3 Factors That Increase The Cost Of Retail Ink Cartridges

2010-09-12

Printer ink cartridges are unquestionably the most expensive part of owning a printer. The companies that design printer ink cartridges also design printers, and by patenting their designs, they force up the cost of printer ink, which dramatically increases the cost of using a printer long term. With that being said, it's still possible to get some amazing deals for printer ink online. Any frequent shopper knows that retail printer ink from physical stores costs far more than an online cartridge. Here's a look at a few of the factors that push up the cost of retail printer ink.

Retail stores are less competitive than online stores, since they're usually only competing with a few local rivals. Online stores deal with thousands of competitors, and because of their greater supply of ink cartridges, they're forced to offer much lower prices for all types of printer ink cartridges than their retail counterparts. For a retail store, it doesn't make much sense to match the prices of online competitors, because the retail locations provide cartridges for hundreds of local customers that simply won't think to order printer ink online. Those that do think to order online are therefore able to get much better deals, and online stores make up their costs by selling far more cartridges per month than retail locations.

Retail stores also have a number of costs that online stores don't have to deal with. One of the most significant of these costs is shelf space. Retail stores can only sell items that they can physically display on store shelves, and they have to budget shelf space according to the profits that they can make from each product. This can drive up the cost of printer ink cartridges, as retail stores must keep fewer of them in stock. In contrast, online ink stores can keep hundreds of boxes of printer ink cartridges in warehouses, and they don't need to think about shelf space. They spend less on the ink cartridges that they receive, and they're able to offer them at low rates as a result of this.

There are many other factors that can drive up the cost of printer ink cartridges in retail stores, including theft and the cost of hiring an in-store staff. Online stores are therefore a far less expensive way to buy printer ink. By cutting the costs of each sale, an online store offers its customers far superior prices for the same product sold in physical store locations across the country. Many printer users find online ink stores to be a low-cost, convenient alternative to retail stores, which simply can't compete given the significant advantage of online sellers.