GoodBye 3Dcart!

[Mark]

Well, it was a long run, but we must say goodbye to 3dcart.
We started back in 2006, and a decade seems to be the sweetspot.
So, we say farewell......
Good luck to all ......

[3dcart-Victor]

Hey Mark we're very sorry to hear that you'll be departing from 3dcart and that you've had some negative experiences with us. Perhaps you could send me a PM and let me know what you find cumbersome about the cart and what we can do to improve? As the Customer Advocate I'd like to ensure that even if we cannot keep you, that we improve in any way that we can to avoid any future negative experiences for our customers.

[robschlein]

And, you are moving to which cart?

[Mark]

Not going with a "cart"
eBay, Amazon, Walmart, et al, have driven us to join em

[Toobusy]

Hate to see you go Mark. I know you've had some issues but your posts were informative. I'll miss them

[cwnoah]

I'm right there with you, Mark, only I'm shutting down completely. I can't compete with the big boxes, Amazon, etc. or the high cost of shipping. It's been fun, but I'm done. :(

[elightbox]

cwnoah I completely get it. We'll miss you around here.

[cwnoah]

Thanks, elightbox , I'll miss everyone here, too.

[Mark]

Me too, we just can't compete with big box stores that carry the same product.
What bothers me most is that Amazon sees your profitable and moving products and then they purchase these same items and sell them selves at a price point we cant reach.

[elightbox]

Amazon and the big guys are killing us too, but what bothers me the most is our vendors. I have been doing retail for close to 30 years. In the past we were partners with our vendors, now they are our biggest competitors. Vendors are sending mailers daily with huge discounts and free shipping on any size order. They can do that because of their huge margins, but it ends up taking all of our large volume customers away, especially the ones that buy one brand. Our competitive advantage is still in offering a wide variety, but the law of diminishing returns is catching up with us. Can't live on crumbs for very long.
It seems that we can only survive in retail if we offer our own brand, or something very unique.

[robschlein]

Mark, you are correct...but the upside is that Amazon buys a certain amount, and if you watch carefully, you can offer your own inventory when they are depleted. Then you get terrific exposure and a pretty fair amount of sales. I discovered this as a new merchant quite by accident when I wondered why a few brands were on just about every order. I learned Amazon was out of stock...so I'll be careful to keep in mind the gravy train will ebb and flow.

[RhinoTek]

Let's all pitch in and start our own fulfillment distribution centers! :) I can pitch in at least 200K. Who's with me? lol