Today is a big day. It is the day that Mark Maio and Louie Llamas launch Channel Surplus.com.

Channel Surplus.com is a virtual warehouse that contains excess and aging inventory (from several big name distributors) that is available for the Channel to purchase at substantial savings. No membership or registration is required to shop the warehouse. ChannelSurplus.com makes it easy to save on parts we regularly use in B.O.M. or custom designs. It’s simple: if you see something of interest, place an anonymous bid. No contact information is exchanged until the distributor accepts your bid and you’re ready to move forward with the transaction.

www.channelsurplus.com

I’ve watched Mark and Louie nurture this idea and I’ve seen them do unusual things. I’ve seen them reach out to channel experts on both sides of the fence (vendor and system builder) and I’ve seen them actually use the feedback they solicited. They reorganized the site and simplified the interface based on our input. They actually changed the name of the site to more clearly communicate their value to the Channel. I’ve got to tell you, friends; when we have a company that wants to provide us useful services and is willing to listen to our feedback in an effort to improve those services, we are obligated to check ‘em out. These guys are ‘the real thing’.

I’ve previewed the ChannelSurplus.com launch with a couple of savvy Channel veterans and their responses were predictably insightful. Basically, they feel that it’s always good to save money. If they find inventory on ChannelSurplus.com that meets a material need, they felt they would give it a try. Not surprisingly, both of my test drivers came up with an angle I had missed; they asked if ChannelSurplus.com could stock/offer for purchase excess inventory in the Channel..

“Remember, Taylor, when we got all rev’d up for that new processor launch and there weren’t any drive cages for the chassis in distribution? We found a ‘last generation’ part that worked but didn’t know how to survey our peers for excess inventory. In that kind of situation, ChannelSurplus.com could play a very important part in helping Channel players help each other.”

Let’s participate in the launch of ChannelSurplus.com and show them our support. Let’s have a look at the site, offer up some feedback, and give kudos to a company that is clearly channel-focused. Let’s support them with some activity and earn the right to suggest some enhancements (like peer-to-peer visibility). The bottom line is that they’ve built a site that can – in no uncertain terms – save us money and we need to acknowledge and validate their effort. It’s a good product now and could become a default selection for every channel guy’s browser.

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