Amazon now offers Primark clothes

Clothing by Primark, the Irish chain that stubbornly refuses to start with e-commerce, is now for sale at Amazon. Does that mean the fashion discounter finally has come round to the idea? Or is there something not quite right?

Disney and Harry Potter merchandise

A selection of Primark’s range can suddenly be found on Amazon’s marketplace: in particular limited edition items, such as the chain’s Disney collections and the Harry Potter merchandise, are for sale online. British consumers discovered the unofficial Primark store and the British Metro newspaper has now reported their findings.

However, Primark is one of the only fashion brands to stand firm and refuse to embrace e-commerce. They have used the same argument for years: the cost of online sales remains too high to be able to afford it given the low prices of the clothing.

A sneaky online test?

Is the clothing giant now considering going online? Are they cautiously testing the waters by going into partnership with Amazon? It would appear to be a good test – quietly put the feelers out by offering a limited range on the marketplace. In addition, the retailer is not carrying out the activities under its own name, meaning the plug can easily be pulled without damaging the brand or causing too much publicity.

Primark says this is not the case: their reaction on Twitter is in fact calling on people not to buy via Amazon. It would appear that there is no cooperation at all and the clothing is being offered by unofficial vendors on the marketplace, behind Primark’s back and at significantly higher prices. That would in any case explain the sometimes considerable price differences between the online offer and the prices in the physical stores…