Online prices
Stationary price differences of our goods
Holst Porzellan/Germany is an internationally active porcelain brand that sells its goods primarily through retailers and also sees itself as a partner to the trade. These resellers purchase our goods at different times, in different quantities and on different terms. The rule of thumb is that the higher the order quantity or the annual sales volume, the more favourable the price. Personnel costs, location factors and ultimately entrepreneurial freedom allow each supplier to calculate his trade goods individually. Although Holst Porzellan issues non-binding sales prices for its goods, no reseller is obliged to offer these goods at that price.
Apart from these natural fluctuations in calculation, there are also controlled differentiations, which usually refer to targeted offers. The discounters, such as Lidl, Aldi, Penny & Co. make it clear time and again with their non-food offers that the prices consumers are accustomed to are undermined with considerable discounts. This applies to both food and non-food items. In the sum of all suppliers and products, there are therefore such "bait offers" every day anew to increase customer frequency in the stationary trade. Furniture stores like to advertise in the first days of January with extreme offers for china, household goods and cutlery to cushion the downturn in business after Christmas. Tchibo is always known for offers on porcelain that upset the whole market because of the quantity turned over.
However, discontinuations, range overhangs, remnants or countermeasures controlled by distribution policy can also cause a brand's list prices to tumble. In the fashion sector, it has been perfectly normal for many years for the big brands to be represented in so-called factory outlets, which are spread all over the country (e.g. Metzingen (BW), Roermond (NL), Ochtrup (NRW), Soltau (NI), Ingolstadt Village (BY), offering branded goods at extreme discounts. Holst Porzellan currently also maintains a factory outlet at their location in Halle/Westphalia, where many of our items are sold with further discounts compared to the list price. Consumers have become accustomed to these price differences and the undermining of list prices has established itself as a common market order in the retail landscape.
Online price differences of our goods
We often receive phone calls or letters from customers pointing out price differences of our goods in online trade. We welcome these tips and they help us to observe and understand the rapidly changing offer prices on the internet. Occasionally, we may even reposition one or more items as a special offer as a countermeasure. However, such a price reduction is then communicated fairly and openly to all customers and not treated as a negotiation success in individual cases. Amazon is far behind in online price differences, in many cases showing a considerable gap to our list prices. Apart from the fact that Amazon changes their sales prices almost daily, this is also the entrepreneurial freedom of a trading company to offer goods on special offer or as standard, regardless of any recommended sales prices.
It is true that Amazon is a reseller of our porcelain and, due to their global set-up, exercises a market power that no other company in Europe currently has. Apart from that, Amazon has its own logistics that can move porcelain in large quantities at prices that cannot be competitively replaced by our partners (DHL, GLS & Co.). So if Amazon buys a lorry plate from us, for example, there is a considerable cost advantage in logistics and distribution compared to our own service centre. Unfortunately, this cannot be proven, as Amazon's multi-structured corporate world in Europe obscures any insight.
On the other hand, it is well known by now that Amazon employees work under conditions that have been repeatedly praised as "exploitation" by politicians, trade unions and social associations. The media repeatedly report on strikes, demonstrations and work stoppages in Amazon factories. And finally, our central warehouse is not in Poland or the Czech Republic but in Bielefeld-Brackwede.
We pay a lot of attention to maintaining and increasing our social competence, we do active work for sustainability and environmental protection and, for cost reasons, we send our porcelain across Europe until it arrives from Bielefeld in Munich or Hamburg.
For customers who buy our porcelain in larger quantities, we have a B2B platform with discounts and key accounts are very welcome for any enquiries.
We therefore ask the private Amazon buyer to include these criteria in his responsible actions. Please pay attention to the seller of the goods, because if Holst Porzellan itself is the seller, then we provide our fair service there as a "Marketplace participant" ourselves - and not Amazon!
Thank you for your understanding.