Cigarrette lighter with LED - how can they be so cheap?

[pawihte]

I live in an eastern state of India which shares a 200-mile
border with Burma (Myanmar) and we get a lot of far-eastern
products smuggled in via Burma. One of these is a cigarrette gas
lighter with an LED torchlight (flashlight). The LED is usually
white or blue and is powered by three small button cells. The
light output is quite useable and although I gave up smoking 17
years ago, I always keep a few of those lighters around.

They are sold for the equivalent of about 25 US cents, and might
be cheaper if that amount weren't a nice round figure in Indian
currency (Rs.10). What I'm curious about is how they can sell
them so cheaply. Granted that manufacturers get the individual
components at prices far below retail. Still, a smaller button
cell for a wristwatch costs ? Rs.20 *each* here, then there's the
LED and the lighter itself, and it reaches us in several stages,
each stage making a profit. Can anyone explain?

 

[Tom Biasi]

"pawihte" <pawihte@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:g7n3ni$41c$1@registered.motzarella.org...

I live in an eastern state of India which shares a 200-mile border with
Burma (Myanmar) and we get a lot of far-eastern products smuggled in via
Burma. One of these is a cigarrette gas lighter with an LED torchlight
(flashlight). The LED is usually white or blue and is powered by three
small button cells. The light output is quite useable and although I gave
up smoking 17 years ago, I always keep a few of those lighters around.

They are sold for the equivalent of about 25 US cents, and might be
cheaper if that amount weren't a nice round figure in Indian currency
(Rs.10). What I'm curious about is how they can sell them so cheaply.
Granted that manufacturers get the individual components at prices far
below retail. Still, a smaller button cell for a wristwatch costs ? Rs.20
*each* here, then there's the LED and the lighter itself, and it reaches
us in several stages, each stage making a profit. Can anyone explain?
Many factors can influence this, the largest being they are stollen goods.

Tom

 

[Don Klipstein]

In article <g7n3ni$41c$1@registered.motzarella.org>, pawihte wrote:

I live in an eastern state of India which shares a 200-mile
border with Burma (Myanmar) and we get a lot of far-eastern
products smuggled in via Burma. One of these is a cigarrette gas
lighter with an LED torchlight (flashlight). The LED is usually
white or blue and is powered by three small button cells. The
light output is quite useable and although I gave up smoking 17
years ago, I always keep a few of those lighters around.

They are sold for the equivalent of about 25 US cents, and might
be cheaper if that amount weren't a nice round figure in Indian
currency (Rs.10). What I'm curious about is how they can sell
them so cheaply. Granted that manufacturers get the individual
components at prices far below retail. Still, a smaller button
cell for a wristwatch costs ? Rs.20 *each* here, then there's the
LED and the lighter itself, and it reaches us in several stages,
each stage making a profit. Can anyone explain?

I have recently purchased a 21-pack of button cells at a dollar store in
the USA for USD $1. They were not all the same size, but still averaged
under $.04 USD apiece in a retail package with minimum purchase quantity
of one $1 package.

Also in USA at dollar stores I have purchased laser pointers for $1 -
batteries included. Those things use 3 LR44 / "357" button cells.

I suspect that button cells may cost a penny to manufacture, and
packaging, distributing and retailing small packaged cheap objects costs
more for slow moving merchandise (individual button cells) than for
faster-moving merchandise (cigarette lighters).

- Don Klipstein (don@misty.com)

 

[christofire]

"Michael Black" <et472@ncf.ca> wrote in message
newsine.LNX.4.64.0808111340550.18550@darkstar.example.org...

On Sun, 10 Aug 2008, pawihte wrote:

I live in an eastern state of India which shares a 200-mile
border with Burma (Myanmar) and we get a lot of far-eastern
products smuggled in via Burma. One of these is a cigarrette gas
lighter with an LED torchlight (flashlight). The LED is usually
white or blue and is powered by three small button cells. The
light output is quite useable and although I gave up smoking 17
years ago, I always keep a few of those lighters around.

They are sold for the equivalent of about 25 US cents, and might
be cheaper if that amount weren't a nice round figure in Indian
currency (Rs.10). What I'm curious about is how they can sell
them so cheaply. Granted that manufacturers get the individual
components at prices far below retail. Still, a smaller button
cell for a wristwatch costs ? Rs.20 *each* here, then there's the
LED and the lighter itself, and it reaches us in several stages,
each stage making a profit. Can anyone explain?



I can't really explain it either.

But I thought it was worth pointing out that the same thing
happens in North America, though maybe not as cheap.

I can get a laser pointer, complete with batteries, for $1.99
Canadian, and if I look a bit further, sometimes for 99cents.
They are so cheap that I've bought them for the batteries, having
a few things that use the same type, and then don't use the
laser pointer.

There are also FM radios, the ones using a "scan" and "reset"
buttons, and those can be had for $1.99 and sometimes 99cents.
I think the one I bought out of curiosity for 99cents included
an AAA battery, but I can't remember.

For a whle, one outlet was selling black and white tv sets, maybe
a four inch screen, for twenty dollars.

These things are not being sold as surplus items, where you might
expect a good price because there was a bit of left over stock
that won't be there when it sells out. These are constant and
regular items.

Now, the cost must be way down because they are common items
that can be really mass produced and thus the parts cost little,
but yes, it's hard to fathom how they can get so low.

Michael

Some get serious about experimenting with such cheap radios. For example
http://www.hanssummers.com/radio/superdrg/ ... why not?

Chris

 

[Rich Webb]

On Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:37:07 +0530, "pawihte" <pawihte@invalid.invalid>
wrote:

Can anyone explain?

They may be goods that "fell off the back of the truck" somewhere along
the way. Not everything in the marketplace is necessarily subject to the
expected cost and fee structure.

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA

 

[Michael Black]

On Sun, 10 Aug 2008, pawihte wrote:

I live in an eastern state of India which shares a 200-mile
border with Burma (Myanmar) and we get a lot of far-eastern
products smuggled in via Burma. One of these is a cigarrette gas
lighter with an LED torchlight (flashlight). The LED is usually
white or blue and is powered by three small button cells. The
light output is quite useable and although I gave up smoking 17
years ago, I always keep a few of those lighters around.

They are sold for the equivalent of about 25 US cents, and might
be cheaper if that amount weren't a nice round figure in Indian
currency (Rs.10). What I'm curious about is how they can sell
them so cheaply. Granted that manufacturers get the individual
components at prices far below retail. Still, a smaller button
cell for a wristwatch costs ? Rs.20 *each* here, then there's the
LED and the lighter itself, and it reaches us in several stages,
each stage making a profit. Can anyone explain?



I can't really explain it either.

But I thought it was worth pointing out that the same thing
happens in North America, though maybe not as cheap.

I can get a laser pointer, complete with batteries, for $1.99
Canadian, and if I look a bit further, sometimes for 99cents.
They are so cheap that I've bought them for the batteries, having
a few things that use the same type, and then don't use the
laser pointer.

There are also FM radios, the ones using a "scan" and "reset"
buttons, and those can be had for $1.99 and sometimes 99cents.
I think the one I bought out of curiosity for 99cents included
an AAA battery, but I can't remember.

For a whle, one outlet was selling black and white tv sets, maybe
a four inch screen, for twenty dollars.

These things are not being sold as surplus items, where you might
expect a good price because there was a bit of left over stock
that won't be there when it sells out. These are constant and
regular items.

Now, the cost must be way down because they are common items
that can be really mass produced and thus the parts cost little,
but yes, it's hard to fathom how they can get so low.

Michael