Prices

Publishing prices, even if only as a guideline, often raise more questions beyond our simple aim of informing potential customers what they can expect to pay for our products.

Many browsers will observe that UK sterling prices and EU euro prices do not always accurately reflect the current cross-border exchange rates – notably euro prices always seem higher. There are a number of reasons for this.

1. European prices have to accommodate a wider (and usually higher) range of retail mark-up levels.
2. European prices have to accommodate a wider (and usually higher) range of VAT taxes.
3. As all our products are currently still distributed from the UK, transportation costs to European retailers are higher than those to UK retailers.

All the above mean that euro prices are 15-20% higher (over and above the exchange rate).

January 2009 update

The sudden plunge in the value of sterling has created a very significant disparity between our guideline sterling and euro prices. Our prices accurately reflect the cost-price at time of manufacturing. Most of our stock was purchased when the sterling rate was stronger against the US dollar. Since that time, sterling has weakened considerably, whereas the euro has not. It is highly likely that when we next manufacture many products, sterling prices will witness considerable increases bringing them back closer in line with euro prices. Euro prices will remain largely unaffected – as far as one can tell.