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Amazon Supply

amazonsupply.com

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21–30 of 76 posts

Re: Amazon Supply

#21

Post by oacgnol »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #16

I agree with most that the competitor here is McMaster-Carr. The collateral damage could be places like Lowes/Home Depot etc (brick and mortar supply stores) but agree with most here that SmallParts (which this was created out of) didn't have quite the execution that McMaster-Carr does. The other bit is there is the whole interaction model. In the fabricator world they seem to get an account with one of these compani…

Agreed, and I'd like to see what this competition will do with respect to McMaster-Carr. For a school design project, I had to order parts from a website and McMaster-Carr had by far the best website of any vendor. From a cursory glance, the Amazon Supply site doesn't have quite the polish or flow of McMaster's.

Re: Amazon Supply

#22

Post by joezydeco »

artursapek wrote: post #17
joezydeco wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Delivery time is why I buy from McMaster. If I get the order in early enough, a dude in a van shows up in a few hours .

Where do you live?

My office is in the Chicago area, near O'Hare airport. Heavy industrial area which explains a lot... =)

Re: Amazon Supply

#23

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

amac wrote: post #15

I work for an Industrial Supply company and have monitored this since they bought SmallParts. Needless to say, Industrial Supply is a low margin, volume business that requires high service levels. Most Industrial Supply companies sell the same products, there really isn't a differentiator. As always in retail, price, selection and availability are crucial in making sales. This is a good match for Amazon, and obviousl…

Don't underestimate the benefit of physical presence. When I need something now, it is a huge benefit to be able to walk into Fastenal and buy it on the spot. Also, metal is heavy, again using Fastenal as an example, I can order online and pickup instore without paying shipping. Prices are higher than onlinemetals.com, or speedymetals.com but the convenience and no shipping cost often trumps that.

Re: Amazon Supply

#24

Post by joshu »

oacgnol wrote: post #21
ChuckMcM wrote: post #16

I agree with most that the competitor here is McMaster-Carr. The collateral damage could be places like Lowes/Home Depot etc (brick and mortar supply stores) but agree with most here that SmallParts (which this was created out of) didn't have quite the execution that McMaster-Carr does. The other bit is there is the whole interaction model. In the fabricator world they seem to get an account with one of these compani…

Agreed, and I'd like to see what this competition will do with respect to McMaster-Carr. For a school design project, I had to order parts from a website and McMaster-Carr had by far the best website of any vendor. From a cursory glance, the Amazon Supply site doesn't have quite the polish or flow of McMaster's.

Hmm. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me, but my McMaster catalog had way more stepper motors in it than the website does?

Re: Amazon Supply

#25

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

moxiemk1 wrote: post #12
tomkinstinch wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. One nice thing though is that they honor Amazon Prime free two-day shipping.

While McMaster shipping certainly isn't free, it's always overnight, and often less than 100% of cost, so if Amazon is actually 2x price, McMaster still makes sense. Side note: McMaster has, hands down, the best/most useable site I've ever used. The flow always gets me quickly to exactly what I want, even if I don't know what that is going in.

That's a good point. It's been many years since I ordered from McMaster and I didn't remember shipping always being overnight.

Re: Amazon Supply

#26

Post by karlmarxman »

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #23
amac wrote: post #15

I work for an Industrial Supply company and have monitored this since they bought SmallParts. Needless to say, Industrial Supply is a low margin, volume business that requires high service levels. Most Industrial Supply companies sell the same products, there really isn't a differentiator. As always in retail, price, selection and availability are crucial in making sales. This is a good match for Amazon, and obviousl…

Don't underestimate the benefit of physical presence. When I need something now , it is a huge benefit to be able to walk into Fastenal and buy it on the spot. Also, metal is heavy, again using Fastenal as an example, I can order online and pickup instore without paying shipping. Prices are higher than onlinemetals.com, or speedymetals.com but the convenience and no shipping cost often trumps that.

In addition, isn't a big part of Amazon's appeal the excellent customer service (especially effective in mitigating the cost of no physical presence when competing against big box stores)? I'm by no means an expert, but I'd assume that factors like speed and price are higher up on the list of priorities for a firm buying industrial supplies vs. the average customer shopping for books or a new TV. I just don't know how much of what Amazon is known for would translate into growing a market share in raw materials.

Re: Amazon Supply

#27

Post by K2h »

I can see my personal use of amazonsupply just because I already use amazon at home (its the new walmart of the web if you haven't heard).

at work --- not so much. have to create an account to charge to, worry about lead times. not worth it.

Re: Amazon Supply

#28

Post by gaustin »

Some cool stuff, but not much I need with any regularity. Other sources are more than fine. I'll be excited when they stock the types of high-carbon steels that Aldo Bruno[0] sells.

I'm still waiting for someone to disrupt the hard to search supply shops like Jantz: http://www.knifemaking.com/Default.asp

0: http://njsteelbaron.com/

Re: Amazon Supply

#29

Post by dsl »

gcb wrote: post #9

It's exactly the same crappy stuff they have on the regular site. everything there i could find on amazon.com, and from my experience buying small lab tools from them, it's a 80% return rate. last one was a set of precision tweezers which only 1/3 of them properly closed in alignment. The good brands are 2x and 3x the price at a proper store.

Sounds like you have had the usual experience with 3rd party sellers on Amazon. Never ever buy from them!

These parts are being directly stocked and sold by Amazon.

Re: Amazon Supply

#30

Post by simonsarris »

joezydeco wrote: post #10
devinmontgomery wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've done a lot of ordering through McMaster Carr, and the ease, delivery time and selection are amazing. It's strange to say this, but they're the one company that I don't see Amazon being able to distinguish themselves from. McMaster is already operating at that level.

Delivery time is why I buy from McMaster. If I get the order in early enough, a dude in a van shows up in a few hours .

This happens to me with Amazon sometimes, when they ship from Nashua, NH to Nashua, NH.
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