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Hi everyone, I need your opinion regarding this matter and, no cursing okay :)
I'm a seller who owns a blogshop. My trademark is selling low than others. Well I don't get much profit but that is not a problem to me as I'm just selling for fun.
Recently, I'm selling one of the hottest items that mostly everyone think they need to have one. As usual, I'm selling it lower than others (I believe). To be honest, I get RM14 of profit of THAT item,and that would be the highest.
However, there are some other sellers who sells it much higher and roughly got around RM20-RM37 profit each piece. Well, not that I care. I chose to sell lower and rather having stocks rolling in and out and hey! I'm the one who bear the costs..
My problem is, my supplier has been calling my thousand times and she's mad at me because I'm selling at much lower price, and that other SELLERS are complaining about it.
(Why are you guys complaining? I don't even understand why u need to complaint and, I believe threaten the supplier. If u can't sell at much lower price, than don't sell la. Nobody can control the market, or can we?)
Keep it simple:
1. Supplier ask me to sell it at higher price, at so-called market price. Who in the world set THE price of items such as clothings or shoes, right?
2. She threaten me that she will not sell it to me anymore if I didn't increase the price. Do I have the right to sell it at any price I want or is it the supplier's right to be mad at me?
Apparently, her other client (other seller) buys in larger quantity than me, so the supplier wanted to take care of their (other client/seller)customer. I think she got scared if that customer boycott her and not buying from her if she kept selling it to me.
My opinion
1. I think she doesn't mind what price I'm selling, as long as her stocks turnover is high. But i think she wanted to take good r/ship with her BIGGER client. (I've spend almost RM2k buying stocks from her. huh treat me and threaten me like that!)
2. I think I have the right to sell at any price I want. I bear all the cost, so what? Right?
My questions
I'm not asking about what can I do to make this right. I know what I can do to take good r/ship with supplier and to keep customers coming..
But my question is,
1. what do you think of these?
2. Do you think it's their right to be mad at me and ask me to increase my price?
3. Do you think I should just keep the price and ignore the supplier?
4. What do u think of the OTHER seller?
I hope to get your opinions WITHOUT cursing any side (me or supplier). There are lots of cursing in SMWDY, let's just be nice okay :)
Thank you so much for reading!
Editor's note : I will not be approving any comments with email addresses asking for the name of this blogshop. This is to educate, not for publicity.
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ala. curious want to know who you are? me...up to you la blogshop. coz you the one, who sell it.
ReplyDeleteTo writer,
ReplyDeleteI'm also a seller and i can honestly tell you that for the items i sell, i only earn about RM 14-16, depending on the quality and the design. If the dress takes more workmanship. i will probably earn a few more penny but i will not shoot too high price as i believe that the price MUST commensurate with the quality of the clothings. For your case, i think that you're not wrong because we as SELLERS is the one who controls the price, not the SUPPLIER! For me, i have in fact changed a few suppliers as i felt that some of them have been very UNPROFESSIONAL! As u can see, an average of 1-2 new online blogshops is created daily and so do the increase amount of suppliers as well. For my opinion, if im at ur situation, i will definately change my supplier. I can alwayz get from other suppliers, and who knows, might be at a better price and more professional!
By the way.... i hate to be THREATEN! How can you threaten me to sell it your way? U can create your own blogshop and sell it at RM 100! Who cares! Because this is my blogshop and created by me, so i can sell at any price i wan! Even at RM 5 only! Jeez... people nowadays can be so ridiculous! Anyway dear, hope you can settle this problem as soon as possible! Good luck yea! =)
**sorry that i'm a little bit worked up! Because ive just faced some issue with my supplier!**
From my opinion,i think you should stick to the price you put,because that is your blogshop,not the supplier.
ReplyDelete& i dont understand why does the supplier needs to threaten you because atleast they still have you as a customer and the income will obviously,continuously flow in.
& to other blogshops owner,to hell with them,siapa suruh market tinggi-tinggi?rugi,they should blame themselves.
I think you are doing the right thing.Dont worry.
Question : Do you know what RRP is?
ReplyDeleteRECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE
Suppliers all have this to protect the brand names from being sold too cheaply in the market. This is to maintain a certain amount of standard for the product.
You do this for fun but for the ones who do this as their main source of income, you have clearly killed their market. That doesnt seem fair to them now does it?
I think it is right for your supplier to stop you from selling below RRP. Your RM2k is nothing to her compare to her other long term clients. You are not her only client. She probably has a long list of people she supplies to that she as a supplier must protect against people like you.
Imagine, she supplies to all these people and they gain 100% profit margin. They're happy and they keep coming back.
Then you come along selling everything for a mere 20% profit margin.
You spoilt their market. They can no longer earn their full profit because some school kid decided it was fun to kill their earning. They then decide to look for something else to sell. Something more profitable because they do have a family to feed.
The supplier then loses these people. Most likely their combine stock intake is 10-20 times more than your little RM2k stock intake.
Who loses in the end? THE SUPPLIER.
It is the supplier's right to maintain their RRP.
Grow up please. While you go bratty "I do what i want" blah blah blah... there are people out there struggling to feed kids, pay school fees, pay house mortgages, pay medical bills etc... like what your dad has been doing just so you get to wear pretty clothes, go to prestige colleges, drive nice cars...
Imagine some one sabotages your father's business FOR FUN by selling below market price? Your father struggling to make sure you and your family can still have a roof over your head.
Think hard before you start going "Oh I do this for FUN". It really isnt so FUN for the people who do this for a living.
first off, the sellers who complained to the supplier are just plain stupid. they don't like healthy competitions, they can't deal with it. jealousy. and they're boycotting you, i guess. maybe because your sales are good! that i know, because duhh, as you said you're selling at the lowest price among all shops. good thing though ;D
ReplyDeletenow to answer your questions.
1) i think that this is unbelievable. i mean, why do the sellers have to do this? and in fact why is your supplier trying to threaten you? shouldn't your supplier be fair to all her resellers? you're on of her customers too so why isn't she treating you well? and threaten you some more after how many $$ you've spent at her shop? but this all wouldn't have happened if the seller didn't complain, true?
2) no. its NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS to be mad at you and neither its their business to MAKE you increase your price. their job is wholesaler, provide stocks for sellers. sellers buy with wholesale price, and it is sellers right to sell with what price they want! you can earn profit of RM5, RM10, RM20, or in fact RM100! just the matter that people will buy or not if you mark up that high. but either way, it is YOUR RIGHT to name the price.
3) as a buyer, of course, yes i think you should keep up the price. ignore the supplier, you can get better things from other suppliers. don't tell me you only stick to one supplier? if you're bringing ready stock items lah, if pre-order then it might be only from one supplier, i guess. i used to be a seller too so i know how things go :)
4) the other seller, are complete idiots. mind their own business. if they can't deal with healthy competition, then don't even be a seller! every online shops you go, you can always bump into same things, selling at different price. i get it if the sellers own a boutique, real shop or something, they mark up the prices because they have to pay the rents and all. not that easy to handle both boutique and online shop. they usually get sales from customers that come in to their shop cuz obviously, online buyers can get better prices with the help of reviewers that posts substitutes for the items. no?
well, its up to you. this is just my opinion. as for now, i closed my online.shop already, so yeah. i'm not competing with you neither any of the sellers. this is just my honest opinion. i'm just a frequent online shopper now. its hard handling a blogshop. shoot me for being lazy, lol. keep up the good work hun :)
slap the sellers who complained about this! oh smwdy, which box should i slap if i want to slap the sellers who complained to the supplier? not this darling seller here, hehe.
business woman, hmm you must be one of those sellers who mark their prices sky high til noone wants to buy them..lol
ReplyDeleteit's her choice to decide what price she wants to sell her item.
Anon 6:05pm : "it's her choice to decide what price she wants to sell her item."
ReplyDeleteThen is it safe to say, its the supplier's choice too to not continue supplying products to this seller?
Everyone has the right to protect themselves.
If this seller takes it as a threat then maybe its time to look for another supplier?
hmm.. 2k only? that's not much, I spend an average of 4k per month buying from my suppliers. And Yes, I agree what business women says. There's a reason for the set price, It's best to be reasonable, unless you want to set as low as pasar malam prices.
ReplyDeletei'm a online shop seller, i agree wit business woman but not agree wit ur supplier.
ReplyDeleteppl see how much we earn on our item, but nvr see how much we lose for those items tat r not sold. getting 100% profit is still fine, cuz it might be a profit or just cover the cost of total stock purchase.
to buyer out there, beside for living, our profit is worth gaining for taking risk of buying some stuff which has 50% of chance selling off, cuz we r not 100% sure that the item we bought can be sold. without us taking this risk, do u think u can find those clothing shop?? u r actually paying for their risk taking as well.
to author, pls dun spoil the market if u r selling too cheap, which is almost wholesale price, i'm considered selling low price, which earn less than 100%, but when i see those online shop selling even cheaper, i really feel sick of it, y not ask customer go to supplier n buy then??
i would like state a bit clear here, y same cloth selling at online n shopping mall, the price is so much diff, for my own opinion, selling online doesn have to pay the rental fee, so the cloths can b cheaper; shopping mall selling more expensive, cuz they have to pay very expensive rental fees BUT u have the chance to try on the cloth, instead of taking risk buying online..
Hey there,
ReplyDeleteFinally someone raised this issue. Do u know dear, that yes, there is market price in this wonderful world. ~
Sorry, I have to be straightforward to you, but I won't curse. =)
*Before any guesses, yes, I am a seller too and no, I am NOT the one who complained to the supplier as apparently, I know of this issue but I'm not a client of the supplier. Thus, not your direct competitor.*
I just want to finally voice out my opinion as I have this problem with other sellers selling too close to margin price, but I never got to voice out to my supplier.
YOU SAID:
"Well I don't get much profit but that is not a problem to me as I'm just selling for fun."
- Do u know the main reason why these people started online boutiques back when the days there were only a few blogshops? They want to make a business, girl, NOT FOR FUN. Some housewives or students make a living/extra income out of this. Who knows? A student whose parents are struggling to get her to college and she doesn't have enough allowance to save money for her dream to open a boutique thought she could earn some by selling what she love, which is fashion, to other fashion lovers who can afford it. If she can earn enough to use and save monthly, her parents do not have to give her allowance anymore, and can save up the money for this girl's sister for her future study in college. Do you get the picture? This is certainly NOT FOR FUN. People don't do business FOR FUN.
- If you really wanna do it for fun, do not ruin the market price as yes, there is market price. Do you go out and buy the latest tech of laptop at RM800? I'm not saying that you can't get a laptop for RM800, but it won't be as "intelligent" as the one which costs RM3K.
- You don't go out to order an Iced Milo drink at a coffee shop for RM1, there's no such thing..If you think this is going to bring more customers, it might, but in the end, you have to pay more than you give..like I said, this is NOT FOR FUN.
- Some blogshops put a lot of effort in photoshooting to show customers how the items can be mix & match, to show details of the items, etc..Photoshoot is fun but can get tiring if you do it weekly. Compare their photos to those who simply place the items on the floor to take pics. Of course, they would charge the item at normal price which doesn't affect market price, instead of "for-fun price" by going through all the trouble. I do understand that maybe some blogshops are lack of photographers or so, but I know that there are sellers out there who use camera timer or mannequin to take pics. And this is effort, not fun.
YOU ASKED:
"Do I have the right to sell it at any price I want or is it the supplier's right to be mad at me?"
- Yes, you have the right to sell it at any price you want, but the supplier has the right to NOT sell you her stocks if your "price" is affecting the "market price".
- Price competition is very unhealthy because in the end, both companies got nothing as all are competing to offer the lowest of the price. Well, why not just sell it at the price you got them (margin) if the profit doesn't mean much to you as you do it FOR FUN?
- For buyers who don't like the idea that sellers have to earn some profit in selling the items to you, then don't bother to buy. There are customers out there who understand this. Why? even if you go to a fruit stall at a fancy shopping mall, they charge you for the fruit, the service they peel the skin n cut the fruit for you.
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ReplyDeleteYOU SAID:
"Apparently, her other client (other seller) buys in larger quantity than me...I think she got scared if that customer boycott her and not buying from her if she kept selling it to me."
- Why should the supplier not warn you about this when other clients buy in larger quantity? The supplier has to earn as well..Why should she care about you and earn a little from you and left with a bunch of stocks when other clients boycott her? They're doing businesses, girl, unlike you who do it FOR FUN.
YOUR OPINION:
"I think she doesn't mind what price I'm selling, as long as her stocks turnover is high. But i think she wanted to take good r/ship with her BIGGER client."
- In fact, she doesn't mind, as long as you do not ruin the market price. Do you know that magazines out there has a market price? Yo don't see a vendor selling a CLEO mag at different price, and the vendors all earn the same profit by selling CLEO mag at RM5.60.
YOU SAID:
"I've spend almost RM2k buying stocks from her. huh treat me and threaten me like that!"
- If you as a "small client" spent RM2k buying stocks from her, then the "big client" must've spent RM6-7k buying from her, for their business and NOT FOR FUN. Bear in mind that not all items are going to be sold out immediately, some might not be in demand and had to be sold through sales. If all of them follow your price, damn, to what price they should be selling during sales time? Less than margin price?
YOU SAID:
"I think I have the right to sell at any price I want. I bear all the cost, so what? Right?"
- ...said by a conceited seller. Yes, you can sell it at any price you want. you can go through all the trouble to purchase at 2k, sold out 1k of the 2k stocks, then update with new 2k items, sell 1k of the new 2k stocks, left with another 2k of items unwanted. Then ask for daddy's money to buy another 2k of new items to sell again JUST FOR FUN.
- No one can stop you seriously. But you know, there are sellers out there who do this business as side income/extra income to make a living. But you don't know, because you're just doing this JUST FOR FUN.
I do agree with Business woman. Suppliers set the recommended retail price sure with the reason behind. If you sell below the market price mean you actually go and spoil the market price. Someone claimed that this is a healthy competition, I don't see any "health competition" for this case. If the author keeps selling the products at cheaper price, should other sellers follow in order to compete with her? So everyone throwing their price and make the market price lower and lower, is this called healthy competition?
ReplyDeleteOf course, as a buyer I wish to buy a product at a very very cheap price, who don't want that, right? But please bear in mind that selling something which below the market price is a kind of unethical as well. People running their business might not for fun like you.
business woman looks so angry as if she was the one who got threaten O.o"
ReplyDeleteseller, go find some other suppliers. its seller's right to mark up what price she want. to be fair you can choose to not sell things that the sellers who complained about you to the supplie also sell. fair much?
and yup, do consider about people who earns this for their living. buyers for sure love to see cheap prices everywhere but as for sellers? might be healthy competition but might also be annoying right? if you only get RM5 profit per piece its better if your buyers get it at your supplier. its not good for other sellers.
in fact sometimes the sellers who're selling their items cheap provides superCHEAP services, gotta admit that. cuz they're doing business for FUN. don't take things seriously. sigh..
eh wait, why don't the supplier go and disturb sungei wang sellers? i mean, look at some shops there selling, "ALL RM15" , "ALL RM25" in their stores? don't they deserve to be threaten too? LOL.
i total agree wit anon of MAY 27, 2010 6:15 PM
ReplyDeletebesides, taking risk of purchasing stock, taking nice photo which is darn tiring and design it (i mean for serious online seller), as well as, the hard work of researching current market n customer's interest to gain win win situation for both customer's interest and seller's profit.
i've read comments from somewhere regarding some sellers get their stocks from some local online boutiques who also acts as wholesaler..
ReplyDeleteplease, those who also provide wholesale, they sell it internationally, or they sell in bulk if one customer decides to buy 5-7 pcs at one go..that's why their prices set cheaper for all items, because if one decides to buy in wholesale, imagine the cost..
other local blogshops who sell similar/same items don't buy from them, they buy from the same supplier, but sell the items at "online retail price"..
jeez, get your info straight.
to anon MAY 27, 2010 6:24 PM
ReplyDeletebecause those shops from sungei wang and times squares got their stocks from oveaseas suppliers who sell at very, very cheap..for instance, china.
Totally agree with ANON 6.13pm & 6.15pm, well said! Well, if everyone is selling close to wholesale price just bcos everyone else is selling cheap, soon they will realize, running a blogshop wont earn much, and they spnd so much time taking photos, driving around or even flying overseas to source for stocks, but they have to sell it dirt cheap just bcos other sellers are selling it way lower, in the end, there will be lesser and lesser online blogshop. Back to square one. And all the buyers will have to go back to boutiques and spend near to hundred for a piece of clothing. Cos no one is willing to sell stuff online anymore when they only earn so little.
ReplyDeleteokay. i dont own a blogshop nor do i do any business. but i'd like to know if there is a recommended retail price for blogshops, why are there sellers who mark up their prices to get a profit of more than 100%? why dont the supplier threaten those blogshops then? or, well, not threaten but rather, advice. just my 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteto answer MAY 27, 2010 7:09 PM,
ReplyDeletethere is a recommended retail price for blogshops. some of the blogshops whose prices are only RM 1- RM 5 difference is okay.
but some blogshops either set them too low or too high from the recommended retail price is not right. they have this mindset that they can set whatever price they want, which is very unprofessional.
I'm an owner of 2 blogshops and to be honest, I don't see a reason why the supplier should threaten you.
ReplyDeleteI don't see it as that she have to know how much her re-sellers are going to sell. If she's so paranoid about it then don't sell in bulk/wholesale. Simple.
AND also, everyday single day I bet there's bound to be a new blogshop selling clothes, shoes, etc so yes it is a competitive field.
Competitions are healthy. It makes the whole online business world much more interesting.
Honestly, if you(other competitors who complained about it to the supplier) can't handle the pressure of doing biz online and having competitors, then stop doing what you're doing. You either deal with it or you don't.
Nobody likes a sour puss. So stop acting like one. Just chill lah :) Like the saying goes, every dog has its day. So just go with the flow.
There's still other businesses you can do.
business woman, why do u have to categorize them as "school kid"? so much like those anons before who says college students shouldnt run a blogshop and whatnot. fyi, there are working people doing it for fun and students really doing it to earn money to help their family/pay fees. so before u start assuming everyone doing it for fun are students, please think again.
ReplyDeleteI'm 1 of the zillion blogshop owner, but I'm not the 1 who complain to your supplier. As til now, only my supplier tells me which is black listed etc and I did not supply them any info at all.
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with the way of your business ethics.
Supplier have EVERY RIGHTS to set the minimum price for selling and NOT up to the seller set below their agreed price. You have every freedom to set your price, BUT not below the RRP.
Doesn't mean you are seller means you have the freedom to set this and that as it's your blogshop etc. Why you gurls said they (supplier) have no rights is cause you gurls DID NOT READ the terms and condition before getting your stuff.
This is pure business, not playground for you gurls to play. And those supplier is not there to play, they have factory costing more than few millions and yet you think they have no rights to tell you what price you can sell? No matter how, supplier are the controller. If they decided to STOP, where are you gonna get your supply to continue to play on?
You'll spoil the market and as you are just selling for fun. You'll eventually force out all the ethical seller and by the time you wanted to end your game, there will be lesser serious seller interested in doing this business. All thanks to your business ethics.
Your supplier have every rights to cut your business ties with them and stop supplying to you as you had breach their trust. As they did not want to supply to seller who sell below market price hence ruin the market. It'll distort the true value of an item.
Of cause, it's good for the customer, in a way it's good for the supplier too. But the supplier will think that their quality product price is now the same price with lower quality product. I don't think any supplier would like that.
This will induce more cheap quality product entering to the market and selling as the same price as the quality item. At the end, customer will be the loser as they're unable to differentiate between which is good and which is bad quality.
Also you sounded like a spoil brat who can't follow rules. When you get supplies from your supplier, there are rules to follow. If you are doing it for fun, why can't you just follow as what the supplier told you to? since following them is good as you won't ruin and spoil the market, you'll profit more, and it's a healthy competition.
Mostly healthy competition is like RM1 - RM5 gap. And not RM10 - RM30 gap. Of cause I'm referring to those korean style clothing.
You should be learning while doing this for fun. As the business world is not as easy as you think.
If you asked any business man on the road / those retails , I strongly believe that they'll disagree of you doing / business ethics.
Now you had messed up the price value for quality and none quality product. And also pushing for dumping strategy. Oh ya, do you know that dumping is illegal in certain country?
Healthy competition is where ppl / customer make the decision by comparing and make their own decision. While your way is to set the ultimate lowest price to eliminate all your competition, that's monopolizing.
i think business woman is just giving an example..don't get so worked up..
ReplyDeletei don't agree with anon seller, if the author sells too cheap, tak kan other sellers should follow her..
the car spare parts sold by supplier also has recommended retail price. resellers cannot set too high or too low from this rrp, if not, it will affect the whole market, same as online selling.
if the supplier thinks that selling to you can affect the market price (as you set it too cheap), then the supplier has the right to not sell her stuff to you.
Those Sg Wang shop, such as All for RM19 / RM29 / RM39 is all low quality item la dear
ReplyDelete5 of my friends bought from them and all 5 of them complain to me, now become floor mat la, pajamas, from black to grey, etc
Those they order in '000 quantity, and their profit margin is more than 100% as they import using container and not by planes.
Customer who prefer quality knows that, that's not the place for them to shop. But customer who prefer style, like wear once or twice then not gonna wear anymore than that's their place to go and shop
Also anon 7:09pm
You know know that cost is not just the clothes cost. As total cost is include of stock cost + shipping cost (plane - expensive ; ship - cheap) + custom clearance + forex = total cost.
Therefore you might think the clothes cost is only RM15 (example) but why sell more than RM45. That's 3 times / 300% more than cost.
So RM15 + shipping (air - international) + forex + custom (if kena) = RM39
So selling at RM45 - RM39 (total cost) = RM6 profit
Of cause that's for import items, if get locally will be lower cost
As you eliminates shipping (if COD) - forex - custom as all handled by the wholesaler.
Therefore if seller gets the item locally, then yes, they earn alot, if they import in, then they earn very little
i'm just wondering, like say, if everyone had an online business selling groceries (you know, like items you'd buy in giant / tesco / cold storage) and one seller has her prices at lower than market price, then would that be good? or would other sellers be complaining just like in this case?
ReplyDeleteand. i think everyone is just a little annoyed at the author because she said 'just for fun'. what if instead, i for example, was also a seller and selling items at a much lower price (just like author does) - but i'm not doing this for fun? this is my way of feeding my 2 young children & sending them to school. and the only reason i'm selling at a lower price is because i get more volume - ie. more return customers etc.
would you be mad at me then?
just a thought..
Guitar hero,
ReplyDeleteSurely it won't happen, as tesco / giant / jusco / carrefour will boycott or have a law suit with the supplier / you.
As if you wanted to get supplier from them, they will let you know the RRP and tolerance -/+ from the RRP.
If you still ignore their warning / terms, they'll definitely stop supplying to you.
Why wouldn't you sell at a higher price so that you have have more profit and more time for your children? As more volume / sales means more work and less time for the kids. It's better that you increase the price as for RRP and giving discount to returning customer will be much more better.
And yes, I'll be mad at you as you had ruin the market price.
Not forgetting, last time tesco did sell the highly anticipated harry porter book at much lower price and MPH , Popular, etc all had decided to boycott selling the book til further measure is taken.
ReplyDeleteIf Tesco still do the same as for all the new highly anticipated book like twilight, etc.
Bookstore seller will be fed up and won't even bring in any new title and definitely the original publisher (supplier cum manufacturer) will be curious and take action against this problem.
to anon 7:31 PM: higher price items does not mean that they are high in quality. Some blogs are selling flimsy tops at a very high price.
ReplyDeleteto anon 8:16 PM: I was wondering about that too. Some sellers lower their price but sell in huge quantities. And they're not doing it for fun. So is that wrong too?
Author aka seller here :)
ReplyDeleteI wont reveal my blogshop as other seller would aim at me then.lol. no lah, it's just a discussion, I'm not promoting my blog nor get free flow of market to my blog :)
ohh. tq so much for gluck wish :P I actually like them, because they were nice before, but I just hate the way they talked to me with those harsh tones, u know..And I totally get offended. Being nice and tolerate and other positive attitudes are my priority.
surprisingly, u sounded like my supplier. Are u my supplier? lol. Well from all your sayings, I'd like to conclude.
Thanks to you (and most anon), I understand now how much my JUST FOR FUN is killing others income :( I really never even think of it. I totally apologize for spoiling the market.
BUT my supplier NEVER has a RRP. How do I know how to set the price? The price for item X is totally varies. People are selling it from RM40-RM60. I'm selling it for RM36. It's just RM4 away. Care to explain?
I honestly don't think people like me who is a very very small blogshop seller, not well known enough to get any reviewers attention to feature me and selling for FUN, is ABLE TO AFFECT market price. And whoa! I actually never even think of market, the economy, what effect I'm capable to do etc. And yes, I never think because I'm selling just for fun.
My profit for item X is 80%, not 20% as u thought it is. Which means, the highest price people are selling it, is nearly 200%.
Another purpose of selling is, I find it very irritated that other sellers are selling more than 100% profit margin. As a Muslim, we're forbidden to sell at 100% profit. Just a note :)
I'm thanking you, businesswoman for all your informative-waking up words, but I hope next time u comment, don't be mean or rude. I'm a newly business SCHOOL KID and I just wanted to know opinions so I can improve :)
I thanked you for all your kind words, really. And nope, they are not my only supplier. I love going around and take other stocks from other supplier to vary my items :)
I spend same about yours too. RM2k every two weeks. I take stocks twice a month. But of course, not on this supplier alone. I went round and round and round. I also got from shoes to tops to dresses and shawls and bags etc etc :)
ahh u're so true about the risk! And totally agree also with the 'near wholesale price'. But as I said, I'm selling 80% more than wholesale price. So, it's good right?hee. I actually have no idea what price should I put for my items, maybe u can tell me a bit more?
Fuhh thanks for your long reply, appreciated. Really :)
Ah..the 'FOR FUN' phrase again. phew. I should start selling seriously! lol. Just a joke :) I
think my reply would be like what I said to I have to point again that, my supplier NEVER set the retail price. What should I do?
Yes, I totally get it now. How I could affect the market price, and also it's not a healthy competition.
So the case is actually this:
There are 3 parties
- A selling lower (RM4 lower and 80% margin),
- B selling average (?) (100%- 120% profit margin) and
-C selling at skyhigh price (almost 200% profit)
I'm seller A, a very small seller, nobody really knows my blog etc etc. So I never even think of affecting the market etc, compared to all big girls whose running serious business. Small seller? So I thought. Then somebody complaint about me. Oh! Turns out I'm actually known! Good for me :P Now I guess I should sell at 99% profit, so the world is in peace again. Okay aa everybody?
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(continue : 2nd post)
ReplyDeleteI'm selling cheap because I enjoy what I do. I enjoy buying lots of things and then sells it and I don't mind little profit. And I enjoy meeting new people too. So no, no CHEAP service. I never reply 'Yes, available' etc. If u were my previous customer, u might get bored reading what I reply to your queries :P
I don't like the word 'spoilt brat'. I'm here to learn. U're so smart, teach me something ya? :)
No, my supplier never set any rules or contract or even retail price. So there's no breach of contact :) If I understand this situation, I won't be so degil not to follow the retail price, I promise :) And yes, my difference is only RM4-RM8 difference. So, it's still a healthy competition, no?
Fuhh taken 1hour to reply!!
Anyways, thank you everyone for all your opinions, ideas, eye-widening thoughts. I appreciate each and every single line. Hoping to hear for more! :)
**So I get it. About affecting market price, others want to feed kids etc. So we shall stop that topic, shall we? :)
U and I also know that i'm a healthy competitor, selling RM4 lower than average. So, open other topic okay?
Regards
Author
Anonymous 7:47 PM
ReplyDeleteHow can you just state that blogshops selling locally sourced items earn alot, do you know that some of the suppliers sell at a much higher price compared to imported goods?
Please do not jump the gun, it's really unfair to say such a thing.
And to the author who is doing this just for fun, why not you just bring your friends along with you and shop? Each one of you can just buy one colour each for every item, and post on your blog & pretend that it's all sold out. Isn't this more fun? *Pun intended*
Seriously, grow up and get a life, and stop earning peanuts when other people are putting in a whole lot more effort than you do. and you just have to spoil the market by buying the exact same thing, selling it at RM20 cheaper JUST FOR FUN, because you don't need the extra money to survive.
Wait till your parents cut you off and your main source of income is your blogshop, then you'd know how others feel.
Geez.
Author
ReplyDelete*** I actually replied by each commenter, but your name as in Anon XX doesn't come out. Maybe because I put this sign '<' and '>' :/
Thank you for time reading and replying. I spent so much effort too - I drive to a place I never know, went there alone and got lost etc. I took nice pictures and I'm having a serious business, but main purpose is selling for fun. Get it?
And FYI, blogshop is MY MAIN INCOME. My parents gave a sum of money in the beginning, and I learn how to rotate it and now I'm living peacefully with my blogshop running even JUST FOR FUN.
I guess that JUST FOR FUN irritate lots of people. Honestly, I hope u girls get it now. I'm running a blogshop seriously, update twice a week, get new stock, new collections, model myself and the main purpose is NOT TO GET PROFIT. It's merely..just for fun :)
Since I got enough $$ to survive, I ask my parents not to give me pocket money, since they already give me a sum of money to start up my business :)
relax la anon 9:28 PM..she mentioned her stuff are only RM4 lower than the average..and that as muslims, they are forbidden to get 100% profit.
ReplyDeletedon't just jump to conclusions.
OMG WHAT AN ATTENTION SEEKER!!!!
ReplyDeleteAuthor..
ReplyDelete"main purpose is NOT TO GET PROFIT"
my question:Why wasting your time??
you like.."merosakkan periuk nasi org!"
Ask your supplier what's the rrp price for the item you bought from them.Thats what i did.
Haha...actually I'm having a laugh looking at this post..at first the author seems very "nice" n said things like.."ooh just want your opinions" n stuff like that..but now that everyone is giving a piece of their minds n sadly for the author..things are not looking up on her part!! N suddenly she's getting all defensive n angry...hahaha...well grow up dear...u have to learn to take criticisms as part of the "learning" process you so much "asked for/wanted...if u can't take a little heat...no wonder ur trying to play it safe by selling ur products in such manner..btw obviously you are still very new in this field..compared to all the big guns in this business..so try n respect their opinions..u might actually learn sumthin rather than "think" or pretend u have learnt anything at all...n yes..there are such things as RRP..u claimed your supplier didn't set such a rule...are you sure about that? Or is it just a mere hearsay coming from u in order to defend yourself? Maybe it could hv been a mistake on your part to have not asked them? N I'm sure in this supplying business there would be some sort of terms n conditions laid out..ppl in big business such as these don't want to take risks u know? N u may have not read these t & c? So plz...learn to listen n don't be ignorant :)
ReplyDeleteOh my God, are you guys idiots? The author already said that she/he had no agreement on the RRP beforehand. And she/he is running the blogshop for income. If you're talking about ethics and professionalism, shouldn't the supplier set down the ground rules before getting down to business?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I gather, the other sellers are just being petulant little kiddies, running to the supplier because customers like the author's shop better. For all those who need a reality check, don't go blaming other people because you are GREEDY.
If you're a smart business person, come up with strategies to increase your own sales. That's why they have marketing classes, btw. Yeah, please register for that, and also 'kelas buta huruf' for the select few who couldn't do professional business as well as read.
And for the last time, stop it with the RRP already! She/he already said she/he's selling at 80% profit. Or is it normal practice to set RRP ABOVE that margin? If so, I find that very interesting...
she just wants people to support her lah. not to go against her, that's why she won't listen. LOL!! :))
ReplyDeleteauthor should rephrase, instead of saying "just for fun" you should probably use "to earn some pocket money". that's not too hard to get into your thick skull, right? :)
ya, u can ask the rrp price for the items you bought from the supplier, then you can either set your price around the rrp, either rm1-5 lower or just a lil bit higher not more than rm5 is fine.
ReplyDeleteinstead of only increasing rm10 to the margin price, which is unethical move as you do not follow the nature of the business.
i know you're still young, and you do not know much about doing a business, but you need to be a responsible seller to learn to be successful in this business and keep the business circle healthy by not ruining the market price..
ya, i think those newbies think that setting lower price and playing safe can make sales..please, those big guns went through a lot to get where they are today..
ReplyDeleterespect n learn, you will get there..
omg..what a battlefield this has become o.O
ReplyDeleteEven when there's no vulgarities involved (except for 'idiot')..
I'm impressed..lol
Author here.
ReplyDeleteOh no! My last reply creates misunderstanding! No, I do listen to what previous commenter were saying, as in my 1st reply. I already said that I'm really appreciative for u girls replies and all those informative things I never knew existed. I really do :/ As a newbie, I now know about pricing, at least! :D
My 2nd reply is for Anon 9:28 PM ! After all my reply, she said,
"And to the author who is doing this just for fun, why not you just bring your friends along with you and shop? Each one of you can just buy one colour each for every item, and post on your blog & pretend that it's all sold out. Isn't this more fun? *Pun intended*
Seriously, grow up and get a life, and stop earning peanuts when other people are putting in a whole lot more effort than you do. and you just have to spoil the market by buying the exact same thing, selling it at RM20 cheaper JUST FOR FUN, because you don't need the extra money to survive.
Wait till your parents cut you off and your main source of income is your blogshop, then you'd know how others feel. "
The word just for fun, I admit is a wrong wrong word and it really irritates some other sellers who are serious and struggling to serve the best price. SO! I guess i just hate it that -I admit my mistakes, and that I will move on, then somebody's saying it again. And again. Got emo over it *sigh
Idiot is not really a nice word :/
to anon 11:27pm,
They did not tell me whether it has a RRP :) I'm quite new, yes. I walked in, buy it and go. They never actually tell me 'hey, u should sell it for RM XX okay?'. And of course, how could I ask if I don't even know it exist..But I do now :)
to Y,
"author should rephrase, instead of saying "just for fun" you should probably use "to earn some pocket money". that's not too hard to get into your thick skull, right? :)"
Yes yes yes! i think that phrase is better reflect it! To earn some pocket money, not a lot :P And no, not too hard to get into my already thin skull
Anon 12.03am and 12.10am,
Yea I do understand now how little thing we do does affect the market, demand and stuffs. So I guess I need to raise some price now :P
And yes, in order to get attention of new customers, I think it's best set lower price just to be safe and keep the stocks rotate. But if everyone is selling the same price, I should do the same, right?
Thank you again! and so sorry if my previous reply offended some of you. No, this Schoolkid is turning to being a serious businesswoman :)
Regards,
author.
if there's no RRP, i don't see why the author can't tag a price she thinks is appropriate. unless she's purposely taking stock that other blogshops are already selling that are in demand, and then purposely putting way below their price.
ReplyDeleteSomehow i feel this few latest anons didn't read all the replies the author wrote :\
ReplyDeleteAuthor seems really nice and naive. U got a lot more to learn girl!
ReplyDeleteAll the best competing with big guns!
I don't think the author is wrong because she is getting 80% profit from the cost. Clothes shouldn't have control price because it is not a "must" like rice or sugar and for the anon 6:15pm, it is not right to compare CLEO magazine and fashion clothes because both are not the same category of product. And the clothes are not under one brand like Padini or etc... so, i think it is not compulsory for seller to sell it at 100% margin or even higher.
ReplyDeleteI think all the sellers are free to mark up the price as long as not sell it at cost price or below cost price. It is just business and i think everyone have the right to plan on how to run their business. We have our own marketing strategy and if you think author sell at cheaper price and affect your sales, pls think of another way to earn more sales and profit rather than make complaint to supplier.
If there are no competition and treat from external, it is not BUSINESS.
wow, i think all the ppl who got angry to the author are mostly SELLERS right?
ReplyDeleterileks la. u all sounded so scared. hahahahha
well, dont think buyer r stupid. buyer like myself will go search high n low for best price.
so good luck to those jealousy sellers. go ahead increase ur price up to 200% n see la who got the most stock piling over! muahahhahahah
to the author; yes good job u have there. ppl r just jealous ur selling cheaper than them. as a buyer, ur the type of seller im looking for! :) :) hugs n kisses. b strong in this full of jealousy world yea? u know u do it right when ur customers keep coming in for more and the stocks keep rolling in and out :) bravooo!
SERIOUS BUYER.
AUTHOR is doing this as HER MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME and not playing around for fun or whatever it is. Her supplier also did not bother to state the RRP to her at the first place.
ReplyDeleteDon't come around assume people playing around or hanging around the business like kids. She might not be pricing it according to rrp thus spoiling the price, resulting in a 'bad market' but people, please read ok?
If you're saying author is only here for support and not reading then the rest of you that replied with those 'for fun' 'ignorant' and etc are exactly the same like what you all said about the author.
ok guys, you know what, i think the author gets it now so thank god! to anon 11.44pm u should just shut your pie hole cos i doubt u have ever run a business ever and u should be the one to study marketing strategy. who the hell are you to tell us sellers what to study and what not. so many of the anons above have taken time to explain things in great lengths and yet buta huruf ppl like u come along and just talk rubbish. pls take a note from author, be humble and u might learn something.
ReplyDeleteto anon 2.06am, pls dont be lazy and scroll up to read all the comments. some of them have already pointed out why what the author did is not appropriate. what u are saying is its ok to not have an rrp, but u do not realize that if there is no rrp, eventually everyone will start dumping and some will start to sell even below cost price. if the author can understand this simple fact, why can't you? and what other strategies you are talking about that can attract our SERIOUSLY SERIOUS BUYER and such customers who will only go for the best price?
to SERIOUSLY SERIOUS BUYER, yes i think all ppl who got angry with the author are mostly SELLERS. Of course la..serious buyers like u are serious about finding the best buys what, how in the world would you possibly be angry at sellers who sell lower than everyone else? and wow these sellers are so jealous of the author's blogshop cos u know all the customers go there for the excellent service, unique items and the owner's fabulous personality (no offense, author). oh no wait, or did she not get so many customers because she is selling way lower than everyone else. yep, u are right, every seller should be like the author and sell below rrp cos u know who cares about profit, seller is here to please u and make ur day right?
I strongly agree with anon :
ReplyDeleteMAY 27, 2010 6:15 PM
MAY 27, 2010 6:18 PM
Business Woman
MAY 27, 2010 7:31 PM
I think those who sells just for fun,
should shut down your blogshop, seriously.
I am not those who complains to the suppliers but, for example, myself, my mom is a single parent and I'm studying at college now and I need those money for my studies and expenses.
You wanna do these for fun, not here!
Btw,
MAY 27, 2010 6:24 PM (Uh, fyi, Sg Wang sellers are mostly suppliers. LOL.)
In my opinion, I think you sellers should earn some knowledge or go to the college first before starting a blogshop business.
Because, you girls don't know anything about business. All you think it's just BUY AND SELL.
And we sellers are not jealous.
It's just that, we've got knowledge and wiser brains compared to some newbie sellers.
And as buyers, who wouldn't want lower prices?
Just because you ppl want better bargains,
you encourage sellers to spoil the market?
How about this, ask your employer to give you lower income? Because there's somebody else want a pose like yours?
Hello people, make some sense here please?
*smacks on the head*
*yawn* Seems like all the sellers out there don't have the guts to faced so called competitions & they don't really have what it takes to be real SELLERS.. Competitions are HEALTHY!!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a good post by opening up a discussion. Making this a platform to educate all of us as sellers, buyers, onlookers etc about the whole situation from different perspectives.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, a platform gone a little wrong.
Author is not exactly at fault after she had cleared herself in the comment and certainly not angry towards those who advised/commented.
Chill la.
Conclusion is Author, next time when opening up another discussion like this; do your best to describe how you feel in the most sensible words you can think off :) Although, I do get what you mean by 'Just For Fun', what you probably wanted to say is turning something you love into something you find joy doing for others.
Because after all, most of us who do make business out of something comes from something you already love or have deep interest in long time ago.
Much like the race drivers or footballers or heck a baker; their career all stem from their passion anyway.
Author needs to look at her business in a different perception, but so do the rest of us who blasted her off by saying "Just for Fun".
Lack of a better description is more like it. But intention is otherwise still the same.. just not as gung ho as others.
But hey, everyone learns from their mistakes. Better to learn now, and here with everyone's inputs then to find out much much later, I reckon.
And this is just one of the many things you'll go through Author to be better in doing business. So cheers to you and the rest who took their time to share thoughts.
I sure as hell learned a lot :)
Yeah man, all those who got really riled up are who? Blogshop owners. Get a life, and at the same time, a dose of healthy competition.
ReplyDeleteThere should NOT be an RRP. Stop comparing it with branded goods or other products like Harry Potter books because, unlike these, the blogshop products have no famous brand names. Why set an RRP for it? RRP is usually for items whose perceived 'value' might drop when it's sold at too low a price because they have a quality/image to maintain. Honestly now, you can't say that about blogshop items, can you?
It's the blogshop owner's prerogative to set it at whatever price she wants. Other blogshop owners will have to deal with it. This is what you get for marking up your prices too high. I've seen your products going for much cheaper, and no, I don't mean at Sg Wang/Times Square.
agree with anon 11:25 AM.
ReplyDeleteSome blogshops just give ridiculous prices for their items. Continue doing that and you'll have no customers.
Anon 11:25am is so wrong. All clothes even blogshop 1 is having brand name is just whether is known or unknown or even OEM. Also price and value of the goods is differentiate by the quality, workmanship and style of the product.
ReplyDeleteAnd why the author did not know about RRP is cause the supplier treated her as walk in customer and thought that she knew how to set her price. But when she set the price which is low, that shock the supplier hence advising her to mark up her selling price.
Some are saying that blogshop seller mark up way high, bla bla bla, yes, some, but not all. Some get it from Sg Wang at RM19 and sell it for RM40+ while in my case, cost of the clothes is double / triple as it's fully imported and is cause of quality and brand.
For buyer, surely you'll support her move, as you'll get cheaper clothing. But if you yourself is a boss, lowering profit margin means less profit hence paying your income is 1 of the cost. Therefore if a company decided to cut cost, therefore most of the time their solution is lay off.
If everybody is encouraging this kind of situation, means eventually you'll push for lower wages for your own. And don't complain when your bosses cut your pay, etc as they needed to lower the (selling price / profit) to capture more sales. As 1st month maybe be performing good, but it might not continue tru the 2nd month. That's why by setting the price higher, they can reserve for future usage, as not all year long is having good performance.
So now you know why our payroll job wages is getting lower and lower? the more we demand for cheap / low quality product, that's what you'll get more in the market. Low profit for company, lower pay for workers ( also depends on the work scope of the employee and other factor )
But also wages / income does depends on other factor as well, but the main factor is still the profit of the company. No profit, where they'll get the money to pay your salary?
You can't say blogshop can't be compare to big corporate etc. Both is doing the same thing, business, and serious blogshop owner will hope to have their own shop 1 day. Hiring shop assistant, etc, if profit is low, means the shop assistant will have lower pay too. The only way to boost up her income is by giving her, base on commission. In a way can boost sales - profit, etc.
Serious blogshop owner will look into the long run therefore pricing everything differently than those who just wanted to earn some pocket money.
If suddenly subsidy cut, inflation, recession, price / cost shoot up suddenly, you'll also be in trouble as you are used to set your price low. While those seller putting at the average price is able to absorb the downturn effect caused by the economy.
And you said that you had seen same product but cheaper elsewhere, would like to know if the quality is the same?material, workmanship,etc? branding? is it imported? locally source?
ReplyDeleteerr. idk who to slap
ReplyDeleteanon 12:22 PM, wow you think too much..relax..isn't it so tiring to make things complicated than it actually is?
ReplyDeleteas a buyer,I guess I don't mind items at average price..say rm1-5 difference. Of course I'm more than happy if I find clothes around the range of RM35 to RM40 (which is quite alot of shops if you ask me, so don't go bashing this author only. What I don't like is shops that sell clothes which exceeds the average too much.
and pls stop with the 'if so expensive then don't buy la' *yawns*
ok u know what, i think it's evident from the post that author wanted to learn why what she has done was deemed inappropriate and why the supplier had threatened to not supply to her. I think many of the sellers here have done a good job explaining the number of reasons as to why.
ReplyDeletewhat i don't understand is, why the hell are the buyers getting so riled up by defending the author when all they can see is from that few aspects of a consumer's viewpoint? honestly uguys are going on and on about healthy competition, but actually what you are saying is hey sellers, just compete among yourself and keep lowering the prices and i'll go buy from whoever sells the lowest hurray!
so i don't see how your contributions hold any weight or are constructive in any manner to this discussion. so far, sellers have presented so many different reasons and valid points, but then all buyers who comment will say things like, oh healthy competition mah, you sellers are jealous la..i mean dude, thats all u got? obviously your knowledge of the whole buying and selling world so really, if you have nothing constructive to say, just shut it la.
author has opened this discussion to learn more about why sellers play by the rules,not listen to buyers talk about how they love a good bargain cos she already knows that since her marketing strategy is to sell things lower than everyone else - it is her 'trademark' - in her own words. so really guys..just move on to other more interesting points shall we?
anon May 28, 2010 12:22 PM has brought up some interesting points, a different take on the issue aside from the RRP factor, which by the way isn't something that many buyers can understand or think can be applied on so-called 'blogshop items'.
why can't you apply RRP on blogshop items? these items came from the same supplier that many boutique owners get their stock from. so just because a blogshop has less expenses and cost to run, we should sell the same items below RRP? of course there is RRP for every item. in a sense, because everyone (even newbie blog owners) thinks blogshops are cheap to run and we should not mark up to the usual RRP set by the physical retail market, its exactly why blogshops can kill the market for shopowners.
to blogshop owners who think that way, have you ever thought about how your actions are affecting the market? if u are selfish and only think about your own business and how lowering your profit margin to below RRP can monopolize the business, then soon this market will go to the drains and like someone before who said it, we will be back to square one. i mean think about it, its bad enough that we have blogshop owners who sell lower than physical shops which is already ruining the market in the first place, now we have those who sell even lower than the usual blogshops.
by the way, back in the days when there weren't that many blogshops, i remembered the first time i walked into a supplier's to look at their stuff and u know what? they came over and asked for my business card and they started asking where my shop was and all that. then when they finally sold the stock to me, after they confirmed that i am not some random college kid just wanna main-main by buying stuff to share among friends, they sold the stocks to me. but not before telling me not to sell below a certain price. some suppliers even worse, they will put up a notice saying, no walk-in, only wholesale, as in you have to have a physical shop somewhere to buy from them, if not don't bother. suppliers nowadays are less strict but all they get is ppl who come in and spoil the market for them.
seriously serious buyer, of course la you will encourage the author to sell cheaper, coz you want it cheaper, you don't care if she got profit or not!
ReplyDeleteauthor, i am glad that you admitted your fault. bravo! RRP is there for a reason, people study business and marketing for a reason. obviously there are ways to do business if not, there'll be no point to have business and marketing diploma.
of course i don't mean that opening a blogshop must study business and marketing first. it's just that there are some rules/nature of business you need to understand in managing your business.
if buyers are used to cheaper prices, every sellers have to follow to cheaper prices, sooner customers will not be satisfied and want cheaper prices that the one you're already setting. means you need to set way cheaper than your already cheaper price, somehow the items you're selling will have no value, or value same as those in pasar malam. thus the market is ruined.
hope you can think clearly about what the other sellers are saying. no, they're not jealous, they just don't want you to ruin the market. in this way, everybody's striving to sell the goods to customers, competing in giving the best of the best, more quality, trendier, nicer items, in a healthy way. this is only healthy competition.
hope you can think clearly of what we're saying.
anon 12:22pm,
ReplyDeletesorry, we're talking bout clothes. something that is not "barang keperluan" so dont get too worked up and go to deep with salary etc.
clothes is not barang kawalan my dear, so up to d seller to set the price ler. kalau mahal, we all takkan beli n yg rugi saper? u all jugak la kan??
u all tau nak marah seller sbb takut competition. kalau nak jual tops for rm50, baik we all beli kat butik jer. bukan author jer, i believe byk lagi blogshop reduce their price to gain more customer. tgk la blogshop yg jual whole sale tu. baju dia jual rm16, tp blogshop lain jual rm32. apsal u all tak marah blogshop yg satu tu?(clue: blogshop ni gune manequin utk model baju dia.)
and to those single mothers, n mana2 seller yg anggap business blogshop ni main income, etc; common la...org lain pun ada masalah mcm awak. buyer pun org susah jugak, sbb tu la we all cari best price. ok? hidup ni susah, so pandai2 la buat strategi perniagaan. nothing comes easy.
kalau suma blogshop jual top dlm rm40-45, buat apa buka byk2 blogshop? x berfaedah langsung kalau sume brg kene jual ikot harga yg ditetapkan (ie. tops rm 40-45, skirts 45-50, dress 55-60).
-just another buyer yg x pandai ckp english-
(so tak yah la nak hina2 i punyer english okay?)
Actually there are alot of blogshop that sell clothes at a low price but take note that these are small and not famous yet blogshops. And no, i'm not talking about wholesale blogshops. So why diss the author only?
ReplyDeletethe ones that sell at a high price are those reputable blogshops. Again, I don't mind the prices as long as they are reasonable.
Well, to make things healthy and happy for all parties, do it like how the money changers does.
ReplyDeleteThey display their rates as a standard rate for all. Means if one displayed SGD100 = RM231.00, all have to display RM231. It's a mutual thingy going on.
Now let's say there's two money changers. Changer A gave me extra 50 cents where else, Changer B gave me extra RM1 more.
So? Which Changer should I frequent more to get the best rates? Definitely Changer B right?
C'mon yo. Learn the tricks and trades. That's business. Don't need for all the hoo-haas to say who gives the best price or what. It's not just the price customers are just looking at, mind you. It takes a whole lot more yeah.
Cheerios,
NJF.
this is so funny!!
ReplyDeleteseriously, if suppliers are all buying stuff from china, korea, HK or even thailand and selling here in malaysia but all in different prices, are you gonna call up those supplying countries and ask them to not supply to this particular seller? you think they have so much time to check on sellers who sells their items at a lower price? they just want to get rid of their stocks too! so companies selling cars should ask the supplier or car manufacturer to stop supplying to car dealers that sells it at a lower price? geez..they have reasons for why they are selling it at a lower price. even prices of cars and houses and everything else has different prices. you dont go running to the suppliers and complain. the market in most countries are all facing competitions like this, so what you want to do about it? tell them about the RRP shit?
for rice and sugar and all those kinda stuff you all compare to, there are LIMITED suppliers to these items. you dont plant rice and make sugar anywhere you want. unlike clothes, they're unlimited. ppl can get stocks from so many places.
spoiling the market? then all sellers who sell fake branded stuff should just close down their blogs because they are killing the market for the original products, correct?
competitions??...just deal with it!!
Is this real? i mean is this really a case or are you trying to get publicity for your blog????
ReplyDeletei'm a seller as well and there's no way you can get RM 37 profit for something, maybe you can put it out but who the hell would buy it?
no 2
what are the odds that a few different sellers coincidently go to the supplier and both coincidently complain about you?and they also have your number and know your blogshops address? or the other sellers also know youre phone number as well?and they also coincidentally gave it to the supplier
no 3
why would the supplier take sooo much effort to stop you from selling it at a higher price? what is it to her? most of the ppl there dont own the supplying shop.
theyre just workers and there are so many ppl buying from them why would take got through so much effort to deal with this munite little problem?
no 4.
EVEN if they DO own the supplying store,why why why would they take so much effort, even if thees other ppl take bigger quantities?how much bigger can they take compared to the REAL BOUTIQUES? who also get their stocks from the same place.why would they care about these few other little blogsellers? since its such a hot selling item i guess they'll have no problem selling their stocks off right?
continuosly contacting you will just ride up her phone bill and waste that 2 minutes of her life.
SMYDY is a place to express opinions and here's my big fat two cents.
cheers
Competition is good as it makes sure sellers don't get over-confident, but is a price war really 'healthy'?
ReplyDeleteAs a buyer, no one likes to think that profits are marked up by 100% or more, but actually to really make a business worthwhile especially in a niche market like online blogshops, a 100% profit margin is still reasonable as boutiques mark up as much as 150-200%. In fact, in any type of business, 100% profit margin is the average.
For a 100% profit margin though, I do expect a high level of professionalism from sellers. Which is why, to an extent, I'm not really in favour of blogshops that are just for fun/causal/almost no profit. Business is business, and the purpose of a business is to maximize profits (fyi, this is established business practice. even a 1st year biz student learns this). The seller may then offer extra non-price benefits to buyers if he/she feels conscientious about making a profit.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that sellers should sell at exorbitantly high prices. Just be reasonable, sellers and buyers alike. Buyers like to buy at the lowest price, and sellers like to sell at the highest price, thus the reason why there is a RRP. The RRP may not be formally agreed upon, as in the average market price is taken as the RRP, and it is not compulsory like control pricing. But, ethical sellers adhere to RRP to maintain market equilibrium.
(Author, sorry for bringing up RRP. Although you get it, some of those who left comments don't seem to see why there should be a RRP)
Selling RM4 below the average may not seem like much, but for a piece of clothing that sells for RM40, RM4 is 10% below the average price. And RM40 is the lowest end of the price spectrum.
Is it unreasonable then for sellers who sell at 100% profit margin (assuming cost price is RM20) to earn RM20 profit? Online blogshops are still a pretty small portion of the fashion retail market, and there will always be buyers who are uneasy with shopping online. Thus, selling cheaper and relying on volume isn't really justifiable for the average blogshop.
At RM20 profit (not including petrol, time invested, etc), a seller needs to sell at least 50 pieces of clothing to reach a monthly profit of RM1000. Therefore, sellers need to set a higher profit margin as the pool of online shoppers isn't that big. The nature of clothes shopping is such that for many people, even the lower prices of blogshops aren't going to entice them away from physical shops.
To anon 11.25a.m., blogshop clothing have a quality/image to maintain too. To the average person - Let's say you see a piece of clothing attractively portrayed in a famous blogshop (nicely steamed and pressed, professionally handled photographs, paired with matching accessories, etc), then you see the same piece of clothing photographed more casually, in a lesser known blogshop... won't your perception of the clothing fall a little?
Initially you might think "wow, that looks so classy/pretty/fashionable", and then after seeing it handled 'cheaply' you might think "oh, I guess it isn't that special after all". The proliferation of cheap clothing nowadays has lowered the value of clothes, so much so that it's perfectly normal to change wardrobes every 2 weeks - 1 month, seeing how cheap and flimsy clothes are. How is that not a lowering of quality, and a threat to well-manufactured clothing?
p/s: Author, pls don't misunderstand, not trying to kutuk or scold you as I think you've handled the criticisms and comments rather well. Rather, it's the dismissive way some ppl treat this issue that has got me riled up.
abt 2 or 3 years ago, you could get tops/dresses at RM35 which was considered as common price. but nowadays, if sumthing is RM39 pun we all are like ;wow, thts cheap'. Bersyukur la..:)
ReplyDelete*sigh* everything now is usually RM45-49 above...hmmmm. inflation kot....but still, i luv the wholesale shop. :D
this is a business world, who cares who u need to feed and who's not giving u pocket money. those who make bigger business and have more customers win. those who please the customers well too. if to care too much about rules and what others think and complain, well then be PR la, no need to do business already. keep all ur excuses away and just MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS. what school kids or what, the one who do better business wins no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI agree with pink.
ReplyDeleteThis is a healthy competition & not agent controlled item, what's the big fuss bout RRP or crap. Come on when you open a shop, be prepared to face competitions & challenges.
I can open a blogshop and sell everything below the cost as I wish, who are you to complain bout feeding kids or dogs?
This is business wei..if you wan to mark up you price so exorbitantly high and expect to use RRP as an excuse then sorry you're just not prepared for serious business.
Look at Maxis & Digi price wars, its a better example as it is not a controlled item. Anyone who has the infra to provide cheaper rates, they will win. Will Maxis or Digi talk about kids to feed or RRP? If you cant beat them, innovate & look for other solutions rather than whining about your competitor being unfair.
thanks anon May 29, 2010 12:42 AM, u have managed to sum things up pretty articulately and thanks for contributing. i happen to share your sentiment on this topic and it really isn't so much the author's attitude, but rather the ignorant commentors that irked me the most.
ReplyDeleteto pink, keep all ur excuses? u are exactly one of the ignorant commentors i'm talking about. eventhough all this sellers so rajin explain everything, u can still say they are excuses? this is facts of what is happening. u as a consumer may not care and don't need to care. if thats the case then just shut up la cos i dont see how your comments are gonna be helpful or constructive to the issue at hand.
This may seem to be a simple problem, but as you see it in a bigger picture, it is not that small afterall.
ReplyDeleteMy mum owns a boutique herself, and before that, she sells accesories at flea markets. There is this particular seller, he would purposely see what my mum sells, and get the same stock and sell it with very little or NO PROFIT at all.
THIS IS RIICULOUS. I think you should stick to the market price. Don't go marking up till you earn RM37 of course, YOU DON'T OWN A BOUTIQUE, NO RENTAL AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY YOUR WORKERS, WHAT SO EVER.
The best solution : stick as close to the market price. Imagine if everyone starts throwing prices like crazy, who will lose? Yourself. And those who are doing it to earn money to look after family, THEY WILL SUFFER.
To May 29, 2010 2:51 AM :
ReplyDelete[to pink, keep all ur excuses? u are exactly one of the ignorant commentors i'm talking about. eventhough all this sellers so rajin explain everything, u can still say they are excuses? this is facts of what is happening. u as a consumer may not care and don't need to care. if thats the case then just shut up la cos i dont see how your comments are gonna be helpful or constructive to the issue at hand. ]
don't have to ask me to be shut up la. i'm also on the business side. but i don't see all the points of giving excuses and explaining. i know, i don't say what u want to listen huh?
but whatever it is, this is the real one world, a realistic one. If you sellers put the price so high up, then use other ways to promote it. i don't see marking price high or low as something bad thou. do SWOT, do some marketing, use some brain, not just the mouth to complain to suppliers and complain HERE and ask me to shut up. so much time, why not think of how to sell off ur stuff then here complaining and scolding this seller who does a great and better job even as SCHOOL KID? no offense man, but sorry if u don't listen what you WANT. this is the life. if u get what u want, why would you be selling things right? money will fall down frm the sky.
you can't really blame the supplier for doing this.
ReplyDeleteAs in they don't know if you're doing this for fun or for real, are they supposed to do a full interview before they sell their stocks?
before the blogshop world came, they only had boutique owners as customers, so obviously, those people know what ethics and rules are set. but us blog shop owners, we don't! so it's not their fault, we have to learn.
And honestly, its true, any business is a business. Small, big, it's still a business. Once you start a business, you enter the market. And yes your small part actually does play a part in the market.
Never learn economics before? A price WAR is never good. That's why you don't see nasi lemak selling for a big difference of RM10 and RM1.
haha to anon 1:37pm.
ReplyDeleteeconomics should also have taught you well enough that the prices set by one small firm is not strong enough to affect the whole market because it is too small. and yes price war is not good but competition has its own advantages also.
just sharing cuz it is indeed funny how this one small thing can be linked to so many other things haha :)
Anonymous 1:37pm:
ReplyDeleteWhich year are you in? Dont you know that whatever you learned from your textbook is JUST THEORY and it wont work in the real world?
Are you trying to say that before the blogshop world came, there was no competition at all in the real world, and ALL boutique owners were ethical? Wow.
And yes, nasi lemak sells for RM1 in the street and RM10 in kim gary, old town cafe etc etc.
=)
To anon May 29, 2010 7:22 PM : u are right not all boutique sellers are ethical, but still they are around to do business. and doing business is all about maximizing profit. meaning to say, a business owner will try their best to sell an item at its highest profit margin and then when the the item cease to sell as well, they will mark it down to clear stock. it is common business practice.
ReplyDeleteyes, price war is nothing new. however, companies that decide to fight by lowering prices, still need to stick to market price as guideline. pls don't compare with Maxis and Digi, they are a service provider and the service can be given free like some countries, so since they are the provider of the service, they can mark it up however way they want and do not need to answer to anyone.
and whoever said that rrp is only applicable to controlled items like rice and sugar? u can go to a bookstore and find some books printed with rrp at the back if the covers. books are not necessity like rice and sugar?
price wars happen all the time, but for other competitors to voice out and tell the supplier to boycott this author, it obvious the price this author has set is too low. surely the other sellers are not selling the same item at the same price, but at the same time not so low that it would give the impression that the item is no longer profitable to sell (as in clearance price), which is what the author has done.
by the way, nasi lemak dont come from one supplier and its something u can easily make at home.
as a starter/school kid, i think she's right at setting at lower price - market penetration, and seems like it works, since her competitors are responding. normally, looking at this, competitors would set price lower in order to make goods competitive as well, but not in this case, thus the complains and whining, but why not change the strategy instead?
ReplyDeleteto the person who says theory isn't going to work in real world, that's basically bull. a person who knows theory AND work it out can survive better.
i really think that this is up to the blogshop owner herself. she's the boss. she decides how she should play her strategy and what not. i don't see this a point to argue about. that's really childish.
1)seller has the right to sell at any price
ReplyDelete2)supplier as a seller, has the same right as above.
3)supplier, does not have the right to threaten anybody.
4)why aren't those sellers selling up to 200% profit not get threatened????
to author, find other supplier..
to other sellers,fret not, if you have regular customers, i'm sure they would still buy from you..
I'm agree with Pink. This is business world and the author has the right to set her selling price higher or lower. I didn't see any agreement happen between the supplier and author to sell the clothes by following "RRP".
ReplyDeleteFor those seller who still want to make complaint pls think of other business strategy on how to gain more profit and customer. Pls study SWOT before you want to make complaint.
It is very funny because you all don't want to accept the truth of business world and keep defending by talking all the craps about RRP.
pink, what author did was understandable, but supplier isn't wrong to protect her own interest either. if supplier did not agree with other sellers who have complained, she wouldn't have threatened the author.
ReplyDeletesay ten more newbie blogshop owners come along after the author and buy the same item, and all of them follow ur theory that setting lower prices is ok and supplier should just supply, and each sells 10% than the one before, cos u know they all wanna penetrate the market and attract attention right, then end of the day the selling price will be so low and suppliers might as well supply direct to consumer? why not buyer walk in t suppliers and buy the items themselves?
the line must be drawn somewhere. this whole blogshop phenomenon is still fairly young in the market but blogshop sellers must start taking care of their own interest in the long run.
u think what this author is doing is correct, and if author agrees with you, soon when some other newbie who like her don't care much for profit comes along and take all her customers by setting a lower price, she will surely feel the pinch. cos u know end of the day she IS still running a business and though she claims she is not doing it for the profit (which i think is pretty much bs), she already stated it is her main source of pocket money. she is not doing charity.
u seem to think all these explanation is whining and complaining, but honestly that is because u are looking at this whole issue from a peephole that is the viewpoint of a consumer.
of course author can play by her own rules and even change supplier, to ones desperate enough to sell to anyone even end consumer. but it is not right to blame the supplier for wanting to protect her business.
when u don't play by the rules set by the market, then don't be surprised there will be people who will complaint against you. there are many out there who take their business seriously who already have a thousand and one obstacles that come with running a retail outlet, they really don't need ppl like the author to come and spoil things. this is the reason why they voice out to the supplier.
what strategy are you talking about? seems to me all u have suggested is for competitors to set lower prices instead of running and whining to the supplier, plainly put, start a price war. and so many anons above have explained why this is not good in the long run.
by the way i am grateful that this discussion was opened as what someone earlier had said, i have learned so much from this. to all the buyers out there, your opinions are almost unanimously all the same:
lower your prices to compete instead of complaining to suppliers because competition is healthy <-- sorry, healthy for whom? the only party benefiting will be buyers correct?
this is life, deal with it <-- ok this is pretty redundant cos u can say this to almost any obstacle u encounter in life. oh u got cancer? this is life, deal with it.
change your strategy <--sorry what strategy u on about? to quote someone from before 'u think buyer stupid? buyer will search high and low for the best/lowest prices'. please suggest something that sellers can do so that u as a buyer will ignore the best price offered by another seller and choose to buy the same item at a not as low price from us?
to all the buyers who think that the points presented by the sellers are our way of complaining/whining/sourpuss-ing, i am glad uguys think this cos it just serves to confirm why our country is economically worse off than so many other countries. cos it's filled by ignorant ppl like u.
to someone up there who mentioned, "why aren't those sellers selling up to 200% profit not get threatened????", this is quite obvious lor..cos business is about maximizing profit and opposed to minimizing?
ReplyDeleteand u are right, actually supplier don't need to threaten seller, cos by right supply could just stop supplying to author. but the author wouldn't know what happened or why and she would think that supplier is a bitch rite?
totally agree with 'businesswoman', go ahead and sell as low as u want if u want the whole e-boutique industry to go down the drain...just becuz u're selling FOR FUN..
ReplyDeletedo u guys notice that normally blogshops like the author's (i assume) who sell for FUN usually have ugly pics and u can see that they don't put so much effort in taking nice pics or mix n match.. compared to those blogshops who mark up slightly higher but provide good quality pictures n service?
ofcuz la they earn so little they wont put alot of effort in pictures and service with the mentality "so cheap already what else u want".
and as a buyer, normally we would be attracted to those pieces with NICE pics first (at serious blogshop or well known ones) then only go look for alternatives like the less well known blogshops for cheaper prices rite?
one day all the serious/well known blogshops who don't sell for FUN close down becuz of ppl like the author causing them think that their effort no longer worth the low profit margins, buyers won't be able to enjoy their online shopping experience anymore when the left over blogshops are like "PASAR MALAM" or "sungei wang RM 25 for all" type of shops.
sheesh, grow up la author.. reality is NOT FUN. u can sell for fun bcuz ur mummy daddy still giving u $$$$, not everyone can afford FUN like yours.
May 29, 2010 11:44 PM ,
ReplyDeletewhat if she's not doing it for the long run?
and, i think setting lower price is a good penetration way for marketing. this is a good strategy and it must not always mean that it's good for the long run as i din't mention that. however, if i were to do, i would have done the same, for the beginning to have a good base of customer. isn't that LOGIC? (now, im giving a good strategy isn't it?)
(what strategy are you talking about? seems to me all u have suggested is for competitors to set lower prices instead of running and whining to the supplier, plainly put, start a price war. and so many anons above have explained why this is not good in the long run. )
so, do i need to tell u strategy to do good business for boutique? use the head, not talking only.
about competition being healthy, any normal person in business would know that healthy competition stimulates better pricing and better product. it's just that simple. u don't understand? ppl are putting their price lower, what can u do? change other things to sell, give better service? etc. if u're smart enuf to refute me, im sure u can think of better ways to sort things out. do i, as a customer/half seller, needs to tell u how??? it's business secrets, and if u hv the key to success this business, it's ur fortune, so go figure out. do more research, think of better ways which work for e-commerce instead of arguing with me here, a stranger.
(change your strategy <- sorry what strategy u on about? to quote someone from before 'u think buyer stupid? buyer will search high and low for the best/lowest prices'. please suggest something that sellers can do so that u as a buyer will ignore the best price offered by another seller and choose to buy the same item at a not as low price from us?
to all the buyers who think that the points presented by the sellers are our way of complaining/whining/sourpuss-ing, i am glad uguys think this cos it just serves to confirm why our country is economically worse off than so many other countries. cos it's filled by ignorant ppl like u. 0
again, u don't need to ask ppl for strategy. u have to find out. it's not uni/secondary school/primary with teachers spoon feeding. of cos, u still can win eventhou selling at higher price. and how to? think of it. i think that statement is fairly acceptable and has nothing wrong about it. it's what buyers think anway, can u change it? it's normal too.im sure u buy things too, and don't u feel happy seeing lower price?
competition can be healthy depending on how u see it. if being so pessimistic makes u think that things will get better, continue.
a smart marketing person will see any threats as opportunities. well, not exactly marketing la.
a winner finds way, a loser finds excuses.
ReplyDeleteagain, it's life. not just selling and buying and selling and buying. u just need to find the competitive advantage (the key) which u can have against other competitor
9to confirm why our country is economically worse off than so many other countries. cos it's filled by ignorant ppl like u. )
this is a stupid statement. u blame those buyers worsen our economy? pls, seriously, dun kid with buyers. and im pretty sure that u're on of them who complained to suppliers? i don't know, and i don't want to know anyway. not trying to provoke u, but there's really a lot of reasons thats worsening the economy. and u can't blame them??? sellers need to stimulate the market, for higher demand, not just waiting for ppl to place orders and scold ppl when they put price lower. personally, i don't think our economy is not that bad, and buyers are definitely not the only reason it's worsening :O i think it's such a peculiar statement. anyway. good luck in ur business. u can do way better if u can spend sometime discussing with ur mates on how to bring in more business.
somemore, who likes to whine and weep with ppl rite? most ppl dun like negativity. laugh and the world laugh with u, and weep u weep alone.
don't be discourage. in fact, i do see this as a good thing. u can say im not seller so i say this, but come to think of it, im oso in business filed. there's pretty much bull about rules, u need but a beautiful strategy, a flawless plan, that, u need ur head for it
and stop the stupid mummy thing. annoying. what good does it do to you by teasing ppl? and dragging in ppl's mum? funny la these ppl.
agree with anon MAY 30, 2010 12:01 AM
ReplyDeletewell said! yup, as a buyer, i don't mind to pay more to "serious blogshops/well-known blogshops" because i really dun like the idea of buying from those "for fun" sellers who provide bad service.
of course i will still look for cheaper alternatives, but when i looked at their pics, the pieces don't seem so interesting anymore. and the thought of my items being handled unprofessionally, i would end up going back to those "serious blogshops/well-known blogshops" to view the items again, and end up buying from them because, honestly, i like clear pics. and i like to get what i see.
sorry, but i'm a "visual" girl. bad/blurry pics turns me off. those pics with items laid on the floor makes me gag. i don't mind paying rm5-10 more just for a better online shopping experience because, shopping should be in a pampered way, girls, doesn't it? =)
pink, in that case i think u have answered all the author's questions too. author: why did the other sellers complained and why did supplier threatened u? well,it's life :)
ReplyDeleteInstead of putting so much time to argue endlessly here about what business degree or economic textbooks have taught you, isn't it more practical to start to strategize your business?
ReplyDeleteToday it might be author, tomorrow it might be someone else. As long as its business, its bound to happen where price is albeit we hate to admit, the strongest instrument to consider before purchasing something.
However what sets some business apart is the extra edge given eg services and non-monetary (if you're really reducing cost) perks.
Anon May 29, 2010 9:27 PM
"pls don't compare with Maxis and Digi, they are a service provider and the service can be given free like some countries, so since they are the provider of the service, they can mark it up however way they want and do not need to answer to anyone"
are you implying they have no cost? Looks like you are naive not to study the whole picture. Eg: providers gives you free calls between friend & family but is it really no obligation free? Don't you need to pay monthly fixed obligatory fees? In fact these "free calls" are their strategy to make you subscribe or convert your family into their network - plainly coz this plan will not work with only a single line.
How to mark up the highest ever and no one to answer to? Their customer loyalty are those they gotto answer to.
To anon 11:44 PM
ReplyDelete'cos it's filled by ignorant ppl like u.'
wow..so buyers are ignorant ppl now? lol..cos we worsen the country's economy? How can you say that? It's just normal for buyers to want low price. But that doesn't mean that we don't buy clothes that are marked at an average price. (or if you must use that word.."RRP") I still keep coming back to reputable blogshops even though they mark their price slightly higher than the newbies. So pls la..why are you being so annoying? What are you scared of actually?
Buyers have brains too. We like the assurance from buying from a reputable blogshop cos of the good service. So to all the sellers here, if you're providing good service, you don't have to be scared of some newbie shops la. gosh..it really annoys me how you ppl keep dissing customers 'who wants cheaper things' only.
At the end of the day, most buyers will still choose good quality and service. so pls stop the whining already.
agree with May 30, 2010 6:40 AM
ReplyDeleteit's the common sense law of demand. at lower price, demand is higher. logic. we are not worsening the economy. and yes, i agree that it's better to strategise now and compete. and author should oso stop whining. it's life.
so prepare ur tools/plan/strategy and get into the race. prepare well and u'll win well.
Don't simply judge people being ignorant esp buyers. Some 'sellers' here are lucky for SMWDY is a place that maintains anonymousity. If not, comments by some sellers here will be enough to put away buyers considering how some view their customers as.
ReplyDeleteBuyers too, don't push things too far. Setting price at whichever level is up to the seller. If u don't like it, leave. If u're able to find cheaper deals, good for u. Have some respect for those really doin this as a main and only income. Don't simply go tell people get real and get lost if one can't handle the 'competition'.
Talk so much but by the end of the day its still MONEY!
ReplyDeletesad. some buyers are really ripping people off! you can earn 80% profit, but why must you set till 200% ?? coz the sellers are GREEDY!
besides, the author did say she has a 80% profit margin. she's still earning. not spoiling the market also. so those others complaints because they cant get more profit is it?? GREEDY!
people come here to buy because its cheap! if you're setting it so high those shoppers might as well find other place! GET IT?
moreover, God will know what you greedy sellers have done. what you rip people off you'll have to pay back in the end.
HAVE A NICE LIFE YOU GREEDY SELLERS!
Dear Author,
ReplyDeleteI think the only comments you should be paying attention to (which i believe you already did, so maybe i'm pointing this out to future 'attackers' who might post violent curses towards you), are the ones posted by people who actually have knowledge and rationality in their comments, e.g. Bussinesswoman who talked earlier about RRP, and Anonymous MAY 27, 2010 8:48 PM. These are the pieces of thoughts that will make you learn and move forward. The others are all yada yada yada. Alright. All the best!
Hmm, since this is a free topic, i'm not here to pick up fights k? From buyer standing point of view, of course they wanted the best at the cheapest price. Else, why would girls be crazy over sales and crazy markdowns? From sellers standing point of view, they're aiming at profitable margins, the business, the earnings, the ka ching ka ching $$ is the utmost important thing.
ReplyDeleteSo is there even a point to argue about this? Say reputable branded items, it's seemingly reasonable to have a RRP for it, because they need to protect their brand, their image, their sales and businesses.
BUT, for unbranded items like online clothes, most of us aren't even aware of its source, its brand, is there a necessity for RRP? I know for certain things, market price is there to protect the item's value. But truth to be told, quality for online clothings aren't reputable at all, unless the price tag is tagged above RM 80. If we are going to splurge on something more than RM 80, why not try it at offline stores? That way, we can observe it's quality, we even get to try on a variety of its sizes and be NOT afraid to MIA.
So in the way i see it, there are pros and cons. So i dont think online clothings need RRP for it, because after all, it's consumers right to choose which blogshops they favor to, it's the CRM, and marketing strategies that count.
I seriously don't think hiking up the price to a certain RRP is beneficial to anyone. After all, yea sellers may earn 100-200% profit out of it, but buyers are there to justify, they can see a similar product and how much the price differs, so who will lose the business in the end? On the contrary, if your marketing strategies are good, your long term clients and regular customers will always still be coming back for more.
So here goes, sellers can set the price at the reasonable profit margin that is acceptable. Of course not going beneath cost price. In this case, i think what the Author is doing is not wrong. It's her blog, her business, her efforts. She can set it at the price she wants as long as she's making reasonable profits.
What's there to argue about? This is not about price war, but being averagely modest and contented. After all, does she post any threats to the big guns out there? She's just a small blogshop. If you're not happy, sell things that you can't find locally, then nobody would be able to argue about the price!
ALL ITEMS at different online shops are ALL DIFFER!
ReplyDeleteWhere is the RRP??