Should all future co-ops be moved to Yahoo??

[bambipetals]

I am in the same boat as Lerler. Long time lurker with very few posts. I'm not due until June and this is my first child...so my experience with products is limited.

Personally, I'm so thankful that is was able to do the co-op with a store that is not too far from me. If it was on a Yahoo board, I would have never known since I do not visit those boards plus I don't have that many posts.

[missym]

I can understand the concerns arising from the ebay auctions of info regarding the Britax co-op. However, I would hate to see the 50 post / 3 month minimum applied to any who wished to participate. Some of the folks most likely to benefit from and participate in a co-op (depending on the product, of course) would be new parents who may not meet these minimums. (This would also be my argument against the minimums for the BBB Swap group, but what's done is done.)

Also, as has been previously mentioned, there is some evidence that the ebay auctioneer was an active participant in the boards anyway. I think by setting minimums, we would exclude honest folks without really finding a way to keep potentially dishonest ones out.

Of course, having said that, if you're willing to take the time and effort to set up a co-op, it's your sandbox and you make the rules! :)

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

[McQ]

The manufactuer's do this all the time. It's frustrating and the consumer pays for it. Even tough they say MSRP, they make it very difficult for the retailer's if they don't sell the products for what they want. For example, I've heard that some manufactuer's won't ship, delay shippment, or move that retailer to the bottom of the ship list if they are selling below MSRP.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03

[m448]

Also, I believe that private groups for swaps is understandable because it member to member (a direct sale) so you don't want to be stiffed.

This co-op was done through great beginnings so there was no danger of that. Like I said in the other thread, our leverage in co-ops is numbers and going private reduces that.

I think maybe working with ebay to "out" the person might be a possibility.

Marielle
Ian 10/30/03

[Toba]

>Some of the folks most likely to benefit from
>and participate in a co-op (depending on the product, of
>course) would be new parents who may not meet these minimums.
>(This would also be my argument against the minimums for the
>BBB Swap group, but what's done is done.)

>Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

Missy, I totally agree with you (although because of my post count, I guess I would be considered a little biased). I was so disappointed that I was denied access to the stroller swap because I was really looking forward to seeing what was available for my firstborn. But such is life ... we can't force our own opinions on other people. And I respect that. It just really sucks when mean, greedy people ruin it for everyone else.

~Kimberly Anne~
Noah Nevan due on 03/21/04

[Jennymarie]

Just a thought:

Do you think you'll be able to generate enough sales for most co-ops if the Yahoo group were to be private? I think the Britax thing would have worked anyway, because it seems like *everybody* buys a Britax, and you can never find them on sale. But for other products (like strollers, for example) people seem to buy based on their individual needs, so not everybody wants to buy the same product. Remember that a guaranteed level of sales is the critical part in negotiating a good co-op price.

I'm not against a Yahoo group per se. But before doing it, I'd be interested in hearing how the individual retailer feels about co-oping on a very public forum, and how they feel about the possibility of somebody selling information about the co-op on ebay. If the retailer just wants to sell a lot of stuff and they don't anticipate any fallout from the manufacturer, they might not care about an ebay seller posting the information. And we can always do what Gina did - post a "free information" sale to thwart an ebay seller's efforts.

I would imagine that a lot of this depends on whether the retailers realtionship with the manufacturer would be harmed in any way by public dissemination of info about the co-op. We don't really understand the laws of price-fixing or the practical realities of the retailer's relationship with each manufacturer, but I'm sure the store managers that we deal with know their rights and obligations...

[Chicago Mom]

It's very sad that one person can potentially ruin a good thing, especially considering all of the well intentioned parents who are a part of this message board. I don't know if a full-proof solution exists, but I will focus on all of the good this message board, and of course the BBB, has done for me and my family, and hope one bad apple doesn't discourage this great exchange we have going.

Anne

[Jennymarie]

Actually, that's not *exactly* what's happening here. I found this info at the FTC website about "Vertical Minimum Price Fixing" *which is what this would be):

"An agreement between manufacturer and dealer or retailer on minimum resale price levels is per se illegal.(4) However, under the Colgate Doctrine,(5) established by the Supreme Court in 1919, a manufacturer may lawfully suggest prices and stop dealing with those who discount those prices, as long as it does so unilaterally. For example, manufacturers may suggest minimum prices (unilaterally) using a number of techniques, including:

providing lists of suggested retail prices;(6)
pre-ticketing prices on the product;(7) or
advertising suggested prices directly to consumers.(8)
A manufacturer may cut off a discounter in response to complaints from other retailers, as long as it makes this decision unilaterally."

I think the idea is that a manufacturer can technically fix prices by not selling to dealer who is discounting too heavily, as long as its a decision they are making independently (i.e., not as part of an agreement with other manufacturers or retailers). This makes me think that the dealers probably *don't* want co-ops to be too public. That said, some dealers may be fine with it and they may be comfortable that the manufacturer would not object, so I think its best to ask the individual retailer whether they are comfortable with their co-op pricing becoming very public.

[Momof3Labs]

Kimberly, there's no reason you should have been denied access to Stroller Swap - there are no membership requirements there.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StrollerSWAP/

The BBB Swap board does have membership requirements, however.

[Toba]

Yes, that is the one I was denied access to (the BBB one). I was confused. I do belong to the Yahoo one. Sorry ... pregnancy moment.


~Kimberly Anne~
Noah Nevan due on 03/21/04