Flipkart Prices Going Up? Here's a price comparison chart

@thebigk • Oct 27, 2024

Oct 27, 2024

3.0K

Stumbled upon a blog that did an analysis of the prices offered on books by Flipkart vs.HomeShop18, it looks like Flipkart's now charing way more to the customers. Is it that Flipkart now wants to leverage their branding and quicker delivery services to cut down on discounts they once offered? Take a look at this chart -

(Click on the image for larger version)
Comparison-of-Prices-of-Books-on-Cooking-on-Flipkart-and-HomeShop18

Comparison-of-Prices-of-Books-on-Cooking-on-Flipkart-and-HomeShop18

Source: <a href="https://talkabouttech.com/2012/05/12/homeshop18-beating-flipkart-at-its-own-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Homeshop18 beating Flipkart at its own game</a>

I was under impression that Flipkart does some magic to offer the best discounts on the books, electronic gadgets and other categories they've ventured in. But I might just as well look at HomeShop18 prices before placing an order. I've been hearing very good reviews about HS18 in recent times.

What do you think, folks? Is the party over?

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Harshad Italiya

@harshad-ukH5ww • May 20, 2012

Even I found Infibeam cheaper for some items.
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Pensu

@pensu-8tNeGU • May 21, 2012

Most of the items, in fact all of them are cooking books. I wonder if it has to do anything with high prices. I mean, maybe, flipkart prices are higher only for cooking books....😉
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • May 21, 2012

Pensu
Most of the items, in fact all of them are cooking books. I wonder if it has to do anything with high prices. I mean, maybe, flipkart prices are higher only for cooking books....😉
Not really. Here's one popular book titled 'The $100 startup" with price significantly higher than on 'Infibeam'. The book isn't listed on HomeShop18.

$100 Startup:
#-Link-Snipped-#: Rs. 1159
#-Link-Snipped-#: Rs. 980 😨

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Pensu

@pensu-8tNeGU • May 21, 2012

The_Big_K
Not really. Here's one popular book titled 'The $100 startup" with price significantly higher than on 'Infibeam'. The book isn't listed on HomeShop18.

$100 Startup:
#-Link-Snipped-#: Rs. 1159
#-Link-Snipped-#: Rs. 980 😨
Hmm....then flipkart needs to fix this soon. They have a lot of money invested and these things will weaken their market.

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silverscorpion

@silverscorpion-iJKtdQ • May 23, 2012

We really need to compare more types of products before we can reach any conclusion. The initial table was full of cooking books, and that's too narrow. And the price difference in the book "$100 startup" is hardly 15%, so it doesn't really tell you anything.

For one thing, it's customary for any business to offer discounts in the beginning to capture market share, and once enough market is captured, the discounts might be called off.. After all, you can't expect a business to sell at a loss always, right? It might be the case that Flipkart stopped the discounts and HomeShop is just offering them now.. For anything, we need more data. We need to compare prices of different types of products across a wider range..
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • May 23, 2012

#-Link-Snipped-# I agree that we need more data points to come to a conclusion. But remember the days when Flipkart used to beat the hell out of competition on the price point. They gained most of their popularity because of some smart SEO tricks and offering items at lower price. With large rounds of money they raised from the venture capitalists, they could keep the prices low and keep the business going.

Flipkart even made losses for several years (as far as I know). It'd be interesting to find out how much profits Flipkart makes and what's their burn rate.

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Rakesh Malhotra

@rakesh-malhotra-PzLrgm • May 24, 2012

The_Big_K
Stumbled upon a blog that did an analysis of the prices offered on books by Flipkart vs.HomeShop18, it looks like Flipkart's now charing way more to the customers. Is it that Flipkart now wants to leverage their branding and quicker delivery services to cut down on discounts they once offered? Take a look at this chart -

(Click on the image for larger version)

Source: <a href="https://talkabouttech.com/2012/05/12/homeshop18-beating-flipkart-at-its-own-game/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Homeshop18 beating Flipkart at its own game</a>

I was under impression that Flipkart does some magic to offer the best discounts on the books, electronic gadgets and other categories they've ventured in. But I might just as well look at HomeShop18 prices before placing an order. I've been hearing very good reviews about HS18 in recent times.

What do you think, folks? Is the party over?
I just went through your post and the comments on it. The above post by talkabouttech is worth reading and an eye opener for Book Lovers and Consumers at large.

I also did a small research on a few more book titles and found that Flipkart is more expensive by up to 83% on other books vis a vis Homeshop18. I am attaching the comparison table in this post.

Also, found in another post in the blog by talkabouttech that Homeshop18 is offering an additional discount of 20% on purchase of Books of Rs.500/- that makes a sweet deal even sweeter. Needless to say, Money Saved is Money Earned.

I had been a regular buyer of books and other products from Flipkart, till I experienced Homeshop18. If Homeshop18 maintains its prices, high quality of packaging and prompt shipping, Flipkart has lost a loyal customer and many more like me.

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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • May 24, 2012

#-Link-Snipped-# - that's an interesting insight. I think it'd be worth doing a comparison chart for other items on sale on both the websites as well. But why focus only on HomeShop18? There are other players too who might be trying harder to get attention from the blogger media. Junglee for example is trying hard to establish themselves in Indian markets and Jabong, with all of its advertising dollars is already giving Flipkart a hard time competing in traffic.

How about mobile prices in the smartphone category?

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Rakesh Malhotra

@rakesh-malhotra-PzLrgm • May 24, 2012

The_Big_K
#-Link-Snipped-# - that's an interesting insight. I think it'd be worth doing a comparison chart for other items on sale on both the websites as well. But why focus only on HomeShop18? There are other players too who might be trying harder to get attention from the blogger media. Junglee for example is trying hard to establish themselves in Indian markets and Jabong, with all of its advertising dollars is already giving Flipkart a hard time competing in traffic.

How about mobile prices in the smartphone category?
#-Link-Snipped-#, HomeShop18 has been mentioned in the comparison of Books in the Technology, Self Improvement and Best Seller categories because its Prices are the Lowest when compared to Flipkart, IndiaPlaza, Infibeam, BookAdda, Uread, Ebay, IndiaTimes Shopping and on the price comparison website, Junglee.

I have experienced it myself that the Quality of Packaging by HomeShop18 even for low priced Books is Simply Outstanding. The shipping package is capable of withstanding mishandling during transit without causing any damage to the book inside.

In over a dozen books ordered by me to HomeShop18 on various subjects till date, HomeShop18 has promptly delivered my Books in 1-3 days of my orders.

The wide differences in pricing of Books by various Sellers are indicators of the extent of the Margins on Books and the extent to which, we as Consumers in the name of convenience, are willing to take a Hit. For some Consumers like the #-Link-Snipped-# getting a Book cheaper by15% might not be of significance, whereas for a Student, it may mean acquiring another useful Book, without blowing a hole in his pocket.

I have been told by Udit Malhotra of talkabouttech that he is already working on a comparison of the prices of other popular technology products from the above mentioned Sellers.

I may add that the Comparison of Prices for Products like Laptops, Mobiles and other Electronics Products is more Complex as Sellers bundle and combine related Products with MRPs which are 5-10 times higher than their real world prices. For example, Philips 5.1 Speakers with Wireless Remote have an MRP of Rs.6,990/- but are available for ~Rs.2,000/- in Big Bazaar and other Outlets. Multi Card Readers are available for Rs.30/- but carry an MRP of Rs.250/- to Rs.300/-. Private Label Bluetooth Hands-free is easily available in the market for Rs.250/- but carries an MRP of Rs.1500/- to Rs.2500/-.

Very conveniently, most Sellers do not specifically mention the MRP (Maximum Retail Price) of the Product being sold by them. The Consumer believes that he is getting a Discount, whereas he might be getting the Product at a price which is actually just a few Rupees lower than its MRP. Visit Super Markets and you will find many products bundled together as combos in the Grocery section. Many Combos are actually at exactly the Sum-Total of the MRPs of all the Products. The Customer in good faith believes that he is getting a Discount. Upon reaching home, he discovers he has received 'Zero Discount' but bought 3 products instead of 1, which he actually required.

To make extra and illegal profits, Sellers like Flipkart resort to Unfair Trade and Anti-Consumer Practices by selling products such as Toshiba Laptops, 'Without Accesories' by removing the Backpack/Carry Case thereof. If you visit the Toshiba India website, you will discover that most models Toshiba Laptops come with Backpack/Carry Case as an 'Included and Standard Accessory'. Since a Laptop's Backpack/Carry Case is an essential accessory, the Customer has to buy it from the Seller or from the market by paying for something which was actually supposed to came with the purchased product!

In our lives, all of us have experienced undue harassment and stress at the hands of Sellers, Service Providers and Manufacturers be it issues relating to price, delivery or post-purchase services.

Here the real issue is not just about comparison of prices but ensuring that we as Consumers are not being taken for a ride by Sellers.

I hope others at CE will also join this conversation and ensure that nobody supports fraudulent Sellers online.

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PuneetVerma

@puneetverma-cfL67U • May 25, 2012

I was fond of flipkart. But this post forced me to do some research and I found difference in prices in technology books too. I checked Machine Design By Norton

#-Link-Snipped-#

#-Link-Snipped-#

That's a big difference in price. I just suggest don't go by brand. Just check prices on 2-3 websites and go by least. You can't find every thing a lesser price on a single website.

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Ankur Jaiswar

@ankur-jaiswar-ziBdgL • May 27, 2012

I mostly prefer Flipkart for they good service and quality, not for the prices. I actually expected them to be a competitor of Amazon one day. But things aren't looking good, Electronics mostly simple computer parts like CPU, PSU are out of stock.
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jun 16, 2012

Was just shocked to see how Flipkart is charging more these days! Looks like the discount party on Flipkart is over.

I ordered Guy Kawasaki's Book on HomeShop18 for Rs. 641.00. The same book is listed on Flipkart for Rs. 731.00! Rs. 90.00 price difference! Come on, give me a break! 👎

I just hope HS18 delivers well in time. Else, we can say Flipkart justifies the price gap.
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Reya

@reya-SMihdC • Jul 2, 2012

I'm amazed to see the price difference of "Cracking The Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions And Solutions(Paperback) by

Gayle Laakmann McDowell" in Flipkart and Homeshop18.

#-Link-Snipped-#
<a href="https://www.flipkart.com/cracking-coding-interview-098478280x/p/itmd34cf5ja6gdhs" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Online Shopping India | Buy Mobiles, Electronics, Appliances, Clothing and More Online at Flipkart.com</a>

I just couldn't believe my eyes. The price difference is huge. The book costs Rs.398 in Flipkart whereas it costs Rs.1507 in Homeshop18. Are they both same? Can someone please clarify this?

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Reya

@reya-SMihdC • Jul 2, 2012

Oops! The book is out of stock in Homeshop18.
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 2, 2012

I'd say, I'll not order from HomeShop18 again. The Book I ordered has not arrived yet and it's bee almost 15 days since. They sent a mail saying the book is stuck with customs (?).
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durga ch

@durga-TpX3gO • Jul 2, 2012

<spam>
talking of delays, the usb to rs232 convertor what i had ordered on ebay has well been 15 days ago. Everytime I drop the dealer an email - they respond back saying - sorry, for the delay, the shipping has been delayed for 2 more days " :-s.
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 2, 2012

Quick shipping and delivery is where Flipkart excels. People go to Flipkart because they 'delighted' their customers when they ordered their first product from the site. I remember ordering a small book from Flipkart and they delivered it the next day. I was totally impressed. I think I'd pay few bucks (Rs. 100 is a big amount though) extra to get the book delivered to me when the 'want of reading the book' is hot in my mind. 😀
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Dancer_Engineer

@dancer-engineer-EJ8rGI • Jul 2, 2012

Flipkart may be charging more, but their service is very timely, neat and clean.
I had ordered a book from HomeShop18 last week, the same book was priced Rs. 90 more in Flipkart. I received my book from HomeShop18 in 3 business days.

Has anyone here cancelled an order on Flipkart / HomeShop18?
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Sahithi Pallavi

@sahithi-oJZaYj • Jul 2, 2012

Reya
I'm amazed to see the price difference of "Cracking The Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions And Solutions(Paperback) by

Gayle Laakmann McDowell" in Flipkart and Homeshop18.

#-Link-Snipped-#
<a href="https://www.flipkart.com/cracking-coding-interview-098478280x/p/itmd34cf5ja6gdhs" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Online Shopping India | Buy Mobiles, Electronics, Appliances, Clothing and More Online at Flipkart.com</a>

I just couldn't believe my eyes. The price difference is huge. The book costs Rs.398 in Flipkart whereas it costs Rs.1507 in Homeshop18. Are they both same? Can someone please clarify this?
How come this? 😕

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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 2, 2012

Reya
I
I just couldn't believe my eyes. The price difference is huge. The book costs Rs.398 in Flipkart whereas it costs Rs.1507 in Homeshop18. Are they both same? Can someone please clarify this?
That is because the 'editions' are different. One is an imported edition and the another one is meant to be sold only in select countries. That's why the price difference. Usually, the books imported would cost 1000+.
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Sahithi Pallavi

@sahithi-oJZaYj • Jul 2, 2012

The_Big_K
That is because the 'editions' are different. One is an imported edition and the another one is meant to be sold only in select countries. That's why the price difference. Usually, the books imported would cost 1000+.
Oh I see, But the content would be same, right?
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 2, 2012

Sada
Oh I see, But the content would be same, right?
Right.
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Sahithi Pallavi

@sahithi-oJZaYj • Jul 2, 2012

The_Big_K
Right.
Thanks. So it's good for us to be careful while ordering the books.
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PuneetVerma

@puneetverma-cfL67U • Jul 2, 2012

^^ Mostly Content is same. In mine cases, I just found Indian Editions in black white while imported are colored one.. I haven't found any difference in content.

P.S. Flipkart is inflating prices in Deodorant Section also.

Has somebody shopped books from Uread.com ??
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Anoop Kumar

@anoop-kumar-GDGRCn • Jul 2, 2012

Uread.com 👍 Bookmarked....
I am going to buy books *for this* semester in next couple of days.... will provide comparison.
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 3, 2012

Crappy HomeShop18! 😡 They now have given me a 'new' shipping date - 17 July. I asked them to cancel my order and ordered the book from Flipkart. I hope they deliver in this week. 😐
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Sahithi Pallavi

@sahithi-oJZaYj • Jul 3, 2012

17 July 😲
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 3, 2012

Unless I hear great reviews from customers about the new service, I'm not going to try a new one. Flipkart's going to be my top choice for online purchases as long as they maintain the customer service. Jabong, in its own categories, is doing an excellent service. German execution experts behind it.
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PuneetVerma

@puneetverma-cfL67U • Jul 3, 2012

for uread.con, I have read some positive reviews, and for discounts they are awesome. They have 30k+ followers.
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 3, 2012

pverma
for uread.con, I have read some positive reviews, and for discounts they are awesome. They have 30k+ followers.
I checked the price of the book "Rules For Revolutionaries" and the price seems to be higher than Flipkart; but I'm not quite sure whether they really mean to ship the 'International' edition at that price. If yes, then that's a *HUGE* discount!

How's the customer service and delivery times?
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Anoop Kumar

@anoop-kumar-GDGRCn • Jul 12, 2012

Review Head to head <a href="https://www.flipkart.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Online Shopping Site for Mobiles, Electronics, Furniture, Grocery, Lifestyle, Books & More. Best Offers!</a>vs #-Link-Snipped-#
I have checked for several books and find that Uread offering 10% lesser than flipkar and COD is also available.
Here is major difference for this book
Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture: Vol 1 <a href="https://www.flipkart.com/pattern-oriented-software-architecture-8126516119/p/itmdytmv7qgxcyb3?pid=9788126516117&ref=599010e0-a636-43e9-a04c-f4e4a4ed5a06" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Online Shopping India | Buy Mobiles, Electronics, Appliances, Clothing and More Online at Flipkart.com</a> #-Link-Snipped-#
No doubt I am going to buy from URead on COD.
Flipkart do something ☕ ☕

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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 12, 2012

Well, in my opinion; Flipkart justifies their prices (the gap is 'huge') by offering unrivaled service. I had to cancel my order on HomeShop18 for the same reason.

By the way, could you review the whole customer service and delivery review for uRead?
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Anoop Kumar

@anoop-kumar-GDGRCn • Jul 12, 2012

Yup.. packaging and delivery time is superb.
I ordered a micro SD from Snapdeal (not available of Flipkart), but packaging was pathetic just in a regular envelop.
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Anoop Kumar

@anoop-kumar-GDGRCn • Jul 12, 2012

Found website to compare book prices at different sites (Infibeam.com , Flipkart.com , Crossword.in, Bookadda.com , Indiaplaza.in ,Landmark NbcIndia.com, Uread.com , Homeshop18.com)
<a href="https://www.indiabookstore.net" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Buy books online in India from online bookstores</a>

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PuneetVerma

@puneetverma-cfL67U • Jul 13, 2012

How much are the delivery charges?

Flipkart provides free delivery on all items if your total order amount is Rs. 300/- or more. Otherwise Rs. 30/- is charged as delivery charges.

That doesn't seem good...
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Anoop Kumar

@anoop-kumar-GDGRCn • Jul 25, 2012
This time I bought books from HomeShop18(COD), InfiBeam and Flipkart at same time, wherever I found least price.
- Delivery time is almost same
- Infibeam packaging was better than HomeShop18
- First time Flipkart packaging was not good, book had got little wet due to heavy rain.
But, browsing book on these sites , I found Filipkart is still best.
Flipkart clearly mention the Title,author and publisher with year at the top for all books.while I have to struggle on other sites to find publishing year for some books.
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 25, 2012

I've had very bad experience with Home Shop 18 but they were quick to issue a refund. Flipkart has always impressed with almost everything I've ordered from them. It looks like they're burning a LOT of cash serving their customers and making sure people get the best e-shopping experience.

I wonder whether there are any 'real' competitors in the market to Flipkart, Infibeam and HS18.
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kranthitech

@kranthitech-DhVvKn • Oct 15, 2012

I ordered a book from HomeShop18 as it was cheaper than FlipKart
#-Link-Snipped-#

#-Link-Snipped-#

After making the payment through ICICI Internet Banking, I got a payment declined message, but money was declined from my bank account.

I called up the customer care, but they said that its the Bank's fault and they cant do anything about it. Inorder to pursue the matter, I need to fax them a scanned copy of my Bank Account Statement. I asked them if its ok that I send him a screenshot, but they were not willing to accept.

"Fax them a copy of the Bank Statement" !! . Isn't that too much of an effort for a 200 Rs book ?

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Anoop Kumar

@anoop-kumar-GDGRCn • Oct 15, 2012

#-Link-Snipped-#
Also note that Flipkart edition is 2011 while homeshop18 edition/publisher not mentioned (but looked like 2005).

At present Flipkart may be little pricier for some items but definitely genuine service without any doubt.

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Boi Kart

@boi-kart-S6iVFc • Feb 21, 2013

you can search this site also : #-Link-Snipped-#

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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Feb 21, 2013

Boi Kart
you can search this site also : #-Link-Snipped-#
What's new with boikart? Looks like another player in the market.

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