partner wanted

[9fingers]

Am I the only who's a bit upset by how Alexander has been treated here?

He has come here with a design for something that he has obviously spent a lot of time and thought on only to be questioned, flamed and dare I say it insulted by some of the replies here.

This is another example of someone posting a specific question or request and it rapidly being hijacked by opinion and criticism, with no-one taking the time to think of they have something genuinely useful to say. ( /rant - my apologies if I'm seem hypocritical by further hijacking the post, but I wanted to make a point to those involved)

Alexander, I realise you may not want to part with the specifics of the design but what processes are you currently using to make your current holders? maybe the forums can help to refine the process. What kind of volumes do you predict on making? Have you considered CNC routing?

Tommy.

Tommy,
I tend to agree with you hence my hopefully helpful earlier reply. I would not want Alexander to get his hopes up over there being a healthy market for his product here in UK. I really don't think it will fly.

Bob

 

[big soft moose]

Am I the only who's a bit upset by how Alexander has been treated here?

He has come here with a design for something that he has obviously spent a lot of time and thought on only to be questioned, flamed and dare I say it insulted by some of the replies here.

This is another example of someone posting a specific question or request and it rapidly being hijacked by opinion and criticism, with no-one taking the time to think of they have something genuinely useful to say. ( /rant - my apologies if I'm seem hypocritical by further hijacking the post, but I wanted to make a point to those involved)

Alexander, I realise you may not want to part with the specifics of the design but what processes are you currently using to make your current holders? maybe the forums can help to refine the process. What kind of volumes do you predict on making? Have you considered CNC routing?

Tommy.

If he had indeed been flamed or insulted you would be correct but i cant see any sign of this (except maybe in some early posts when it wasnt apparent that this wasnt a scam - like the nigeria 419s)

and imo constructive criticism such as that given here is useful as it lets alexander know that the market for bcd in britain and related markets is extremly limited , and thus there is little point in trying to recruit a partner in the uk - he would be better concentrating on developing the russian side of the business, as the markets there , and in other ex soviet states, may be less technology orientated than britain and thus there may be more people likely to buy a bcd

 

[prombert]

Am I the only who's a bit upset by how Alexander has been treated here?

He has come here with a design for something that he has obviously spent a lot of time and thought on only to be questioned, flamed and dare I say it insulted by some of the replies here.

This is another example of someone posting a specific question or request and it rapidly being hijacked by opinion and criticism, with no-one taking the time to think of they have something genuinely useful to say. ( /rant - my apologies if I'm seem hypocritical by further hijacking the post, but I wanted to make a point to those involved)

Alexander, I realise you may not want to part with the specifics of the design but what processes are you currently using to make your current holders? maybe the forums can help to refine the process. What kind of volumes do you predict on making? Have you considered CNC routing?

Tommy.

Take it easy, Tommy and thanks for support. I understood a half of jokes and another half leaves me cool.
Regarding my device - it doesn't require any special equipment because of very simple design. Saw, plane, sander and drill machine - that's all.

Volumes - it's one million dollars question. Here in Moscow i sell 10-20 BCD per month in one on-line gift shop. There are about one hundred on-line shops if half of them will sell my BCD total number could be about 500. Same predicts for London. I made mistake?

I have a question for all - did you see my device in action going to the link posted yesterday? Did you have a smile?

 

[wizer]

For anyone who missed it

No it didn't make me smile, but that's because I'm a grumpy ba$tard. If I saw it on someone's desk I'd find it novel and play with it for a minute. But I'd never buy one and I don't think any serious businessman would either.

If you proceed to make them I do have one comment about the aesthetics of the product. It's very monolithic. Just a plain box. It would be nice to see some curves, maybe some contrasting timber. Something to make it stand out and look 'cool' on the desk. An ornament as well as a business card dispenser.

 

[big soft moose]

Volumes - it's one million dollars question. Here in Moscow i sell 10-20 BCD per month in one on-line gift shop. There are about one hundred on-line shops if half of them will sell my BCD total number could be about 500. Same predicts for London. I made mistake?

I have a question for all - did you see my device in action going to the link posted yesterday? Did you have a smile?

Thats false logic i'm afraid - what matters is how many customers there are not how many onliner gift shops stock them - you could find a vast increase in custom , or you could find that you still got 20 sales but now spread accross 20 gift shops - the reality is probably in the middle but it isnt a simple matter of multiplying current sales by number of shops stocking them

I also think that the market in london is even more limited than in moscow due to western tendency away from biz cards to pdas and email.

also if you are right and you get a lot more sales are you going to keep up with the manufacture in your garage ?

If this is a viable product - the only way to service big sales is to out source production (probably to china or asia where labour is cheap) however my feeling is that it is only a novelty with a very limited market.

 

[prombert]

If this is a viable product - the only way to service big sales is to out source production (probably to china or asia where labour is cheap) however my feeling is that it is only a novelty with a very limited market.

If retail price is J10 - will it increase sales?

 

[jimi43]

Alexander...I think the key point here is that in the West at least...both desks and business cards in their solid form are probably dying breeds now.

I suggest that you put your ingenuity into something which is viable or seek a market where these are still current technologies....

I have a friend in Moscow who makes guitars and does very well by it...perhaps your woodworking skills would be better served in that market?

Jim

 

[big soft moose]

Alexander...I think the key point here is that in the West at least...both desks and business cards in their solid form are probably dying breeds now.

thats a good point - at a junior executive level at least it is becoming increaasinly usual for people to hot desk - meaning that desk based gadgets arent viable, while many more people work from home, or on the move

 

[OPJ]

Well, I think you (Alexander) would need to establish two things before anyone in the UK would be willing to invest or assist with the production.

One is that you can larger quantities in Russia. Currently, you say you are selling ten to twenty per month. Unfortunately, that isn't very attractive. If you could come back again when you're producing hundreds every month then, I think you would have a better chance of finding help.

Secondly, as many others have commented here already - is there a market for these in the UK?

Have you visited other websites and forums to try and attain how big the market would be? I'm not talking woodworking sites here; I mean businesses. There clearly aren't many here who you would be targeting.

It's unlikely to make you rich but, as you've already proven in Russia, there is definitely some interest in this product. You just need to keep working at it and spread the word.

Sorry if any of that sounds too critical or insulting - it's not meant to.

 

[wizer]

I work for the largest media company in the world and am an IT Consultant, which means I see a lot of desks\offices. As hard as I think, I can't remember seeing business card holders. It's just not something people have these days. As Bob says, the small pocket sized holder is much more convenient, if required. Business cards tend to be given when away from one's desk.

 

[big soft moose]

If retail price is J10 - will it increase sales?

I'm not sure what you mean by J10 - if you mean E10 / £10 then possibly that price might improve sales - but that would only be a realistic price if they were being sourced in bulk in china/asia

taking into account the price of wood and whatever other components this couldnt possibly give a decent hourly rate for a uk worker - given that the uk min wage (generally paid for menial work) is £5.25ph - many craftsmen cost their time at £10/ph +

in fact even a unit price of £27 doesnt allow much unless they are very quick to make

 

[prombert]

Thanks to everybody. Almost all posts are useful.
Last question (I hope) - could you provide me with any tips with handmade gift shops in London/UK? Many thanks in advance!

Alexander

 

[BMac]

Hi Alexander,

I'm in Ireland so I don't know much about shops in London or England but here's the link to the 'Yellow Pages' business directory. It is categorised and has a search facility.

http://www.yell.com/

Brendan

 

[jimi43]

Thanks to everybody. Almost all posts are useful.
Last question (I hope) - could you provide me with any tips with handmade gift shops in London/UK? Many thanks in advance!

Alexander

Try Harrods or Liberty - their buying departments...if they won't take retro stuff then nobody will!

Why not try eBay UK? Test the market.

Good luck mate....I think you are "on a hiding to nothing" as we say in the UK but good luck anyway!

Jim

 

[prombert]

Thanks to everybody. Almost all posts are useful.
Last question (I hope) - could you provide me with any tips with handmade gift shops in London/UK? Many thanks in advance!

Alexander

Try Harrods or Liberty - their buying departments...if they won't take retro stuff then nobody will!

Why not try eBay UK? Test the market.

Good luck mate....I think you are "on a hiding to nothing" as we say in the UK but good luck anyway!

Jim

Harrods and one guy from Moscow... It could be very interesting deal.

 

[jimi43]

Thanks to everybody. Almost all posts are useful.
Last question (I hope) - could you provide me with any tips with handmade gift shops in London/UK? Many thanks in advance!

Alexander

Try Harrods or Liberty - their buying departments...if they won't take retro stuff then nobody will!

Why not try eBay UK? Test the market.

Good luck mate....I think you are "on a hiding to nothing" as we say in the UK but good luck anyway!

Jim

Harrods and one guy from Moscow... It could be very interesting deal.

You need not worry about how big the big boys are...if they like the prototype your only problem is where to get it made fast enough...I would LOVE that problem!

Jim

 

[prombert]

All vendors seeking to supply not-for-resale products and services to Harrods Ltd. should follow these steps to register your business with us. This will help us to have a better understanding of your capabilities and qualifications as we seek high-performance suppliers who are able to meet our requirements for delivery, quality, responsiveness and competitiveness.

Minimum Requirements for All suppliers

Financial stability (you may be asked to provide audited financial statements)
Proven history of successful projects
Understanding of Harrods Ltd's business and practices
Ability to provide high-quality, cost competitive products and services
Acting in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, in addition to maintaining the highest standards of business ethics.
Registration Checklist

Please prepare the following documentation before you proceed to register. You will not be able to continue without this information:
Basic company information
VAT registration number
Company registration number
Basic contacts information
Annual Sales for the past three years
Please note: Registering with Harrods Ltd. will not automatically guarantee your company a business opportunity, however, if after reviewing your information, your company meet our criteria, it will be forwarded to the appropriate buyer, who will respond to you accordingly if a match or need arises. Please be assured that any information you provided will be kept strictly confidential, and used only by Harrods Ltd.


Luck was so close!

 

[big soft moose]

realistically you have no hope of supplying the big names from a garage type opperation

you need to start with the smaller - probably internet based - companies and get your design patented and your production out sourced before you try the big names

you could for example approach someone like http://www.yesgifts.co.uk/ tho even they may want to see more evidence of stability than one bloke part time in his garage.

 

[matt]

A lot of imported stuff is sourced "locally" by agents in the respective countries, working on behalf of the retailer. The retailer will then visit the country and the agent is more or less like a tour guide - getting the buyer round all the local suppliers who have product of interest. In some cases the local agent will help sort volume production. Find out whothe agents are for UK retailers and approach them. That's the way to get in with the big boys and hopefully scale your production accordingly without having to do it on your own. .

 

[jimi43]

Obviously Harrods have a less than simples way of buying...

I just thought if they bought the above little character then they would be open to ANYTHING!

Looks like you have to tests the meerkats a little further Alexander my dear friend!

Jim