Tradeloop's End User Program Is Now Free

Say goodbye to pay-per-click charges and hello to end users. Tradeloop's End User program is now free and you can start selling to end users at retail prices. We've made the End User program absolutely free: no set up fees and no PPC charges. Learn how to add retail markup to your wholesale prices!

This program is an easy, cost-effective way to expand your customer base to retail consumers without eroding the value of the wholesale market. Retail customers can't access wholesale pricing information: they can only see retail prices. Program features include:

• Robust reporting features that let you keep track of who's searching and what parts get the highest traffic.
• Pricing flexibility. Set an overall percentage markup for all your items or price them individually. Note: retail prices must be prices at least 5% higher than the wholesale price you list at Tradeloop.
• Stock & price guarantees that protect both buyer and seller. You'll need to have a posted returns policy, accurately describe the product, and have it in ready to ship (unless you clearly indicate otherwise).
  

Tradeloop's End User program is a cost-effective way to expand your customer base to retail customers without eroding the value of the wholesale market. Sign-up is easy and it's free to participate, so what are you waiting for?

Start selling to retail customers.

Search For Parts, Upload Inventory, & More At Your New Member Dashboard

Your Member Dashboard is a one-stop location to get information about Tradeloop, search for parts, upload your inventory, and more. We've added two new features that allow you to get started buying and selling right from the Dashboard page.

Here's the new layout:

The top left option is for uploading inventory. Click on the "Advanced Upload" link to use the new custom inventory upload option. The top right is a multi-part search box. Enter one part number per line and search for multiple part numbers at the same time.

Customize your Tradeloop experience at the Member Dashboard:

• Choose your own member home page.
  
• Watch a short training video to learn how to get the most out of Tradeloop.
• Learn about features that help you research the market, promote your products, and more.
• Get the latest news from the Tradeloop member blog.

Access your Member Dashboard to use these features and get the most from your Tradeloop membership.

Got Inventory? Uploading Is Easy With Tradeloop's Custom Options

At Tradeloop, we make it easy to upload an unlimited number of items to our parts database. With our custom upload options, you can send us your parts lists or upload the parts list spreadsheet yourself - using your own column order instead of ours. Here's how.

Access your inventory lists by clicking on the "My Inventory" link on the Account tab. You have several upload options to select from:

1. Manual upload: Click on the "My Inventory" link on the Account tab. You'll be taken to a page that lets you enter your parts one-by-one. Only use this option if you have just a few items to upload!
2. Tradeloop upload: Having problems uploading? Email your parts list to parts06@tradeloop.com and include your login name. We'll have it up within 24 hours.
3. Standard CSV file: Click the "Browse" button on your account home page to upload an Excel CSV file. Learn more at our upload parts help page.
   
4. Upload a custom file in your own format: Click on the "Advanced Upload Option" at your account home page. You'll be able to select from three upload options for your Excel parts file. Choose from two standard versions or use the "Custom" option to reorder the part number, manufacturer, quantity, etc. options to match your company's preferred layout.
   
   The "Custom" option allows you to "drag and drop" the column order to match your preferences.
   

Remember to include pricing information when you're uploading parts lists. It contributes data to our price history charts, an important market research tool. Even more important, pricing parts can help you increase sales and have better search results position at Tradeloop because buyers are more likely to contact sellers who post their prices. After all, they already know they can afford your products!

Some members are reluctant to price their parts and possibly display wholesale pricing to retail users. That never happens at Tradeloop! End-users can can only access retail prices. Period.

Tradeloop is a wholesale trading community organized to give dealers a safe place to do business, exchange information, and find reliable buyers and sellers in an online market. We protect your pricing and contact information by limiting access to other Tradeloop members only.

New Inventory Search Option: Search the Inventory List of Individual Dealers

A new Trading Floor search option gives you more flexibility: search on inventory posted by all dealers or on inventory posted by a particular dealer. If you're using the Connections system to set up your own trusted network of dealers within Tradeloop, this is a way to quickly check the inventory of those dealers first. If they don't have what you need, you can broaden your search to the entire Tradeloop community with just one click.

Here's how it works:

• Go to the user profile or company profile of the dealer/company you want to search.
  
• Click on the inventory total link
  
  
• You'll be taken to the Trading Floor where you'll see the dealer's complete inventory list. Use the search box to find a particular item.
  
• Toggle between the dealer's inventory listings and all dealer listings using the radio buttons next to the search box:
  
  

Learn more about Trading Floor search functions and/or how to create your own dealer network with our Connections system. Remember that we're offering a chance to win an iPad: just add 10 new approved Connections to your trading network before October 1, 2010 and you're automatically entered to win.

Upload Unlimited Inventory With A Standard Membership

Tradeloop's Trading Floor is more than a list of parts for sale. Use the information contained in the Trading Floor database to make pricing decisions, see who is searching on your inventory, and see a list of the most popular searches. All Tradeloop standard members can upload an unlimited number of parts and offer them for sale at Tradeloop.

Uploading is easy. You can either enter parts individually (which works for a small number of items) or upload a list of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of parts using a comma-delimited (.csv) file. Complete instructions for uploading are at the Tradeloop Web site.

We encourage all Tradeloop members to upload their inventory lists and use the Trading Floor to locate items and research the wholesale market.

• Tradeloop's Search History reports use the Trading Floor information to determine the most popular searches and tell you who has been searching on your listings.
• The Price History reports help you track price fluctuations over time. You can see the high, low, and average wholesale prices for individual part numbers. To view a parts price history, go to the Trading Floor, enter the part number, and click on the part number link to see a price history report on that item.
  
  

Remember, Tradeloop Standard members can upload an unlimited number of inventory items to the Trading Floor. We've recently updated the search results display to prevent end users from seeing any portion of dealer-only results. Learn more about how to upload your inventory list or contact us at Tradeloop for help.

Images Added To Computer Parts Detail Pages

We've integrated our extensive catalog of images with the inventory listings uploaded by Tradeloop members. Now, many computer parts detail pages display an image of the particular item. Searchers can see a thumbnail image of everything from a quick-release plate for a video or still camera to a PCI copper gigabit adapter:


Note that these thumbnail images are from Tradeloop's image catalog: they are not actual representations of the inventory items uploaded by Tradeloop members! It's still important to verify the condition of all items with the seller and ask for photos if there's any question about condition/quality.

But this is a neat way to add visual interest to the parts detail pages and also give searchers a quick "reality check" when they're viewing search results. After all, if you're looking for a replacement laptop battery and get a photo of a quick release plate, then you may want to verify your part number or search term.

Do you think searchers will find this new feature helpful? Share your opinion here at Tradeloop's member blog.

Better Tradeloop Search Results With Fewer Duplicate Parts

We've implemented a new inventory tool at Tradeloop that helps make search results more useful and reliable. When a member uploads an inventory list, we automatically run a check on the file, look for duplicate parts, and delete the duplicates.

This is in response to member complaints about duplicate parts for the same dealer appearing in search results. We check three fields - part number, manufacturer, and condition - to determine if a part is a duplicate of another line item. IF all three match exactly, the line item is considered to be a match and a duplicate.

Note that we're only looking for duplicates in individual files. Other dealers can, of course, display inventory that matches. This new process is just to prevent a user from accidentally duplicating items in his/her inventory list.

Our goal is to make Tradeloop the number one search engine for computer parts by providing results that are comprehensive and relevant. This error-checking function helps both buyers and sellers because it makes search results more reliable and easy to read.

Many Tradeloop system upgrades have come in response to member suggestions. We welcome your comments here at the member blog.

Top Tradeloop Blog Discussions - Have You Shared Your Opinion?

Two Tradeloop blog posts this months generated a flurry of comment and discussion. Both were Member Discussion posts about inventory: the pros and cons of posting prices and the issue of "ghosting" inventory (posting items you don't actually have).

Here are some excerpts from the discussions:

Why don't members post prices?

• "We normally do not post prices because our prices will change often.
  [...]
  if someone wants only a few it costs us a lot more per unit to cover the cost to process that with internal labor, packing, and admin work, however 1,000 units and that cost goes way down.
  
  We also have product all over the country so depending on where the customer is could have some bearing on the price as well."
  

• "I have seen too many clients and vendors lately duped by brokers without capital or credit. Pricing and availability is so visible, they can make it appear they have it all!"
  
  
• "Also, it would help if people post their target prices on WTBs, but this should be voluntary."

How should we handle members who post inventory they don't have?

• "You're going to lose at least 25% of your members if you start doing anything like you are talking about. A broker usually is selling someone else's product or inventory and dealers do the same."
  
  
• "I’m for a '3 strikes you're out' style of enforcement for something like this."
  
  
• "Not every company has 'real-time' inventory so you will be losing a lot of business. We have an inventory of over 1000 line items and it changes by the minute."
  
  
• "Create a tab for positive of negative marks ala ebay."
  
  
• "There is a distinct line between advertising a 'list' for sale, or gathering 'bids.'
  
  
• "...it will be difficult to enforce these situations, or even to have the capability and resources to investigate and identify the malicious situation."
  
  
• "I would like to see Tradeloop investigate this issue further and implement some type of falsifying infraction. Help keep the businesses who mean business alive and quell the abilities of no name startup broker-only companies from gulping up so many of our valuable consumers."

The "ghosting" inventory post seems to be a hot button issue with many Tradeloop members. Please share your opinion on both issues with us and other Tradeloop members.

Why don't members post prices?
How should we handle members who post inventory they don't have?

Member Discussion: How Should We Handle Members Who Post Inventory They Don't Have?

How many times have you found what you need on Tradeloop and contacted the seller, ready to buy - only to find out they don't really have the product in stock?

That's definitely frustrating and it's also against the rules at Tradeloop to post inventory you don't have in stock. How do you think we should enforce it?

Naturally, we don't mean the member who just sold the part a hour before you called about it. Rather, we're focused on the chronic offenders. Tradeloop is a trading community - not a place for people to advertise inventory they don't actually have.

We're discussing options internally, and we'd like your opinion too:

1. Should it be an Ethics violation?
2. How should we police it?
3. Should we ban someone for it or just delete their inventory?
   

We urge you to comment here at the blog so other members can review and discuss options. Tradeloop is a community: we want member input before we implement new features and policies.

New Inventory Search Report Receives Rave Reviews From Tradeloop Members

Tradeloop's Inventory Match email report has a new layout. We changed it to a simpler, text version that lists individual searches in a simple, easy-to-read format. The slimmed-down report also displays more easily on hand-held devices.

The Inventory Match report option alerts you when a buyer searches on items in your inventory list. It's a good way to connect with potential buyers and identify your most "in demand" items. You decide how often to receive the report: hourly, every 3 hours, or daily.

When we launched the new format a few weeks ago, we asked for member feedback and it was overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to those Tradeloop members who responded with compliments and suggestions!

Remember that you also have the option to have receive many different email reports - and have control over how frequently they receive them. Other available email reports include:

• Manage Your Broadcasts: Customize which Broadcasts you receive, choose real time or digest modes, set vacation mode, set spam filters, and more.
• Parts Search Report: View what people are searching for on Tradeloop. Also, view what searches match your inventory.
• Saved Search Alerts: Tradeloop will alert you by email when a seller lists an item you are looking for.
• End User Impressions and Clicks: A report detailing clicks and impressions of the inventory you display to the Public.
  

Just go to your Tradeloop account's Email Center to review your options and request reports.

Search Directly From Your Saved Search Report

It's easier than ever for Tradeloop members to monitor the market and locate hard-to-find components. We've added links to the saved search report that allows members to run searches directly from their report pages.

Tradeloop's "Saved Search" tool replaced the old "Email Alert" system last May and it quickly become one of our most popular features. If you're looking for a hard-to-find part - or for products you need on a regular basis - the Saved Search tool saves you time by eliminating the need for regular, manual searches on the Trading Floor.

Once you have a search query saved, we'll send you a notification email every time someone uploads that part to Tradeloop. You can save one search, a dozen, or more.

Modify or delete your saved searches at any time just by going your "Account Information" page and selecting the "Email Center" link. From there, select the "Your Saved Search Alerts" option in the right-hand column. It takes you to your "Saved Search" report where you can change or delete saved searches.

And now, you can even repeat the searches directly from your Saved Search report. Each individual named search is also a link that will repeat the search on the Trading Floor and display the most current results.

Learn more about how Saved Search works or set up your own Saved Searches when you search Tradeloop's Trading Floor.

Price Your Parts For More Sales and Better Search Results Position

What's the best way to increase your sales and grow your customer base at Tradeloop? It's simple: just price your products when you upload your parts lists. Priced parts appear at the top of the Trading Floor search results; the pricing information contributes data to the Price History database; and - most important for sellers - buyers are more likely to contact sellers who list their prices.

A top listing in the Trading Floor search results page helps grab buyers' attention and draw them to your parts. Listings that have prices displayed are always listed before parts without prices – even for Premier members. Search results on the Trading Floor are displayed in this order:

1. Pro member results with prices
2. Regular member results with prices
3. Pro member results without prices
4. Regular member results without prices

Some searches return hundreds of results. A busy customer is most likely to scan the top few, find a price he likes, and make a purchase. Pricing your parts helps boost your search position and encourages a buyer to contact you first.

Pricing parts also increases the reliability of the price history charts. Traders use these helpful research tools to track pricing trends and monitor price changes in the market. More pricing data makes the information stored in the database more reliable and valuable to traders.

Finally, buyers are more inclined to contact sellers who display prices. We've had several new members complain about the lack of pricing for some items. They report that dealers won't advertise their "best price" online: they want would-be customers to call and haggle instead.

That's frustrating to a busy customer who needs to complete a deal quickly and move on to the next critical task that's on his desk.

Some sellers are reluctant to display any pricing because they're worried about eroding the wholesale market. But remember: only Tradeloop members can view wholesale pricing information!

Tradeloop is committed to protecting the integrity of the wholesale market:

• End users and consumers can't access wholesale pricing information.
• Members have the option hide Broadcast messages from search engines.
• Members can join the End User program and display retail pricing to consumers without revealing their wholesale prices.
• Non-members can't view any portion of a dealer-only listing.

Adding prices to your wholesale parts lists doesn't reveal anything to retail users. But it does encourage other Tradeloop buyers to contact you first when they need to buy.

Tradeloop is a wholesale trading community organized to give dealers a safe place to do business, exchange information, and find reliable buyers and sellers in an online market. We protect your pricing and contact information by limiting access to other Tradeloop members only.

Tradeloop Protects Wholesale Pricing Information and Offers Flexible Marketing Options to Members

When Google crawls through Tradeloop's site, how much information does it find about your company? That's up to you. We let Tradeloop members decide how much of their part and Broadcast information gets indexed.

And, no matter what option you choose, your wholesale prices are always hidden from non-members and end users.

Only Tradeloop members can view parts lists with wholesale prices, and membership is limited to dealers whose company information has been validated by Tradeloop. You have to be logged in to view wholesale prices and dealer contact information. That requirement protects wholesale pricing data because the search engine spiders that index the site can't log in.

But, while you want to keep wholesale prices hidden from the general public, it doesn't make sense to hide retail information from search engines.

That's why we introduced the End User program. You can sell to end users at retail prices without them ever seeing your wholesale prices. Retail part and price information is always available to search engines because it helps bring new retail customers to your company.

You can also decide whether to hide your Broadcast messages from non-members by choosing either the private or public option for Broadcasts. The "Public" option, makes Broadcasts available to search engines and the general public. Keep Broadcasts "Private," and only members see the information. The Public and Private options are on the "Create a Broadcast" page in the "Select a Style" section.

Both the End User program and Broadcast options give you control over how much information is publicly available. However, there are other ways that Tradeloop membership increases your online visibility – and they have nothing to do with pricing.

· Company profile information is indexed by search engines and often appears near the top of Google search results. Learn more about creating a good, search engine-friendly company profile.
· Tradeloop's Trust Seal tells buyers that your company is actively involved in the industry and trustworthy to do business with. When a buyer clicks on the Trust Seal, the information on the certification page is about your company, not Tradeloop.

These features and options help protect the value of the wholesale market and give our members the flexibility they need to offer their products and services to a wide variety of markets and buyers.

Price History Charts Are Helpful Research Tools

Wondering if you're asking the right price for those disk drives or if you're getting a good deal on a lot of flash memory? Just visit the Tradeloop Trading Floor, type in the part number, and check the price history. It's a great research tool for both buyers and sellers.

Thanks to a redesigned system and improved data warehouse, we now have price history charts and information on numerous parts – and more data is accumulating every day.

The price history tool is easy to use. Just look up any part number, and the results page displays the high, low, and average price on the top right side of the page. To view the price history chart, click on the "Price History" link below the pricing information.

Here's a sample price history chart for an HP KVM adapter – part number 262587-B21:


Note the different colors that display high, low, and average pricing for both retail and wholesale items.

It's a given that many commodities experience seasonal price fluctuations. Experienced computer traders know that the price and supply of IT equipment changes over time for a variety of reasons. For instance, towards the end of fiscal years, some institutions want to dispose of equipment while others rush to drain the yearly budget with new purchases.

Price history data helps traders track pricing trends and monitor price changes in the market. Use it as a handy research tool when you're trying to determine the optimum price for buying and/or selling.

Easier Parts List Management For Your Company

Any full access user can edit or update parts lists for any user in your company. Previously, users within the same company could view other users' inventory, but couldn't edit their lists.

This change should simplify parts management for Tradeloop members who have an administrative person manage the parts lists for salespeople. It's also a useful feature in other situations:

· One user leaves the company.
· A user transfers some of his products to another user.
· When account assignments change between users in a company.
· A user is tired of getting calls or emails about a particular part or product that's no longer available.

To use this new feature, go to your "My Account" tab. Directly under the "Parts and More" column on the right, there's a drop-down box that lists all your company's users. Click on the link for their parts detail, and you can add/edit/delete parts from there.

Note that this option is limited to full users; "Read Only" users don't have the authority to modify any account.