Travel Study: Save 39% by buying luggage online; 32,672 luggage prices analyzed

For weeks, we have analyzed luggage pricing data online to help travelers make informed luggage buying decisions. The study begins by presenting the most important findings in the form of an infographic, followed by an in-depth explanation and analysis of all the numbers.

Selected Findings (From the Infographic)

Save an average of 39% ($110) by buying luggage online.
88% of all luggage is available at a discounted price online.
One third of all luggage is discounted more than 50% on average.
Best savings by brand: Kenneth Cole (63%), it luggage (62%) and Traveler’s Choice (59%).
Worst savings by brand: American Tourister (1%) and Briggs & Riley (1%).
Popular brands like Samsonite, Rockland, Delsey and Travelpro are available at 30-55% discounts on average.
Luggage sets are 23.27% more discounted than single luggage pieces.
The more expensive the luggage is, the higher the percentage of the discount is.
The worse the reviews of luggage are, the higher the discount.
Luggage for kids is 69% ($123) cheaper than standard luggage.
Best savings by retailer: Walmart (53%), Century 21 (51%) and Target (50%).
Worst savings by retailer: Kohl’s (17%), Macy’s (18%) and Bag King (18%).
Greatest selection of luggage: Amazon (12,549), Jet (7,557) and Walmart (4,869).

Introduction to This Study

Our study is conducted to help travelers see how much money they can save by purchasing luggage online. We focus on these areas:

Which types of luggage is most affordable to buy online?
Which brands can you get the best deals on when you buy online?
Which online stores offer the best discounts?

More people than ever travel; U.S. airlines, for example, carried a record number of passengers last year. “Most people know that they can save money on travel by searching for cheap flights or hotels online, but many people still overspend by buying their luggage in brick and mortar stores.” says Dan Bennett, the founder of Test Facts. He says: “With this study, we want to create transparency in the luggage market, to help travelers make informed decisions.”

The study is based on the following data:

32,672 luggage prices collected on September 2nd to 10th, 2017
454 luggage pieces and sets
34 brands
30 U.S. online retailers

Want to Save on Luggage? Buy Online

Luggage brands work hard to discourage retailers from discounting their luggage. A “race to the bottom” in terms of price competition lowers the perceived value of a brand, and lowers retailer margins so much that retailers no longer want to push the brand’s luggage to consumers. This is a brand’s worst nightmare.

By using cartel-like price structures and contracts, brands force brick and mortar stores to keep the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP). If a retailer does not obey, the dictating brand can shut down the partnership. Fortunately to consumers, prices on the internet are harder to control.

Brick and Mortar vs. Online Stores

When collecting prices on 454 luggage, we found the average MSRP to be $284.83. By collecting prices for the same luggage at 30 U.S. online retailers, we found the average price to be $174.61. This means that you save 38.70% ($110.22) on average when you buy luggage online.

Percentages of Discounted Prices

One might expect to find a few luggage to be discounted online, but in fact our study shows that 87.64% of all luggage is on average discounted online compared to MSRP. Only 12.36% of all luggage did not have an average discounted price online.

Furthermore, the distribution shows that 52.55% of all luggage is discounted 30-79%. One third of all luggage is discounted more than 50%.

Which Brands Have the Most Discounted Prices?

The Highest Priced Brands

When luggage is bought at MSRP, Tumi ($600.00) and Victorinox ($555.00) are the most expensive luggage brands on average. American Tourister ($75.37) is the cheapest luggage brand in terms of MSRP.

Largest Savings by Brand

After online discounts, Tumi ($572.36) is still the most expensive brand, but followed by Briggs & Riley ($463.40) as the second most expensive brand. Wally Bags ($68.28) is the cheapest brand.

The average discount percentage is highest with Kenneth Cole (63.22%), it luggage (62.48%) and Traveler’s Choice (58.61%), while American Tourister (0.74%) and Briggs & Riley (1.06%) are the least discounted luggage brands. Popular brands like Samsonite, Rockland, Delsey and Travelpro are available at 30-55% discounts on average.

What Type of Brand is Most Discounted?

The luggage brands have been categorized as:

1. Luggage-focused brands (Samsonite, Travelpro, Rockland, American Tourister, Traveler’s Choice, SwissGear, Briggs & Riley, Delsey, Wally Bags, Tumi, High Sierra, Eagle Creek, Bric’s, Hartman, Heys, Olympia, OGIO, Hedgren, American Flyer, Kipling, Lipault, Athalon, Travelon, Skyway, Ricardo Beverly Hills, U.S. Traveler and it luggage).
2. General brands that do not focus on luggage primarily (Tommy Hilfiger, Timberland, Kenneth Cole, Vera Bradley, Victorinox, Nautica and Calvin Klein).

It is clear that general brands offer more savings online than luggage-focused brands. General brands are sold at 48.48% lower prices online on average, compared to 35.27% for luggage-focused brands.