Irish and EuroZone Worries Drive Up Flash Drive Prices In The UK

Although the Republic of Ireland has agreed a rescue package with the EU to prop up their ailing finances and to the tackle the huge hole in the government’s finance the outlook remains bleak. Whilst some countries, notably Germany, are “bouncing back” from recession there are plenty of others in addition to Ireland and Greece that are still causing real concerns.

One of the many consequences of the turmoil in the Eurozone is the knock on effect on the currency markets. Over the last couple of weeks the Euro and the British Pound have fallen against the US Dollar. Today the £ stands at around 1.57 when a couple of weeks ago it was trading at over 1.62. Most trade from the UK with China is undertaken in US dollars so this 3% fall in the value of the British Pound has a direct impact on the cost of many imported goods including USB flash drives.

Of course, in the overall scheme of things, a modest increase in the price of flash drives is inconsequential, particularly when millions of jobs are being lost and countries and governments are being brought to their knees.

However, if you looking to buy USB flash drives printed with your logo on its useful to understand why quotes from suppliers of flash drives have such a short validity period.

Several factors influence the price of the flash drives including exchange rates, customer demand for flash products (not just USB flash drives) and seasonal factors including the Chinese Holidays. Taken together the price of flash drives is best described as “fluid” and UK importers of flash drives need to keep a close eye on market movements and fix their prices accordingly.

Most branded USB flash drive price lists are “fixed” daily taking into consideration all of the above so if you have what looks like a good price its worth grabbing it because if you ask for a re-quote a week later you could find the price has gone up. Conversely, it could also have gone down but as with most things you buy prices seem to go up more often than they come down.