Retail Tips – Creating Price Arbitrage
Price arbitrage refers to the practice of buying a product at its retail price, then selling it back to a dealer at a higher price. Sometimes this price difference is advertised. Arbitrage shopping has a simple concept that traders use. They find a market that is oversold and they buy products at the wholesale or retail price and resell them to the public at a higher price. This is called retail arbitrage. In some cases the trader will buy products from the manufacturer and resell them to the end-user without charging a wholesale price.
A trader may decide to buy a product at retail price and then sell it back to a dealer at a higher price. This is called retail price arbitrage. This can be risky for two reasons. One, the price difference between the retail price and the wholesale price is not known, so there is room for error. Two, the amount that one pays to resell the item may not cover the cost of the price difference.
There are some strategies that minimize the risks associated with price arbitrage. First, a trader should price check often. Secondly, you should price check on the internet before actually going to an auction. Online prices are usually more accurate than local prices.
When shopping at an auction, you are buying from the owner directly. Thus you know what the retail price is and you can negotiate a reasonable price with the owner. Of course, the owner is in business to make a profit, so he will always offer you a discount. If you are a professional, take your time and try to figure out the price difference. This may require the services of an experienced broker.
The price arbitrage strategy that minimizes risk is called volume-weighted arbitrage. In this method, the price difference between two bids is multiplied by the number of lots sold. This allows the trader to buy low and sell high. Although it is called volume-weighted, the prices are actually being set by demand and supply. Therefore the prices will never exceed supply and there will be no price difference between two bids.
Price arbitrage retail traders who want to get into the business should keep in mind that they will need a fast computer and Internet access. They should also have a comfortable chair. Price-weighted auction sites require you to pay a membership fee, but many hobbyists use this method without this investment. If you plan to start your own retail business, price-weighted auction sites are definitely a good place to start.
Another way to create a price difference is to purchase products at the retail price, mark them up, and sell them at the same price. The trick is to determine which markup is legal. For example, if you are buying jewelry at a retail price, you might assume all jewelry is 5% more than its wholesale value. However, if you find a piece of jewelry at a lower wholesale price, you could probably mark up the price so much to make up for the difference. As long as the items are quality products, this method won’t cost you anything. However, you will have to purchase the items from a reputable company.
In most cases, price arbitrage retail will not be an effective business model for retailers. Retailers often try to add price differences to generate sales. However, they do not realize that customers will be aware of any price difference. If you are just looking to create a bit of extra income, you may be better off purchasing some items wholesale and marking them up. However, price arbitrage retail is very popular among retailers and those who enjoy experimenting with retailing.
