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In Europe most bulbs in the stores are expensive Philips, Osram, etc. products. Ikea bulbs are rebranded and also expensive. You can buy on Ebay of course, but

by nlqp 5y ago

In Europe most bulbs in the stores are expensive Philips, Osram, etc. products. Ikea bulbs are rebranded and also expensive. You can buy on Ebay of course, but that is not what most consumers do. I don't consider it competition if all brick and mortar stores do the same.

TeMPOraL 5y ago
Who buys bulbs in the stores when there's a hundred thousand small vendors on local e-commerce sites, selling super cheap LED bulbs imported straight from Shenzhen? (The race to the bottom in LED lighting is another environmental issue, though. The cheap bulbs I see people buy are mostly garbage that's barely fit for purpose, and in a sane world would not be allowed to leave the assembly floor.)
- tap10 5y ago
  The average cost of buying something online, especially from China directly, is: - At least 1 hour of searching, market research, vetting the vendor (insofar that is possible at all). - Staying at home for multiple days when the delivery is expected, while frantically checking incorrect package trackers. - Alternatively, having the package delivered to the post office. Going there and waiting with 50 other people takes 2 hours. - If the vendor is dishonest or the package delivery fails, add another 4 hours at least. So the answer to your question is: Everyone who does not want to jump through these hoops or values their time.
  - TeMPOraL 5y ago
    I talked about local vendors reselling things from China. Pretty much their entire value is in shielding the buyer from the inconveniences you listed. The real experience of a typical person I know is: - Go to your local eBay equivalent, look for LED lightbulbs, sort by price. - Pick the cheapest offer that doesn't look super-sketchy, place an order for half a dozen and pay for it, all with a few clicks. - Wait 2-5 days, depending on seasons and phase of the moon. - Depending on the delivery method you picked in step 2, a courier comes and brings you a package, or you visit the parcel locker 2-5 minutes from your home at a time that's convenient for you. - Repeat the process when the cheapass bulbs invariably all burn out within a year. At least in Europe, shopping on-line is a solved problem.
    - Aerroon 5y ago
      Maybe this works in the US or some of the large European countries, but that has not been my experience. Local online stores are such a poor experience and unreliable that I'll usually get a product faster from Amazon.de than my own country, despite the former taking almost a week to get to me. It took me over a month to buy a harddrive that was shown as in stock, but it really wasn't. When it did become available 2 weeks later, they wanted more money than what I had already paid them. Online shopping is a joke here.

by nlqp 5y ago

TeMPOraL 5y ago

Who buys bulbs in the stores when there's a hundred thousand small vendors on local e-commerce sites, selling super cheap LED bulbs imported straight from Shenzhen? (The race to the bottom in LED lighting is another environmental issue, though. The cheap bulbs I see people buy are mostly garbage that's barely fit for purpose, and in a sane world would not be allowed to leave the assembly floor.)

tap10 5y ago
The average cost of buying something online, especially from China directly, is: - At least 1 hour of searching, market research, vetting the vendor (insofar that is possible at all). - Staying at home for multiple days when the delivery is expected, while frantically checking incorrect package trackers. - Alternatively, having the package delivered to the post office. Going there and waiting with 50 other people takes 2 hours. - If the vendor is dishonest or the package delivery fails, add another 4 hours at least. So the answer to your question is: Everyone who does not want to jump through these hoops or values their time.
- TeMPOraL 5y ago
  I talked about local vendors reselling things from China. Pretty much their entire value is in shielding the buyer from the inconveniences you listed. The real experience of a typical person I know is: - Go to your local eBay equivalent, look for LED lightbulbs, sort by price. - Pick the cheapest offer that doesn't look super-sketchy, place an order for half a dozen and pay for it, all with a few clicks. - Wait 2-5 days, depending on seasons and phase of the moon. - Depending on the delivery method you picked in step 2, a courier comes and brings you a package, or you visit the parcel locker 2-5 minutes from your home at a time that's convenient for you. - Repeat the process when the cheapass bulbs invariably all burn out within a year. At least in Europe, shopping on-line is a solved problem.
  - Aerroon 5y ago
    Maybe this works in the US or some of the large European countries, but that has not been my experience. Local online stores are such a poor experience and unreliable that I'll usually get a product faster from Amazon.de than my own country, despite the former taking almost a week to get to me. It took me over a month to buy a harddrive that was shown as in stock, but it really wasn't. When it did become available 2 weeks later, they wanted more money than what I had already paid them. Online shopping is a joke here.