Starting My Own Hobby Store!

[28yoKid]

Hi all,

as you may know, I got into Tamiya a few months ago after childhood memories made me buy my 1st Pumpkin. Since then I have really enjoyed Tamiya and RC and find myself devoting a lot of my free time to improving and running my trucks!

I have often thought, "what if I could do this for a living?". SO I am going to make a stab at it and am in the process of starting my own online store!

So what I would like to know from you all is:

1) Is there anything that you want that online hobby stores do not provide for you?

2) Is there anything that online stores do do, but it compromises your enjoyment/experience?

3) Is there anything I should consider that would make you come to my site?

Thanks,

28 Yok

[matisse]

Hiya,

good luck with the store, it'd certainly be good to have a store focused on tamiya and tamiya-centric 3rd party hop-ups!

One word of warning though, i looked into this last year and all the major suppliers in the UK require you ta have an actual shop as well as an online presence. This seems to be an effort to make sure that the LHS still exists and doesn't die out in the face of cheap online competition.

let us know how it goes.

Matisse

oh, just thought of one thing, as you'd be starting fresh, as clear a site as possible would be good, some of them are so cluttered and hard to navigate (apex models especially so), and as its going to be tamiya based, a clear list of parts and hop-ups by model/chassis would be extremly useful.

[Lemming]

A few things that I had trouble sourcing in the UK are as follows:

Hop-ups such as Square, Tobbee etc - had to go via Hong Kong sites for these

Hop-ups for Kyosho models (such as the Half 8 Mini Inferno) - America only really for these

Lathe motors - Although Integy have a UK presence, seems to be a lack of the Lathe motors or else at ridiculous prices

Just some thoughs as none of the above may be possible

Steve

EDIT: Forgot to say good luck and Kudos for doing this! I've considered it but not had the time

[28yoKid]

Thanks Guys,

I will be looking at other brands as well as Tamiya. I have been advised that to stick with just Tamiya (as I had wanted) would be a bit if a dumb business move! Getting the site built this week. Not sure how long until operational, but will keep you posted.

Thanks for the feedback and advice so far, I will take it all on board, keep it coming!

[just_a_kid]

Thanks Guys,

I will be looking at other brands as well as Tamiya. I have been advised that to stick with just Tamiya (as I had wanted) would be a bit if a dumb business move! Getting the site built this week. Not sure how long until operational, but will keep you posted.

Thanks for the feedback and advice so far, I will take it all on board, keep it coming!

Hi there congrats on starting a online store.

one make of cars (new bright cars) also could do with a rep as these cars are sold at major department stores and are hard to get parts for.

If you go to the sight they have spare parts but they do not sell to public have to go through a store and the stores are not listed and hard to find so that could be a good avenue as well.

Being in buisiness also for myself it pays to listen to the wants of others and source as much information as you can but dont jump in. Look at how much the people want as well. Its all good that they want this part and that part but some companies will only sell in $500 orders and above. That can be hard to turn over and leave you with dead stock and out of poket expences that cant be replaced easily.

I do wish you all the best and keep me in touch ill be a customer if the prices are right.

Cheers.

[Tamiya1/10]

Wow, I got to give you credits for wanting to start a business, a RC hobby business, in this economic conditions. I guess you have generated some numbers and know how much sales you need to survive and the niche your business will play. I don't think, though I could be wrong, you will be dealing in volumes like some of the ebay sellers or like one of the TC sponsors. For me or anyone to buy from you would first we got to know you exist then the right product (you may want to specilize like 1/14 trucks only and target trucking firms and shipping companies to do theme trucks or corp. logoed trucks for these companies, the right price, the right service and your direct or indirect competitors cannot repricate what you do. Is a tall order (may not be specific enough for you as is like telling investor to buy low and sell high)and your business got to have a twist from the rest else it will not be easy to continue.

Hope you will do well!!

[Mad Ax]

Good luck with this!

Something that would really help is having a database to link stock to chassis. So I can pick my Tamiya chassis / model and have all its spares and hop-ups listed, including non-Tamiya ones. RCMart seems to be quite good at this although their recent site redesign isn't as good as the old one IMO - too much stuff on one page.

A lot of online stores list new kits under categories - make this work for you. Don't over-categorize. I don't want to have to search in Monster Trucks AND Off Road Buggies to be sure that a site doesn't have a Brat in stock. When you create too many categories, you have too many cross-overs and have to list them twice.

If you're going to sell abroad in foreign currencies, have an option for the user to choose their currency at the viewing stage so they at least get an idea of price. Some of the HK sellers have recently stopped doing this and it's annoying to have to manually fire numbers into a calculator to get an estimate.

If at all possible, allow users to get a shipping quote BEFORE they reach the checkout stage. RCMart is one of my fave suppliers, but I have to go all the way thru the checkout stage before I can see what shipping is going to cost. Perhaps a "Shipping Quote" button on the Shopping Cart page would work - it would use the same calculations as the "choose your shipping" page that most stores have, but is shown before you've gone through all the long-winded checkout process. It's so annoying as a buyer to go all through this, only to find that shipping costs are extortionate and I have to reduce my order or find another supplier.

Note on shipping: RCMart has a "wasted weight" field on its shipping form. Shipping is charged in weight brackets; if a buyer's order falls just over a bracket, he'll be paying for shipping that he isn't using. The "wasted weight" field allows the buyer to see how much extra stuff he can order without his shipping charge increasing - very useful if you've got a little bit of spare space and you can squeeze in a few more hop-ups!

Edit: A further thought, make your descriptions clear. This seems to be a particular problem with UK sellers and wheels / tyres. Give us a decent photo and a clear description. Some UK sellers just show a low-res image and no text. Please, if we're buying wheels or tyres, we want to know: How many per pack? What type of fitting? Any accessories supplied (HPI often include a multi-fit kit for their monster truck wheels). What size? e.g. 2.2, 1.9, 40 series. If wheels, how wide, and what's the offset? (very important for scale truck builders who don't want wheels sticking out of their arches). If tyres, what type of tread? Any foam included?

Allow people to search by manufacturer part number too. HPI do some really great wheels and include their own part numbers on their European website, but these can be hard to find on UK websites. Apex Models have a good (if unclear) search facility where you can find part numbers. Also lots of us search for Tamiya spares and hop-ups by the Tamiya part number. Don't make us trawl through list after list of TT01 spare, just let us type in the code and go straight to it.

Let us know how you get on.

[28yoKid]

Thanks again for all the feedback and well wishes! I expect the site will start off with Kits and then slowly take on new products like wheels, spares...etc... as I work it out..!

I will ensure there is enough info per item..I really hate that too, a picture on its own is never enough info to buy on!

I will pass all the feedback so far to my web dev to see if these features can be incorporated into the first build.

Any other suggestions???????????

[Limerick91]

Hi, good luck with your business!

One thing is that many online stores don't cater for the newbie's amoung us, maybe some help and guidance showing new comers what they are looking for, i know when i first started and was looking for a new motor i had NO idea what the turn number meant, nor the size of the motor or what size tyres or wheels i needed.

I think it would induce new people to shop more on your website if they aren't intimidated by all the info.

[Malakite]

Hi mate and firstly GOOD LUCK!! Secondly I would try and have a 'Marui' section. These are still very popular amongst us enthusiasts and I know that a lot of us have trouble with parts in the UK, so that could be a good and option for you

[28yoKid]

Hi, good luck with your business!

One thing is that many online stores don't cater for the newbie's amoung us, maybe some help and guidance showing new comers what they are looking for, i know when i first started and was looking for a new motor i had NO idea what the turn number meant, nor the size of the motor or what size tyres or wheels i needed.

I think it would induce new people to shop more on your website if they aren't intimidated by all the info.

I totally understand that! I was in the same boat 2 months ago. Looking at parts I didn't know would fit or not! I have an idea for that one. I was thinking of having a number of hop-up kits for each model. Eg Lunchbox, Kit 1 = Bearings and ceramic grease, Kit 2 ST540 +m CVAs +KIT 1, Kit 3= Brushless + ESC +Kit 1...etc...This could also extend to wheel and tyre packages too. That way depending on the level of performance you want you just order the kit and everything is there and most importantly IT FITS!

[28yoKid]

Hi mate and firstly GOOD LUCK!! Secondly I would try and have a 'Marui' section. These are still very popular amongst us enthusiasts and I know that a lot of us have trouble with parts in the UK, so that could be a good and option for you

I will look into it. New to me!

[loaded]

Lovely idea, a couple of words of warning (apologies if already stated) and support:

1) Don't worry keeping it to just Tamiya. After all, Vodafone mobile shops and other 'tied' specialists actually do very well if they know what they are doing. If you are going to pick a brand, you picked the right one.

2) Think seriously about NOT doing this if you don't have alternative income. Hobby stores can be just that. A hobby.

3) Keep postage and packing low for customers outside the UK (especially other EU countries). There is nothing more irritating than a website which sells a $5 widget then insists you ship it using FedEx diamond care service with $10,000 insurance for $50 or something ridiculous. I wanted to buy a hammock once, about $200. With a straight face (at least over the phone no indication of mirth) I was told shipping would be $800. Right,...

4) Keep the website simple. Complicated websited certainly bore me, so I go elsewhere.

5) Have a phone presence as well.

6) Give me 50% discount on everything, or I will send the boys round.

That's about it. A lot of hobby shops are dying right now and although many people on this forum and others will lament that fact, the truth is most of them are the ones responsible for it. Sorry, but that is a fact. I don't just mean support of the local hobby store, but frequenting the Hong Kong and Japanese sellers instead online retailers in their own country.

Paul.

[28yoKid]

Lovely idea, a couple of words of warning (apologies if already stated) and support:

1) Don't worry keeping it to just Tamiya. After all, Vodafone mobile shops and other 'tied' specialists actually do very well if they know what they are doing. If you are going to pick a brand, you picked the right one.

2) Think seriously about NOT doing this if you don't have alternative income. Hobby stores can be just that. A hobby.

3) Keep postage and packing low for customers outside the UK (especially other EU countries). There is nothing more irritating than a website which sells a $5 widget then insists you ship it using FedEx diamond care service with $10,000 insurance for $50 or something ridiculous. I wanted to buy a hammock once, about $200. With a straight face (at least over the phone no indication of mirth) I was told shipping would be $800. Right,...

4) Keep the website simple. Complicated websited certainly bore me, so I go elsewhere.

5) Have a phone presence as well.

6) Give me 50% discount on everything, or I will send the boys round.

That's about it. A lot of hobby shops are dying right now and although many people on this forum and others will lament that fact, the truth is most of them are the ones responsible for it. Sorry, but that is a fact. I don't just mean support of the local hobby store, but frequenting the Hong Kong and Japanese sellers instead online retailers in their own country.

Paul.

Thanks for the advice, I agree with all the points you made...

I have other sources of income, so this is a fun venture, if I can cover my costs or even make some profit I will be very pleased + the experience will be the main benefit for me.

I will definitely give people the option to have different levels of postage. I don't want to make money off postage! Somehow this seems wrong.

At the moment (after speaking to a few distributors) Tamiya will be the main focus.

....Ah point 6. I think I will take my chances! Imagine the cost of sending the boys round? $800 for a hammock...

[loaded]

Good luck then :-)

Paul.

[Jonny Retro]

I definately agree with the postage cost issue - nothing puts me off more than over the top charges ... I buy & sell a fair bit of stuff on eBay, and used to work on the admin side of a courier firm (no names, but they had a reputation for Dropping, Hiding and Losing parcels ) so I know what it costs ...

You might be able to get a deal from a courier for a fixed price on packages (and you'll get the advantage of your stuff being picked up, and having full tracking) - for example, booking a pickup with that certain three-lettered firm through Parcel2go would cost you 10.56, taking it to their door would cost more, but the price they charge a lot of business customers was more like 3 ...

Good luck

[28yoKid]

I definately agree with the postage cost issue - nothing puts me off more than over the top charges ... I buy & sell a fair bit of stuff on eBay, and used to work on the admin side of a courier firm (no names, but they had a reputation for Dropping, Hiding and Losing parcels ) so I know what it costs ...

You might be able to get a deal from a courier for a fixed price on packages (and you'll get the advantage of your stuff being picked up, and having full tracking) - for example, booking a pickup with that certain three-lettered firm through Parcel2go would cost you 10.56, taking it to their door would cost more, but the price they charge a lot of business customers was more like 3 ...

Good luck

just pm'd you.

[Jonny Retro]

just pm'd you.

I started replying half an hour ago ... give me another 1/2 hour or so & I'll be sending it

[Jonny Retro]

I started replying half an hour ago ... give me another 1/2 hour or so & I'll be sending it

Done!

All 1,400 words of it ... hope it helps

[deejay1711]

hi there, i have recently been looking into the same thing myself but have decided with the current economic climate to put it on bacxk burner for a while. i did get some great info and advice from canvassing here on TC but one of the best bits of advice i got was this. to gather your information you probably know you need to do market research. This forum is very good and people have some invaluable info so to record it all visit here:-

http://www.surveymonkey.com/

set up an account and link it to this forum, easy.

here is the thread with a link to my survey that i ran a while a go

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?...c=45668&hl=

good luck mate, if i can help drop me a line as i have about 80% of a business plan complete as i need to secure funding to start it. its something i am going to continue working on and pick up at a later date when

A) i know more!

people have some money to spend!!

hope this helps

[28yoKid]

hi there, i have recently been looking into the same thing myself but have decided with the current economic climate to put it on bacxk burner for a while. i did get some great info and advice from canvassing here on TC but one of the best bits of advice i got was this. to gather your information you probably know you need to do market research. This forum is very good and people have some invaluable info so to record it all visit here:-

http://www.surveymonkey.com/

set up an account and link it to this forum, easy.

here is the thread with a link to my survey that i ran a while a go

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?...c=45668&hl=

good luck mate, if i can help drop me a line as i have about 80% of a business plan complete as i need to secure funding to start it. its something i am going to continue working on and pick up at a later date when

A) i know more!

people have some money to spend!!

hope this helps

Hi Deejay, thanks for the offer of help and advice, I may be calling on you soon!

I will check the links so thanks for those. Just to update, the website dev is now underway. Got a first draft of the theme sent last night. Looks really cool! Phew!

[28yoKid]

Done!

All 1,400 words of it ... hope it helps

Brilliant! I had to stop half way through for a toilet break, but I finished it!

No seriously, great advice.

Thanks.

[Jonny Retro]

I had another thought - star ratings for kits, one set for build ease, one for build time. Or maybe something themed anyway ... wheels, or Wild Willy heads

Of course, to do this you'd have to build one of every kit you stock

Build ease:

1 willy head : so easy an average 10 year old could do it easily without supervision

2: same hypothetical 10 year old, but may need some help

3: some complex tasks, prior modelmaking experience useful

4: more difficult than average

5: advanced instruction interpretation & fettling/sizing/fabrication required

Build time:

1: 2-3 hours on Christmas morning & you could have the thing up & running

2: 4-5 hours + time to let the paint dry

3: 1 long day + time to let the paint dry

4: Several days

5: possibly stretching into weeks

For example:

Grasshopper (if you don't paint it): 1 & 1

Midnight Pumpkin Chrome Edition: 1 & 1

Hornet: 1 & 2

Wild Willy 2: 3 & 3

Pajero MTW: 3 & 3

Lunchbox: 1 & 2

Subaru Brat: 2 & 4 (to do the hard shell properly)

Frog: 2 & 3

Mardave Cobra: 3.5 & 3 (thanks to the poor manual)

RC10: 4 & 3 (ditto)

[28yoKid]

I had another thought - star ratings for kits, one set for build ease, one for build time. Or maybe something themed anyway ... wheels, or Wild Willy heads

Of course, to do this you'd have to build one of every kit you stock

Build ease:

1 willy head : so easy an average 10 year old could do it easily without supervision

2: same hypothetical 10 year old, but may need some help

3: some complex tasks, prior modelmaking experience useful

4: more difficult than average

5: advanced instruction interpretation & fettling/sizing/fabrication required

Build time:

1: 2-3 hours on Christmas morning & you could have the thing up & running

2: 4-5 hours + time to let the paint dry

3: 1 long day + time to let the paint dry

4: Several days

5: possibly stretching into weeks

For example:

Grasshopper (if you don't paint it): 1 & 1

Midnight Pumpkin Chrome Edition: 1 & 1

Hornet: 1 & 2

Wild Willy 2: 3 & 3

Pajero MTW: 3 & 3

Lunchbox: 1 & 2

Subaru Brat: 2 & 4 (to do the hard shell properly)

Frog: 2 & 3

Mardave Cobra: 3.5 & 3 (thanks to the poor manual)

RC10: 4 & 3 (ditto)

Great Idea Jon. I hadn't thought of rating for ease of building, but that is obviously a nice touch. I will def see if I can incorporate it. Not sure my wife would let me build one of each tho -even in the name of business research??!

Maybe I could ask people who had already built the kit to leave their reviews on building/running?

Thanks everyone for your inputs...keep it coming...!

The review product feature has just been added!

[deejay1711]

by the way, do you know that most suppliers (especially hobbyco/cml) won't supply to you unless you have a shop? they do this to stop people running online only stores from home/lockups etc and therefore undercutting existing model stores due to lower overheads. if you have a premises to trade from, fair enough, but without it will be difficult. don't wanna pee on a bonfire or anything, just raising points that you may or may not know