heres a diverter for the manufatures to check out.

[esun]

tanninglotionsource.com they have almost everybodys 2008 line.

Also they have a blog called..
Best Tips To Safe Indoor Tanning


I think the FTC might have something to say about this?

[dsuriff]

As a salon owner I understand how damaging lotion diversion is to my bottom line profits. I figure out the best strategies that work for my salon in order to stay competitive and profitable. In this day of the internet and of course the whole idea of a free market how or what makes this practice illegal or any concern of FTC. Anyone can go to Sam's Club or any other big box retailer, buy product, list it for sale, and make a profit. I know if you are not a salon retailer it may be illegal to use logos from lotion companies but how can anyone legally tell someone they cannot resale their products. I don't condone diversion but rather have the question as to how can it really be stopped?

[EliteMike]

Sam's club and Costco don't necessarily break all the other stores backs either. They are selling to businesses and households that can handle the bulk.

It's one thing if they sold the lotion at "salon" cost but they are selling lotion at costs that some salon owners can't purchase and resell for. That is fishy. I ran the math. I took a bottle of DS Black, put it online and I couldn't touch the other sellers price and make more than a buck profit after shipping.

A price floor needs to be set, simple as that.

[mgj]

MAP pricing structure would cure this, they would make a little better profit, we would still be able to compete. Mfgers will not do this because they really do not care about yours or mine salon. They only worry about moving palletts of goo.

Most electronics have a MAP price, which is Minimum Advertised Price. This allows for a level playing field.

We as salon owners should demand MAP pricing on all lotions, Make it be salon cost. Everyone would win out.

P.S. This should be moved to industry pro's

[phattmatt]

Your singing to the deaf.....nothing more is going to be done about online lotions....

[RobertK]

MAP pricing will not and does not apply to people selling individual bottles on Ebay. It is a part of life now and it will not chnage.

[dsuriff]

MAP pricing only works on high end items from companies that limit who can retail their products to protect brand image and their resalers. But most electronics that sell in retail may have margin but some wholesalers will sell for 3 points and make up a few bucks on shipping and ship mass quantities. I am an expert on electronics retail and wholesale due to the fact I am in this business for the largest electronics retailer in the world.

My original point is people on threads that state it is illegal are simply wrong and it is not that the lotion companies don't want to control who sells their products it is just that their is no real way to control it in a free market. (strictly my opinion)

[EliteMike]

What you forget though is we are NOT a large industry. Again, easy to control.

I'd like someone to answer my question that I asked in a previous thread about how many distributors exist.

It's all about controlling that discount. Will it keep it from showing up on ebay, no, because there will still be some idiot out there that enjoys doing 5000 times the sells to make up what he'd do if he sold it at retail price. Some of the prices are outrageous online.

I blame the distributors then I blame the manufactors for not having any backbone.

If one company took the time to trace out their product flow, they'd find the source.

Tiny tiny industry compared to others. it's all about the money, as long as the mfg gets their goo out of their storage that's all they care about. ALthough if they'd just get a tiny brain they'd find they can make more money.

Even the playing field if you must, if salon chains want to get product cheaper it must be a PL bottle

[mgj]

It would work, there are only a handful of lotion manufactures. I do not think it is as dawnting of a task as you think. They may not like what they find when they lift the rock up and actually look at who is selling this goo on line. I'll bet it is their best disty's. I would not be suprised if our fav's have division or seperate companies owned by their wives, that sell it online. How else would they get the pricing below us?

[Din]

here is the thing. If you are selling a lotion on ebay for $15 and salon cost is $35. This means they are selling it for 60% OFF salon cost. This means that they are buying it for more of a discount than that.

Which means that in order for them to make any profit to make it worth while, as they aren't doing it for $1.00 profit on a bottle. They must be buying at 65%-75% off salon cost.

I don't know of salons that buy at that price from a distributor. As a distributor will not give lotions for free just because they are nice people and not make a profit of their own.

So the diversion people have to be distributors. Unless manufacturers are selling directly to salons at 70% off.

Point is nobody goes online and sells lotions for the fun of it, they do it to sell and make money. At that low of a price.....it can't just be a salon owner.

[phattmatt]

The only way to stop it from happening is to STOP buying Lotions from the ones that manufacturer it.

Why do you think lotions get discontinued?

Because not enough repeat sells......

[EliteMike]

Makes me want to go PL, can you PL any lotion on the market, or must you have deep pockets to do that?

[phattmatt]

Up front costs are high for a single tanning salon but in the long run are very beneficial

[GSK Resources]

I offer low investment PL indoor tanning lotions.

[EliteMike]

can it compete with the the big guys though? black, tansium, with love, cypher, mon ame

[coldgyn]

...

[totaleclipse]

i think the dissys know exactly who is doing it because they are selling it to them in large bulk.. they have to realize these people are not seeing that many people a day...

i just heard a commercial this morning from paul mitchell.. they can only guarantee their product if bought in a hair salon.. meanwhile shoprite sells it now and other beauty supply places.. so what does that mean?? makes no sense but they are obviously selling to other businesses.