SEEKING PARTNERS…

...interested in founding a unique and original marketing establishment accommodating purchases to, and sales from, participating members and the general public—all at discount prices.

How many times have you come across (whether at a flea market, garage sale, business close-out, online, etc.) that product you use on a frequent basis being sold at a very cheap price but only in bulk amounts you probably won’t use at a price you don’t want to pay for so many? What if there was a marketing entity available whereby you could make that bulk purchase, retain the quantity of items you want for yourself, and sell the rest at a profit per item to the local or non-local consumer base--while also granting them a discount as well? Then again, how many times have you come across any bulk-sold products at great prices, whether you use them or not, that would be highly marketable items especially if sold in smaller units at discount prices? Or...maybe you’ve already got things, like, perhaps, 40 reams of copy paper & 10 boxes of envelopes stored in a closet for the past 3 years left over from a failed business venture. Then you could also use said marketing entity purely as a monetary-recoupment mechanism. And, of course, we’re all seeking products at the best discounts. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to find many of them at a single location while also eliminating high shipping fees in the process?

Buy & Stock (BuyAndStock.com, or B&S) would be a product-marketing club, whereby members could supply products to be sold and/or purchase them at discount prices, and the general consumer base may purchase them at prices lower than the norm. All items would be supplied by the membership, whereby said members may participate whether or not they possess individual business licenses. They may therefore acquire their products through wholesale purchases or by any other legal means granting them discounts adequate for relaying good savings on to B&S customers. The requirements would be that all items are in new/like-new sellable condition, free from defects, and offered at *attractive B&S prices (*which would be highly possible because of the burdens of marketing being alleviated from suppliers by B&S).

Also, B&S would serve as a ready-made marketing source for craftspeople, artisans, food producers, and general manufacturers desiring a very convenient way to bring their creations to the marketplace—a way much less discriminatory toward the little guy than the big-boy mass marketers out there.

Initially, customers would receive items by either picking them up or by delivery, whereby local customers will be eligible to receive delivery from B&S and non-local ones would receive shippable items via mail order. However, if things adequately develop, B&S could eventually establish it's own warehousing/shipping/delivery (WSD) network, thereby eliminating all 3rd-party carriers.

All items for sale—whether stocked at the B&S facility or by individual members—will be listed on the Web/App, whereby the consumer base will have only B&S’ contact info regarding all said listings. Bulk items will be broken down and repackaged into smaller, more affordable, units ("Repackaged by Buy & Stock"). All purchases made from B&S will be conducted online by customers via Web/App. The B&S facility will handle no hard currency. Thus, the need for and cost of cashiers will be eliminated, saving consumers money, and the threat of robbery will be practically expunged. Customers could then come to the facility to receive their goods or could have them delivered for extra cost.

For pickups, customers would not be allowed into the stock area of the B&S facility but would instead receive their goods from clerks in the reception lobby. This will therefore allow for more shelf space in the stocking area, eliminate the threat of shoplifting and the security needed for such, and prevent mishaps regarding isle accidents as well as product damage from excessive product handling.

Customers will have payment options of either using 3rd-party transaction firms (credit/debit, PayPal, etc.) and paying a higher price for goods or of establishing a B&S Payment Account functioning as a debit account and eliminating 3rd-party fees, thus allowing them a discount.

Because, initially, there will be limited B&S shelf space, priority will be given to the most highly marketable items. Otherwise, members may stock their goods in their own homes/facilities, whereby B&S will notify them to bring them in when sold and/or when space is available. Bulk items will be broken down by B&S personnel into smaller units and repackaged for reselling—with all such packaging clearly indicating: “Repackaged by BUY & STOCK.”

Money raised during operations will be divided accordingly regarding salaries for S&B personnel, sales commissions for members’ sold goods, capital for maintenance & expansion of facilities, and dividends for B&S Partners.

B&S PERSONNEL/CONSUMER BASE

Those dealing with B&S will fall into the following categories:

1) Partners—will be those who invest the capital necessary to launch initial operations, including filing official paperwork, acquiring facilities and personnel, supplying the initial merchandise, and sponsoring promotions/advertising to announce the availability of B&S products and marketing services to the general populace. Partners will receive dividends from all sales and will have special privileges and advantages regarding supplying/stocking and purchasing merchandise.

2) Suppliers—will be Members who pay an annual Supplier-membership fee, in addition to their Membership fee, for the privilege of supplying goods to be sold via B&S. They will also receive the same Member discount-options. Should B&S shelf space become a premium, the B&S Partnership may choose to offer specific suppliers higher-fee options in exchange for shelf space based on marketability of items—or they may conduct “auctions” whereby members make offers for available space (which is fair because Suppliers would always have the option of providing their own storage and bringing items in when ordered or requested).

3) Members—will be customers who pay an annual fee in optional amounts in exchange for membership status (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) granting them discounts applicable to said status and for the purpose of receiving notifications regarding new products, product updates, and privileged B&S opportunities and info.

4) General Consumers—will be any customers ordering at full B&S prices. They may establish accounts or check out as “guests.” They may also establish B&S payment accounts and save via debit charges or pay at higher prices via credit/debit, PayPal, etc. They would also receive lower-priority updates and info regarding products and news from B&S.

The initial B&S facility will be located on the most practical real estate that can be acquired in the locality with the most business-friendly tax and regulation policies and blessed with an adequate consumer base. If/When capital permits, further branches will be established on those lands most commercially viable.

PRODUCT STOCK

As said, all products sold and services rendered via B&S will be provided by the Partners and Supplier members--with all bulk items divided into smaller units and repackaged by B&S. All Partners & Suppliers will have their own individual accounts for receiving payments. Professional suppliers will be accommodated, but B&S marketing services will be especially beneficial for the small supplier.

Jane Doe’s just an average cook but makes a terrific pan of brownies using her grandmother’s secret recipe. She’s busy in her daily life and wants a convenient way to market them. She becomes a B&S Supplier and her goods are listed on the B&S Web/App. When orders are placed, she bakes and packages the goods and either delivers them to the B&S facility or has them picked up, whereupon the customers acquire them via pickup or delivery. As it turns out, Jane’s brownies become so popular, B&S grants her shelf space. So, now she’s able to bake bulk amounts at a time and just stock them at B&S, where everything else is taken care of for her. When sales are made, B&S deposits her payments into her B&S payment account, whereby she may save the money, spend it at B&S (thereby eliminating transaction fees), or have it transferred to her bank, PayPal, or etc.

Jim Jefferson is a carpenter who makes great homemade ice cream in regular and uncommon flavors in his spare time. He can make and package lots of quarts for sale but doesn’t have adequate freezer storage,  marketing skills, or a lot of extra time for marketing. However, it so happens that his product line is in great demand in the local area—adequate enough to reserve storage in B&S freezers, where they remain until ordered.

Bob Brown goes to a flea market and finds 20 bottles of new motor oil being sold dirt cheap by an auto shop owner going out of business. He keeps 10 for himself and lists the other 10 on the B&S site/app at a good discount price, whereupon B&S gives him the option of either storing them himself or having them stored at the B&S facility. Sara Smith has a coupon and buys a large bulk-pack of LED light bulbs at a discount club. She keeps some bulbs for her household and then has B&S repackage the others into units of 2 to be sold at a discount. Sara makes money while saving customers money on bulbs bought in smaller, convenient, units. Stan Stevens buys shipping tape in bulk-quantity rolls on the ’Net at a great savings per roll and, like Sara, keeps some himself and has the others repackaged into smaller units for discount sale through B&S.

Gail Gaines makes crafts and extraordinary jewelry, Meg Martin creates fabulous T-shirts, Ron Rogers makes very appealing wood crafts. Thus, B&S will be there to let the people know these creations are available for order—here, and around the globe.

Suppliers can “retrieve” their own products if they need them for use. Tom Terry bought 120 name-brand AA batteries at bulk discount, kept 24 and listed 96 for repackaged sale in 4-unit packs on B&S. B&S decides to stock the batteries. Christmas rolls around, and he needs 12 more batteries for toys. He then uses his B&S Web account to retrieve 3 packs for himself, whereby he can pick them up or pay a delivery fee.

SUPPLIER RATINGS/ACCOUNTABILITY/FEEDBACK

All products will be vulnerable to ratings from consumers. Suppliers will be paid 30 days after sales, whereby customers will be allowed to return nonperishable products within that time frame for refunds. Shipping refunds for shipped items will be given only for defective items.

FACILITY EXPANSION

Expansion of B&S storage facilities will occur when capital permits and when consumer demand significantly overwhelms available shelf space. Capital can derive from extra investment from the partnership and/or from capital raised from sales.

SEEKING PARTNERS

I’m seeking partners interested in funding:

1) the legal registration and establishment of the B&S club partnership.

2) the coding and posting of the initial Web/App site.

3) the construction or acquisition of the initial B&S headquarter storage facility of dimensions of at least 20’ X 40,’ inflammable, composed of metal walls with fiberglass insulation, with electrical wiring, lighting, phone/Internet connection, heating/cooling ducts, one bathroom and plumbing for extra sinks, utility room (furnace, water heater, fuse box), outside air conditioner, shelving, security-camera system, and including the initial commercial refrigerator & freezer units for food storage. There should be at least 4 parking spaces available, 3 general, 1 handicapped—which should suffice due to the fact that customers will come for quick pickups and not for long-time shopping. (See the bottom for a graphic example of the approximate building scheme.)

4) the acquisition and employment of initial personnel.

5) an initial delivery vehicle.

After said facility (3) is acquired, the individual partners will be allotted shelf space for themselves and may stock it with acceptable merchandise according to their own initiative, with the remaining space being reserved for B&S Suppliers.

As for the initial partnership buy-in amount, I’m seeking Partners willing and able to invest enough capital to, among other things, acquire a *building such as described below; however, that amount can be lower if the startup can be accomplished in more economical manners. For example, an initial building could be rented instead of purchased, whereby capital earned could later be invested into a custom B&S-owned structure. Vehicles already owned by the partnership could be used for deliveries. Also, start-up budget strains can be alleviated in proportion to the amount of labor the partnership themselves perform rather than relying on employed labor. Initial promotions and advertising could also be performed via the partnership, though the launching of such a unique establishment as this would definitely be newsworthy—i.e., free TV/publication media exposure.

(*The building, along with storing/distributing products, could also provide Supplier members with food production/storage and **printing--**such as DTG, "Direct-To-Garment"--capabilities in order to increase their ability to produce such goods for the consumer base. Thus, Supplier members with intriguing recipes for ice cream, other desserts, and/or general goods would have a convenient production/storage means as well as members with creative graphic-art talents.)

If you are interested in exploring this project, contact me (Keith Anderson) at centlist@yahoo.com. Check your Spam folder in case my reply goes there. (I prefer email because of constant junk and robocalls; however, if you wish to speak with me, email me with your name and phone # and best time to call.)