retail partners to provide.

Best regards David

 

[Bigbee]

Im not telling granny how to suck eggs,but we manufacture trampolines in the Far East and have taken many years creating a quality brand,some thing you are trying to achieve We begrudingly let 2 dealers sell on ebay but at full RRP,or it devalues the brand.The electric bike manufacturers in their excitement to grab a bit of market share seem to be turning a blind eye to under cutting.In my view this is not good.Soon internet sellers will be " knocking them out "for £50 or £100 profit and leaving bonefide shops and the manufacturers to support the after sale.

The art of selling is not offering the lowest price.

 

[flecc]

Im not telling granny how to suck eggs,but we manufacture trampolines in the Far East and have taken many years creating a quality brand,some thing you are trying to achieve We begrudingly let 2 dealers sell on ebay but at full RRP,or it devalues the brand.The electric bike manufacturers in their excitement to grab a bit of market share seem to be turning a blind eye to under cutting.In my view this is not good.Soon internet sellers will be " knocking them out "for £50 or £100 profit and leaving bonefide shops and the manufacturers to support the after sale.

The art of selling is not offering the lowest price.

It's against the law for a manufacturer to dictate a price, and has been since the early 1970s in the UK. Wisper cannot control the price their retailers charge, as David has noted in this comment:

although we don't (and of course can't) stop competitive pricing

Here's the legal position:

A supplier can issue non-binding RRPs for its products, or impose maximum prices above which its retailers or distributors may not resell the products.However, in each case the RRP or maximum retail price must not be a disguised minimum resale price or a fixed resale price. In particular, retailers must be allowed to resell products at prices below the RRPs or maximum resale prices.
.

 

[Mussels]

Im not telling granny how to suck eggs,but we manufacture trampolines in the Far East and have taken many years creating a quality brand,some thing you are trying to achieve We begrudingly let 2 dealers sell on ebay but at full RRP,or it devalues the brand.The electric bike manufacturers in their excitement to grab a bit of market share seem to be turning a blind eye to under cutting.In my view this is not good.Soon internet sellers will be " knocking them out "for £50 or £100 profit and leaving bonefide shops and the manufacturers to support the after sale.

The art of selling is not offering the lowest price.

Is that kind of price fixing not illegal?

 

[flecc]

Is that kind of price fixing not illegal?

As I've said above for the UK Mussels. Bigbee's company can only insist on a price to an ebay seller for sales to countries without this sort of consumer protection legislation. For sales to the UK, the USA and any other country that outlaws price fixing, they cannot dictate the price.

Of course if their ebay seller is based in a country where there is no legislation of this type, the legal situation is muddied.
.

 

[Mussels]

As I've said above for the UK Mussels.

Sometimes I take far too long between hitting reply and typing.

 

[flecc]

Sometimes I take far too long between hitting reply and typing.

Why rush? That's for motorists!
.