Ebay Sellers: How do they get low pricing?
I see many professional resellers (auctioneers) selling Macs on ebay (i.e. Calvin's auctions)
I am interested in this, and eventually could swing the credit outlay to do it (even carry an inventory). But. how do they get their pricing low enough to make a decent margin? I always wonder what their product souce is, as many are pre-sale auctions (and therefore not grey market I assume). What do you folks think? Are they resellers? What is the deal?
I am interested in this, and eventually could swing the credit outlay to do it (even carry an inventory). But. how do they get their pricing low enough to make a decent margin? I always wonder what their product souce is, as many are pre-sale auctions (and therefore not grey market I assume). What do you folks think? Are they resellers? What is the deal?
Comments
<strong>Either play the auction game, set a reserve, or start at a min bid. Most sellers use reserves for expensive items.</strong><hr></blockquote>
he means how do they get reseller pricing buying the items themselves so that they actually make a profit.
I don't know. It's a good question
One of them goes around to garage sales half the week, and loads of up on anything that's worth a few bucks more than it's being sold for. Then they Ebay the stuff and have dozens or even hundreds of auctions going at once.
One of them gets movie posters from Hollywood Video where he works -- the studios and video distributors give these guys zillions of posters for every video release -- and he Ebays them, sometimes for surprisingly large amounts of money. The clerk said he made six figures last year. His cost on these things is ZERO. Quite a scam.
The last two he told me about are probably closest to what you're looking to do.
One guy buys computer equipment at auction. This is a variation on the "garage sale" idea -- looking for stuff that's priced less than you think you can re-sell it, not necessarily searching for anything like JUST cool recent Mac gear. You know, they buy Unix servers and Wyse terminals and expensive/rare components (proprietary interfaces and drives and expansions) or whatever.
The last one owns a retail shop where they take in a lot of stuff on trade. A lot of people who are getting rid of something realize that if they want to sell it "quick and dirty" then a retail place is not going to give them such a great trade-in value. This retail shop actually makes most of its money Ebaying off trade-ins! So maybe you're selling new Mac gear in a cruddy storefront and not selling too much of it, but you're taking in plenty of trades because most people want to get rid of stuff quick & easy...
How do ebay sellers that sell NEW Macs get low pricing (not retail) FROM Apple or their distributors? I could buy and sell on ebay, but I would need to make enough money on each item. For example, when you see new PM's going for $2500, you know they didn't pay that for them. I am talking about current, NEW, "this generation" stuff like a dual GHZ machine or something. Does anyone know how they get their stuff wholesale?
I have considered yard sales and what not, but the problem with that is you are always carrying an inventory. The way these guys do it is mostly pre-sale, so they have a source somewhere.
[ 02-19-2002: Message edited by: SDW2001 ]
[ 02-19-2002: Message edited by: SDW2001 ]</p>
I'd like to know how these guys get discounts like that too - could it be that they're getting them at cost from a friend who is a Mac reseller?
Back in my university days, I knew a few students who bought Macs at educational discounts for their friends and family who couldn't get the discount. I don't think you're supposed to do that, but it happens. I'm very sure you're not supposed to do it just to resell the thing.
<strong>The education discount won't save you more than a hundred or two on a system. But I suppose this would build up in bulk....</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not really, because you are only allowed to buy one desktop and one laptop per academic year. So you would have to have lots of freinds who could get you educational discounts.
If it was stolen equipment, it would be getting back to them after a year...
PBG4-500, brand new, for 2799 instead of 3599.
I ended up getting one, only after threatening to call the police and BBB on them.
I didn't ever get the CD-RW drive I was promised, either.
My advice: stick to real channels.
<strong>Jonathan, did that guy (the seller) have any kind of feedback record?</strong><hr></blockquote>
You can even get burned by people with a great feedback record.
<a href="http://www.msnbc.com/news/713634.asp"; target="_blank">Figurine scandal</a>
<strong>Jonathan, did that guy (the seller) have any kind of feedback record?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Highest positives I had ever seen. +400 or something.
He was not the only one. And, it was for like $12 worth of stuff. Ridiculous.
Jonathan, I have seen sellers with +3000 feeback!!!!
[ 02-23-2002: Message edited by: SDW2001 ]</p>
People win auctions on eBay, then try to change the rules AFTERWARDS. They freak out about having to pay first, and receive the item later. It's frickin' eBay!! That's how it's done! Drives me nuts.
Oh, and there are people out there with over 10,000 positive feedbacks.... I've seen 13,000+.