How do these people make money??

mattcanary

sequence wrote: »

There's almost no chance of getting people to buy from a site they've never heard of before and know about only as a result of spam from an ebay seller. You're better off putting your marketing budget on the lottery, I can almost guarantee you'll see a better return

That's not what has happened here though.


Buyers have just bought an item from a seller on a website and then bought a different item from the same seller on the same website later on (after maybe being encouraged to but=y again by being sent an email).

sequence

mattcanary wrote: »

To be honest, it is using good business sense.


It is the kind of thing that Tescos often do. They will make a loss on certain items and then point you towards other profit-making items on their website.


It may be cynical, but I am sure it works.

True, but tesco a well respected (by some..) brand/store so getting people to buy from their website is going to be a lot easier than some unknown small business.

Ianwzzz

mrs_sparrow wrote: »

OK, so this is a genuine question and no doubt I am going to get mocked for asking it......

There are a few retailers selling what I do, I usually never check the prices but I've got some good stock in that usually sells quickly and very little is selling so I checked the prices of competitors (all UK Ltd VAT registered companies) and they are all selling below cost & fees prices.

Am I missing something?? An Anchor shop (or whatever it is called) - is this fee free other than the monthly cost or are there fees to pay on top of this?

There are other lines on there - current lines - which they are selling for less than cost and fees, as an example, something that retails for £38 is available for £24, I cannot even buy it for that let alone pay fees on a sale. I know where their stock comes from, the same place mine does, and the suppliers do not offer discounts.

I cannot afford to sell for less, and while I make a few pounds profit there are things like packaging to pay for, toners for printers, phone, broadband, etc.... how do people make money when selling for less than cost? They are selling huge volumes and so must be working all day packing - how can they afford staff costs if not making any profit?? Am I missing something really very obvious here?

Meh? Wish I had not looked now. Depressing. I suppose I should be grateful I am selling something. One day I will have a B&M shop, hopefully this keeps me going until the kids are old enough to look after themselves.

If they are selling below your cost and you believe they are making a loss then why don't you purchase from them, and help them make a bigger loss.

Mistral001

These competitors of the OP, who are selling at lower prices, probably have very deep pockets to do what they are doing and when you have money you have more choices available to you. As to the reason? Perhaps the managing director does not like their colour and cannot stand seeing them every time he goes to the storeroom. It is probably more complex than that, but who can tell?

Strapped

lovinituk wrote: »

Could it be the manufacturer themselves secretly selling at retail under a different business name?

^This. I think I remember that the op is in branded clothing, which would make me suspect the company is selling off over-runs.

RFW

mattcanary wrote: »

So what are you whinging about in your earlier post then?

I don't know really, hadn't noticed I was, thanks for taking the time to read, look into it and comment upon it, much appreciated.

RFW

LoftScavenger wrote: »

Sheesh, you really like to make an argument out of nothing - are you my wife?

Yes, dear:p

RFW

LoftScavenger wrote: »

So I basically said to sell something at a loss, to get loads of sales, and then use each buyers email address for marketing purposes.

You don't think this is a good idea but you give some items away to encourage business and you harvest email addresses.

That sounds completely different!:rotfl:

It is the same, I was agreeing with you, now put the kettle on.

RFW

mattcanary wrote: »

It's not illegal at all.


It may be unwanted spam to you, but it is certainly not illegal.

The way it was originally described was illegal, the way it was later explained is not. My husband often gets carried away, all that number crunching for 25 years messed with his head;)

LoftScavenger

RFW wrote: »

The way it was originally described was illegal, the way it was later explained is not. My husband often gets carried away, all that number crunching for 25 years messed with his head;)

:T:rotfl:

Thank you dear!!!