Subject:
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Re: BAYLIT - Brickbay
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.market.theory
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Date:
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Fri, 29 Sep 2000 23:30:54 GMT
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Viewed:
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582 times
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In lugnet.market.buy-sell-trade, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> In lugnet.market.buy-sell-trade, Ran Talbott writes:
> > In lugnet.market.buy-sell-trade, Jon Kozan writes:
> >
> > > Third, linking to my BAYLIT site. Someone said that I was "coat-tailing".
> Wasn't meant as a slander, apologies if you took it that way.
OK, None taken. Thanks.
> Were someone to accuse me of coattailing I would smile and say "Yes, wasn't I
> clever?" (my usual opinion of myself, to be sure...).
I wholeheartedly agree with the concept.
> Those ladders of yours, Jon, were you to put them on BAYLIT, would you price
> them the same? (minus the 2% you have to pay Dan, perhaps) If so, it's a good
> coattail. But if these really are the ladders that you can get 2 of for 10
> bucks in Mickey's fire truck (I dunno) then I would say you have them priced
> too high at 15 each, no matter where you have them posted. Posting them to
> BrickBay at that price if they aren't also at that price on BAYLIT (too lazy
> to go check) means you aren't really expecting them to sell, they will stay up
> indefinitely. Meaning a bad kind of coattailing.
I don't know if they're the same as Mickey's ladder or not, but I'll certainly
findout. That's the problem with pulling out 25yr-old parts from a set that's
not even on the LUGNET database (1070 if I remember correctly)... You never
know when LEGO will re-release a part, and destroy it's age-related value.
So, no, I didn't get these from Mickey. (But if you've noticed the large Mickey
set - it has the old-style lamp-posts!)
> > I can appreciate that it sucks to find that Brickbay has made it
> > possible for amateurs and dabblers to take a bite out of your business. And
> > I know it's not going to be easy to figure out how to adapt baylit to the
> > change in the marketplace.
> >
> > As a satisfied customer of both baylit and many brickbay sellers, I strongly
> > encourage you to close up shop on brickbay, before any more damage is done.
>
> Or, alternatively, put real inventory there, priced comparably to your BAYLIT
> inventory (not all of the BAYLIT inventory, but some, and feel free to tack 2%
> on to cover the cost) and let the market decide. If you get lots of traffic,
> lots more than you get on BAYLIT, maybe you should consider moving, and saving
> yourself the bother of running BAYLIT. If you get zippo traffic, stay where
> you are.
Three thoughts here guys...
1) I put on Brickbay just the first of more-to-come lots of inventory that I
choose to put there.
(What I put for sale should be determined by me, I would think, unless someone
creates an 'I don't like what you're selling, so you're excluded' concept.)
I plan on putting there inventory from sets that I:
a) cannot get in multiple copies, and thus,
b) isn't worth my time to inventory the set and put it in my database (again
the ladders came from a 1976 Dacta set, which I've never heard of before
(either nuumbered 1170 or 1070 - I'll check if someone's interested))
2) Putting inventory for sale on Brickbay, without stating it, implies the
seller has counted out the parts for sale before hand, or in some way is
certain of what they have for sale. I can't do that, for a variety of reasons.
a) not enough time, b) I'm not perfect, and don't try to be... That's why
BAYLIT doesn't claim a given part is in stock, although it usually (99%) is.
3) Finally the logical error here is that someone's assuming that there is a
fixed pie of buyers and that they're only going to buy from Brickbay or BAYLIT
.. and the tide's shifting, and I should get onboard. ...
Actually, the buyers are always expanding as new kids are introduced to LEGO,
and as more people find their love of LEGO on-line. The pie is not fixed, and
I have not seen a decrease in BAYLIT sales.
No one's taking a "bite out of my business" - LEGO just doesn't work that way.
A quick consideration of the LEGO business model should help anyone realize
this... There are multiple LEGO market segments. (for you other MBA's out
there -- Larry?).. And anyway, the one-stop shopping I provide still attracts
those sellers who could buy from others... Furthermore, I continue to refer
people looking for a certain rare part to look at Brickbay, and I've even gone
so far as to send people links to an item for sale on Brickbay.
> But do one or the other. Serve a real market on BrickBay or get off. If you're
> serving a real market, coattail with pride. (remember, my eBay lots serve a
> real market, and I coattail with pride) If you're not, don't coattail at all
> or risk damage to your rep as Ran said.
Why? I disagree with your worldview...
The world still buys from both the city market (Brickbay) and the supermarket
(BAYLIT). (Even if the prices are lower at the city market.)
This is my scary thought ... What if everyone raised their prices??? (I think
we all could, though someone would certainly cry foul and cite FTC regulations)
> Remember, when it's time to railroad, EVERYBODY railroads and the stagecoach
> companies evolve or die (Wells, Fargo evolved into a bank. Everyone else, I
> think, died) BrickBay is a railroad to my way of thinking. LUGNET could have
> had the market if it wanted it, still could with a struggle, but it's lost
> first mover there.
"First mover" doesn't evenly apply unless the offerings are of equal _value_ to
the buyers -- that's how many companies still maintain share in increasingly
commoditized markets -- provide the value the buyer wants. Product _and_
service count.
(See it's still an interesting thread...)
:-)
-Jon
(Hey - I changed the shop name, others should do the same... Dan might
consider eliminating that front-page shop listing as I referred to earlier)
((I'm considering changing the shop name frequently anyway... In a city market,
shop names don't matter! Just seller reputation and product selection and
price))
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: BAYLIT - Brickbay
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| (...) Which? coattailing, or that I think myself inordinately clever. If the latter, take a number pal, you're not alone :-) Everyone knows that. (...) Yes, fabuland fans everywhere including my daughter Taya are rejoicing at the Mickey line... (...) (24 years ago, 30-Sep-00, to lugnet.market.theory)
| | | Re: BAYLIT - Brickbay
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| In lugnet.market.theory, Jon Kozan writes: -- BIG SNIP -- (...) market, (...) I'm not so sure that shop names don't matter... a shop name is the first (and often easiest) way to associate yourself with your customer. It is often through this shop (...) (24 years ago, 30-Sep-00, to lugnet.market.theory)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: BAYLIT - Brickbay
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| (...) That was me although I left (or meant to leave) the hyphen out. Wasn't meant as a slander, apologies if you took it that way. Read on for why I see it as no slander. (...) This is a strongly worded analogy, not one I would have used. Let me (...) (24 years ago, 29-Sep-00, to lugnet.market.buy-sell-trade, lugnet.market.theory)
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