published1. August 2022, 19:15
Massive price dropTV 1,000 francs cheaper following purchase – that’s why you shouldn’t wait
Entertainment electronics cost significantly less shortly following they go on sale. Traders change prices several times a day. But that probably no longer applies to the upcoming devices.
If you want to buy a new TV for it, you should be careful, because the prices fluctuate greatly.
imago images/Sven Simon
A Digitec customer is annoyed that the television he bought six months ago suddenly costs 1,100 francs less.
Screenshot Digitec.ch
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A Digitec customer bought a television that half a year later was almost half the price.
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Digitec confirms that prices will fall sharply following the launch.
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However, due to the high energy and delivery costs, price increases are to be expected for the upcoming devices.
This year, two major football events will take place in winter, the European Football Championship for Women and the Men’s Football World Cup. If you want a new TV for it, you should be careful, because the prices fluctuate greatly.
“Top product, unfortunately I paid over 1100 francs too much,” writes a customer regarding the LG OLED TV 77C17 in the Digitec online shop. In fact, the television still cost almost 3,000 francs at the turn of the year, and as much as 5,000 francs shortly following the product launch, as the price development at Digitec shows. The device is currently available from online retailers for around 1,800 francs.
He never thought that such a television would drop in price so much in such a short time. He finds the price development “almost dramatic”. Another customer writes: “Such products are never stable in price. If you buy them brand new, you always pay too much.”
Prices fluctuate several times a day
A spokeswoman for Digitec confirms that the sales prices sometimes fluctuate several times a day. This always causes excitement among customers. In addition to the available supply and demand, the reasons for this are also the purchase price, competitive prices and one’s own costs.
Consumer electronics typically have short product life cycles, the spokeswoman said. Many consumers always wanted the latest device. After the launch, the prices therefore drop, especially when the follow-up device has already been announced.
“In the beginning, all products are expensive”
Multimedia and TV expert Luca Giuriato from the market researcher GfK Switzerland also explains the rapid drop in price of the products compared to 20 minutes with the availability of the goods. “In the beginning, all products are expensive because not many of them can be produced yet,” says Giuriato.
It only becomes cheaper with the quantity, when mass production begins. Then the range would be larger and more and more dealers might include the device in their range, which would also increase the competitive pressure, according to Giuriato.
This is why multimedia devices are cheaper in Switzerland than abroad
Switzerland is a high-price island for many products. However, multimedia devices such as TVs usually cost less compared to other countries. Multimedia and TV expert Luca Giuriato from market researcher GfK Switzerland explains the low prices for electronic devices with the tough competition in Switzerland. “We have market participants here, so there is a lot of competitive pressure, while there are only two major suppliers of electronic devices in countries like Austria,” says Giuriato. Another reason is the lower VAT in Switzerland, which means that prices are another twelve percent lower than in Austria, for example.
The phenomenon is not limited to TVs and other electronic devices. “That’s the dynamic of the market. In the case of clothes, the fall in prices is even more massive. Even the new car is immediately worth less when it comes out of the garage,” says the market researcher.
Now it’s getting more expensive
However, he now expects prices to rise for the new models, which tend to come onto the market towards autumn. “The dealers’ warehouses are still full. But transportation costs have more than quadrupled because of supply chain issues and high energy prices,” Giuriato said.
In addition, there are still bottlenecks in raw materials. For this reason, many products might become somewhat more expensive in autumn and winter compared to the previous year, despite the discount battle on Black Friday, Singles’ Day or the World Cup.