- May 1, 2006
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- Alex
People are always looking for the best deal. That doesn't always mean it is the cheapest thing on the planet. It can mean paying less than retail and they're willing to have some "perfection" removed to save some money. This is why Open Box items are so popular.
One of the nicest enhancements in the Open Box realm has been the online disclosure of what is in the box and condition of the product. B&H and Adorama are phenomenal at their rating system to help you know that item has scratches or no longer has the original packaging. Best Buy's system is decent too. If you haven't discovered the Amazon warehouse yet, you've missed some incredible savings there. They do a fairly good job of rating returned products at scale.
I am an Open Box shopper and a Used Car shopper. My years in the car business give me an edge on the latter. However, in my last purchase I forgot to ask some basic questions. One in particular was whether the car came with both keys (that's a $500 ouch).
It occurred to me this morning that consumers could benefit from dealers utilizing a rating system of their used cars that would better justify the asking price. That would also include whether the car came with:
And the rating system needs more work, but here's a start on some ideas:
I recognize this will require merchandising tools and websites to adopt this at scale. This is why I call it an idea
Anyway, I know this would have been very helpful in my shopping.
One of the nicest enhancements in the Open Box realm has been the online disclosure of what is in the box and condition of the product. B&H and Adorama are phenomenal at their rating system to help you know that item has scratches or no longer has the original packaging. Best Buy's system is decent too. If you haven't discovered the Amazon warehouse yet, you've missed some incredible savings there. They do a fairly good job of rating returned products at scale.
I am an Open Box shopper and a Used Car shopper. My years in the car business give me an edge on the latter. However, in my last purchase I forgot to ask some basic questions. One in particular was whether the car came with both keys (that's a $500 ouch).
It occurred to me this morning that consumers could benefit from dealers utilizing a rating system of their used cars that would better justify the asking price. That would also include whether the car came with:
- both keys
- owners manual
- service records
- Clean CarFax
- etc.
And the rating system needs more work, but here's a start on some ideas:
- Air Conditioning: blows cold air and has no odor.
- Alignment: there are no pulls to the right or left. The car drives straight at highway speeds without significant driver effort.
- Rust: surface rust is present on the exhaust system. As this is a replaceable part of the undercarriage, there is no significant rust to be concerned with.
- Scratches and dings: minor scratches and dings are common with road use. This vehicle has less exterior wear and tear for a vehicle of this age.
- Tires: passes state inspection and should last many more miles with proper tire maintenance and PSI.
I recognize this will require merchandising tools and websites to adopt this at scale. This is why I call it an idea
Anyway, I know this would have been very helpful in my shopping.
