I was after a second HDMI cable for my new Dell monitor and gone in to 3 stores to check the price and found the following:
Straightaway I check ebay and found so many sellers selling for less than <$2 each delivered, end up buying a 1 meter one for $1.62 delivered as I am just not prepared to pay 10 times or more at local stores. Is local stores getting too greedy?
This is 1st time I see that an HDMI cable have anti virus protection, mostly I see some cable offer higher connection speed or superior quality compare to others.
HDMI cables are high margin items, they sell them alongside other stuff as an addon to boost profits. Regular people are more likely conned (well, persuaded) into buying one if they have made a big ticket purchase.
How can it has virus protection?
It's nonsense marketing aimed at fooling [some] consumers, that's the point Linkie
Someone should transfer a virus over these (HDMI 1.4?) and lawsuit the hell out of the companies making such claims.
(Perhaps they are HDMI 1.4 with Ethernet extensions disabled - therefore 'virus protection'?)
coated in anti bacterial plastic maybe?
At least two people think viruses can be transmitted down an HDMI apparenty. Ebola maybe?
Try opp shops, some have a box full of random computer/AV/phone cables, usually really cheap too.
Just get one from ebay, I have a monster branded one and one from ebay and they both operate fine!
http://www.cnet.com/au/news/why-all-hdmi-cables-are-the-same…
you bought a monster cable??
Really don't like that article, although it's always thrown around, it completely ignores build quality and certainly just because it's 'digital' doesn't mean it either works or it doesn't. Had to replace a fair few of these Ebay HDMI cables that have died on me or showed images with serious static noise with these "$20" ones. To me $2 - $20 is nothing when you have to muck around with semi-permanent fixture.
in response to your question… high street retailers generally tend to feed off the less well-informed. example A: Granny just bought a new flatscreen tv because her old cancer causing tuberay one from the 60s finally gave up. She doesn't know how to connect it to the fancy looking bluray player the sales assistant just upsold her, so they recommend this…. +$30 in the cash till, jackpot.
Bought mine for $7 from MSY. Works a treat.
I'm not sure why the big names charge so much. A typical 1.8M v1.4 HDMI cable costs me $1.70 wholesale for OEM.
We sell them for $3 each.
People still go to the big retailers and expect them to be cheaper. GRANTED on big volume items they CAN be (often not). Especially when they do a clearance, but generally the public first thinks of HN, JB, OW, GG when they think of computer items.
In about 15% of quotes we do for customers granted we can't beat them either, but the rest of the time we are cheaper.
The mass retailers aren't that good, but the public sees them on TV all the time, it's in their head, they have the marketing budget. All I can say is give your local IT guys a go?
because they can
Unfortunately the Australian Retail Industry and particularly ones like The Bad Guys think that 1000% or higher margin on accessories is fair game on their "stupid" customers who surely can't read the internet. Accessories have massive margins with these guys often it is more than the profit on the main equipment. (and most retailer staff are commissioned on those sales too)
This is the dishonestly in the retail industry that has created the need this great ozbargain forum! So welcome your in the right place!
From my own personal experience the best HDMI cables for the best price can be bought from RadioParts (i..e 2m 1.4a standard for $10 but you need to ask for trade price). But they do in wall cables (flat and durable) and other really nice cables.
If that's a bit too much fussing the other great place I get them from is Shelby Acoustics, who actually deal in Pro av unlike the bad guys (good guys) or DSE, harvey normal etc.
Here, $8.95 with free shipping for 1m.
I've got the older model of this one and its great.
http://www.selby.com.au/cables/hdmi-cables/1m-1-5m-2m-3m-4m-…
Try to avoid fat heads on the cables unless its for in wall use as some of the soundbars etc can't fit those types of hdmi cables properly.
You could go ebay, but its a bit of a trick to find really good sellers that aren't selling trash. Perhaps if a few more people can post on sellers they have confirmed are good then that would be safe. (I don't trust ebays rating because you can't leave feedback if an item fails 60 days in or 90 days in etc.. Realistically, with shipping time you've got about 2 weeks of use before your forced to give feedback so this is useless for understanding the quality of the product they are selling.
good luck
cheers
jr.
That is why I think the local stores are too greedy, like screen protectors that I can get from ebay for $1 was selling for $19.95 or $29.95, I wouldn't mind paying $5 each locally to help local jobs but when they go that greedy, no way I am going to buy locally. Then Gerry complains that online sales is killing his business.
Ripoffs don't come much worse than this these days http://offer.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidsLogin&item…
Check out the purchase history. Most paid $4.98 but someone got stung for $29.98. Currently $49.98. Disgraceful.
That amateur paid ~$24 (it was bought during the dick smith 20% off ebay sale), which is still alot higher than the $4.98 professional ozbargainers paid :)
Nope, was prior to that sale MMD. Someone threw it out as an example of the DSE sale pricing ripoff which is why it came to mind for this thread. Mind you I saw the "Monster story" repeated in an ad for a high end hifi store just the other day - "Tributaries" cables starting at $79 for 1m and going up to >$1000 for 20m. Unbelievable.
20% off at the Dick Smith Store on eBay | 17-21 August 2014 - ENDED
This was on ebay's page, and the buyer bought it at 10:45am. I wonder how those ppl bought it for $4.11? (I got ripped off paying $4.98 haha)
Or the more unlikely scenario is someone who picked up an ebay voucher from the eBayBigDeal Hunt that was held on August 17th.
I used to think the prices on ebay are always the same, and that everything is cheaper on ebay. Like everything else, it always pays to do some research :P
@mmd: Lol, I've already reported one because it's considered trolling if I call them out in comments. I'll report these as well. Only way to combat their childishness it seems. Removing anonymity on neg votes would help, or just removing the neg in comments completely would make this website far better imo.
Dammnit trackpad. Accidentally neg voted you. BAH
Make sure you get an australian spec hdmi cable and not a usa version. The USA versions have the steering wheel on the wrong side.
shopping at the wrong stores
msy and the various asian stores have 3-5m for $5-$7
The cheaper ones don't have built in virus protection http://www.zdnet.com/this-xbox-hdmi-cable-has-anti-virus-pro…