Re: (TV) Amazon.com

[Michael <michael@recordsnyc.com>]

    I don't get it with Amazon.com. They've been killing all of the small
businesses(myself included) to the point of either going out of business of
filing bankruptcy. This was their plan was it not, to lose or not make money
the first five years and just steal all the customers that it could from
every hard working independent American shop and just have one massive one
line mail order service? Fortunately for me I still sell alot of vinyl and
assorted ephemera so I've manage to keep my head just above water, barely.
Now they want to screw over their employees. Why doesn't someone blow up
Amazon's web site? I cannot tell you how they've spoiled the buyer by
sending out orders in 24 hours. For stores like mine it's not possible to
have that kind of turn around time. So when people do not have their
merchandise within 48 to 72 hours they want to know where it is. I usually
tell people if you want that kind of service then perhaps you should try to
find this item at Amazon. As crass as this may sound I just cannot compete
with that sort of service or even their prices. Case in point, when
Beefheart's "Grow Fins" set came out I paid $64.00 wholesale(not including
shipping and COD fees). My web site had just gone up so I thought well
rather than charge the usual 30 to 35% markup I'll sell then for $74.99 just
to attract some kinda business. Then I find out that ol' Amazon's charging
$67.00, $3 above the wholesale price. Accoring to Revenant, no one got a
price break whether you order 1 set or 1,000 the price is the same. That's
when I knew I had to do something different. There's just no way to compete
with these guys. 


        What I want to know is what are they going to do when they've wiped
out the vast majority of on-line mom & pop shops selling CD's and books. Are
they all of a sudden going to raise their prices to the suggested retail
value of $17.99 or $18.99 when alot of the mom & pop shops were sticking to
the old 30% markup rule? How are the people who've supported Amazon all this
time going to feel when they find that they've been had? Now that all of the
reasonable on-line shops are gone you're now at the mercy of Amazon.com Has
anyone given this any thought? Amazon just can't go on losing money like
this without the whole concept crashing down on them. I can tell you from
the prices that I've seen that there's no way in hell that they're even
making a small profit especially with their overhead. How much longer do we
have to wait until the real Amazon.com emerges? Anyone have any idea when
their 5 year losing streak is up?

    I strongly support the employess of Amazon in their fight to get union
representation. Then they won't feel so expendable which is probably how
they feel right now without the union.

    I'd be curious to hear comments regarding those who support/don't
support Amazon.

    Movin' on,
    
    M T C

> From: "J.Germaine" <jpg55@home.com>
> Reply-To: tv@obbard.com
> Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 19:21:30 -0800
> To: <tv@obbard.com>
> Subject: Re: (TV) Amazon.com
> 
> Great idea!!
> I just sent them a message using you next. I'll pass it on to my friends.
> Jeffrey
> 
>> From: "Nick Powell" <nick@powelln.freeserve.co.uk>
>> Reply-To: tv@obbard.com
>> Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2000 09:30:34 -0000
>> To: <tv@obbard.com>
>> Subject: (TV) Amazon.com
>> 
>> Dear Amazon.com:
>> 
>> I have been loyal customer of your company since its inception.  In the
>> last few months alone I have spent more than $300 on your products and
>> services.
>> 
>> And thus I was very sad to read today in the New York Times that your
>> company is undermining the attempts of your employees to unionize.  I
>> believe that all workers have the right to organize, and if you cannot
>> support this right, then I can no longer support your company.
>> 
>> I refuse to by any products from Amazon.com until your employees have
>> been allowed to choose a legal bargaining representative---without
>> intimidation or harassment.  I will urge all of my friends and colleagues to
>> do the
>> same.
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> 
> 
> --------------
> To post: Mail tv@obbard.com
> To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe tv"

--------------
To post: Mail tv@obbard.com
To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe tv"