OT: Calling all small retailers, UK & Europe....

[Smellybum]

HELP!

I need some feedback, I’ve planning launching a free website to combat music/guitar businesses going to the wall when their competitors are selling via “ large auction websites” and with internet pricing being an issue certainly in the UK shops are being used as a “try it before I buying it online”

I have a solution in place and ready to launch but I’m getting cold feet, I value your opinions, I know this is slightly off thread, but it’s my love for small music shops I’m doing this for and several other reasons, and any money made through advertising etc. - till December 2008 will be donated to charity – (CLB if that’s ok ?)

So………If you are /were a music retailer, would you

A go with the large auction websites and pay
B go with the new guy and pay nothing….


You’re thoughts are welcomed!


Smelly.

 

[kompressaur]

I worked in a couple of small Music shops for a fair few years and the frustration I felt was immense.not with the punters but the owners.they didnt want to recognise what was selling,what was hot,what was not,that spotty youngsters were their futue custom and when they did sell a guitar to a teenager there was nothing for that angst ridden emo boy to progress onto with his next purchase.the shops I worked for weren't bothered about the internet,didnt want to mail order,didnt want to look outide their school supplies and strings/leads/bags sales.
sorry but the bottom line is you either want to have a guitar sit at full list for a couple of years, which is 100% of no profit.or you be competitive and move it (and possibly more of the same) making a smaller margin each time which is profit and/or offering extras to entice a seller.I've seen a sale collapse on whether the "£200 guitar went in an £8 gig bag or a £10 one..sorry but thats just ludicrous
when that shop then goes on the front page of a local newspaper and moans about the internet killing their livelihood that makes me wanna... well less said the better
and there's about 20 or so small and or independent shops in Scotland that are(certainly were) part of a very big buying chain and have a warehouee to prove it but will you espy many "must haves" for your collection from their collective buying muscle sitting in their shops?
I'll jump the gun and say "thought not"
its because of politics,personalities (they have a meeting and then find their ears burning with all the backstabbing going on afterwards)and the simple fact they cant take a collective risk on anything but the most utilitarian and mundane items to buy.
sorry if this goes against the grain but you asked for opinions.

that being said if you can help these shops be more competitive I am all for it as they are a focal point for many local musicians in the area who will mostly pop by for a purchase,a chat (and often a coffee)

If i was them I'd go with you (the fact you're free is a clincher)
Komp

 

[BigTony]

Smelly, ya confusing me buddy.

You want to help the little shops who are losing money because of the internet sales, and then on the other hand, you will allow advertising, which will have an effect on whatever industry you allow to advertise? Seems a bit contradictory.

Having said that, I am sure you have thought this through. A little more info would be needed though to make sense of that.

All in all Smelly, do whatever you wanna do mate, if you wanna help the little shops by giving them some free exposure, then I say go for it. BTW, it is worth pointing out though, that Ebay aint expensive to sell on, and that is exactly why retailers use it, and it is available to everyone, not just a select few.

If you do launch the site btw, you will need to get people to know it is there. Your advertising revenue may be better put into advertising, otherwise ya gonna have another site that not many people know about, apart from of course, the advertisers, the retailers, and the people who they tell, when they come into the shop....I think you get what I mean.

Lastly, you mention all the revenue would go to charity until 2008. After that, you will of course begin to make money. My guess, and please don't take this the wrong way, but it aint all about your love of small shops, its also about a business opportunity that you can see, and you want to begin it by using the 'feel sorry for the little guy factor, and ofcourse the charity angle. I have no problem with that.

In short dude, and I say this with a whole heap of love and respect for ya, but cut the crap and tell us the real plan is.

From where I am, your description really should simply be that you are going to start a website and allow shops to advertise for free, and then after 2008, reap the profit from the advertising, or sell it off to the highest bidder.

Again bro, no offence meant.

 

[Smellybum]

NO offence taken guys - this is exactly the type of info I wanted, Thank you very much,

Komp sounds like we had a similar upbringing!

Big Tony, no hidden agenda, I have been visiting music shops every Saturday like sad gimp for the last 20 years, the whole start-up and running till December 2008 has cost me about £150 - if it goes down the pan then so be it.....

I don't think I'd ever take on eBay but the common complaint I hear is- I can't play it before I buy it - as we'd not be charging fees or stopping buyers and sellers speaking directly - there'd be nothing to stop them interacting and doing deals off our site.....

If that does work out then I could get away with charging 10 bucks a shop per quarter and more than break even.....
No hidden agenda, just seen a lot of the places I used to go as a kid, or really look forward to going into go down the pan, maybe it's the way the market it moving, but I still maintain there's scope to hold on to those quaint like shops with hidden gems, - Case in point, I bought a valve copycat for £20 last week in a guitar and gun store in Inverness, but they're looking to close as they don't get passing trade....

Thank you all once again - I /we are going to email 200 music shops and see what the take up is.

As this is rather OT - I wouldn't dream of flaunting the good will that the mods on this board have shown in not deleting this thread! - so if anyone (Dealers 1st - but individuals welcome) wants to know the link you can get a(semi-auto) response by emailing [email protected] - or PM me.

Thank you all once again, you have been incredibly helpful.

Smelly.

 

[BigTony]

I'm still wracking my brains here as to what the difference is between your site and they sites you say you are battling against. If anything, you are encouraging shops to use an online facility? Why would they then need a store if anyone in the UK can buy from them without actually visiting. How do you decide who is a little shop and who isnt? If the site does become popular, then everyone will want to advertise on there, and then what, who will you allow to advertise? How are you gonna decide who should be allowed and who shouldn't?

I think once you do have popularity, your whole concept will fail and you will just be another site offering goods for sale online, the very thing you are trying to stop, will infact be the very thing you will become. I have no problem with online sales though, so go for it.

Now, in that case, instead of donating all the profits to charity, I would still recommend that you spend most of your profits on marketing. I'm sure that any charity would sooner have a % of an up and coming website, than everything from a website that was to stay small.

Your biggest battle is going to be exposure. There are a whole bunch of websites allowing people to list for free. You are gonna have to market your website, and have a reason people should use your site over the likes of gumtree. Even the simplest things can help. Number one has to be for you to make it user friendly, black websites with white text are just awful, nice bright websites are cool!

Be a recourse. Don't just allow people to advertise, be a source of valuable information.

PDF! Yes PDF's are read by google, so ask manufacturer's if you can put thier userguides and manuals on your website, not only is it handy for people, it also helps to lift you in the search engines. People searching for all sorts of musical bits and bobs will find you.

All in all, make the site fun and interesting to be on. I can go to a million websites that sell guitars, but if there was a website that was a huge resource for stuff, then that would be cool!

My last piece of advice, is go for it, u have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Good Luck!