Nice. I've always needed wood chippers. Don't ask what I need them for.
Amazon Supply
61–70 of 76 posts
Re: Amazon Supply
#62Earlier 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.
I know this is the third "me too comment" for this, but you cannot overstate how awesome McMaster Carr is for this sort of thing - they have everything. Massive amounts of information on the site, super fast shipping, reasonable prices. If you build stuff in your spare time and haven't tried McMaster-Carr, you're missing out.
Re: Amazon Supply
#63Re: Amazon Supply
#64I 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…
I spent a year developing a website for an industrial supply company. (in it's many iterations). You are right about the low margin and the fragmented market. It can be a tough sell to the mom and pop stores that are trying to compete with Grainger or Northern Tool in the same marketplace.
I think the biggest problem with Amazon is it's hands-off approach to selling products. The reason why there hasn't been any innovation in this sector is because of the interconnected relationships between managers of firms needing products and the salesmen that sell the product. More often than not, the firms have no idea what they actually need, and the sales people have the knowledge to deliver exactly the part they require.
I think that unless Amazon has a very large, and more importantly knowledgeable staff, what you will find here is a lost leader. The only thing that I see amazon bringing to the table is their warehousing.
Re: Amazon Supply
#65[deleted]
Re: Amazon Supply
#66We're a start up in this space although more focused on chemicals. They have a quite a bit to do on the pricing front.
Petri Dishes, 100x15mm $133 vs. $79 (sterile, which is better) Amazon: http://bit.ly/I550u2 P212121: http://store.p212121.com/petri-dishes/
Allihn Condensers, 200mm Jacket, $85 vs. $43 Amazon: http://bit.ly/I5PC3p P212121: http://store.p212121.com/allihn-condenser/
It will be fun to see how they adjust moving forward.
Re: Amazon Supply
#67Earlier 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.
I am taking notes on their website. Now that is functional design, stripped down to the core.
Re: Amazon Supply
#68I 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.
You realize you still pay for shipping, right?
Re: Amazon Supply
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
That seems like an awesome thing. For the younger members here (and me) can you speak to the danger of this substance? The MSDS for it didn't make it seem too overly scary. Not too far beyond sand's danger (possible skin irritant). Because it's already in my cart...
Gallium is poisonous. Do NOT ingest it or handle it without proper safety precautions.
No it's not. Metallic Gallium is not considered poisonous.
I mean, I wouldn't eat it. But incidental handling is not going to hurt you.
There is some dispute on this, but if there is a dispute then that means it can't be very poisonous.
This is accurate: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/gallium+safety
Re: Amazon Supply
#70I was going to post a joke about Amazon customer reviews of their favorite alloys, but the review forms are actually a real thing!