By Patrick Avenell
The source of the name brand stock currently being sold on the Kogan online website is uncertain, with none of the brands, or Kogan itself, providing details of their relationship.
Current.com.au contacted all the brands currently being advertised on the website yesterday, and Kogan’s representatives, to ask where the products were being sourced from.
A Kogan spokesperson gave the following response:
“To secure the prices we are able to sell these products for, we have cut out more middle men and gone higher up the supply chain. Beyond this, we don't discuss specific details of our supply chain. This is confidential information.”
On the supplier side, we received this answer from a Canon Australia spokesperson:
“Canon Australia has no direct relationship with Mr Kogan or any of his affiliated companies.”
And an Apple Australia spokesperson provided the following advice, which we were already on top of:
"You will need to speak directly with Kogan in relation to their business."
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Speculation about the source of this product was in industry overdrive yesterday afternoon. One insider told Current.com.au that he was upset with the “neutral responses” from suppliers, as this was not a good sign for their traditional retail partners.
Another insider, currently in a senior position at a well-known brand, gave the following insight:
“Apple and Canon sell online, and I expect this will happen more and more with major suppliers, so I can’t see the industry’s surprise at this move. The key for this industry now is to reduce its overhead costs so it can compete in a global marketplace. At the end of the day, the consumers will decide what they will purchase, and from whom. Local suppliers and retailers are simply becoming ‘one’ of the options for the delivery of the products.”