They auction high-end routers, switches, servers and the like from some of the biggest names in the business. This is a natural synergy benefiting the serious IT professional. The shocking thing is that these are not the historical figures for 1998. They are actually based on February 2000. Most Sun resellers think it's a good idea for their own customers to race ahead into ecommerce, because that's a significant source of revenue for them.
Poor marketing is another factor.
Marketing training companies should be minting money in the IT channel, however most resellers probably aren't aware they need it. The web site is simply the most visible aspect of marketing culture inside a company. No web site , means that companies don't care if it's hard for their customers to find them.