imabrit
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posted on April 8, 2001 02:16:20 PM
This might seem like a stupid question but there is some merit to it.
Its like the info on the book thread.
In the last year I have gotten to know my competitors very well.We email each other back and forth.
I feel in general there is enough business for all of us.
By sharing lots of bulk items I buy I can buy more quantity of an item get a bigger discount and in the long run make more money.
Does anyone else do anything like that.
Adrian
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Microbes
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posted on April 8, 2001 02:56:05 PM
I buy and sell with some of my competitors, and we all make money. Other competitors don't understand this concept... Oh well.
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eventer
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posted on April 8, 2001 03:02:31 PM
I like to share my deadbeats with mine. 
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wbbell
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posted on April 8, 2001 09:51:11 PM
I confess I don't really understand the concept, could you elucidate some for me?
In my view, eBay is so cutthroat these days, if you have found an item that sells well and for a profit, that in itself is a valuable commodity that I wouldn't be inclined to share with the competitors.
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difs
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posted on April 9, 2001 06:29:57 AM
I do, and I enjoy it. There are many times I forward my customers on to competitors if they request something the competitor currently has on auction that I don't. Conversely, if I can't get rid of something, I put out an APB to a couple of nice sellers whom I know, and ask if they know anyone in the market for it. Works really well. Also, the sharing of bidder information, when necessary, is invaluable.
Di
On a scale of 1 to 10...we'd all weigh a lot less!
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Microbes
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posted on April 9, 2001 08:40:10 AM
wbbell:
>I confess I don't really understand the concept, could you elucidate some for me?
I sell a lot of "parts". If I have a customer wanting a part for a 1984 what ever, and I don't have it, I get on the phone and call some of my (friendly) "Competetors", and if I find it, and can make money on it, I buy it. They do the same, and we both make a profit.
Most times the profit margin is a little lower this way, but normally it is a "quick sale".
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imabrit
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posted on April 9, 2001 09:18:52 AM
Okay let me clarify.
I sell documents antique ones and other items on ebaY.Sometimes I will come across a large lot that contains hundreds of items that if listed on ebaY on a piece by piece basis would take me maybe a year or more to clear out.
Because every item is different I can split some of these lots with other competitors,reduce my overall expense on the item recover my origional investment quicker and still make a good profit on the remaining items.
I have done this a number of times.It has worked well for me and allowed me to go after lots that otherwise would be too much of an expense to handle on my own.
Those same competitors do likewise with other items they get and it helps all of us to get a better diversification of product as we do not all have the same sources.
Hope that made a little better sense.If you work with your competitors rather than against them it can work in your favor too.
Adrian
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taz8057
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posted on April 10, 2001 10:13:47 PM
Sounds like a plan to me...
-Trey
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"If your mind can conceive it, and you believe it, then you probably can achieve it."
http://www.CondomDeals.com
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katiyana
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posted on April 11, 2001 06:33:20 AM
Its smaller $ amounts, but we do the same thing with trading cards - there is a group of us that sell on Ebay and we're trading back and forth out of our extras to complete more sets so we can put complete sets up on Ebay....
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anthro1966
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posted on April 11, 2001 09:14:11 AM
I have a similar situation. I and another seller kept bidding against each other on items that we buy on ebay for resale. Typically, we would end up having the highest bids at the end of the auction: sometimes I would win and sometimes he would. Rather than continuing to bid up the prices against each other we now take turns when they come up for sale. Typically one comes up for sale every couple of weeks; one item he goes after and the next one that comes up is mine. It has reduced both our costs by about 33% - 50% each time.
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imabrit
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posted on April 11, 2001 09:18:17 AM
I do similar at auctions we buy at all over the world.Rather than compete we decide who goes after what items as there is normally plenty for all.
Or if there is a large lot we split it,and it works well that way.
So it can work to work with your competitors.
Adrian
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mrpotatoheadd
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posted on April 11, 2001 09:31:53 AM
Buyers getting together and agreeing not to bid in order to hold down the final bid price doesn't sound any more ethical than sellers getting together and agreeing to bid in order to drive up the final bid price.
But that's just me...
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