Selling on eBay with low margin but high quantity?

barricades · 31-12-2008, 02:50 PM

While reading on another thread a wee while ago I remembered some digging I had done in spare time at the start of 2008 about the possibility of selling xbox360s online and through ebay. I came to the conclusion that I couldn't get xboxs for the ridiculously low prices that some people seemed able to sell them on ebay so I gave up.

But I always wondered. Some people seem able to sell huge numbers of consoles at good prices. From what I came to understand these people were selling them for a very very tiny profit margin - and maybe sometimes taking a loss - or they were getting them very cheaply from someone who was able to buy in huge bulk.

So what exactly do you guys think was happening. Were these people employees of the likes of Curries who managed to fiddle out the odd box at cost price? Or were the consoles rip offs? What's going on!

**hardwareheroes** · 31-12-2008, 03:26 PM

Could be stolen, bought with dodgy credit cards etc

barricades · 31-12-2008, 03:33 PM

But these people had sold loads of them. They had rep's dating back months and years for selling xboxs - peoples feedback included 'great xbox great price' and the like.

dodgydave123 · 31-12-2008, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barricades

But these people had sold loads of them. They had rep's dating back months and years for selling xboxs - peoples feedback included 'great xbox great price' and the like.

Maybe they get them from the UK dristributor?

If theyve been selling them for years they could be classed as an xbox retailer because of the demand they pump out and therefore get their consoles direct from xbox for cheaper than the regular people like us can?

Maybe im wrong? is it possible for that to happen?

barricades · 31-12-2008, 05:19 PM

Possibly - like you suggest - they are independent high street retaillers who have, cleaverly, got in early to the ebay thing and become established thus have big buying power with the distributers, but I'm pretty sure no-one can buy straight from xbox apart from their authorised distributors.

Although like you I'm only guessing. It'd be great to have one the of authorities on here to put us right. Anyone know?

Condom Man · 05-01-2009, 03:13 AM

Great question....anyone got the answer ?

**Andy777** · 05-01-2009, 06:49 AM

Each case will be different, but one way of doing this:

* Have substantial money available to invest in stock (they buy hundreds of consoles, not 5 or 10 at a time).

PLUS

* Many of them sell imported consoles (some even state that they sell UK version when feedback tells something different) as they are much cheaper.