Tamiya Club survival

[poulpit]

Hi all,

One question to our Manager:

"Chris, how does survive Tamiya Club? For a long time? Have you subsidies?"[:I]

I suppose many members think about it....

Thanks and regards from Belgium,

[)]François.

[snollan]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tamiyaclub.com is a trading company/front company for Chris' drug biz.

You "Buy" a tamiya item from the online shop and your "Product" arrives in the mail some days later. He's then able to use some sort of shady online payment to launder the money. In fact he paid for Stu to move to Canada so that he could run operations from the Western Hemi. Downunder things are ran by "Slick" WillyChang and Babyface Darryn who insure that all Aussie Product is shipped via RetroRC.

Of course this is all masterminded by the Godfather from his villa in Italy. He closed his messageboard, due to the feds moving in, and made Chris an offer he couldn't refuse.

If you don't believe me take one of Chris' replica decals and use the following method to inhale. Soak the decals in a pot of hot water, put face in the steam with a wet rag over your head, then breath. (This is also know as the Crocidle Dundee method)[:I]

[Incredible_Serious]

That would explain why www.chrisdrugbiz.co.uk goes to www.tamiyaclub.com ...

Alex []

[netsmithUK]

****, and I would have gotten away with it, if hadn't been for those meddling kids!

Money Laundrying(?) aside, the site this year has been financed entirely by member contributions. We hit a crisis last november as the site got too big for the then hosts and rather than negociating they just pulled the plug. There was then no tamiyaclub for a couple of weeks - imagine that[8)], lots of members had a collection and between them managed to contribute enough money to finance the site for another 12 mths on a much better host. Also the host we now used, was a really nice bloke that cut us a very good deal.

All that said, you have raised this at good time, as I have recently been in talks with the host again, who has pointed out that the site has outgrown the service again and we know need to move it to a dedicated server (we currently have over 8 gig of data stored on thier server!) This is going to run to about £250.00 a month to do and we have until October to work out how we are going to do it.

I am getting together an advertsing pack to email to various online shops etc which if it comes off will cover it easily. If that idea struggles then I am afraid that a subscription service for our members that use, the showrooms, trading areas, chatroom etc plus a few other 'premium services' which I am working on, will be the next option.

If we go down the subscription service route, everyone will be given 2-3 months notice, which will give people time to decide what they want to do.

Watch this space.

regards

Chris

[urban warrior]

Hi all,

I guess something similar has been discussed earlier at this board. And when I remember it correctly a lot voices were willing to pay their share.

I guess this should be discussed at a larger scale. I am personally still willing to pay a moderate ammount for my membership. And I guess this has to be done over "membership fees" since many people (I do not excluse me here) do not take the opportunity to click the donation-button.

When I see the numbers (250 GBP monthly, 684 members) and do a quick rough estimate, it will lead me to 10 USD / 6 GBP annual fee (I've calculated with 500 members, just in case there will be some nominal members dropping out, and some not willing to pay). For my part I don't think 10 USD / 6 GBP p/a (maybe a little bit more) is too much for the service we get here: Showroom with incomplicated uploading of pictures including picture hosting, online manuals with free download, sophisticated information about many models, trade platform w/o brokerage, a great forum with great people, and last but not least great, patient admins.

I guess this should be worth a little financial sacrifice.

Regards, Martin

[DJTheo]

Martin, once again you hit the nail exaclty on the head [^]

Also a fee would keep people out who just come to TC few times, put a couple of cars and never come back but still using the expensive webspace as well as people who just come here to sell their stuff or ask how much they are worth before selling them on Ebay.

Cheers

[netsmithUK]

Thanks for the support - this thread was raised before I had really thought it through, so thats why things are still a bit vague. Its nice to know the subscription option would have some takers. (at a guess though I would say of the 600 showrooms we had open as soon as (if) we introduce the membership fee about half would close down)

On the upside, on the new dedicated server, we could host

decals scans and videos among other things, which would be great and not possible at the moment. So those that subscribed would be getting even more services for thier money.

Chris

[terry.sc]

For the amount of money we're talking about here I can't see anyone complaining. After all, it's cheaper than a set of replacement tyres for example. Some of my local model car clubs are charging £20-25 for annual membership and they aren't short of members. It would remove those showrooms which at present are still online even though the owner has long since stopped visiting, which is probably a good thing.

If a dedicated server gives the club the space to expand with more features that can only be good. For example, how many of us have decal scans sitting on our PCs with nowhere to share them with everyone else.

[urban warrior]

quote:Originally posted by netsmithUK

I am getting together an advertsing pack to email to various online shops etc which if it comes off will cover it easily.

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id="quote">id="quote">

Hey Chris,

what does this mean for us members in the future? Pop-ups?

Can you give us some ideas about this?

Thanks, Martin

[netsmithUK]

Its early days yet, but rest assured there will be no pop-ups ever on this site. It will just take the form of more subtle relavent banner ads like the one that is already on the site, from fusionhobbies.com

Chris

[snollan]

Folks here is what I do:

I buy Chris' tamiyaclub email @ XXX dollars a year. I also make a yearly donation of $25.00 through paypal. The email is perfect for ebay, hobby related emails, and interclub emails.

For the amount of pics I have on file $25.00 bones is the least amount I can give for the services I get out of the club. If some years I make a little more bucks then I'll give a little more.

So if it's a yearly dues type of deal that's great but I still think that donations should be allowed.

My only questions is where is my sample of "Tamiyaclub" product?[8D]

[urban warrior]

quote:Originally posted by snollan

Folks here is what I do:

I buy Chris' tamiyaclub email @ XXX dollars a year. I also make a yearly donation of $25.00 through paypal. The email is perfect for ebay, hobby related emails, and interclub emails.

For the amount of pics I have on file $25.00 bones is the least amount I can give for the services I get out of the club. If some years I make a little more bucks then I'll give a little more.

So if it's a yearly dues type of deal that's great but I still think that donations should be allowed.

My only questions is where is my sample of "Tamiyaclub" product?[8D]

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Ehem ... pardon me ... do we start a membership auction here ????[?]

Regards, Martin

[netsmithUK]

An auction eh? Cool idea, Top 100 paying bidders can stay.[]

THIS IS A JOKE - THIS IS JOKE - THIS IS a JOKE

Just thought I'd make that clear before everyone starts jumping on my case. If (and again I stress 'if') a subscription service in introduced, there will be a fair flat rate.Nice and simple.

In the meantime, all donations made will go towards the new hosting costs - that said even if you make a donation you will still need to pay the subscription fees if they ever happen. Sorry, but I just haven't got the time to a system to track who has donated what, when and how much compared to the subscription charge. If no-one wants to make further donations until the subscription thing is sorted out thats fine, and will probably keep things simpilier.

Cheers

Chris

[poulpit]

Hi all,

Thank's for your many replies! I am agree to pay some fees for differents things (personnaly, I have no pay to be one member because I don't know what's this great site before..[:I]).

1)It's important to preserve one website like Tamiya club where we can talk, trade,....between us. I think if Tamiya Club will be go, one part of the Tamiya Legend is gone too. Ebay is not enough.

2)If one members pays to have one access to the site, he'll respect more this website: the showroom and the traderoom will be beter, complete, and update!! More Members speak about all....but no Tamiya or r/c!

I have one beautifull tuning car too, have one soon, but I don't put pics about them on Tamiya Club! It's no here the place to expose the real car or my soon![!] []

3)It permit to "select" the guys who love really Tamiya hobby and r/c!

4)It permit to upgrade the site.( It's yet one great site, Chris!)

Sorry if I have told that, but I think it's the solution....

Why don't ask to Ebay or Tamiya to sponsorize our future Tamiya website? They both have had much money with us!!![xx(]

Regards,and sorry for my bad english[8)], I hope you have understood me!

[)]François.

[snollan]

quote:Originally posted by urban warrior

quote:Originally posted by snollan

Folks here is what I do:

I buy Chris' tamiyaclub email @ XXX dollars a year. I also make a yearly donation of $25.00 through paypal. The email is perfect for ebay, hobby related emails, and interclub emails.

For the amount of pics I have on file $25.00 bones is the least amount I can give for the services I get out of the club. If some years I make a little more bucks then I'll give a little more.

So if it's a yearly dues type of deal that's great but I still think that donations should be allowed.

My only questions is where is my sample of "Tamiyaclub" product?[8D]

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id="quote">id="quote">

Ehem ... pardon me ... do we start a membership auction here ????[?]

Regards, Martin

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id="quote">id="quote">

Nope I just choose to give as my way of helping out. I don't have a ton of puter skills, we have way gifted admins, and a good owner. So I give in the form of greenbacks.

[cant_get_right]

i wouldnt mind paying to use this club say monthly who knows maybe if we pay chris can add more stuff like movies