Eventually, many of those dealers also licensed the branding of the builder, which is why you might buy a Ford from Bob's Ford or Hank's Ford, but there's a giant Ford logo up there. Apple used to sell exclusively through third-party dealers.
But back in , Apple decided to launch its own, company-owned stores. The big difference between independent authorized dealers and company-owned stores is that the manufacturer owns the store. Back in the day, for example, there used to be a lot of authorized Mac resellers. Today, there are very few. Of course, Apple products are also sold through other retailers, like Staples, Best Buy, and Walmart.
These, too, are authorized retailers, but they don't operate under the carrier's logo. There are some advantages to buying from an independent vendor, especially one that's authorized by the factory. The biggest is price. You're unlikely to get a deal from an Apple store or a carrier-owned store. But you might be able to strike up a little bit of a bargain from a store that's owned by Bob from downtown.
Smaller dealers are willing to take a bit of a hit to their margins in order to move product. Once in awhile, if the moon is right, you might save a few bucks.
Bigger independent resellers also have the power to discount. Walmart has, on occasion, been known to bust out an Apple bargain when no one else has the muscle to pull it off.
If you're very, very lucky, your independent dealer might be an enthusiast for your product. If that's the case, service and product knowledge may well be off the charts. But it's rare, these days, to see an enthusiast go out and set up a retailer.
It just doesn't happen much anymore. So instead, you're more likely to find employees in an authorized reseller that aren't trained as well as in a factory-owned store. Product stock can also be a problem. It's expensive to stock goods. While there's only an on-paper cost in moving inventory from a carrier's warehouse to a company store, there's a real inventory purchase cost in moving goods from a carrier's warehouse to an independent store.
There might be some consignment goods, but a lot of those things have to be bought outright. As a result, independent sellers are likely to have less stock.
All this means that you might not find the phone you want. It's why so many retailers are happy to tell you, "We'll order it for you. Now, hey, we all have access to Amazon.
There are three more problems with authorized dealers not to mention those dealers that aren't authorized. These are problems you're less likely to find in factory-owned stores. The first is service. It's not clear what the training level will be for those working in a non-factory store. In most cases, the authorized reseller will simply send a product out for repair. What you'll never know is whether the product went out to repair to, say, Verizon or Apple, or to Cousin Skeeter, who buys spare parts on eBay.
The 10 best smartphones right now. It's easy to find a great phone today. In fact, current flagship devices are so good you really don't need to be replacing them every year. Read More. The next problem is returns. Apple and most carrier-owned stores allow returns for pretty much any reason within 14 days. Almost no questions asked. But since private resellers have to give you money back that they might have already spent to buy more inventory, you might find yourself arguing over why store credit is not an acceptable option.
The return policies may be different. It may or may not be harder to actually recover your cash. Unauthorized sellers have no relationship with the manufacturer; the manufacturer exerts no control over their pricing and the quality of the goods they sell. Consumers run the risk of being sold substandard products and services should they buy from an unauthorized seller. Authorized retailers, on the other hand, act as an official link between the manufacturer and the end consumer.
As such, they need to meet the requirements and standards set by the manufacturer of the product or service that they are selling. Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Skip to footer Search by keyword Search by letter a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z. What is your earning potential? Do you have to invest anything to get started?
If so, how much? What does the market look like for the product you are considering selling? What kind of support do you get from the company whose product or service you are selling? Does it fit with your business model?
Now That You Have Some Answers After finding the answers to these questions, you will be able to see that becoming an Authorized Dealer is a great option to either start a business or add to your existing portfolio.
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