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CRUISING THE INFO HIGHWAY FOR TRUCK PARTSTHE INTERNET IS A GREAT way to find people from around the world who share similar interests, from sports to fashion to truck parts. Truck parts? Sure. Just ask Parts-In-Excess (PIE), a young outfit based in Guilford, Conn., that offers a worldwide ''virtual warehouse'' of excess or obsolete parts for commercial trucks. PIE combines inventory lists from 1,900 buyers, sellers, and manufacturers to create its electronic warehouse. Members pay a onetime $250 fee for an access code that lets them list on or browse the PIE site using any Net-capable computer. PIE serves as broker and collects 2.5 cents per line listed per year, plus a 10% commission on sales. Sales agreements are confirmed by fax, and payments are made by check or credit card if the lots are small. While PIE's current inventory is expected to more than double, to $100 million, by yearend, industry sources estimate there is as much as $1.4 billion in heavy-duty truck-parts inventory in the U.S. and Canada. PIE's principals, encouraged by their $562,000 in sales since April, plan to expand the virtual warehouse to include parts for heavy-duty off-road vehicles used in mining and construction.
EDITED BY PAUL M. ENG
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Updated June 14, 1997 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1996, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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