getting around MAP (minimum advertised price)

[jpstephens]

I have a question, my store is almost reayd to launch i have the layout and templates ready to go...I am currently going through the price guides that I was provided with my dealer. The equipment that I want to list has a MAP and the dealer said i pretty much have to stick to it. The MAP is higher then the prices that the equipment is getting on ebay...I am at a cross roads, he said people get around it by saying make offer, or too low to list, but I cant do that on ebay...

Anyone have suggestions?

[GAtkins]

A lot of people get around it by having the potential customer request a price through e-mail. Then the price is provided either by a person or an auto-responder. But they are probably not on E-Bay, though, probably using regular stores on the web.

Glenn

[luv2trvl1]

Hi jps,

Are you only planning on selling through ebay? Is that the problem?

One thing you might want to think about... can YOU somehow add more value to differentiate the product from what is selling on ebay? Better documentation, a training or installation DVD, include all required cables, bundle it with something else that is commonly purchased with your product, more color choices, better/longer warranty, better post-sales tech support, etc., but the key is add something that will make it harder to do direct price comparisions

[jpstephens]

Yea to start off with I felt it had the most built in promotion and easiest to start. I will then branch off into a Yahoo! store as well, i talked with the distributor said I must adhere to the MAP, however he said a lot of online retailers put or make best offer....

any other feedback?

[Jennys]

This company on ebay advertises the MAP, but includes a large box in their listing with "live help" to get the actual price:

http://item.express.ebay.com/Sokkia-Set-610-Total-Station-6-set610-SCT6-Newest_W0QQitemZ300159497402QQihZ020QQfromsoiZ1QQc mdZExpressItem

Good luck, and keep us posted on how you get around this obstacle -- I'm sure you'll find a way.

[TimW]

MAP policies allow manufacturers the ability to ensure, at some level, that all their dealers/retailers will be within the same price-band/range.

As you are well aware, there are tons of people on eBay whoring out items at pennies above cost, relying on a boatload of volume to make any money. From what I've seen, these tend to be people who know nothing about business, or people who have huge families to help out.

In my own industry, tactical gear, new "kitchen table" dealers set up every day. Many of these folks do it to get their personal stuff at cost, and then sell a little bit to make a few bucks. For them to sell something at 5-10% above cost is nothing, since they're not in it as a real business.

A MAP, therefore, gives "real" businesses some assurance that this same dealer won't set up a free/ubercheap website and advertise the items at a price that, let's be honest, is unsustainable. Coupled with dealer minimums, this gives new/potential/current dealers some idea that they can actually make money selling the stuff.

Now...the key word to all this MAP stuff is..."Advertised" price. I can set any price I want to for those items, I just cannot openly advertise it at those prices unless it's a clearance or one-off sale. If I had a 'members only' section of my website, I could use that price since it's not publicly advertised. If I send out a message to an opt-in mailing list, same thing.

As far as selling the stuff on eBay, well, I don't sell stuff there anymore, and the stuff I did sell wasn't covered under a MAP. But hopefully you have some ideas now to assist you in your endeavor. Also, take what the manufacturer him/herself told you. That alone indicates to me that they are not serious in enforcing the MAP unless someone complains.

Just my opinion.


TimW
Phoenix