I would assume from reading this post that RRP = MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price).
That being said, it is a valid point, but this game is not new. The cable companies are simply feeding off the public's demand to live above their means. Everybody wants a screaming deal. People want to say they have $10K tied up in cables and cords, when they actually only spent $2K. It's called prestige, or vanity, a common human trait that cable manufacturers seem especially willing to appeal to.
There are no major players that don't play this game to some extent. They mark their products price up high enough to leave plenty of wiggle room and still make huge profits. I have found a couple of smaller manufacturers who do not play this game, the price is what the price is. However, they will stay small because they do not play the game. One of them even suggests in his ads that this game is what is killing this hobby. I don't know that I'd go that far, as this hobby seems to be doing alright to me. Sure it is becoming more of a top down hobby, as prices spiral into the stratosphere, but that's merely a reflection of what has happened to our economic society in general.
Yes, fake prices are a joke, and they have been for many years now. There is no substitute for doing your own homework. There is plenty of information available on the web, it's not too difficult to see what any cable or cord has been selling for. If buying from a major player, I always figure in the 50% rule, that means that I know that the original owner paid around 50% of the list price. Sure, some have paid a bit more, but some have paid a bit less too. I think it's mostly the smaller players that get caught up in the really silly pricing, perhaps to impress their perspective buyers, and get their foot in the door. I've seen plenty of $2000 cables available brand new for $300.
We can blame the cable manufacturers all we want to, but the fact is they are simply using an age old marketing scheme that is proven to work on humans, as it plays towards their vanity, and inner sense of getting a "really great deal". We have met the enemy, and he is us. These marketing ploys would fade away if we really wanted them to, and stopped supported companies that offer obscene discounts.
That being said, it is a valid point, but this game is not new. The cable companies are simply feeding off the public's demand to live above their means. Everybody wants a screaming deal. People want to say they have $10K tied up in cables and cords, when they actually only spent $2K. It's called prestige, or vanity, a common human trait that cable manufacturers seem especially willing to appeal to.
There are no major players that don't play this game to some extent. They mark their products price up high enough to leave plenty of wiggle room and still make huge profits. I have found a couple of smaller manufacturers who do not play this game, the price is what the price is. However, they will stay small because they do not play the game. One of them even suggests in his ads that this game is what is killing this hobby. I don't know that I'd go that far, as this hobby seems to be doing alright to me. Sure it is becoming more of a top down hobby, as prices spiral into the stratosphere, but that's merely a reflection of what has happened to our economic society in general.
Yes, fake prices are a joke, and they have been for many years now. There is no substitute for doing your own homework. There is plenty of information available on the web, it's not too difficult to see what any cable or cord has been selling for. If buying from a major player, I always figure in the 50% rule, that means that I know that the original owner paid around 50% of the list price. Sure, some have paid a bit more, but some have paid a bit less too. I think it's mostly the smaller players that get caught up in the really silly pricing, perhaps to impress their perspective buyers, and get their foot in the door. I've seen plenty of $2000 cables available brand new for $300.
We can blame the cable manufacturers all we want to, but the fact is they are simply using an age old marketing scheme that is proven to work on humans, as it plays towards their vanity, and inner sense of getting a "really great deal". We have met the enemy, and he is us. These marketing ploys would fade away if we really wanted them to, and stopped supported companies that offer obscene discounts.