nathanlee
Well-Known Member
http://www.amazonsupply.com/
Just launched the US. Cannot wait for this to become available over here.
Just launched the US. Cannot wait for this to become available over here.
Amazon Supply - wow!
- Thread starter nathanlee
- Start date
sarabande
Well-Known Member
that's got Screwfix and Travis Perkins a bit worried....
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Bad news. Amazon creams off all the high-volume business, thus bankrupting smaller suppliers who carry all those odd bits and pieces that you can't find elsewhere. Only way the small guys can survive is to become Amazon-approved, thereby sacrificing some of their profit margins.
SimbaDog
Well-Known Member
Ex-SolentBoy
Well-Known Member
And in doing so massively brings down the price of the high volume part of the business which is what most people buy most of the time (that's why it's high volume).
Your half empty cup has a silver lining.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Could be useful if it doesn't turn into a jumble sale like their other website!
Bosun Higgs
N/A
Like the supermarkets did?
The business strategy will be to build up volume by discounting the bulk items and selling if necessary at a small loss. That will do two things - one is to damage their competitors ( always a good business objective) and the second is to build up such a volume base that they can lean on suppliers either not to supply competitors ot to do so at higher prices.The medium term objective has to be to get as near to a monopoly as they can to enhance pricing power and hence margins.
I'm old enough to remember the supermarkets first appearing at which point they were way cheaper than the small shops. Not the case now for the few small shops remaining. Interestingly Aldi and Lidl tried a similar approach on Tesco et al and with some success. Remember how attractively priced their Thursday specials used to be. Not so any longer.
mirror image
Well-Known Member
Like the supermarkets did?
I think Amazon now sell groceries in the US
Interesting prog on R4 the other day saying that supermarkets do not 'sell' to customers as Amazon does. They use customer info more effectively.
Watch this space
patturner
Active Member
I bet none of us would moan if they went into the chandlery business!!!
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Would I be able to pop in a buy a £0.15 split pin on a Sunday morning?
patturner
Active Member
point taken. But if you needed a new dinghy????
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Chandlers get a lot of bad press but I've never seen anything particularly overpriced in one. Often they see, to be cheaper than the alternatives - maybe its just the things I've needed I've been lucky with
Blueboatman
Well-Known Member
Haven't Amazon come under scrutiny recently for their tax avoidance in Europe? CDs from the channel isles, billing in Lichtenstein, etc?So what, "Greed Is Good"! Bit unfair on the local shop that pays business rates and has full time employees though, who spend back into the local economy? Or just ' the New World Order'?
! Bit unfair on the local shop that pays business rates and has full time employees though, who spend back into the local economy? Or just ' the New World Order'?
Stemar
Well-Known Member
If you don't buy your dinghy from your local chandler, he won't be there when you need that Sunday split pin.
Burnham Bob
Well-Known Member
I'll admit to being an amazon fan. Prices are good and service excellent - I once had to return an electrical item that wasn't right and they were great. The wonderful thing is if they have it on the site, it's in stock. As to the 15p split pin, that's what ebay is for. Anything you want through the post in a couple of days.
I've just been to Reliable Fire Protection Services in Leigh because I needed specialist advice and help on the options for new fire extinguishers - and that's what I got. (No connections - I got their name off this forum!) But most retail outlets are staffed by sales staff who are rarely experts so they can't really offer advice.
Retailing is changing. Agreed it's good to pop into the Chadlers for what you want here and now and I do. But the high street is going to lose even more custom to the internet - amazon and ebay are a powerful combination.
I've just been to Reliable Fire Protection Services in Leigh because I needed specialist advice and help on the options for new fire extinguishers - and that's what I got. (No connections - I got their name off this forum!) But most retail outlets are staffed by sales staff who are rarely experts so they can't really offer advice.
Retailing is changing. Agreed it's good to pop into the Chadlers for what you want here and now and I do. But the high street is going to lose even more custom to the internet - amazon and ebay are a powerful combination.
Bosun Higgs
N/A
Chandlers get a lot of bad press but I've never seen anything particularly overpriced in one. Often they see, to be cheaper than the alternatives - maybe its just the things I've needed I've been lucky with
Eh? All three of my nav light bulbs have gone over the winter ( why?
) and the price of a new one - £7 each. 7 quid for a glorified torch bulb! Shouldnt even be 70p.
Richard10002
Well-Known Member
Over the past few weeks I've been calling into a variety of local shops to buy the stuff for wiring up my inverter charger.
Not one shop has had any of the things I needed, including an electrical wholesaler - a quick trawl of eBay, a few answers her, and there is every variety available, and it's all either arrived, or on its way.
Seems its a bit of a lottery as to whether local shops will have exactly what you need, including the split pin but, high or low volume, it's all available online, within a few days.
Not one shop has had any of the things I needed, including an electrical wholesaler - a quick trawl of eBay, a few answers her, and there is every variety available, and it's all either arrived, or on its way.
Seems its a bit of a lottery as to whether local shops will have exactly what you need, including the split pin but, high or low volume, it's all available online, within a few days.
Sneaky Pete
Well-Known Member
Small guys compete in an open market under the Amazon umbrella it is not as if less of these items will be sold there is still demand. I for one welcome this prices are too high for almost everything we live in rip off Britain moan about prices but still pay it. Small businesses will adapt there will still be demand and outlets for buying one roll pin, two bolts the odd bits etc. Amazon is a great service with a great back up service and very customer focused. As well as buying new you can buy used with discount on Amazon, brilliant.
MoodySabre
Well-Known Member
Two countries divided ...etc 
Babylon
Well-Known Member
I sincerely hope that there will always remain chandlers around like Force 4.
Open at nine o'clock on a Sunday morning, right by the boatyard when - covered in sweat or bilge oil - you need that s/s washer or whatever, their staff both very knowledgeable and extremely helpful without ever being pushy, happy to root around in the old store out the back for something that could just fit, or order the part in for you.
Happy to use Amazon for loads of things (books, CDs, cordless telephones, toys, etc), but would hate to lose local chandlers, stationers, shoeshop, bike shop, hardware shop, etc, etc.
Open at nine o'clock on a Sunday morning, right by the boatyard when - covered in sweat or bilge oil - you need that s/s washer or whatever, their staff both very knowledgeable and extremely helpful without ever being pushy, happy to root around in the old store out the back for something that could just fit, or order the part in for you.
Happy to use Amazon for loads of things (books, CDs, cordless telephones, toys, etc), but would hate to lose local chandlers, stationers, shoeshop, bike shop, hardware shop, etc, etc.
