TRADELOOP

Tradeloop's Member Blog And News: October 2010

About Tradeloop

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We are the largest B2B marketplace for computer brokers, computer leasing companies, used computer wholesalers, third party maintainers and self-maintainers, who trade wholesale computer lots of used & surplus computers, bulk electronics, and hard-to-find used computer parts.

Promote Yourself

Does your company have a story that might interest our membership?

Let us know and you may see your name in print. We're looking for members to write case studies on. Contact us here.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Why Did We Approve That Tradeloop Member? See For Yourself.

Do you ever wonder why we approved a company? Now you can see for yourself, right on the Company Profile page. Members can review our notes, see what information we evaluated, and why we approved an account.

Look for the link in the System Stats section on the Company Profile page as shown here. Click on the link to view the company's "Membership Approval" page:

A transparent process helps members make informed business decisions, perform due diligence when dealing with new customers, suppliers, or set up a Trusted Network using our Connections system. At Tradeloop, we take fraud seriously - from account approval to complaint resolution with our Ethics Committee.

We tested this system first with our volunteer Ethics Committee and they responded with enthusiasm:
Youngin Kim, EJ Tech Solutions: "This will really help us squash fraud. I think every Tradeloop member should have access to the information."

Benjamin Ingwersen, Frontier Computer Corporation: "This will help us address scammer and counterfeit issues head on."

Mike Van Scoy, MSRC Co.: "With as much fraud as currently exists in the secondary market, this will help a lot. I'll definitely be checking other companies to see how they were approved."
Will you use this information when you're setting up deals? Check it out and share your opinion here at the Tradeloop member blog.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Picture Yourself on Tradeloop - Upload Your Photo Now



Have you ever wanted to see who's on Tradeloop? Not just their company name or contact information or Broadcasts, but a photo too? Now you can. Scroll through your Trusted Network to view user pictures and upload your own photo to your Tradeloop member profile to personalize your account with a photo of yourself.

See the photos to the right? These Tradeloop members have added a personal photo to their individual profiles. It's quick and easy. Just visit your profile page and follow the instructions to upload your photo.

Photo upload requirements:
  • File type: For best results, we recommend one of the following formats: JPEG, GIF, or PNG.
  • Image size: 85 x 85 pixels
  • File size: 100k
You can delete your photo and/or upload a new photo at any time. Modify your privacy settings to set rules for who can - and can't - view your profile picture.

This is a quick and easy way to personalize your Tradeloop account. Add your personal photo now.










Thursday, October 21, 2010

Parallel Technology: Providing Solutions and Making It Happen

Founded in 1998, Parallel Technology quickly became a leading supplier of new, used, and refurbished Sun equipment. The company is small – less than a dozen employees – and that's intentional. Parallel's business model can best be described as "lean and tight" and focused on the Sun market.

Company president, Ken Bush, stressed that during an interview with Tradeloop.
"We've found our niche and it works. If you need a part the next day and call our competitors at 3:30pm, there's a chance that the deal will get caught up in bureaucracy and a drawn-out approval process. That doesn't happen at Parallel. The person you talk with has the authority to make the deal and get your product shipped."
That's a critical service for Parallel's main customer base: maintenance companies that require 24/7, 365-day access to replacement inventory. The company's location in Torrance, CA, just a few minutes from the Los Angeles airport allows Parallel to easily accommodate emergency shipments. There are also regional stocking locations in Minnesota, Phoenix, and Atlanta.

The company maintains a sizable inventory that includes parts specially requested by customers. Finding inventory isn't a problem, Bush said: "With the economy and recession, there's a lot of equipment out there and I can be selective and buy high quality product." Parallel takes quality seriously: its testing protocol includes a full load and overnight test on systems. Customers can request additional testing as well as changes to the standard 90-day warranty. The company's customer-driven focus allows Parallel to tailor a contract to meet individual customer requirements.

Parallel Technology's flexibility and responsiveness keeps customers loyal, Bush explained. "80% of customers have been with us from day one." But of course, new customers are always welcome and Parallel finds many of them at Tradeloop.
"Our customer base is Tradeloop's membership. That's the biggest plus for us because there's a lot of common ground. 98% of our market is wholesale dealer-to-dealer trading worldwide. That's who we connect with at Tradeloop."
Parallel's focus on Sun is an advantage in the industry, he added. "We're the Sun experts and that puts us a step ahead. Even our competitors' tech support staff call us when they get stuck."

Responsiveness and product knowledge is important in the wholesale industry and that's the basis of Parallel's business model.
"We stand behind our products, we test our products, and we have what we say we have. Our sales people are the decision makers in the company and customers don't have to wait for us to ask permission to set up a deal. We don't compete with each other: we're a team. We work fast and we get things done."
Does your company have a story to tell? Contact us at Tradeloop to volunteer to be featured in one of our company profile posts.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Buy & Sell With Just Your Trusted Network

Tradeloop's "Send a Broadcast" page is now easier to use. In response to member suggestions, we modified the page layout slightly to help you select your "Send" options.

When creating a Broadcast, you can either send it to particular subscriber lists or create your own private Broadcasts for members of your Network only. Select either option by clicking on the appropriate radio button:

When you select the "Send to My Network only" option, the keyword checkboxes disappear. That eliminates confusion about whether you need to select both "My Network" and further narrow the recipients by keyword. Here's how the page section looks when you select the "My Network" option:

If you decide to send your Broadcast to particular keyword lists instead, just select that radio button and the checkboxes reappear.

Do you have any comments or suggestions about this Tradeloop feature - or any other features? Share them with us and other members here at the blog.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

New Privacy Settings For Your Tradeloop Network

Tradeloop's new Connections system lets you create your own trusted network of dealers and now we've added additional privacy options. You control how much information is available about you and your network and decide who can see your member profile, your photo (if you've uploaded one), your network, and even your email address.

Visit your account's privacy settings page to edit/update these options. The privacy levels range from totally open (anyone can view your information) to completely hidden (nobody can see it). Select the privacy options that work best for you right now. You can change them whenever you want, as often as you want.

We encourage all Tradeloop members to form their own personal networks of trusted dealers and we're offering this incentive: a chance to win an iPad! Make at least 10 approved Connections and you're automatically entered to win.

Update your privacy options and start making Connections now.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Trustworthy Companies Use Tradeloop's Ethics Seal

Tradeloop's Ethics Seal is a trust mark that helps you improve conversions on your own Web site. Free to members, our Ethics Seal program shows customers that your company adheres to a strict code of ethics. Third-party trust marks make a difference: numerous independent studies have shown that they reassure shoppers about the reliability of e-commerce Web sites.

When you join Tradeloop's Ethics Seal program, you get to display the seal on your own Web site. Visitors who click on the seal are taken to a custom verification page on the Tradeloop site that identifies your company as a Tradeloop member, describes our member validation process, and outlines membership requirements. The page is all about your company; there's no Tradeloop sales pitch.

Improving conversions couldn't be easier. Sign up now!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Please Congratulate These Five-Year Members

Please join us as as we congratulate these Tradeloop members who have been part of the trading community for 5 years or longer. Many have donated time to our all-volunteer Ethics Committee or provided other services to the community. All are valued members and we thank them for their commitment to Tradeloop.

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October 2005
Do you have colleagues who haven't joined Tradeloop yet? Invite them to try out a 90-day membership through our "Refer a Friend" program. We'll give you a free month at Tradeloop for each person you refer who registers for a trial membership. Get started here.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Take Tradeloop's New Mobile Site For A Test Drive!

Easily access Tradeloop from your mobile phone or other handheld device with the new Mobile version of the site. This "lite" version gives you search capability and easy access to the three most popular areas of Tradeloop:Visit the Mobile site here or click on any of the links above to view a particular area.

Here's a screen shot of the mobile version of the Broadcast page. Note the minimalist, clean layout that saves bandwidth and downloads quickly. Each page contains a search box at the top to give you quick access to the information you need.

If you need access to the full Tradeloop site to update your company description, create Broadcast filters, or to access other features, no problem. Just click on the "Full Site" link at the bottom of each mobile version page.

Take the new mobile version for a test drive
and tell us what you think! Share your opinions and offer feedback here at the Tradeloop member blog.