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Buying 17" Bags in the UK - Extortion?

D

deadparrot

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 19, 2009
15
0
I am the proud owner of a new 17" MBP, but have yet to actually do anything portable with it as I have yet to find a suitable bag for a reasonable price.

Having perused many MR threads and the Apple store online, I decided that I quite like the design of the Incase bags, and what with lectures finishing early today, I headed into central London to the Regent Street Apple Store in order to see one of these elusive bags with my own eyes.

What I found once I got there was the reasonably priced Incase Compact Backpack for £50 which is unfortunately too small to take a 17" MBP. Despite this, there was indeed the larger Incase Nylon Backpack available, but at a hugely inflated price. £90 is the price for this one. An additional £10 or £15, hell, maybe even £20 could be understandable for the extra space, but £40!?

Seriously Apple, an 80% price hike for a slightly larger bag? According to the store employees, this price is set by Incase. I don't believe it is.

You see, direct from Apple in the USA, the Compact Backpack retails for $80 which is currently equivalent to £50 - the same price Apple is asking in the UK. However, in the USA, the larger Nylon Backpack retails for $100 - equivalent to £60. Why is Apple charging the UK £30/$45 more?

I've already handed over a lot of money for my MBP and now Apple wants to overcharge me for something extra?

Rant aside, does anybody know of anywhere in the UK I can find an Incase bag or something of equivalent quality for a price which isn't utterly absurd?
 
Am I really the only one who thinks this is outrageous? Surely someone must know of somewhere these bags are sold their proper price...
 
Have you looked at othe stores or online on google shopping for the bag?

How big is that bag? Could you fit in a large water bottle and books in there with ur laptop?
 
I'm going to defend Apple somewhat on this one. It is possible that these incase products are distributed and imported from the US and are subject to import duties when they reach the UK shores. On arrival, they will then be handled by another distributor who sets their prices for costs to the retailer and an RRP. The retailer doesn't have to follow the RRP but it might be contractual and the retailer may/maynot be able to change the selling price to the consumer.

In other words, there is probably more layers in the the supply chain to reach the consumers in the UK than there is for those in the US with each layer having to make their own cut and margins.

This is just a very simplified and general model of how imports work. Variations of global pricing can vary tremendously with all kinds of products, for instance, look at the prices of Nike shoes, jeans, cars, ... the list goes on.

You don't like it, and don't get me wrong because I don't like it either but unfortunately sometimes some facets of life stinks.
 
Ksb-online said:
Have you looked at othe stores or online on google shopping for the bag?
Click to expand...
Indeed I have. It appears that Apple is the only retailer who stocks them in the UK.

Ksb-online said:
How big is that bag? Could you fit in a large water bottle and books in there with ur laptop?
Click to expand...
It will easily accommodate a 17" MBP along with a 500ml water bottle and a copy of Engineering Mathematics Through Applications (Kuldeep Singh). I had to see it in person to make sure it would take these before I even considered buying it.

bigjobby said:
I'm going to defend Apple somewhat on this one. It is possible that these incase products are distributed and imported from the US and are subject to import duties when they reach the UK shores. On arrival, they will then be handled by another distributor who sets their prices for costs to the retailer and an RRP. The retailer doesn't have to follow the RRP but it might be contractual and the retailer may/maynot be able to change the selling price to the consumer.
Click to expand...
I am more than familiar with customs & excise duties on imported products. However, any such costs should also be reflected in the price of the smaller Compact Backpack as well. With the current state of UK VAT at 17.5% coupled with a third party distributor I would expect a 25%-35% mark-up, not 80%.
 
deadparrot said:
I am more than familiar with customs & excise duties on imported products. However, any such costs should also be reflected in the price of the smaller Compact Backpack as well. With the current state of UK VAT at 17.5% coupled with a third party distributor I would expect a 25%-35% mark-up, not 80%.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, I do hear where you're coming from but at the end of the day we don't know what the cost price the distributor is charging Apple. Before I bought my shell I looked into the bookbook which cost $80 yet they're charging £80 for it!

I know how frustrating it is for the end consumer as I used to deal with music retail which was far worse in the days before digital. Imagine an imported CD costing 9USD yet charging £20 based on the same margins as all other products. Distributors... a right pain in the arse! Thank god I'm not in that business anymore!
 
I'm in the same boat too but i want a hard shell case but can only find incase one in black i wanted a funkier one plus i need to get a bag eventually when i go on travels for camera kit and mbp 17 and iPad- better get exercising me muscles lol
 
sweetice2007 said:
I'm in the same boat too but i want a hard shell case but can only find incase one in black i wanted a funkier one plus i need to get a bag eventually when i go on travels for camera kit and mbp 17 and iPad- better get exercising me muscles lol
Click to expand...

Crumpler bags I think are best for camera's and their kit ,, check their site out. ..
 
deadparrot said:
Indeed I have. It appears that Apple is the only retailer who stocks them in the UK.
Click to expand...

I suspected as much.

Most people who have a laptop do not have a 17" model. Their laptop fits into a much smaller, and much more standard-sized, case.

When there's less of a demand for something, fewer get made - even fewer models. And when there are fewer models of something, there's less competition. And when there's less competition, prices can go up as a result.
 
Cheers for that I was looking at lowe pro but crumpler are sweet too although i need to measure the mbp as its all in cm :rolleyes:
 
I'm not a fan of incase their customer service is appalling and products overpriced but link may help OP
 
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