---
title: "The Transportable arbitrage"
description: "A way to profit from the gap between what service providers could pay Motorola and what dealers paid."
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/love-pain-and-money/the-transportable-arbitrage/
updated: 2026-11-03
---

# The Transportable arbitrage

> A way to profit from the gap between what service providers could pay Motorola and what dealers paid.

John Caudwell's framework, from Love, Pain & Money, pp. 106 to 116.

Framework 3 of 7 from [Love, Pain & Money](https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/love-pain-and-money/index.md) by John Caudwell. Category: Offers and pricing.

## The steps

1. **Learn the customer value.** Use the Racal flotation figure of £1,000 per customer to see that commissions of £200 or £300 are cheap for networks.
2. **Find what the provider is paying.** Record the prices providers pay Motorola for phones on the price graph.
3. **Offer to supply them.** Provide Transportables to service providers at cost price without Motorola knowing the source.
4. **Take the rebate.** Charge only the retrospective commission, a four percent volume rebate on a bulk order.

## Where it comes from

From chapter: Chapter 13_GIANT, pp. 106–116

## The animation

24 seconds, 4:5, no sound.

- MP4: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/love-pain-and-money/the-transportable-arbitrage.mp4
- MP4, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/love-pain-and-money/the-transportable-arbitrage-dark.mp4
- Still: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/love-pain-and-money/the-transportable-arbitrage.png
- Still, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/love-pain-and-money/the-transportable-arbitrage-dark.png