"""Technically, what I think you and mitch are looking for is a bit different. To use the real world analogy again, you are looking to give a supplier a key your store to allow them to stock your shelves with their products. However, you don't want them to reorganize/rearrange/reprice the products that were placed on your shelves by a different supplier."""

Yes, Exactly. Separate categories, separate permissions. I moved from SF6 to BV5 so I could eventually do just that. I now have the beginings of this with my own products on my own website. I'll eventually open up the ability to have other similar small shops show/sell their goods on my site. At the same time (like now), I have my goods on several other sites. They get a 30% discount, I drop ship for them. I'd get a 30% discount when I sell for others who will drop ship for me. Having a few of these stores all using the same platform (BV5) would be ideal... same data, low learning curve... The real advantage for the 'mall' model is that I don't need to learn someone else's product line, and visa/versa. (You think anyone at Amazon knows how a 5 H.P. cyclonic dust collector works?? No, they just let the manufacturer list it, and then sell it.) There's room for nitch-market Amazons.

My #1 wholesale customer made over $19,000.00 on my products alone last year and didn't ship anything. He just lists and forwards orders, we all (100+ suppliers) drop-ship for him.

Yes, this deserves it's own thread and more discussion, a little more support. When BV5 is a bit more stable too. It's still a developer's world in here. I know 4 customers waiting for the dust to settle and the hotfixes to stop.

""As for your solution of restricting catalog permissions to select categories..."""

This is on my very short-range radar... You should consider this a well worthwhile project. As the internet and mass-marketing matures, more and more smaller companies will be left behind but for the ability to add their products to other's web-stores. We all know that most kitchen-table would like to take advantage of a better presence, ut can't deal with a BV5-intensity set-up and launch.

A large BV5 store owner with this capability will be two steps ahead of his competition.

(I'm looking down the road a bit...)

The reward is a spool of thread.

I had a show and tell site for 9 years until I made the SF6 site about 18 months ago. See something and call on the phone to order. While I had my site running, www.crafthome.com (another show and tell site) sold my stuff too. He outsold me by 2 to 1 in spite of my best efforts. Now that I've got a cart site, My retail sales have more than doubled. His have stayed the same.

Mom and Pops (like me) have a tough time gathering an audience. A 1/4 page color ad in Old House Interiors magazine ALONE cost $1,000.00 per issue. To advertize my goods (my web-site) I spend $12,000.00/year in print (three mags) - about $37.00 per item retailed. (wholesale sales carry a different to-market cost basis) Some craftsfirms make and sell goods in the $125.00 range, some much cheaper. They make a great product, but can't get it out the door, and lack the ability/volume to set up a site of their own nor afford to advertize. A sales discount to a wholesaler is by far thier only way to market.

I can advertize my site, sell my goods and sell other's goods too. The cost per item drops with increased sales volume. It really dosn't cost a nickel extra to sell an additional item to a shopper already at your site, 'cept processing costs. Sharing the burden via volume can drop my sales load to 1/4 - 1/2 of today's costs. If I can cut my per-item burden by half, I make $6,000.00. A 25 - 30% discount on the goods that pass through the store could be worth enough to put up with the extra work.

Do a search for "Mission style Wall Mirror" or "Custom Medicine Cabinet" on Amazon or ebay and you'll see why my customers pay me so much. There's a lot of CRAP out there, and Amazon will carry ANYTHING. Serious shoppers don't go there, they hunt for me. My medicine cabinets cost $500.00+. I make five to eight cabinets a month. I took and order the other day for two, $650.00 cabinets, on line, no phone call. Sweet!!! Those clients are out there!

Look at one of my cabinet at crafthome: http://www.crafthome.com.../medcabMainFramePage.htm
Now at my SF6 site: http://missionfurnishings.com/detail.aspx?ID=39

BV5 display will be even better. Don't you think Crafthome would sell more if he'd let ME design a better listing of my products on his site? Even without cart capabilities, I know I can boost his sales overnight. Even so, he sold TWO cabinets in May. Should have been four or five.

I've told him to set up a cart site with BVC, and have his suppliers (who can) set up their own goods. This will relieve him of 30 - 50% of the work.

The Grand-admin would have to have approval over content prior to having the newly listed goods go live - a holding area would need to be set up. I've tried to put my stuff into an uploadable format. NUTS! I need to see it as I build. I think most people do. Remember, thier products are thier babies.

I have no doubt the model works... Niche stores do make money. The guy that runs crafthome.com has been making $100K+ for years - 100% drop-ship. I can do better with the right tool.

I've also (like Bob) got about 10 URL's stashed away for future expansion / marketing. Your plans sound perfect.

I'll email regarding the mall...