Yes there probably is manipulation going on. Besides that it appears that we have a bb.com employee in our midst who has suggested that there IS manipulation going on... .frankly, I think it is pretty naive to think that ANY site of this nature and size does not have a bit of manipulation going on. Not illegal manipulation, but the kind of manipulation that should be the strategy of any money making enterprise. I doubt bb.com gets a check with a "to be on the top 50 seller" in the memo line, but MP IS paying one way or another.
If bb.com gets a killer deal on MP stuff... which dnizzle says they do... it would be beneficial for BB to push the crap out of it. Good placement in bb.com emails and the website can drive sales. Special incentives to affiliate marketers can drive sales. Special content (like articles written by Brad)will drive sales. There are several very small tactics that a website can do to drive sales for a given product. If bb.com has a campaign to push MP products, it should be evident in the sales.
Unlike Musclepharm, bb.com is a business that drives to make a profit and has a parent company that probably dictates much of this. The "top seller" list probably is not some touchy feely list to make manufacturers or customers happy.... it is PROBABLY more like a visual representation of the top products that make bb.com money.... because they would be stupid NOT to push products that make them money. Who cares how they got there? That they ARE there is good for sales and good for MP. BB.com is a market MOVER.
It could be a double edged sword though. If they are selling mp product to bb.com for super cheap to get this advantage, who knows how much money they are losing out on. On the other side of that, brand loyalty is being built right now by these listings.
There is no conspiracy theory and it is not some scheme.... it is just a money making business not being stupid. They push products that make money. No matter which way you cut it, a very large part of MP being on the top of the list is because of bb.com.
Finally, there could be something going on with the Deluca brothers. Certainly, negotiation meetings are not typical and they may involve hugs over handshakes. They are, after all, brothers. Beyond that, I have serious questions about the loyalties to the shareholders from all of these guys. So if they are not loyal to the shareholders, it would stand to reason that they are loyal to self and family. I have absolutely no doubt that the Deluca tie has impacted the arrangements between the companies.
