THE OPERATIONS OF THE USED REFRIGERATOR MARKET INTERVIEWS WITH USED REFRIGERATOR DEALERS: A QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT

摘要

This report presents the results of a set of in-depth interviews with refrigerator dealers operating in the secondary market (used appliance market) and presents a detailed examination into how this market acquires, reconditions and sells used refrigerators within the state of Wisconsin. Interviews were completed with 20 businesses that sell used refrigerators. These secondary appliance dealers are located across the state of Wisconsin and represent the majority of the Wisconsin dealers currently operating in this market who are listed in the 2003 Yellow Pages under "used appliances." This paper describes the two different unit acquisition streams that feed the secondary refrigerator market and describes the differences between these supply streams and how the supply streams influence the number of units that can be sold. The paper also discusses the overall used refrigerator market and indicates how refrigerator pick-up programs, such as Wisconsin's Appliance Turn-In Program (APTI,) may significantly effect the number of units that are sold in the secondary market for a part of the market, but not for the majority market. The paper also provides a discussion of the research results and how these results can impact the design, operation and acceptance of refrigerator collection programs.