What makes a reseller good?

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
...
I'd like to conduct a sort of informal poll, about what makes a
reseller good? I must admit to having an ulterior motive here as we
might be about to launch one!

Here are factors that I suspect are the most important


Only one thing - honesty - something you seem to have completely dicounted
in your list.

--
Best Regards
Niel Humphreys
Snowdon Computers

On Tue, 5 Aug 2003 18:42:24 +0100, "Snowdon Computers"
wrote:

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
.. .
I'd like to conduct a sort of informal poll, about what makes a
reseller good? I must admit to having an ulterior motive here as we
might be about to launch one!

Here are factors that I suspect are the most important

Only one thing - honesty - something you seem to have completely dicounted
in your list.

That is a subset of corporate transparency and your service policy.

However thanks for mentioning - I did not realise it would need to be
separately stated. Although you cant write "we are honest" in your
trade literature as otherwise you appear not so (imagine it), you can
implement this in your service and transparency policy.

I take it by this, you regard service as exceedingly important?



Sandy

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 5 Aug 2003 18:42:24 +0100, "Snowdon Computers"
wrote:

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
.. .
I'd like to conduct a sort of informal poll, about what makes a
reseller good? I must admit to having an ulterior motive here as we
might be about to launch one!

Here are factors that I suspect are the most important

Only one thing - honesty - something you seem to have completely
dicounted
in your list.

That is a subset of corporate transparency and your service policy.

However thanks for mentioning - I did not realise it would need to be
separately stated. Although you cant write "we are honest" in your
trade literature as otherwise you appear not so (imagine it), you can
implement this in your service and transparency policy.

I take it by this, you regard service as exceedingly important?


Yes sorry. In my opinion the reputation is the most important factor and is
something a reseller has to earn by actions alone. Granted there will always
be the clueless who will be blinded by cheapness.

For instance although Ebuyer are generally cheaper, I would only buy from
them after first checking on quite a few other companies who are more
expensive to see if they stock what I require. Watford I would not touch
with a bargepole and if they were the only option I would probably buy what
I needed retail.

--
Best Regards
Niel Humphreys
Snowdon Computers

On Tue, 5 Aug 2003 19:42:28 +0100, "Snowdon Computers"
wrote:

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 5 Aug 2003 18:42:24 +0100, "Snowdon Computers"
wrote:

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
.. .
I'd like to conduct a sort of informal poll, about what makes a
reseller good? I must admit to having an ulterior motive here as we
might be about to launch one!

Here are factors that I suspect are the most important

Only one thing - honesty - something you seem to have completely
dicounted
in your list.

That is a subset of corporate transparency and your service policy.

However thanks for mentioning - I did not realise it would need to be
separately stated. Although you cant write "we are honest" in your
trade literature as otherwise you appear not so (imagine it), you can
implement this in your service and transparency policy.

I take it by this, you regard service as exceedingly important?


Yes sorry. In my opinion the reputation is the most important factor and is
something a reseller has to earn by actions alone. Granted there will always
be the clueless who will be blinded by cheapness.

I would define service as :

1) Get the right item to the right guy, at the agreed price and
delivery time
2) Deal with returns quickly and with minimum fuss to the customer
3) Admit fault where the fault is yours; if this means collecting a
DOA then apologise to the customer and collect it.

I think you're right in that is part of an acceptable definition of
honesty but as i have said it hard to write "we are honest" withouy
sounding like a Bad Guy. Slogan lovers might use "we treat our
customers as we would like to be treated ourselves" or somesuch
soundbite.

You would then of course have to live up to this claim, or no-one
would ever trust you ever again. Part of that would also not being
something you arent (like retailers who sell own brand systems under
another name and hope no-one notices)


Sandy

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
...
3) Admit fault where the fault is yours; if this means collecting a
DOA then apologise to the customer and collect it.

One thing Komplett.co.uk don't do. Dabs offer a 48 hour return service but
with Komplett you have to return items at your own cost, in my case an Abit
NF7-S v2.0 which cost nearly £10 to post back to them. Although it's not
their fault I'm not happy with the situation at all and would prefer to have
them pay the cost.

When I got a 21" sony monitor refurb from Digi-uk.com (they sadly don't sell
these no more) the service was excellent. They arranged a swap out (ie. sent
out new monitor which was delivered in return for picking up the old one
[although they accidentally put the wrong address somehow so I had to
contact the courier asking where it was].) I like that sort of service but
obviously it costs money and puts the prices of products up for those who
never have a problem with their gear. I guess if I bought something from PC
world I'd have to pay the bus fare or drive my car at my expense rather than
PC worlds. (Just hypothetical here, will never buy anything again from PC
world since I bought a CD-RW a few years back.)

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
...

If people could post their replies, id be really grateful! We might
even get a decent IT seller out of it ... grin Remember, if you tell
me you want a reseller that stocks purple penguin suits, you will get
one!!!

Thanks

Sandy Goh

Reputation is going to be essential for a small retailer just starting off.
Just look at the likes of Tekheads and 123cdr and all the praise they get
around here. The people reading these groups may only make up a small
number, but when you take into account all the recommendations we give to
family, friends, colleagues and other contacts, then it all starts to add
up.

For me personally, I would put price and communication first when it comes
to choosing the good points about retailers. I like to know that I'm treated
as a valuable customer rather than an inconvenience who should be ignored.
The companies who usually impress me the most are the ones who actually take
the time to reply quickly and personally to emails - this shows me that
they do value their customers and if I ever have a problem with an order
then it's reassuring to know that I will be able to contact them without any
fuss

Customer support and good returns are obviously essential to acquiring a
good reputation, but I think perhaps the majority of people don't take this
into account - they just want the cheapest price and that's all they're
concerned about.. In the 8 - 9 years I've been buying stuff online, I've
had very few problems with any retailers, so nowadays I tend to use whoever
is the cheapest and has the item in stock. But when people ask me to
recommend a retailer, I tend to only recommend the ones who I know are
reliable and provide good service.

I would agree too that a well laid out website can help a lot. Ebuyer's site
can be a pleasure to use compared to Dabs or Simply. Whenever I'm looking
for an item, I tend to go to Ebuyer first because it's easy to find stuff
and the customer reviews can be useful too. I also like to see a full list
of specs and having pictures help too - dunno why, I already know what a
graphics card or whatever looks like, but it definitely makes a better
impression compared to sites that only list the product name and model
number.

Up-to-date stock levels are also essential too. It annoys the hell out of me
when I choose a particular retailer because they have what I want in stock,
but I then get an automated email telling me it's out of stock and they
don't know when they're getting more in. That's the kind of thing that would
make me shop elsewhere in future.

SLP

"SLP" wrote in message
...

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
...

If people could post their replies, id be really grateful! We might
even get a decent IT seller out of it ... grin Remember, if you tell
me you want a reseller that stocks purple penguin suits, you will get
one!!!

Thanks

Sandy Goh

Reputation is going to be essential for a small retailer just starting
off.
Just look at the likes of Tekheads and 123cdr and all the praise they get
around here. The people reading these groups may only make up a small
number, but when you take into account all the recommendations we give to
family, friends, colleagues and other contacts, then it all starts to add
up.

For me personally, I would put price and communication first when it comes
to choosing the good points about retailers. I like to know that I'm
treated
as a valuable customer rather than an inconvenience who should be ignored.
The companies who usually impress me the most are the ones who actually
take
the time to reply quickly and personally to emails - this shows me that
they do value their customers and if I ever have a problem with an order
then it's reassuring to know that I will be able to contact them without
any
fuss

Customer support and good returns are obviously essential to acquiring a
good reputation, but I think perhaps the majority of people don't take
this
into account - they just want the cheapest price and that's all they're
concerned about.. In the 8 - 9 years I've been buying stuff online, I've
had very few problems with any retailers, so nowadays I tend to use
whoever
is the cheapest and has the item in stock. But when people ask me to
recommend a retailer, I tend to only recommend the ones who I know are
reliable and provide good service.

I would agree too that a well laid out website can help a lot. Ebuyer's
site
can be a pleasure to use compared to Dabs or Simply. Whenever I'm looking
for an item, I tend to go to Ebuyer first because it's easy to find stuff
and the customer reviews can be useful too. I also like to see a full list
of specs and having pictures help too - dunno why, I already know what a
graphics card or whatever looks like, but it definitely makes a better
impression compared to sites that only list the product name and model
number.

Up-to-date stock levels are also essential too. It annoys the hell out of
me
when I choose a particular retailer because they have what I want in
stock,
but I then get an automated email telling me it's out of stock and they
don't know when they're getting more in. That's the kind of thing that
would
make me shop elsewhere in future.

SLP



For me, the biggest annoyance is the postage costs. Why should I have to pay
£5.00 postage on something small that could be thrown in a jiffy bag with a
1st class stamp? I was looking at getting a new CD Rom Drive, but once I'd
added the P&P the whole point of ordering online (to save money) was lost.

I also think getting as many details as poss about items is very useful. At
least get a picture on everything! A lot of people like to keep everything
looking good, I personally won't buy if theres not even a photo, i like to
see what I'm going to buy.

Make sure the sites fast too, nothing is worse than a slow website. (If you
want a flash one, maybe offer an alternative for modem users)

Mat

"Sandy Goh" wrote in message
...
I'd like to conduct a sort of informal poll, about what makes a
reseller good? I must admit to having an ulterior motive here as we
might be about to launch one!

Here are factors that I suspect are the most important

a) Product Range (Choice)

While this is good for PC systems and non-commodity items like MP3
players, how much do people appreciate a wider range of other
products? Take for example modems or CDRW. I dont want to think about
how many different modems Insight or DABS or Ebuyer have in stock. Yet
on the face of it, all white label modems and 52x24x52 CDRW are the
same, so does difference just come down to price? Now if a reseller
stocked only 3 different modems at very cheap prices, instead of 300,
would this a plus point or a minus point? The way I see it the number
of people who actually want things like mt rainier support, etc, is
probably pretty small and it seems like a lot of effort to stock
those.

b) Price vs Service

How much does good service (delivery ontime, effective communication
with returns department, timely replacement of items, tech support)
affect your decision to choose a supplier? Especially when a lot of
things have manufacturer warranties and manufactuer helplines in
addition to the reseller's one. From wht I can tell Ebuyer seems to be
romping away with the money despite having a very poor customer
service record (i put it down to low peripheral prices and a slick
shopping cart)

c) Ease of Shopping / Shopping Experience

I'll take Dabs as an exmple as I can NEVER find anything on their
shopping cart. I dont quite know how it is organised but I cant seem
to find anything there. I remember the last time i searched for a
mouse on that website there was just a list of text names, no pictures
or anything - i couldnt even tell which mice were logitech ones
wihtout clicking each one in turn. In the defence of DABS they did
list the manufactuers part number and i recognised the logitech ones
from that, but i cant expect joe public to know that 101020-1230 is
what logitech call their MX300 mouseman optical mouse (it isnt but
that is the nature of the task facing you). Because of this I dont
like to use DABS or insight at all. This is compounded by their huge
product range (i finally find the right search keyphrase, and 300
modems appear on my screen).

How important is this? Woudl you go for a smaller, well described
product range (no need to click manufacturer website) with a one click
cart?

One a side note i have a lot of respect for whoever designed ebuyers
shopping cart - its VERY easy to find stuff. Savastore is a bit less
easy, DABS is terrible at finding anything. Although not as bad as
Insight (You know we have it, but where is it? Play HUNT THE CDRW and
win a prize - you get to order one! Even their own staff admit this to
be a problem the one time i made a telephone order (the poor lady said
"i know we have it but i cant find anything in our system")

Here are things I think are probbably less important

d) Componts v peripherals

I dont like to sell components as people never seemt o be able to
install them, or they like to buy white label ones with dubious
factory level quality controls, however i seem to note that its about
half our sales and ALL of our returns. This is bad, i suspect that
might be one reason that ebuyer are so massively cheap on peripherals
and only averagely priced on components (also so they can sell to non
IT people, who will buy printers but not CPUs). [does anyone know, are
they actually making ANYTHING on some of their peripherals, or are
they loss leading or selling at cost to build brand awareness? I know
they are mfgr direct but they are selling cheaper than a lot of
mainline distributors; some things like Belkin stuff I can buy cheaper
from ebuyer than i can from computer 2000]

Here are things i think are less imprtant

a) Full product info available on items. It enhances the shopping
experience but you can get manufactuers information so easily ... for
most things.

b) Accessibility - some people you look at their website and you know
its no point phoning them. some of them even say this. is
accessibility important?

c) Corporate Transparency - are they are large corporation about which
you know next to nothing, or do they come across as nothing more than
they appear to be? for example ebuyer you know from all their
literature and website, to be a box shifter aimed at home retail
market. But what about Simply ? Its obvious they are a box shifter
aimed at the corporate market but what else are they? And does this
mean you trust them more or less, and are more or less likely to shop
with them.

d) Stock levels i.e. ability to do a next day delievery as opposed to
3 day... is this really an important factor? I know someone who swears
by CCL as its all next day (or was) but is he an exception or a the
rule?

If people could post their replies, id be really grateful! We might
even get a decent IT seller out of it ... grin Remember, if you tell
me you want a reseller that stocks purple penguin suits, you will get
one!!!

Thanks




Sandy Goh



Aftersales.

Actually being able to contact a retailer about a problem with your order
and have it answered in a timely manner

Product range, website, ease of shopping etc i couldn't care less.

If i receive a DOA or wrong product i want to be able to contact the
retailer and have it resolved.
With so many vendors its a huge fiasco to get things resolved when something
goes wrong.

"SLP" wrote:

Reputation is going to be essential for a small retailer just starting off.
Just look at the likes of Tekheads and 123cdr and all the praise they get
around here. The people reading these groups may only make up a small
number, but when you take into account all the recommendations we give to
family, friends, colleagues and other contacts, then it all starts to add
up.

Absolutely. Although the people in here might represent a small
proportion of the market, many work in computing-related fields and
probably influence a great number of sales.

My personal spend in 2003 probably amounts to little more than a
couple of grand but I can quite easily recount well in excess of
£10,000 worth of business I've pushed in the direction of Dell, SVP,
Tekheads, Novatech etc in the last few months alone, most of which
would otherwise of gone to some of the companies which are featured
less favourably in here.

That's before you add the people who don't actively participate in
newsgroups but use Google groups to check potential suppliers.




For me personally, I would put price and communication first when it comes
to choosing the good points about retailers. I like to know that I'm treated
as a valuable customer rather than an inconvenience who should be ignored.
The companies who usually impress me the most are the ones who actually take
the time to reply quickly and personally to emails - this shows me that
they do value their customers and if I ever have a problem with an order
then it's reassuring to know that I will be able to contact them without any
fuss

Customer support and good returns are obviously essential to acquiring a
good reputation, but I think perhaps the majority of people don't take this
into account - they just want the cheapest price and that's all they're
concerned about.. In the 8 - 9 years I've been buying stuff online, I've
had very few problems with any retailers, so nowadays I tend to use whoever
is the cheapest and has the item in stock. But when people ask me to
recommend a retailer, I tend to only recommend the ones who I know are
reliable and provide good service.

I would agree too that a well laid out website can help a lot. Ebuyer's site
can be a pleasure to use compared to Dabs or Simply. Whenever I'm looking
for an item, I tend to go to Ebuyer first because it's easy to find stuff
and the customer reviews can be useful too. I also like to see a full list
of specs and having pictures help too - dunno why, I already know what a
graphics card or whatever looks like, but it definitely makes a better
impression compared to sites that only list the product name and model
number.

Up-to-date stock levels are also essential too. It annoys the hell out of me
when I choose a particular retailer because they have what I want in stock,
but I then get an automated email telling me it's out of stock and they
don't know when they're getting more in. That's the kind of thing that would
make me shop elsewhere in future.

SLP




--
iv Paul iv

[ Mail: ]
[ WWW: http://www.hopwood.org.uk/ ]

"Mat" wrote:

For me, the biggest annoyance is the postage costs. Why should I have to pay
£5.00 postage on something small that could be thrown in a jiffy bag with a
1st class stamp? I was looking at getting a new CD Rom Drive, but once I'd
added the P&P the whole point of ordering online (to save money) was lost.

The economics of individually packing and shipping something as cheap
as a CD-ROM means it's rarely going to be much cheaper, if at all,
than buying locally.

I always consider the TOTAL when comparing suppliers regardless of how
they charge for carriage. The simple fact is they ALL charge, there's
no such thing as "free postage", some just choose to hide it in the
cost of the goods.

Make sure the sites fast too, nothing is worse than a slow website. (If you
want a flash one, maybe offer an alternative for modem users)

Not just for modem users, but those with better things to do than
witness the ego-flexing of some talented but mis-guided web designer!

Don't get me wrong, Flash is great, I love Flash - when I want to be
entertained. When I'm buying stuff I want to find the items I'm
looking for, find out the cost and availability, complete the purchase
and get on with my life!

Flash has absolutely NO place on e-commerce sites imho.

--
iv Paul iv

[ Mail: ]
[ WWW: http://www.hopwood.org.uk/ ]