RANT: Wholesale vendors

[jkersenbr]

Background: I'm trying to buy some wireless networking equipment for a multi-building long distance project I'm helping some people set up. We're talking $700 worth of equipment. I live in the boonies and there is NO way of getting what I need within 200 miles of here.

So, I call up a vendor I found on the web and they refuse to sell me anything because they are "wholesale only" and they say I'm "just a Joe Blow end user". I tell them they have no dealers in their network here to protect because there are none withing driving distance of me. They don't care.

What is the purpose of protected dealer networks in this instance?

Why give up a $700 sale for the theory that they might cost one of their mythical dealers the $50 they would make on my order (if there even was a dealer for me to talk to).

 

[Drakkon]

cause dealer means they are licensed means they are authorized when something goes wrong with a product to decide the best course of action to take it (return, repair, etc). You being joe blow would be dealing direct and wholesalers dont like to do that...they prefer having a middleman to deal with the little people

 

[jkersenbr]

Note:

In this case I am the middleman. I'm installing it for somone else. If it screws up, I eat it. I AM tech support.

 

[Redviffer]

I say screw them: the obviously don't want your business, no point in trying to change that.

There isn't another vendor online for the equipment? Unless your brand specific, then I'd say this company just lost a sale, and another just got a shot.

 

[alkemyst]

1) it usually had to do with endusers = headaches. My brother's company I work for tries hard not to deal with endusers for support reasons.

2) many have enough business where a $700 deal is simply not worth perking up for esp. thinking of #1 above.

Good luck

Å

 

[dullard]

I've had similar problems. I once wanted to buy a part for a machine that we want to mass produce. I searched everywhere high and low and couldn't find it locally. Then I discovered that a major distributor of that part is just a few blocks from where I work - and they had it in stock. I call them up and they refuse to sell it to me. Why? I am not a retailer. I say I want to buy hundreds of these a year and that they will make a lot of money. Their answer: no we don't sell to industry, just retailers. I called back and asked if they would sell to consumers - still no. It is rediculous, none of their retailers in the area sell the part. Ok I had one last chance. The project I'm working on is also part of my graduate dissertation - so I can buy it through the university. Every single other wholeseller in town sells to the university. So I go do all the paperwork to have the university order it. Rejected again - they say they want to be the only wholeseller who refuses to sell to the university.

So I go back and do lots more research. I found out their biggest competitor also sold a similar product. I order that online without a problem, and then I mailed a copy of the receipt to the stupid wholeseller who refused to sell to me in the first place.

 

[Wuffsunie]

Originally posted by: dullard
I've had similar problems. I once wanted to buy a part for a machine that we want to mass produce. I searched everywhere high and low and couldn't find it locally. Then I discovered that a major distributor of that part is just a few blocks from where I work - and they had it in stock. I call them up and they refuse to sell it to me. Why? I am not a retailer. I say I want to buy hundreds of these a year and that they will make a lot of money. Their answer: no we don't sell to industry, just retailers. I called back and asked if they would sell to consumers - still no. It is rediculous, none of their retailers in the area sell the part. Ok I had one last chance. The project I'm working on is also part of my graduate dissertation - so I can buy it through the university. Every single other wholeseller in town sells to the university. So I go do all the paperwork to have the university order it. Rejected again - they say they want to be the only wholeseller who refuses to sell to the university.

So I go back and do lots more research. I found out their biggest competitor also sold a similar product. I order that online without a problem, and then I mailed a copy of the receipt to the stupid wholeseller who refused to sell to me in the first place.

That has to be the single most asinine company I have ever seen. Please, oh please, tell me they?re not still in business. I can kind of see everything but the last part about the university. WTF is the matter with those people!?

 

[djNickb]

You need a tax ID then they'll sell to you.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: Wuffsunie
That has to be the single most asinine company I have ever seen. Please, oh please, tell me they?re not still in business. I can kind of see everything but the last part about the university. WTF is the matter with those people!?

Honestly companies who refuse to sell to small industry is one of the biggest problems I've faced with my work. I had a rant about it here a while ago. I've had companies tell me the exact part numbers that I need to fix a problem I had, then when I go to order it they suddenly claim not to manufactur those types of parts - simply because my order is too small. I've had companies tell me that they don't have time to fill out my order - even after I say I'll pay extra. The list just goes on and on. There are so many companies whos major goal in life is to NOT sell their products. Jkersenbr's example is very typical.

 

[DeadByDawn]

I work for a large auto parts wholesaler. You wouldn't believe the pressure you get from your big accounts on who they dissapprove of you selling to. $700 is chump change to a big company, they won't risk angering their big accounts over that small of sale. Now if you were to call up saying that you just opened up a business and would like to open an account with them, tnen they would probably listen to you. I can't sell to people off of the street because I could risk losing accounts that make my company hundreds of thousands of $$ per year.