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Technology Stocks : Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: microhoogle! who wrote (107433)	8/23/2000 2:24:00 PM
From: Lizzie Tudor	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 164684

This is the classic issue for the b2b exchanges right now. Not a whole lot of actual transactions are going through, but the ability to view inventory online is a necessity. I know I hate to call each dealer and say, what do you have and how much. I just did that last year when I bought a car. Probably for the b2c's actual purchasing will be slow to take off. But for the b2b's as soon as the xml products get out there then purchasing will go because that transaction will show up in your ERP and thats a time saver. But right now the purchase transaction to the exchange is just a black hole so why bother. OK, this was a roundabout way of saying the number of purchases made does not really equate to the value add of the service, for now...

To: microhoogle! who wrote (107433)	8/23/2000 2:26:06 PM
From: Randy Ellingson	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 164684

Dealerships should let you test drive any of the vehicles the have for sale. One approach people have used for buying new cars is to determine through test drive and research the exact car and features you want. The fax what amounts to a request for quote to all nearby dealers and let them bid on your desired car purchase. Randy

To: microhoogle! who wrote (107433)	8/23/2000 3:13:51 PM
From: mike machi	Respond to of 164684

~Wonder how many people on this thread would consider buying a car (used or new) from Amazon/Greenlight if you know you could buy at a lower price than your car dealership~ I have never seen anything other than retail automobile prices on the net. I can go down to the local dealership, look at a car, inspect it and drive it. I can offer to wholesale the car after picking their brains about where they got it., trade, auction, ect.... If we get together fine ., if not its on to the next dealership...

To: microhoogle! who wrote (107433)	8/23/2000 5:14:49 PM
From: Eric Wells	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

Murali - I recently purchased a new car online - via CarOrder.com. I bought the car for approximately $2500 less than the best price quoted by the three brick & mortar dealers I visited/contacted. Yet, in spite of the savings, the whole process of purchasing the car online was a disaster. And I'm not convinced that the $2500 I saved was worth the effort. At one point, CarOrder.com reps tried to convince me to purchase another model car (so much for the theory that online sales eliminate car-dealership type hardball sale tactics). While I did test drive and fully evaluate the model car I purchased at a dealer before buying it online, I can't see this model of business surviving for long. Dealers are essentially providing a "free" service to online car sites. I believe, however, that the online car sites - at least those selling new cars - are going to drive themselves out of business. I don't know Greenlight's model - but CarOrder.com's model was to sell cars at what appeared to be a loss to drive business. And as been the case of many other dot-coms that follow "sell dollar bills for 95 cents" type of models, they've already gone through layoffs. -Eric