|
|
 |
|  |
22-09-2004, 12:57 PM
| #2 (permalink) |
| Newbie Trainer Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 15
 | itrance Ive used itrance before - they are a good site who do some great deals but you have to pay for postage on the majority of stuff, i brought my dymatize from cheapuksupplements as they are the cheapest for 1 tub, dont think they sell USN though, i got swole v2 which i recommend, am going to try v12 turbo afterwards so i can do a comparison. |
|      |
|
23-09-2004, 03:18 PM
| #7 (permalink) |
| BodyShapers Fitness MD  Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Telford
Posts: 1,258
 | itrance are interesting. They dont have a set discount scheme like most stores (e.g. discount everything by 20%). Instead they pick a selection of popular products to do very good discounts on and the rest of the products are more expensive than many other online retailers. I'm intrigued to know how they can sell elite that cheap. Its well below trade price, and I know they wouldnt be getting it cheap enough from the UK distributors to sell it at that price. Even when I looked at importing elite, after adding import tax and VAT it wasnt cheap enough to sell it at that price, absorb postage and still make a profit - let alone pay staff etc. Strange...
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. -Now with FREE shipping available on all UK mainland orders! 5% off your first order - use discount code ukm6. The #1 choice for To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. with rapid, reliable service. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - research backed sports nutrition. |
|
| |
|
23-09-2004, 09:28 PM
| #9 (permalink) |
| BodyShapers Fitness MD Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Telford
Posts: 1,258
| Theres a lot of sites cropping up selling at silly prices - retailers arent actually 'supposed' to discount by more than 20% from rrp (although a lot of people dont seem to realise this), nor do you make any profit in most cases by doing so. I've just signed up to take on the Instone range (sly's brand) and theres a very legally binding contract we had to sign that agrees: a) we wont sell below 20% off RRP and b) we arent allowed to advertise in magazines etc.. any prices below RRP at all. So if I want to advertise that we do Instone in Flex or M&F then I cant show our prices. Most of these sites dont last long though. In the short term its good for retail customers and for competition, but in the longterm, its bad for the industry. If you try and compete with these prices then you're only going to risk your long term future. Better to sit it out I think. I was looking through an old muscle and fitness magazine from 1998 the other day, and of all the retail stores advertising in it only about 10% are still in business. I'd rather be a tropicana and still be here in ten years than discount too heavily and be out of business in a year or two. The strongest supplement store left from that '98 magazine are tropicana and they've only started discounting from rrp at all recently (publishing musclemag probably helps also!). I cant see that any of the stores who do more than 20% off rrp are going to have much longevity. I remember when itrance's ceased trading first time round and for months there were threads on muscletalk of their customers complaining about never receiving their goods they'd paid for. Anyway, sorry to bore guys... I'm in a bit of a qaundry (in case you havent guessed) as to whether to try and match these cheap stores or sit it out.
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. -Now with FREE shipping available on all UK mainland orders! 5% off your first order - use discount code ukm6. The #1 choice for To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. with rapid, reliable service. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - research backed sports nutrition. Last edited by BSF James; 23-04-2005 at 03:49 PM. |
|
| |
|
24-09-2004, 12:29 AM
| #10 (permalink) |
| Newbie Trainer Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 15
| "In the short term its good for retail customers and for competition, but in the longterm, its bad for the industry." Sorry im new to all this, but why is it bad for the industry if sites want to sell cheaper? And why do such sites not last very long? |
|
| |
|
24-09-2004, 06:46 PM
| #11 (permalink) |
| Newbie Trainer Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 43
| Dunno 'silent Bob' thats a tough one, I used to sell bulk confectionary years ago at really cheap prices but had to shift a lot of the stuff to realy make it worth while and I did, But was hard work shifting all that gear around, sometimes wonder whether its better too sell less at a competitive price and make just as much ?? But enjoyed being busy. Always found it good though too sell a few popular lines very cheap to bring them in and they would always buy other things as well !!! This has gone right off my original thread now but thats what I think anyway. |
|
| |
|
24-09-2004, 10:01 PM
| #12 (permalink) |
| Newbie Trainer  Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 26
| In my opinion supplement retailers (not all of them) are greedy and just markup the products ridiculousy. Been a former IFFB bodybuilding competitor and Provincial light heavyweight champion I know what it is like to be on the receiving end. I am glad retailers are relying on bulk sales and low markup as well as e-marketing to keep costs low, the less money i can pay for a product (a good product) the better, as I know less money is going into whoever is selling that products back pocket. Lets face it, certain retailers markups are ridiculous. I will give an example. I used to be the sole importer for www.ultimatenutrition.com the quality US version, not the ripoff UK version, in 1998 until I decided to give it up in 2001. So I know what distribution prices are. I can tell you for example that 2lbs of whey protein costs no more than $8 USD thats about £5 (give or take £9 with import duties and transport). A typical competitor lets take another US brand - Prolab, retails 2lbs of whey protein for around £25. CRAZY!! Its all about huge markups for some companies. I also know the owner of another particular brand of reputable products, Silentbob, you stock that brand and so do many other online retailers, I will not divulge which, but I can tell you he is a multi-millionare and recently purchased a £230k ferrari. Yet they will claim that they operate on low markups? very questionable.................
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. "Bigger, Stronger, Ripped 2 Shreds!" Powered to perfection by Genesis Sports Nutrition To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. for quality, affordable supplements To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - MAXIMUM HUMAN PERFORMANCE To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - THE FORUM THAT REWARDS YOU FOR POSTING Last edited by IMPI; 24-09-2004 at 10:06 PM. |
|
| |
|
23-04-2005, 02:20 PM
| #14 (permalink) |
| BodyShapers Fitness MD Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Telford
Posts: 1,258
| Sorry to resurrect an old thread- but I feel an 'I told you so coming on'... Just had a quick browse on muscletalk (please dont hurt me Paul!) and ITrance appear to have pulled a fast one and are no longer trading. Well, the site owner claims to have sold the company database but if you read the various threads on there that sounds doubtful.
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. -Now with FREE shipping available on all UK mainland orders! 5% off your first order - use discount code ukm6. The #1 choice for To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. with rapid, reliable service. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - research backed sports nutrition. |
|
| |
|
23-04-2005, 03:15 PM
| #15 (permalink) | |
| BodyShapers Fitness MD Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Telford
Posts: 1,258
| Quote:
For what its worth: One reason sites like that dont last long is because the ones who operate legitimatally (buy stock through the correct UK channels) are working on ridiculously low profit margins (often £1-2 a tub). The other kind of site we have now are ones who import illegitimately directly from the states without the permission of the brands or the UK importers. More often than not they are getting away without paying VAT and customs charges and so are getting the products very cheap. They can then sell the products at a cheaper price than everyone else but still make as much or even more profit. This is only a short term success though as once either the UK importers or the brands spot them doing it (e.g. as their profile rises) they will put a quick stop to it. Why is this all bad for the industry: 1. Creates price wars - puts smaller retailers out of business. Many of these are somebodys' only living and what they use to put food on their kids plates and pay the rent - not an expendable side business to a regular job (which is what many of the sites I've been talking about are). 2. When customers can buy at wholesale prices online, how can gyms possibly sell products and turn profit when they are buying at the same price. Puts pressure on the gym part of the industry which is struggling enough anyhow. 3. Likewise how can distributors justify their trade prices to gyms when the gym could buy the product online for the same price. It brings the whole retail/wholesale/distributor price system crashing down. Even if the distributor offers 10% off trade price its still a tight margin. 4. Devalues the products to the customer. One a customer buys Elite Whey at £18 a tub then have to go back to paying £27.99 the next they feel they are getting a poor deal. This simply isnt true. £18 a tub is less than gyms pay in this country. With all respect, gyms should not have to pay the same or more than retail customers. Fair enough you can buy it at that price in the states, but everythings cheaper there as they have a richer economy than us. 5. If and when they do let customers down or stop trading threads like the one on muscletalk appear and the buying public's opinions of ALL online retailers drop. Most online stores are legitimate businesses, but if someone is scammed once online they will always be reluctant to shop on the web again. I've been researching the industry in the USA a lot lately and the same thing happened there. The business became saturated with small online companies who brought the prices down to wholesale price and the end effect was that they put themselves and all but the biggest, richest companies out of business. Sure a few other online companies still tick along, but they are doing far less well for themeselves now. The same is unlikely to happen here because there is a general rule in place not to sell at a price per tub of less than 20% off retail. And believe me this is well enforced - we've been on the receiving end several times ourselves (smacked fingers and all..).
__________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. -Now with FREE shipping available on all UK mainland orders! 5% off your first order - use discount code ukm6. The #1 choice for To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. with rapid, reliable service. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - research backed sports nutrition. Last edited by BSF James; 23-04-2005 at 04:51 PM. | |
|
| |
 |
| Thread Tools | |
| Rate This Thread | |
| |
 |  |
Notices
itrance supplements 
