Author Topic: Industry/shop owners question  (Read 1502 times)

Offline D

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Industry/shop owners question
« on: January 15, 2013, 04:24:57 PM »
Something I've always wondered about....  Why is that when a new model year of something is released, the previous years' items disappear from most mainstream online retailers, never to be seen or heard from ever again?  Where does all that product end up?  I know that not all of it was sold the day the next model year shows up.  Flatlandfuel seems to be the exception to this (Pat discounts older products all the time), and of course you can find last years' stuff at local shops if you dig for it, but you can't tell me that Dans or Empire or Albes or whoever manages to sell EVERY last one of the hundreds of 2012 frames and parts before the 2013s show up.  Anyone have any insight?   

Offline johnu773

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Re: Industry/shop owners question
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2013, 04:44:37 PM »
a lot of online shops advertise, but dont actually stock their items.  Ables is the most notorious and the worst at it.
twice i've ordered from them only to have them call me after taking my money to say "sorry, we dont have that in stock but we can get it in a week" well why did your website allow me to add it to my cart then???!!!

Offline wookie

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Re: Industry/shop owners question
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2013, 05:50:06 PM »
If a retailer does their forecasting perfectly they will run out of old product just as the new model year is being released.  What also can happen is an item sells out from a manufacturer so they move forward early with "next years" model.  So you will not see any sales on last years product because it is long gone.


FlatlandFuel is very conscious about picking up sale items from distributors and passing the sales along to customers.  Pat does an amazing job with that!  You often see NEW product for FF already on sale. 


Lastly as John said.  There are many online retailers that don't physically stock alot of the product they advertise.  They just order it from a distro when someone buys it from them.

Offline tod miller

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Re: Industry/shop owners question
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2013, 06:10:52 PM »
I know that Tom and Tina at Empire stock most of what they advertise in their store because they aren't just mail order.  What they don't have flatland wise, a lot of it they order from Pat.  As for last years models, they continue selling it in their retail store at a discounted price. 
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