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The Ink Cartridge Cartel
Companies take steps to protect their profits from the sale of ink cartridges
With
decent photo inkjet and all-in-one inkjet printers getting cheaper by
the day, printer manufacturers are trying harder to hold onto the huge
profits that they bring in from the sale of ink cartridges. And let’s
not forget that many printer manufacturers include “starter” ink
cartridges that’ll quickly run out of ink and have you running back to
buy those expensive “genuine” cartridges. Some companies like Canon
have wised up and included a chip with cartridges to ensure that you
won’t be running off to buy cheaper generic carts to replenish your
thirsty printer.
Epson on the other hand has a different tactic.
They’ve decided to simply sue online retailers that sell third-party
ink cartridges for its printers. Four German-based retailers backed
down and settled out of court when the Japanese-based printer
manufacturer came breathing down their neck. Epson has also been
successful in past cases against companies in Europe and Asia. Next up:
American based retailers hawking generic Epson inks. From InfoWorld:
The
sale of ink refills is a lucrative business for printer makers like
Epson. It’s also an important part of the business model typically used
where little or no profit is made on the printer itself but later
recouped on cartridge sales. Trading of unlicensed cartridges threatens
to upset this business model.Given how protective companies are getting
these days over the profits they generate from the sale of high-priced
ink cartridges, I made sure that when I went shopping for a wireless
all-in-one printer that I found one that would accept generic inks. Not
to pick on Staples, but genuine ink carts for my Brother MFC-640CW at
that store are $22.99 for black and $12.59 each for cyan, magenta and
yellow. OfficeMax is about a dollar more expensive for each. On the
other hand, I purchased generics from Overstock.com that work just
fine. They cost me $10.99 for a 3-pack of black and $11.99 for a
tri-color pack (cyan, magenta and yellow). I know that these printer
manufacturers are trying to protect their profits, but I’m also going
to look out for my wallet.Never mind that manufacturers don’t include
USB cables so that the local sales rep at Best Buy, Office Depot or
Staples can point you to the $19.95 “Gold-plated” USB cables when I get
the same thing for a little more than a dollar from an online retailer.
It’s a conspiracy between the printer manufacturers and retailers I
tell you!!
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