In a world made so much smaller by the Internet we have the ability to purchase items from whichever country we choose; with a commodity as expensive as printer ink, it is important to consider how market prices differ from country to country.
The Amazon Comparison
Obviously different suppliers offer products at different purchase prices so to get a significant view of what the comparisons actually are, here is a look at the costs implications of three individual products across five countries on Amazon. The prices are the lowest available and are for items produced by the brand manufacturer.
| United Kingdom | United States | Spain | Canada | India | |
| HP10 black cartridge | 28.19 British Pounds (47.83 US dollars) |
$30.37 | 30.02 euro (50.93 US dollars) |
23.62 dollars (21.76 US dollars) |
2,233 (37.25 US dollars) |
| Kodak EasyShare 5100 black cartridge | 15.90 British Pounds (26.98 US dollars) |
40.92 | 10.43 (14.12 US dollars) |
28.29 (26.06 US dollars) |
n/a |
| Epson DURABrite T127120 black cartridge | £64.99 (110.26 US dollars) |
26.37 | 49.38 (66.86 US dollars) |
29.99 (27.63 US dollars) |
3,473 (58.19 US dollars) |
This is only a small snapshot of printer ink price comparisons but some findings are apparent.
The cost of printer ink is not necessarily determined by the location of the purchase; different varieties of ink seem to have different cost implications in different countries. For instance whereas the HP10 black cartridge is cheaper to purchase in the UK than the US, the Epson DURABrite black cartridge is significantly more expensive than in any of the other countries.
In the North American printer ink market Canada would appear to be slightly cheaper than the US.
Canada has the cheapest average cost across the available data.
Printer ink is expensive in any country.
Printer Ink is an Expensive Business no Matter where you Live
It has been shown that printer ink prices do vary by location; although examination of a larger selection of products across all sources would be necessary to get final definitive figures. What cannot be argued is that there doesn’t seem to be anywhere globally where you can purchase ink at a really cheap price.
There are some ‘own range’ brands on the market but unless you can find reviews of them which testify to their quality you are taking a significant chance [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]using them for your printing needs[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]using them for your printing needs[/tp].
There is one positive out there, the existence of the Internet as a global market place does allow for improved window shopping. Major online retailers such as Amazon allow you to see the comparative prices worldwide, and you can often buy from Amazon sites directly, or through associated retailers, if the price is attractive.
You also have the benefit of checking out the reviews of people who have used the product before so you can feel more secure in the knowledge that you are hopefully going to get value for your money. With printer ink prices being as high as they are, getting good quality is essential.
For me, the price of printer ink differs between countries because of their suppliers. You said that is not necessarily determined by the location of the purchase but for me, it’s necessary because shipping cost will also one to be considered in pricing. As you can see in the table, different varieties of ink and location differ. Thanks for sharing this thoughts.
Why is printer cartridge and inks are so expensive??? The price still hardly drops after so many years. I prefer using a modified printer with external cartridge that’s cheaper. =)