Website selling our brand that we wish to stop

[samuel5]

Hi all,

Not sure where we stand here but there is a website selling our brand of products that we wish to stop.

Basically, they have our branded products for sale at a cheap price but charge excessive shipping. When they receive an order they just place an order on our own retail website with the customers shipping address.

We are trying to push our brand to big retailers but they are making our brand look bad and devaluing the RRP!

Is there anything we can do?

Thanks

Sam

 

[JohnnyCash]

You can refuse to sell to them. You could also write a letter to the delivery address they provided, telling them they can directly on xyz.com.

To block the orders, you should look at credit card info, names, addresses, email addresses, IP addresses. Its not going to be long before the person runs out of at least one of the above and can't place any more orders.

 

[TotallySport]

and you don't think the big retailers will desimate your RRP?

 

[samuel5]

Hi Johnycash,

We can't just stop selling to them that easy as they can also place orders via Amazon.

Thanks

Sam

 

[Greensun]

As with the RRP I would have thought this is your RRP and its up to the retailer to decide even with the big retailer to make a decision on the price and delivery cost. As long as you have got your foot on the ground and all the evidence to back up that they are putting their costings in shipping, I wouldn't think that t will be much of an issue.

From what I have read here larger retailer can inflate prices even more.

 

[samuel5]

To be honest, the large retailers can sell it for what they want.

But, it does not look good when they research the web and see the company in question selling it at a deflated price but with high shipping.
All they look at is the price they are selling it for; they will not bother to go through the checkout procedure to see the £25 shipping charge on an item that weighs 100g!

I need to know if we can stop this company listing our brand for sale?

Thanks

Sam

 

[TotallySport]

So its Ok for the small companies to support you when you growing, and when the big retailers come along and undercut them you'll shaft them good and proper, nice.

Every shop has a different model, they aren't selling your product cheaply, there simply promoting it in different way, customers aren't stupid, and its easily explained, if you don't want them to sell it, then don't sell to them or say your always out of stock when they order.

 

[JohnnyCash]

He's saying he can't do that as they can order it via Amazon - he presumably isn't getting to see who places the order, only the delivery address.

Can you stop selling it on Amazon?

 

[samuel5]

Totalysport, not sure what your problem is but I don't think you have read my posts properly?

We do not supply this company - they list our products on their website at a low price but charge very high shipping costs.
When they get an order they buy one off our website or on Amazon.

Just asking if there is someway we can stop this as it does not make our brand look good when it comes up on Google at a low price.

 

[stackoverflow]

I am guessing you are dealing both wholesale and retail on your own product, hence the 'conflict of interest'
Set a minimum charge on carriage, handling fee.

 

[samuel5]

Johnycash, we don't want to take it off Amazon.

Is it legal what the other company are doing?

 

[mit74]

Are you sure this is damaging sales? I think many buyers are aware of high shipping costs these days and how companies will try and sell low but hike up the p&p price.

 

[JohnnyCash]

Johnycash, we don't want to take it off Amazon.

Is it legal what the other company are doing?

I would say what they are doing is legal.

I think you have two options - either remove the item(s) from Amazon, or let the person keep selling them.

 

[I Hear You]

What sort of sales volumes are we talking here?

As long as it's making you money is it not irrelevant where the sales are coming from?

 

[deniser]

I am guessing you are dealing both wholesale and retail on your own product, hence the 'conflict of interest'
Set a minimum charge on carriage, handling fee.

The OP is not supplying this person, they are buying on his retail website, not his wholesale website.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

How much money is this other business making you? Is it worth cutting that income just to prevent them from selling?

 

[Mustaka]

Actual technically what they are doing is against card scheme rules. You cannot sell something that does not belong to you. The consumer thinks they are entering into a contract to exchange money for goods with this other company (OC). As there is no contract between the OP and OC for OP to act effectively as a drop shipper to OC there is no closure on the credit supply loop.

If the customer were to charge back because of some issue, does not matter who, it would be OC that would receive the charge back and not OP even though it is OP who are delivering the product and service.

I would raise a complaint with Ebay on these grounds.

 

[stackoverflow]

The OP is not supplying this person, they are buying on his retail website, not his wholesale website.

Sure - the point I made is about downward competition created by the buyer/offender is making OP uneasy. If OP is only doing one of these (wholesale or retail, not both), he wont fuss.

Quite the retail arm - transfer the business to someone else.
Set a standard for all retailers to follow.

 

[stackoverflow]

Actual technically what they are doing is against card scheme rules. You cannot sell something that does not belong to you. The consumer thinks they are entering into a contract to exchange money for goods with this other company (OC). As there is no contract between the OP and OC for OP to act effectively as a drop shipper to OC there is no closure on the credit supply loop.

If the customer were to charge back because of some issue, does not matter who, it would be OC that would receive the charge back and not OP even though it is OP who are delivering the product and service.

I would raise a complaint with Ebay on these grounds.

Actually Ebay has rule to allow seller blocking buyer on 'too many repeating purchase too frequent' ground
Not sure about Amazon

 

[Philip Hoyle]

Can you not impose a rule on buyers that you will only ship to the card holders address? Then you claim it is for security/fraud protection rather than deliberately stopping a buyer. You can then just post to the buyer who in turn will have to post to their customer giving them some work to do and extra shipping costs - I'm sure they'd soon lose interest in you and go off to do it to others instead.

 

[DVD and Media UK]

Why not contact the site in question and rather than getting nasty talk to them sensibly and explain the situation is unacceptable and offer to supply them at a trade price on the proviso that they up their price on the website - therefore they will make additional margin and you will have less fees to pay to amazon. As the saying goes 'you catch many more flies with honey than you do with vinegar'.

If they refuse that offer politely ask to speak with their legal team - if they dont have one then ask for the managing directors details - then write them a letter informing them that orders originating from their store will no longer be honored because of the fact that they are undercutting the market price for the product - you have the right to supply who you wish to as long as you issue a refund to them immediately.

Failing that get a solicitor involved.

 

[kulture]

So correct me if I am wrong, this vendor is ordering from you on your web site and from you via Amazon. They are paying themselves but supplying their customers address to you so you end up drop shipping.

So firstly, you have the customers details. There is nothing stopping you putting in a flyer in the parcel advertising your real website and real details. Perhaps with a legend "this order has been fulfilled by xxxxx".

Secondly you can block the sales on your web site. Simply find out the IP address where they are placing these orders and block it.

Thirdly, contact Amazon support with your suspicions. If they are using a single seller account with lots of different delivery addresses then Amazon may object and ban them.

Finally if you really want to go to the trouble, contact the Data protection. It is probable that they are passing on personal information (their customer's names and addresses) to you without the customers knowledge or permission.

 

[deniser]

I think we had a similar thread once before but in that case, fraudulent card details were being used to place the orders making things even worse.