Whether buying a new car or new shoes it always makes sense to shop around.Each air max 2010 is an upgrade on the other, but the main thing that women will be getting a comfortable and high performance ride Not so when shopping for the latest version of Apple's iPad tablet computer.
Go online, and cut-rate offers for Apple's iPad 2 - which has a starting price of $499 - vanish the closer you look at them.
Starworth Computers offers a pretty good price when you search for the best price on Bing: $429.14. The catch: a $153.74 shipping fee.
The next offer, from Shoprizer, for $449.90, makes would-be purchasers wait 9 days to find out of their offer to buy an iPad 2 has been accepted as part of a group buying scheme. No guarantees you'll even get an iPad.
The only other offer we could find for less than $499 was for $498.95 from B & H Foto & Electronics, a whopping 5 cent discount. The catch: the retailer's site reports it's "out of stock."
What gives? Channel IQ Chief Executive Wes Shepherd explains that Apple just keeps its retailer's margins low - between 6 and 7 percent.
That makes it tough for retailers to put products on the gray market at a cut-rate price. It also makes it difficult for products to "boomerang,Tablet pcs are lightweight and are designed for students and business people alike. With their wireless capabilities tablet pcs are great for checking emails and keeping important files and information at your cheap louis vuitton shoes for men" back to the United States from overseas markets.
Technology companies work hard to engineer prices, Shepherd says - and companies with hot products will tailor prices so that retailers will have little wiggle room.
Another problem: Apple is watching.
Companies such Apple are watching the Internet closely,A noble woman can have nothing but prada men sneakers which can make them look more elegant and attractive. and will cut off supplies to retailers who undersell their product.
To enforce pricing levels, technology companies are hiring companies such as Channel IQ to buy their products online, so they can check the serial numbers of the products to determine who they sold the product to, and crack down if the price isn't right.