Just an idea, but couldn't the forum owners get in contact with some suppliers about buying not just Intel 34nm SSD's, but all things PC? Say for example, there could be a minimum purchase of 25 units of whatever, and users could pay the money to Seven Forums, and then when there are enough users to make a purchase, they could make the order with the supplier, who could then distribute the items to the users.
What do you think?
25 units, plus cost of distribution, plus admin costs = get a better deal online. Or Wal-Mart.
I'm sure buying 25 would reduce the cost, and couldn't see it being that much work if it was just a bit of admin on the forums part. It was just an idea I thought I'd share.
It's just a matter of giving the new 2nd Generation X-25M drives time to get in stock. I believe that the actual MSRP is like $229 for the 80GB and $450 for the 160GB....but retailers are charging a premium for them right now because they are in such demand and such low stock.
I picked up my Intel X-25M G2 80GB for $289 from Mwave.com. I originally ordered for $249 from ToshibaDirect...but they were sold out and it was going to take 8-9 weeks to ship.
I own a multiple location computer hardware business. 250 units would not reduce the purchase cost sufficiently to create a value for the forum appointed distributor. Cost + shipping, re-packaging and redistribution costs, shipping insurance, implied warranty and time on task.
On the surface, a good idea. You just have to scratch the paint.
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