vetprice.com

Re: vetprice.com

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:30:52 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]I think the implication of that is unfair Evelyn.[/quote]

Ooh.

No implication was intended! I just want to broaden everyone's education.

I've no desire to get heavily into practice management detail discussions. I'd just say that if I were running a practice where I was spending ten thousand pounds a year on just one product I probably wouldn't be too concerned about an odd hundred anyway.

Re: vetprice.com

Julian Earl — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:40:59 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

www.youtube.com/watch

[/quote]

I think the implication of that is unfair Evelyn.

Everyone, or nearly everyone woulkd accept a fee of £100 for ten minutes work. It's part of running a business. To suggest that someone is money-grabbing for that reason is not right - it depends on (a) why it is done, (b) how important it is to the individual to get every last penny (as opposed to every last £100 say) and (c) what is then done with the money. If that money is used for wage rises or equipment or stuffed in one's own pocket affects your judgement of that indivdual. But to say that it is of no consequence to try and save and/or generate an extra £100 or more is disingenuous about the realities of business.

Re: vetprice.com

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sun, 13 May 2012 22:34:45 GMT

www.youtube.com/watch

Re: vetprice.com

Mark Hedberg — Sun, 13 May 2012 11:48:57 GMT

I don't know what kind of work pays £600, but I can think of a few things I'd like to spend £600 on...me, for instance!

Re: vetprice.com

Julian Earl — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:06:38 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

[quote user="John Rimmer"]

Why would anyone with half a brain not be? If you're paying £10 for something you use every day and could be paying £5, wouldn't you be a fool not to look around?......If you're not at all concerned about money, do you fancy giving me a couple of grand? I could do with a holiday.

[/quote]

Yeh but I've got a whole brain not half a one.

I'm not particularly in the business of flogging drugs. If I'm paying £10 for something I use every day and I could be paying £5 without too much hassle, I should think about it, although if I'm applying a standard percentage markup I'd actually be halving my profit. Sure. On the other hand, if i'm paying £10 for something I use every day I don't care two hoots if by taking the trouble to order elsewhere I could get it for £9.90.

[/quote]

What John has failed to point out in additon is that if you currently buy £10,000-worth of product X in a year costing £10 (regardless of mark-up) and it takes you ten minutes to adjust your computer system to a £9-90 brand, you have just earnt £100 in ten minutes. Do that for several medicines and it can make a difference. How much other work pays you £600 per hour?

Re: vetprice.com

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:20:38 GMT

[quote user="John Rimmer"]Interesting! So nearly every other practice owner and in fact businessperson in the country has half a brain?[/quote]

I wouldn't know about anyone beyond you and me.

If your modus operandi – sorry, "business model" – requires you to worry about whether your discount is 12.5% or 12.7%, fine, carry on. Mine does not.

[quote user="John Rimmer"]do you fancy giving me a couple of grand? I could do with a holiday. [/quote]

According to your profile, aren't you on holiday already?

[quote user="John Rimmer"]

Re the expensive drug, it's the "I can't give drug x to save this dog's life because client y can't afford £200" that gets me, without any thought of perhaps not needing to put the same markup on as you would for a course of antibiotics.

[/quote]

I agree completely.

Re: vetprice.com

John Rimmer — Sat, 12 May 2012 20:38:23 GMT

Re: vetprice.com

Michael Woodhouse — Sat, 12 May 2012 20:34:33 GMT

[quote user="John Rimmer"]

Never been able to understand people who put the same mark up on everything. If you sell the £10 product for £20, but the £5 equivalent and sell it for £20. Or £18.

And if you're going to use something that costs £100, don't be greedy and charge it out for £200.

[/quote]

If we swap to a cheaper generic product we adjust the mark up to maintain margin. That way client gets it cheaper and we don't lose out.

A set percentage is easier to administer. Equally I have a much greater risk if I have a bottle of drug on my shelf costing me £100 vs £10. If it gets dropped, goes out of date, goes beyond its 28 day broach...........

Re: vetprice.com

John Rimmer — Sat, 12 May 2012 20:22:12 GMT

Interesting! So nearly every other practice owner and in fact businessperson in the country has half a brain?

Never been able to understand people who put the same mark up on everything. If you sell the £10 product for £20, but the £5 equivalent and sell it for £20. Or £18.

And if you're going to use something that costs £100, don't be greedy and charge it out for £200.

Re: vetprice.com

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sat, 12 May 2012 18:33:33 GMT

[quote user="John Rimmer"]

[/quote]

Yeh but I've got a whole brain not half a one.

Re: vetprice.com

Rob Loxley — Sat, 12 May 2012 16:07:38 GMT

Not sure it's beyond the wit of most people to set up an excel spreadsheet and work out their actual final cost price and margin after all discounts/rebates on products they sell and compare that to, say, other amoxicillin/carprofen/meloxicam equivalent.

Online pharmacy prices are trawlable on the net, and a practice probably knows which products people shop for given the prescriptions they are writing, and can also easily compare shopped non-POM prices (drontal, frontline, synoquin etc.).

My main question is whether the price they charge is worth the time to do it yourself? My guess is that most vets don't have the time to be comparing online prices on a regular basis. Also obviously before you drop your selling price to compete, you need to make sure that you will sell enough to cover the loss in margin...

One thing this website doesn't tell you is how much you could save joining a buying group.

Re: vetprice.com

John Rimmer — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:20:16 GMT

Re: vetprice.com

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:22:19 GMT

Could be useful if you are the sort of person constantly worrying about "margins".

Re: vetprice.com

Ian Mostyn — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:49:30 GMT

Not used them, just a bit suspicious. Would be interesting to hear from anyone who has used them.

Ian