- Image via CrunchBase
Amazon.com stepped up it’s selling to the Funeral Industry after October 2009 when it was revealed that WallMart was selling Caskets on line. The Fact that Amazon has a contract with an online casket provider for 67% off the list price of many caskets, points to the fact that the markup on caskets can be 300% or more. Not all funeral homes do this, there are lower cost funeral homes and online casket providers where the markup is much less.
This supports what I have been saying for several years that many times the markup of caskets in the funeral home can be up to 500%!
What is interesting about amazon.com and other online vendors is that they sell directly to the consumer. This is a trend that will continue and more and more Funeral vendors will be doing this!
In Fact Last Year the National Funeral Directors Association lobbied on behalf of the Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act asking that online vendors like amazon.com be brought in under the Funeral Rule Regulations.
With the election of Republicans to the US House of representatives the passage of the Bereaved Consumers Bill Of Rights Act is unlikely to happen and caskets and other consumer funeral products being sold directly to the consumer for the short term will avoid funeral regulations.
What is mentioned above is contributing to Funeral Industry Decline in the USA. The more that funeral goods are available online especially at popular sites like amazon.com the less the local funeral home will be needed and the more the funeral industry will decline.
Amazon.com (AMZN)
> Interesting Fact: Amazon sells a steel embalming table
> # of Employees: 21,700
> Most Recent Quarter Revenue: $7.6 billion
> Most Recent Net Income: $231 millionAmazon.com helped bring the funeral service online. Like Wal-Mart, the company offers caskets in more than 50 different varieties. Additionally, it sells a steel embalming table for $1,095 and pet urns for under $200. Many caskets are sold at 67% off the list price, thanks to a partnership with Bestpricecaskets.com.
via 247wallst.com
Funeral Industry| Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy
your funeral guy has no affiliation with best priced Caskets.com http://www.bestpricecaskets.com/
Your Funeral Guy’s book Rest In Peace Insiders Tips to the low cost less Stressed Funeral is available online at amazon.com Presently Your Funeral Guy is not involved with the selling of any Funeral Goods or products.
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Well, I wish they would sell coffins online in the UK. I can put them in touch with coffin manufacturers who would be pleased to supply them. When I read of the lobbying powers of the NFDA I rejoice that the funeral industry over here is unregulated — in other words, it is the family which is the funeral director and all outsourcing of services and supply of merchandise is at their discretion. Funeral consumers over here do not know what their powers are. But at least they still have them.
Many Online sellers review this blog. We can hope that one will contact you Charles!
Amazon and Walmart, although making it difficult for family owned business, keeps prices reasonable for everyone.