'Flipping' - A new global market network

'Flipping' is a booming online business. First, shoppers snap up limited-editions - then they flog them on eBay for a quick profit.

Amy Oliver explains in her article

During its 11 years of trading eBay has sparked many trends. It has seen people leave their jobs to trade online full time, while drop-shops, which resell unwanted goods on your behalf, continue to pop up all over the country. Flipping - purchasing the latest must-have item with the sole aim of immediately selling it for a fat profit via the internet - is the latest phenomenon.

The "I'm not a plastic bag" shopper by Anya Hindmarch is a recent example of the boom in flipping.

The frenzy that accompanied the sale of these bags wasn't necessarily because everyone wanted to save the world but because many wanted to make a quick buck on eBay: the bags were soon changing hands online for up to £175. A second wave of sales at selected Sainsbury's stores across the UK last Wednesday saw more punters queuing from 2am to get their hands on the must-have bag. The supermarket's entire stock of 20,000 had sold out by 9am and prices on eBay were rising to well over £150 within 24 hours. To date, the highest amount paid for one has been £255.

Keeping company with Flipping, is Spreadshirt.com , - More on Spreadshirt and MyNuMo More on MyNuMo or even TeamBuy and Teambuy

TeamBuy says

The power of groups, the clout that crowds can exercise to get what they want, is nothing new. What is new, however, is the dizzying ease with which likeminded, action-ready citizens and consumers can now go online and connect, group and ultimately exert influence on a global scale. Our sister website trendwatching.com just published a briefing about crowd clout, and defines the trend as follows: "Online grouping of citizens/consumers for a specific cause, be it political, civic or commercial, aimed at everything from bringing down politicians to forcing suppliers to fork over discounts."

A fun example of consumers aggregating their intended purchases to get a bargain is tuangou, or team buying, which involves strangers organizing themselves around a specific product or service. Think electronics, home furnishings, cars and so on. These likeminded consumers then meet up in real-world shops and showrooms at a coordinated date and time, literally mobbing the seller and negotiating a group discount on the spot.

Popular Chinese sites that are enabling crowds to first group online and then plan for real world shopmobbing are TeamBuy, Taobao and Liba. Combined, these sites now boast hundreds of thousands of registered members, making money from ad revenues and/or commissions from suppliers who are happy to have the mobs choose their store over a competitor's.

So lets flip back to flipping

Flipping has taken hold with all sorts of consumer items. Any new item can end up reselling for more than its usual retail price, whether it is a George Foreman grill, sample-sale handbag or a charity wristband, particularly when feverish demand outstrips hyped short supply. Skincare ranges can prove a good "buy to sell on eBay" product. Amatokin - developed in Russia to treat burns victims and marketed as an "anti-ageing miracle cream" - hasn't even hit Harvey Nichols stores yet, where there is a waiting list for the £135 product, but is already selling for upwards of £165 on eBay. Boots No 7 Protect and Perfect serum got a huge boost after Professor Lesley Regan proved on BBC2's Horizon last month that it actually did what it claimed. Just 24 hours after the programme, the only place you could get a bottle was eBay - with an inflated price tag of up to four times its £16.75 retail price.

Supply and demand gets a new network. And the question is what is wrong with Flipping?

Certainly, its supply-and-demand principles push up prices, but flippers do provide a new global source for collectors. A dress that is only available in the UK or a vinyl toy that is only sold in one store in Tokyo can now be bought worldwide, a matter of hours after release - albeit for 10 times as much. But for the true collector, or the truly impatient, expense is no object.

So have the inmates taken over the asylum? It looks like it to me.

Comments

[GreatSkinGuy]

I guess it all goes back to the "Wisdom of Crowds" however small. Interesting topic. Gives me a bunch of ideas.

[Alan moore]

Share your ideas with us, it would be great to see what we might have inspired?

Thanks for posting

Alan

[designer handbags]

Oh God you are a genius person and a good photographer i like your pics thanks.

[ノースフェイス]

ースを参照して、9年間の義務教育のスポーツ芸術を開始するには、文部科学省は来年は（2 +1）、プライマリとセカンダリの学校の生徒が2スポーツのスキルと芸術的なスキルを習得すると述べた。

[グッチ]

もともと店舗前の道路は数十年前に決まった都市計画に基づく拡幅計画の対象。同商店街では約１０メートルの道路幅を１６～１７メートルに広げるが、震災前に着工の見通しは立っていなかった。しかし市は昨年１２月になって「道路拡幅は災害に強いまちづくりに必要」と計画を進める意向を示し、住民説明会を始めた。