UK plumbing parts prices versus Europe.

[Cinning]

I've been comparing the prices of 24 litre expansion vessels, a commodity plumbing component, in the UK versus Germany.

(Or ausdehnungsgefäß!)

In the UK they'll retail at about £28 to £30 pounds.

In Germany they're about £21.55 at 1.16 euros to the pound.

Check each country's Ebay market to see.

What's going on here?

Why are German prices so low?
...OR why are UK prices so high?


(And please dont let's get bogged down in exchange rates; over the last few years the Euro has strengthened over the pound which would have made German parts pricier.)

 

[Whitespirit66]

Have you just based your comparison on one type of plumbing component? With some EU countries, boilers are more expensive, but parts are cheaper. Other countries, vice versa.

It's hardly news that things are cheaper in Germany and we live in rip-off Britain. For example, in Germany fags are £4.50 a pack, beer only £2.50 (.5 litre), as well as property prices and rents a lot lower.

Maybe there are some things in Germany that are more expensive to balance things up a bit, eg. having the second highest electricity prices in Europe -

http://www.thelocal.de/money/20100528-27497.html

There's still no getting away from the fact that The UK is an expensive place to live.

 

[Norcon]

The Germans are not bust therefore they do not need to tax their citizens to the hilt.
Therefore their goods are cheaper.

Britians budget deficit for 2012/2013 is estimated to be £120 billion.
The Germans meanwhile run a small surplus.
They are the worlds second largest exporter raking in £915 billion every year.
All hail the Fatherland.

 

[Whitespirit66]

Perhaps another reason that expansion vessels are cheaper in Germany, is that they are manufactured there. Germany still makes things.

 

[Norcon]

Very true.
Drove through Germany back in 1997 and was flabbergasted at the amount of trains on the move loaded to the gills with machinery and industrial equipment.
Probably heading too the dockyards!

Plumbed a guys house back in 05 and he brought all the stuff home from Germany for about half the price.
He was a long distance lorry driver.

 

[FiremanT]

It's hardly news that things are cheaper in Germany and we live in rip-off Britain. For example, in Germany fags are £4.50 a pack, beer only £2.50 (.5 litre), as well as property prices and rents a lot lower.

Ripoff Britain comparison charts tend to become more popularly published when the exchange rates make the same prices more dramatically different! They always cherry pick commodities to suit the preconceived point of view, ie that GB is expensive.

The above suggests that these lists are totally irrelevant, and prices should only be compared with, say, average earnings of the country in question.
Petrol used to be massively ore expensive here, but a couple of years ago, due to ER's, we were practically on parity with France.

And if booze is actually so more expensive here, how come we are allegedly the alcoholics of Europe? Try getting drunk in France (in bars), and GB will seem positively cheap.

 

[FiremanT]

Plumbed a guys house back in 05 and he brought all the stuff home from Germany for about half the price.
He was a long distance lorry driver.

[/quote]

It probably fell of the back of his lorry

 

[Nige F]

All hail the Fatherland.

Indeed - they have Strength Through Joy
In Little Britain we`re told that Work will set us free

 

[Whitespirit66]

Indeed - they have Strength Through Joy

Who is this Joy? I'd like to meet her.

 

[SPWiddy]

ok I pay 14 euro for a 24l EV.

I pay 1Euro for a 66cl Nastro Azzuro.

If I earn more than 14,000 euro profit I pay 50% tax from 0, NO TAX FREE ALLOWANCE.

Rip off Britain does not exist.

Ask the Eastern european migrants.