Recommended seed suppliers

Viewing the different seed catalogues there are different prices for the same seed, but does a higher price indicate better quality or is it just snobbery that makes us buy the more expensively priced products

I have no idea as I always buy cheap.

swings and roundabouts. The high cost doesn't tend to just relate to the seed, smaller companies are likely to have higher costs elsewhere (staff, rent, more carriage charges due to less bought etc.) so it has to be past on. Bigger companies may have high costs in relation to wastage (expired seed, damaged packs etc.) I am certainly not a snob with seed prices but i will pay more for companies that are consistent and decent in relation to quality and customer service.

I applaud and agree withyour principles NG.
Unfortunately, one particular small seed supplier sent me tomato seeds which were not true to type, i.e they came up potato leaved when the shouldnt have been, I emailed nicely, giving them the heads up that their seed had been compromised, not wanting a refund or anything, and never even had an acknowledgement. Never gone back. As you say swings and roundabouts and if you find a good 'un stick with them.

Consumers pay a premium for brand name goods. A variety receiving an RHS AGM also seems to drive its price up. It can be hard to find newer varieties for a decent price unless T&M etc. are having a sale...perhaps they pay for exclusivity rights?

The seed is likely from the same big seed producer/wholesaler, just in a different packet under a different brand. Most of the well known seed companies do not produce the majority of the seed they sell. An eBay company like Premier Seed Direct are just taking that same seed and putting it in cheaper packaging and keeping their costs low by being online only.

Take Sungold F1 tomato for example. It was originally bred by a Japanese company called Tokita, but Tozer Seeds (a big seed producer & breeder) have exclusive rights to this variety in the UK, so presumably all of the UK seed companies selling it have to get it from them. Here are the prices for a packet of 10 seeds of Sungold F1 tomato (apart from T&M who only put 8 in the pack  ):

Suttons - £3.99
T&M - £3.99
Marshalls - £3.29
DT Brown - £3.29
Kings Seeds - £2.70
SimplySeed - £1.79
Premier Seed Direct - £1.29

The more well known the company is, the more they seem to charge

Apparently BVG Group, the parent company of Thompson & Morgan, bought Suttons earlier this month. Now they own Thompson & Morgan, Van Meuwen, Suttons, Dobies and The Organic Gardening Catalogue!

Thanks TMTT. My favoured seed supplier is Premier Seeds, they don't always have the variety I want but they're reasonably priced with low p&p with the added benefit of my buying local. It means I can splurge without a guilty conscience.

Apparently BVG Group, the parent company of Thompson & Morgan, bought Suttons earlier this month. Now they own Thompson & Morgan, Van Meuwen, Suttons, Dobies and The Organic Gardening Catalogue!

Monopoly or what?

Apparently BVG Group, the parent company of Thompson & Morgan, bought Suttons earlier this month. Now they own Thompson & Morgan, Van Meuwen, Suttons, Dobies and The Organic Gardening Catalogue!

Monopoly or what?

Then you have Mr Fothergills which also owns DT Brown and Johnsons, and Marshalls/Unwins is owned by Westland. More reason to support the smaller companies I guess.

I don't find Big is best at all. A large part of their costs are advertising- glossy catalogues, large spreads in magazines or in certain forums. Nor do I trust the variety names they use - too many gimmicks.
I prefer to pay a little more to an ethical company than to a fat cat with fingers in every seed trough.