Al Iba

Al Iba, President, I&I Sport Supply

Alan Iba (eBay User ID: iisports), president of I&I Sports Supply Co.Inc. in Carson, California, is another retailer who gets the most value from selling items related to his core business of martial arts, airsoft and paintball supplies-but not the same ones he puts on the shelf.Local buyers want the latest and greatest, says Iba, 49, while eBay customers mostly look for items they can't find anywhere else, including discontinued paintball guns or collectible martial arts equipment.

Supplying these items is a shift for Iba, who originally used eBay to unload the occasional customer return or damaged goods.In 2004, his Certified Provider, Marketworks Inc. in Atlanta, convinced him to launch a full-fledged online business.To supply the new operation, Iba had to broaden his base of suppliers.Among them are nontraditional sources such as martial arts instructors who have extra tapes from seminars and want to reach followers in other cities."Small suppliers were always offering product to us," Iba says, but the company would usually decline."We couldn't pay top dollar for something that might sit on the shelf," he explains.But now, Iba says he can offer better prices that make the deal a win-win for both, because products move faster online.

Feel free to browse through our features and check out what we've already started, especially the blogs from Jessica Sparks (APG outdoor editor), Mike Masushige (Hard Eight captain), Al Iba (president of I&I Sports Supply Co., Inc.), and The Pumprumor Ninja.

Al Iba, Owner

DePaoli did some investigating, met Al Iba of I&I Sports Supply Company, Inc., and I&I began to market ADCO sights into paintball.

They provide us with a comprehensive set of tools to develop long lasting customer relationships through distributed ecommerce and membership tools," said Al Iba, owner of IISports.

Alan Iba (eBay User ID: iisports), president of I&I Sports Supply Co.Inc. in Carson, California, is another retailer who gets the most value from selling items related to his core business of martial arts, airsoft and paintball supplies-but not the same ones he puts on the shelf.Local buyers want the latest and greatest, says Iba, 49, while eBay customers mostly look for items they can't find anywhere else, including discontinued paintball guns or collectible martial arts equipment.

Supplying these items is a shift for Iba, who originally used eBay to unload the occasional customer return or damaged goods.In 2004, his Certified Provider, Marketworks Inc. in Atlanta, convinced him to launch a full-fledged online business.To supply the new operation, Iba had to broaden his base of suppliers.Among them are nontraditional sources such as martial arts instructors who have extra tapes from seminars and want to reach followers in other cities."Small suppliers were always offering product to us," Iba says, but the company would usually decline."We couldn't pay top dollar for something that might sit on the shelf," he explains.But now, Iba says he can offer better prices that make the deal a win-win for both, because products move faster online.

They provide us with a comprehensive set of tools to develop long lasting customer relationships through distributed ecommerce and membership tools," said Al Iba, owner of IISports.

Alan Ibaal@iisports.com(310) 851-8600

Al Iba of I&I Sports was one of his Bud's first customers, and responsible for a significant amount of sales sales.