{"id":6905,"date":"2026-08-21T09:16:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T07:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=190123"},"modified":"2026-08-21T09:16:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T07:16:56","slug":"when-buying-from-a-specialist-retailer-is-waaaaay-cheaper-with-better-personal-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/when-buying-from-a-specialist-retailer-is-waaaaay-cheaper-with-better-personal-service\/","title":{"rendered":"When Buying From a Specialist Retailer Is Waaaaay Cheaper (With Better, Personal Service)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Table of Contents<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

How is it possible that a private business \u2013 Stratlec \u2013 can sell the Shelly PRO 4PM for a cheaper price than a multi national store?<\/p>\n

R2 699<\/a> (Stratlec) vs R4 500.00<\/a> (Mega Online Store)<\/p>\n

It may seem surprising that a smaller private business like Stratlec<\/a> can offer the Shelly Pro 4PM for R2 699 whilst a retail giant charges R4 500 and sometimes more OR inflates the price and then offers that as a \u2018discount\u2019.<\/p>\n

This price difference is primarily driven by how the two companies source, list, and sell the product.<\/p>\n

<\/span>1. The Marketplace Model (Third-Party Sellers)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The most significant reason for the price gap is that most of the \u2018mega online\u2019 stores do not sell many items directly. On major South African online stores many of the items are sold on behalf of another company which pays to be listed.<\/p>\n

These online marketplaces allow independent third-party vendors to list their goods. In turn these third-party vendors are charged a commission fee on every sale.<\/p>\n

In addition the online marketplaces often have \u2018hidden fees\u2019 and stocking requirements that increase the amount of holding stock required \u2013 often third party vendors are required to hold stock in more than one distribution centre as well as their own warehouses.<\/p>\n

To absorb a multi-national retailers\u2019 commission and still make a profit, the third-party seller on that platform must inflate their retail price.<\/p>\n

<\/span>2. Direct Sourcing vs. Middlemen<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Stratlec is a specialized automation and electrical supplier backed b y qualified electricians that are intensely familiar with their products and any \u2018installation peccadillos\u2019.<\/p>\n

Direct Channels: They often source smart home hardware directly from official distributors or manufacturers in bulk. By eliminating the middleman, they keep costs low.<\/p>\n

Specialist Focus: Unlike general retailers, Stratlec buys deeply into specific product lines, securing better tier-pricing that they can pass on to consumers.<\/p>\n

<\/span>3. Niche Expertise and Lower Overhead<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Multi-national retailers maintain massive brick-and-mortar footprints, expansive logistics networks, and heavy corporate infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Operational Costs: While multi-national retailers have immense buying power for household groceries or television sets, they do not hold that same leverage over niche IoT automation hardware.<\/p>\n

Agile Pricing: An independent online shop like Stratlec has lower broad overhead costs for this specific product category, allowing them to operate on tighter profit margins to remain competitive in the tech community.<\/p>\n

Personal Service: That sale from Stratlec is personal for the owners and staff \u2013 they live and breathe their products and are immensely proud of the manner in which they can make a positive difference in your life.<\/p>\n

Expertise: When you speak to an employee of a small retailer like Stratlec<\/a> you are gaining first hand knowledge and valuable insights into just how the product can benefit you.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Images:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>
Shelly Pro 4PM for R2 699 from Stratlec Online. Photo: Stratlec Screenshot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/a>
Shelly Pro 4PM for R4 500 from a Mega Online Store Photo: Stratlec Screenshot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span>Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Boilerplate and Editor\u2019s Notes<\/a><\/strong>.
More Info on When Buying From a Specialist Retailer is Waaaaay Cheaper (With Better, Personal Service)<\/a> here:<\/strong>
X<\/strong>: https:\/\/twitter.com\/MyPE<\/a>
LinkedIn<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/stratlec\/<\/a>
Facebook<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StratonElectrical\/<\/a><\/p>\n

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Track Your Press Release HERE:<\/h3>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Check Online Visibility<\/h4>\n

Verify where this release is currently indexed:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Pages: Page <\/span>1<\/span> Page <\/span>2<\/a><\/div>\n

CLICK HERE to Read the Original Press Release on MyPR<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Table of Contents How is it possible that a private business \u2013 Stratlec \u2013 can sell the Shelly PRO 4PM for a cheaper price than a multi national store? R2 699 (Stratlec) vs R4 500.00 (Mega Online Store) It may seem surprising that a smaller private business like Stratlec can offer the Shelly Pro 4PM …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic","date":"2026-08-21T07:25:14+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mtla6un62z2z","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mtla6un62z2z\",\"cid\":\"bafyreihooji6ypr2qtwgcchkyvtttpo3la5ekbxkivqcaxyieg54kv2isi\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreif3ukbcrf4gbi2yd3jkcjkkmahozyxgazxgsta3arz3zebdt3nhvq\",\"rev\":\"3mtla6unevr2z\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,3],"tags":[29],"class_list":["type-post","category-featured","category-news","tag-mypr-africa","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6905\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}