Keysight e-bay store more expensive than Farnell? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 05:56:22 pm
content: I'm thinking of getting a new bench power supply so had a look at the Agilent/Keysight e-bays store where they have quite a few at the moment and an E3631A caught my eye:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Keysight-E3631A-80W-Triple-Output-Power-Supply-6V-5A-25V-1A-/171785793297?hash=item27ff3b2f11then I decided to look it up on Farnell to see what sort of discount Keysight were offeringhttp://uk.farnell.com/keysight-technologies/e3631a/power-supply-3ch-25v-5a-programmable/dp/1214487And the price at Farnell (£931 + VAT) is less than the e-bay bargain ($1442 = £1021:75 + VAT) !!!Farnell aren't renowned for being cheap so it seems that the e-bay store are selling them as new items (which they are) but at a new or more than new price.Am I missing something?

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 06:01:48 pm
content: QuoteWhere does that listing state this it is supposed to be a discounted product/bargain?

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 06:15:11 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on June 15, 2016, 06:01:48 pmIt doesn't explicitly but the ebay store is for reduced price items - at least that is my understanding otherwise why not just sell them through the normal dealers?The implication of something being on their ebay store is that it is some sort of special offer.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 06:33:30 pm
content: The power supplies are marked as brand new - so I guess they have the price to go with it. I think they only discount used/refurb stuff and the discount % seems to be based on the age of the device. I can only think the stock was reserved/ordered/built and then the order was returned/cancelled so instead of going back into the regular distributor channels it went to the ebay store. If they were to discount new items below retail channels I don't think the distributor chain would be very impressed with them. They do have a make offer button though - see if you can get one for 80% off

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 06:37:17 pm
content: Quote from: jpb on June 15, 2016, 06:15:11 pmWho told you that their store is offering special offer on theNEWequipment?Want bargain:

author: fourtytwo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 06:39:15 pm
content: In general for electronic components Ebay is expensive however with Farnell you have shipping costs & RS big MOQ's however I think Farnell are currently shipping free for over £20

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 07:00:41 pm
content: The new items still have "make an offer" option so they might be discounted.But the weight of opinion seems to be that just because something is on Keysight's ebay store you can't assume it is discounted from list price.I still feel this is misleading, where you have a store outlet that specialises in discounted (used) items, to mix in with them new undiscounted items.Caveat Emptor.As a post-script, Oliver at the Keysight store confirmed that the price is the current US list price and suggested Farnell might have a promotion on. I would guess it might be just a reflection of the drop in value of the £ recently (Farnell perhaps bought their stock when there was more $ to the £).I am still puzzled about the ebay store being used to sell new stock at list price - I don't see any advantage over just buying from a local dealer unless you live in a country that doesn't have a local dealer.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 07:45:33 pm
content: In euros the prices are about the same. Note that you'll have to pay VAT + import charges when you buy from the Keysight store on Ebay.

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2016, 04:20:46 am
content: Quote from: jpb on June 15, 2016, 07:00:41 pmBuying direct from Keysight can be much easier than going through a reseller. So, Keysight is giving the consumer the option. What's the problem? I've seen their new equipment for sale on eBay and found nothing misleading about it all. It was clear as day that it was new equipment being offered at new prices.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 16, 2016, 04:38:01 am
content: Quote from: jpb on June 15, 2016, 05:56:22 pmQuote from: jpb on June 15, 2016, 07:00:41 pmFrom how I see it, it's rather simple.Firstly, Keysight advertising their own products at a discount to be in competition with their alternate (traditional) sales channels would really get those sellers mightily ticked off. Advertising at RRP is only sensible from that perspective - and if they have the "Make an offer" option available, then they might sell at a competitive price, but that will be a private deal.Secondly, there is a glaringly obvious reason for Keysight to be on eBay. Advertising.When you look at the market reach eBay has, it's a platform any merchant would love to have a presence. Heck I even know a couple of sellers (one in particular) who started out on eBay and then moved their operation to their own website - but keep a presence on eBay for that exact reason.... and when you consider the recent Scope Month promotion, the fees for having an eBay presence is completely ignorable. As for the staff required to support it - well it's part of marketing and eBay would be a valid component.

author: System Error Message
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2016, 04:41:04 am
content: Ebay and amazon are never a reliable source, you only sometimes get good deals but amazon's RRP is actually hiked so you think you're getting a discount when you're not.Some companies use a bot to price their items, this means that they change their price based on the usual supply and demand graph. So whenever you see a lone item left on ebay or amazon it usually costs so much more. Many companies will tell you that they have to pay fees but in truth amazon fees are only $40 per month for a seller account, $0.99 per item you sell and a small percentage (like 5%) of the item. Companies make a big deal out of this preying on consumers/customers as they have never had any experience selling on these sites. People go to ebay and think they will get it cheaper than elsewhere but ebay is filled with scammers and fakes. Even massive computer shops can be cheaper if you know how to look.

author: D3f1ant
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2016, 06:19:41 am
content: I wish Keysight would put their entire product line (or at least just all accessories/probes) on the eBay store at RRP prices. US$ RRP is substantially cheaper than what resellers here are quoting.E14 and RS are always cheaper than the local reseller too, but they don't carry (or aren't permitted) to sell all products into all markets.It's totally sucks that we know what this stuff costs in US, and we have to get mates to ship us gear from US just to get a decent price. The local resellers still have to honour the warranty thanks to Keysights global warranty. Stupid as it sounds, even if I buy something from E14 (in ausi) the NZ local reseller gets to handle the warranty, even if they not happy about it. I actually feel bad for them as they provide a great service, Keysight just needs to do something about their international prices.

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2016, 05:23:51 pm
content: Quote from: System Error Message on June 16, 2016, 04:41:04 amYes, there are some notorious companies that just have items from say Farnell's catalogue and add 40% - but the Keysight/Agillent store is their official store. I purchased my 33522A from them at a good discount. I was just not aware, until now, that they sell some new items and just list at the RRP (but perhaps will privately negotiate a discount via make-an-offer).

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2016, 05:28:51 pm
content: Quote from: D3f1ant on June 16, 2016, 06:19:41 amThat makes sense. I guess being in the UK we have quite a lot of choice in terms of dealers (obviously nothing like being in the US but sufficient for there to be a little bit of competition).For me to buy off e-bay requires a good discount even with warranty as it is more hassle. I bought my 33522A from the Agilent/Keysight e-bay store. It was a good price but at first it didn't arrive and I was told it was already delivered! It turned out they had sent it somewhere in the US instead of to me in the UK. They did sort it out quite quickly but it is always going to be more complicated ordering something from a US ebay store which is then shipped from Malaysia.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 16, 2016, 06:13:32 pm
content: Not everything ships from Malaysia either - although it seems the majority of it does. For shipping to Canada they were super easy to deal with. After purchase they generated an invoice with the total that included sales tax from my province. I paid the invoice and it was sent to me directly via Fedex with no additional duties/brokerage etc.

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2016, 06:38:46 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on June 15, 2016, 07:45:33 pmI think Keysight ships to most of EU for "free" and includes customs duty payments. You "just" have to pay the VAT - nothing else.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2016, 07:37:00 am
content: I have bought a few times from the Keysight eBay site and each time I was very happy. I even mailed them upfront and asked what they would accept as a minimum for an offer and each time I got a very nice mail with prices. One of the best ebay buying experiences I had so far.