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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: willcousa who wrote (49102)	7/12/2001 9:57:09 AM
From: Katherine Derbyshire	Respond to of 70976

>>A big effect of the web will be to eliminate middlemen. << I agree in general, but not necessarily with the examples you cite. In many cases, middlemen really do add value. And in many cases, Internet businesses just substitute one middleman for another. >>Why pay an auctioneer when an auction service could be owned by its' users? << I don't want to own an auction service. I just want the service to be there when I need it, and I'm willing to pay a fee to make that happen. >>Why a book wholesaler when one can deal with amazon.<< Huh? Amazon buys from the wholesalers and adds a mark up, just like the brick and mortar stores do. Their biggest advantage is selection, not price. OTOH, I was recently able to get a book from B&N.com in two days when Amazon had been giving me the run around about a supposed back order for three weeks. >> Why a new car dealer if Ford will sell direct for less? << Because I'd like to drive the car before I buy it, and have someone local to take it to if it breaks. >>Why a travel agent when I get the best price direct from United Airlines? << Because the one time I tried to buy direct from United, their registration page crashed repeatedly. My (online) travel agent's prices are comparable, and their software works. Katherine