com OSTK on strategy quotes from the conf call OSTK

com OSTK on strategy quotes from the conf call OSTK<br /><br />Overstocks conference call is one of the most lively of earnings season. These quotes just dont do it justice. But here they are anyway. CEO Patrick Byrne talks about price competition with Amazon, Overstocks expected 2005 growth, customer growth rate, gross margins and auctions:<br /><br />On competition with Amazon:<br /><br />On auctions: We launched an auction tab that competes directly with eBay. Did it for a couple of million dollars. And you may not think we have a snowballs chance of doing it, but I think we have already become if there is anyone who is going to compete with eBay, it is maybe it is going to be us.<br /><br />On gross margins: Then the gross margin. Yes weve gone from 9 to 15 percent.<br /><br />analyst wrote that our 15 percent is pretty much the same as Amazons 23, 24 percent because they do this thing where they move 9 points of cost of goods into SG which they disclose. On an apples to apples basis, basically there really isnt any difference anymore.