Shoppers who have bought a cheap laser printer at the local discount store probably risk having a heart attack when they return to buy more toner; the cartridge sometimes costs almost as much as a new printer! For years now, printer owners have laughed, mocked and suffered under the cruel bondage of the toner cartridge. Some have attributed the cost to market forces, but others charge that printer manufactures make money off the toner, not the printer.
Manufacturer angst against generic cartridge makers only fuels consumer cynicism. Manufacturers say they only charge a modest profit for their toner, but their claims seem suspect in light of low-priced third-party equivalents. Many people can only explain high toner prices by supposing the manufacturers have a deliberate business model.
Razor Blades, Anyone?
The latest mega-blade razor comes with two or three cartridges. After using up their original cartridges, customers return to the store to buy more. Now they find out that a pack of blades for their razor costs double or triple the cost of the initial purchase. The same marketing strategy applies to printers and printer cartridges.
Trapping the Customer
Razor makers want to sell people on their hottest new products, so they price them low enough for them to sell. They hope that consumers will love their shave so much that they will shell out the big money for blades for several years to come. The plan must work, else they wouldn’t keep following it.
Similarly, printer companies attract customers with bargain-basement laser printers at low prices. After the initial toner runs out, the manufacturer hopes to reap massive profits throughout the life of the printer. Customers like their printer so they dutifully pay top dollar for cartridges while manufacturers rake in the dough.
Recycled, Refilled and Generic
Shoppers looking for toner blog will often find solace when they see a generic toner cartridge sitting beside a more expensive name brand product. However, not every cartridge has a third-party equivalent, especially at local stores. Could printer and razor makers use the same tactics to prevent third parties from making cartridges for their latest models?
When printer owners cannot find a generic cartridge, they often can buy a reconditioned, recycled one. Third parties retrieve recycled cartridges and then inspect them, test them and refill them so they can sell for less than the name brand. Similarly, printer owners can buy toner kits to refill their cartridges at home or at the office to save even more money.
Rather than paying their brand name taskmasters, printer owners should buy toner for printers online where they can get the lowest prices on alternative cartridges.