General > General Technical Chat
Digi-Key has changed and it is not very good
drussell:
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on December 02, 2020, 02:55:37 pm ---If Digikey kept stock for the marketplace participants - so we had something like "Fulfilment by Digikey" with fast shipping, fast handling of returns etc. - the marketplace idea might actually add value?
--- End quote ---
That's not even what they're doing, though....
They're just taking a cut of the order that is placed direct from the marketplace seller or manufacturer and shipped from there:
--- Quote ---Digi-Key Marketplace is an online platform for an extended list of manufacturers and distributors to sell products through Digi-Key. Marketplace items ship directly from the Supplier.
...
Marketplace items will ship using the options and costs set by the suppliers. The costs vary by supplier and may depend on the number of items being fulfilled by the Supplier. You'll see the shipping cost in the checkout. Digi-Key shipping options are not available, and customers with their own courier account cannot bill the shipping to their account.
If the Supplier is shipping internationally, the shopping cart and checkout will display the Incoterms, indicating when duties and taxes will be owed at delivery.
Marketplace suppliers may take one or more days to fulfill the order. The estimate of when the product will ship is shown on product pages, the cart, and the checkout.
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ataradov:
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on December 02, 2020, 02:55:37 pm ---If Digikey kept stock for the marketplace participants
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But that's what DK does for the main suppliers. How is that different from their actual business?
The whole point of marketplace is for DK to not handler storage and shiping.
SilverSolder:
--- Quote from: ataradov on December 02, 2020, 06:11:59 pm ---
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on December 02, 2020, 02:55:37 pm ---If Digikey kept stock for the marketplace participants
--- End quote ---
But that's what DK does for the main suppliers. How is that different from their actual business?
The whole point of marketplace is for DK to not handler storage and shiping.
--- End quote ---
I presume the traditional model would be that DK buys inventory from the main suppliers, as opposed to having the suppliers place the inventory with them on consignment?
If they could get suppliers to work on that basis, they would free up capital otherwise locked up in inventory.
--- Quote from: ataradov on December 02, 2020, 06:11:59 pm ---[...]
The whole point of marketplace is for DK to not handler storage and shiping.
--- End quote ---
The storage and shipping (and the web site, and their inventory management system!) is exactly what most commenters here seem to value about DigiKey. So, by getting the marketplace customers to provide inventory "for free", DK can grow without the capital cost of buying all that inventory themselves... just like Amazon, who they appear to be inspired by. No?
floobydust:
For 25% commission, Digi-Key whores out their brand name, best in the business.
Are the Marketplace vendors or products vetted, stocked, warrantied by Digi-Key? Or just drop-shipping.
Looks like they have an exec who doesn't know the business at all, let alone e-commerce, doing a copycat project. Yup, let's go to the next level copying retailers Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Newegg etc. they have a marketplace uh so we should have one.
A stellar moment of originality, brilliance followed by clown-level rollout.
We all know partners/affiliates are full of counterfeits, fakes, ripoff pricing and are high risk purchases followed by endless hassle doing a return or warranty claim. With electronics builds, a dud part can do far more damage than a consumer item.
Like a teaser, marketplace products show up as new releases, videos even back a year ago, but I can't buy the marketplace item:
"Parts not available in this currency"
"Products from this Supplier are not available outside the United States"
What a joke, the pumpkin head behind all this needs a spanking.
Same with the one behind prices displayed in five or more significant digits wasting screen real-estate and overall looking silly.
How do you not know e-commerce, this badly- yet are in charge of website design :palm:
SilverSolder:
--- Quote from: floobydust on December 02, 2020, 08:30:34 pm ---For 25% commission, Digi-Key whores out their brand name, best in the business.
Are the Marketplace vendors or products vetted, stocked, warrantied by Digi-Key? Or just drop-shipping.
[...]
--- End quote ---
That is the deciding factor, right? - if it is just drop shipping, they are "whoring out their brand" as you so succinctly put it. On the other hand, if they do more than drop shipping, they would be adding value.
Note that Amazon adds value with their Fulfillment by Amazon model, which is valuable enough that I often choose Amazon over eBay for that reason alone (fast and reliable shipping).
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