Review Exchange Rates and More Using Tradeloop's Currency Tool

It's an understatement to say that currency markets have been volatile over the past few months. Actually, it's been more like a thrill ride at an amusement park. For dealers already busy managing price fluctuations and market uncertainty, currency changes make the job even harder.

Let Tradeloop's Currency Calculator help you monitor that part of your business. It's a quick and easy way to check exchange rates and calculate total product cost in over 175 different currencies. We update the exchange rates daily.

You can access the currency converter from the "Trading Tools" section of your "My Account" page or visit the currency page directly at http://www.tradeloop.com/currency/.

The "Trading Tools" section contains another useful currency option. The "Sitewide Settings" section lets you change the default currency setting that displays when you view pricing and post inventory. It's important to have your preferences set correctly when pricing your parts. The system defaults to US dollars unless you change the setting. If you're setting pricing in Euros, but leave the default in place, then buyers who display in US dollars will see the wrong price because the system won't convert from Euros to Dollars.

Tradeloop's currency calculator and pricing options help members deal with price fluctuations and avoid misunderstandings. These important tools make your job easier.

Ethically Speaking - November 2008

Tradeloop issued one Fast Track Fraud Alert, and the Ethics Committee closed four cases during the past month.

In Case #4988, non-Tradeloop member, MFC Surplus Management, was banned from the community for failing to respond to an Ethics Complaint. The Committee didn't consider the specifics of the complaint; the decision to ban was based on the company's non-response to the complaint.

The Ethics Committee voted to ban non-Tradeloop member, Asset Disposition Group, after reviewing two Ethics complaints filed against the company. In both cases, the defendant did respond to the complaints. Members can review the details and discussion between the parties involved at the Ethics blog: Case #4677 and Case #4983.

In the fourth case, the Ethics Committee voted to send a private, written warning to the defendant in a dispute where the complainant alleged that the defendant refused to honor a purchase order.

On October 16, Tradeloop issued a Fast Track Fraud Alert regarding a non-Tradeloop member. The complainant alleged that the company agreed to ship product, accepted a wire transfer in payment, but never shipped the product and supplied a bogus Federal Express tracking number.
Finally, we're pleased to report the successful resolution of an Ethics complaint filed by one Tradeloop member against a non-member. Using the Ethics blog as a discussion forum, the parties involved were able to arrive at an amicable agreement without Ethics Committee involvement. Review the details and productive discussions about Case #4996 in the "No Action Taken" section of the blog.

One new complaint was filed that involves a dispute about the non-shipment of prepaid goods. This case is currently in the information-gathering stage.

For more information about Ethics complaints and cases, visit the Tradeloop Ethics Blog. Remember that the blog format gives members an opportunity to review and even comment on posted cases.

Track Your Tradeloop Sales Leads

Your Tradeloop membership gives you access to a large pool of reputable wholesale buyers and sellers eager to set up deals. In fact, many members report receiving a surge in sales contacts soon after joining the community. We make it easy to track these Tradeloop-generated sales leads. When you receive a query from a fellow Tradeloop member, the email sender name displays as "Tradelooop Leads."

We've made a minor change to the system to make it easier to reply to these queries directly, without having to go through the Tradeloop email system. Although the sender's name appears to be "Tradeloop Leads," the reply-to email address is the actual email address of the sender - not a Tradeloop address.

The email text contains name, address, contact information, and a link to the sender's member profile as well as the questions/comments from the sender.

Now, we know that members do want sales leads, but most emphatically don't want more spam emails. That's why we route the messages through our system instead of just displaying your email address on the site as part of your member profile.

Displaying an email address on a networking site is a huge mistake. It's like issuing an open invitation to email spiders who crawl through sites, harvest email addresses, and send them back to their evil masters. Next thing you know, you're buried in spam emails from phony Nigerian diplomats, fake pharmaceutical offers, and real estate Ponzi schemes.

We upgraded our system five years ago so we could easily handle the extra traffic and route emails through the Tradeloop system. It's part of our commitment to protecting members' privacy and security.

Easier Navigation in the Ethics Area

In June, 2008, we launched the new Ethics blog that helps the Ethics Committee resolve disputes more quickly and transparently. The new system gave all Tradeloop members access to the details and Ethics Committee discussions of closed cases, as well as the ability to comment on cases.

We just completed an upgrade that significantly improves the navigation of the Ethics area. The new system clearly identifies which sections are for all members and which are limited to the Ethics Committee. Visit the new Ethics Area to browse posted and closed cases - or even add your own comments in the Members tab.

Another addition to the Ethics Area is an option for any Ethics Committee member to start a discussion on a non case-related topic. Committee members are invited to discuss broader Ethics issues as they relate to the industry and Tradeloop community. Tradeloop staffers often take part in these discussions, and we've received many good suggestions about how to make the community more safe and secure.

Of course, we invite all members to share their suggestions on that - or any - topic. Contact us anytime with your questions, complaints, suggestions, or compliments.

Customer Support That's Fast, Efficient, and Personal

The global economy doesn't go home at 5pm, and neither does our Tradeloop Customer Support staff. We're dedicated to providing fast and efficient customer service when you need it – not days after you contact us.

Tradeloop's Customer Support team covers the world from our offices in Europe, the United States, and China. We provide live support 20 hours a day with staffers fluent in English, German, Spanish, and Chinese. Our staffers pride themselves on answering most email inquiries within ten minutes. And you get a personal response that answers your question too; not the usual canned response that carries this subtext:

"Thank you for contacting us! We want to assure you that your question is important, and we value your business. We're pretty busy here though; so we probably won't bother to respond to this email, well, until pigs fly. If you're smart, you'll solve the problem yourself."

Does that seem depressingly familiar?

Well, be assured that you'll never get that from Tradeloop! We make it easy to contact us:

• Live Chat: When Live Chat is available, there's a link to the chat function on most pages of the site. Our Customer Support staff holds weekly sessions to review the transcripts of Live Chat sessions.
• Email: We respond to the vast majority of email inquiries within ten minutes. Here's our email form.
• Phone calls: Between our EU, US, and China offices, we offer phone support 18 hours per day.
  

Our phone support numbers are:

• Call Toll Free: 888-946-5667 (888-9GO-LOOP)
• International: Dial 781-505-1400
• Fax: 1-781-505-1401
• China phone number: 86-0571-85859556
  

Your "My Account" page also has links to helpful FAQ pages and descriptions of Tradeloop account options and services. If you can't find what you need, contact us. We're standing by to help.