I forgot to mention we also got the stonewall from two wholesalers before Christmas, one we left alone because we had chance to view what they had on offer and it wasn’t up to much anyway. The other I followed up with a polite phone call and I reckon it took all of 4 seconds to win the sales account manager round. We now have an account with the 2nd and they were one of the main players at Spring Fair with about 4 separate stands! That perhaps adds a little balance to the perception that all suppliers run a mile from e-tailers!

OMG I go on and on when I get excited about a subject, so sorry if my “commenting” appears excessive!

Why does everybody assume that selling on the internet or ebay for that matter equates too poor customer satisfaction? What I am offering is BOTH added in with the convenience and scalability of the web, I know that I am on to a winning formula, if the “old school” supply network don’t realise it yet then so be it, luckily there are enough people who do, either because they have seen whats happening, or because they will deal with e-traders through fear, I couldn’t give a hoot, so long as they supply me with saleable goods that are fit for purpose from which I can make a profit on that I am happy with. I will look after the custmer better than they could ever dream of, I’ve worked in customer service in one way or another all of my life, so I am qualified to talk about it without access to online subscription services

A lot of the “economic theories” were written BEFORE the information age or by people who have failed to smell what is in the air. Of course certain products will lend themselves to added value, I think of perfumes and designer jeans as obvious ones, but appreciate there are a lot more. But bare in mind that I was talking to homewares suppliers (not Gucci, or Apple), and we were talking to them about storage solutions, these were companies that supply tubs to keep cornflakes fresh, storage boxes for tea coffee and sugar, shoe racks etc!

So tell me what added value a supplier of these products is looking for, they are everyday items and I don’t need to read a “deloites” report to tell me what a consumer is looking for, they are most definatley looking for value AND service! I deliver fully on both.

Times are changing, this is definitely not getting carried away with e-commerce or “boom-brands”, its the future of trade. Can you really see e-commerce reducing in over the next few years? If you can, then I fear you will be one less competitor that I need to worry about.

If they don’t want to supply every new eBay (or off eBay) seller that comes along so much the better, you’ll have less competition when you convince them that they should supply you.

After all – they don’t want their time wasted by someone that’ll spend £50 once a quarter and possibly be an awkward customer any more than you do

Sure there is plenty of resistance to online only, and quite a few outright refusals. However, that isn’t the case with every supplier and in my experience, things get easier the longer you have been established.

Has anyone who is an online only trader ever managed to secure a long-term, viable supply source from such a trade show? I am sure there must be some ….. would be great to hear some success stories in this area that appears to be a very tough nut to crack.

better get me books out before I get the sack

Nothing to add to the argument but just a couple of tips for the spring or autumn fairs that I have learned over the years.

Wear comfy shoes and don’t mention eBay.

Very true, but that also depends on supply, if you have ever studied economics you will know about elasticity of supply and demand and that selling more at a lower price is not necessarily better than selling less at a higher price. If you haven’t studied the most basic economic theories maybe you shouldn’t be in business.

Finally I offer incredible customer service, trully incredible and in the words of Wierd Al “check my feedback” A+++++++++ and wahts more I didn’t need to be trading since 1885 to make sure I got that part of my business process right!

The other ironic thing about the attitude of the few suppliers is that they are basically selling the goods that they have had produced/sourced in China themselves. As such they were potentially exhibiting in halls adjacent to their own suppliers, there own suppliers would be more than happy to talk…..

“If you allow people with low overheads to under-cut established businesses who sell at or near the target retail mark , then you risk losing established business to someone who may well be out of business in 12 months because they can not add up”

Or is it actually more true that If the distributer refuses to supply retailers (online or otherwise) who have low overheads and can sell your stock at a price that gives the retailer a profit that they are happy with and gives the customer value. Then other distributors WILL, and in that case they will miss out in both avenues, because in my own humble opinion, e-commerce and the associated over head savings are here to stay. In my post I also said that the majority of distributors had already come round to the idea and were willing to talk to us, where does that leave the ones that didn’t? I could also be wrong here but, it certainly felt that the ones who were reluctant to engage either had an “older male” sales force or were more than a little pretentious about their products

On another point about the small guy “amateur” seller (as mentioned by Barry). Have we all forgotten how a certain Marks & Spencer and Alan Sugar started (amongst others)? Just in case we had forgotten, it was on a market stall and if ebay isn’t the modern day equivalent of the market stall, then I don’t know what is. So most new business starts off small and “amateurish” and then they grow and become the very top heavy, overhead laden beasts that complain about a new revolution that undercuts them in the marketplace

I feel that some suppliers unwillingness to deal with online retailers and ebay etc, stems from an understandable fear of the inevitable market rationalisation that is starting to take place. The writing is very much on the wall at the moment, the internet is hear to stay, it empowers the consumer with choice, in a way that no generation before us has ever had to contend with and suppliers and traditional retailers whose only route to market is via a brick built property will find themselves squeezed. Suppliers who refuse to deal with the new generation of online retailers will be overtaken by those that do.

We are at the beginning of a new era for supply of all commodities whatever sector we are involved in, it is time that we made sure that we are aware and are willing to adapt to and thus capitalise on the changing marketplace.

The problem for many manufacturers/designers/etc with ebay (many of our brands won’t allow us to sell on ebay either) is that you have the potential to take a product that does well on the high street and online and completely screw that product by supplying it to ebay sellers operating on a part-time basis who can afford to make a very small margin on a product because they have no overheads thereby diminishing the value of the product overnight.

It is not the true value of their goods being exposed, it is the amatuerish way they are being priced which would then stop others stocking it that is the problem. Because who wants to stock a product in a shop that you don’t make any money on? So you go from being a successful product sold both online and in shops to one sold at just about cost on ebay. Would you want that for your product?

There is also the issue that ebay, whether we like it or not as sellers, still has a very bad reputation out there with most people and if I had a strong brand I wouldn’t want it on ebay either.