MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price)
The manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) is the price a manufacturer recommends for a product at retail; it is the term used in the United States for what is called the recommended retail price (RRP) in the UK and much of Europe. Like an RRP, an MSRP is a suggestion, not an obligation — retailers remain free to sell above or below it.
One concept, four names
MSRP (United States), RRP (United Kingdom and international usage), UVP — unverbindliche Preisempfehlung (Germany) and adviesprijs (Netherlands) all describe the same thing: a non-binding price recommendation from the manufacturer to the retail channel. Which term you encounter mostly depends on the market a product sheet or listing was written for.
MSRP in practice
The MSRP is printed on product sheets, fed into retailer systems and shown as the reference price in listings, particularly for electronics, appliances and vehicles. Actual selling prices routinely deviate from it in both directions: below when competition is fierce or stock must move, above when supply is scarce.
MSRP vs MAP
In the US, MSRP and MAP frequently coexist in the same reseller agreement: the MSRP suggests the selling price, while the MAP sets the floor below which the product may not be advertised. The MSRP is informational; the MAP is enforced. In the EU, minimum resale prices are in principle prohibited under competition law while recommendations are allowed, so European brands generally rely on the recommended price alone as their reference.
How PricePatrol fits in
PricePatrol tracks actual street prices per retailer and per country against the reference price a brand sets — MSRP, RRP or an internal floor — so deviations show up as data rather than surprises.