Model Business

[Guest]

Hi all,

I'm currently in the (very) early stages of setting up an online model shop, mainly as an additional form of income and I suppose as a bit of a hobby too. I currently have a part time job in a national model retailer (no prizes for guessing who!) alongside my studies, so I do have a fairly good grasp on the subject.

I realise that i'm never ever going to be able to compete with larger businesses by offering a selection of everything, so i'm trying to select stock which is perhaps a bit more 'niche' or unusual. Basically i'm interested in finding out what you guys would like to see from an online model retailer.

Your thoughts and opinions are welcome on any aspect of this project, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Many Thanks

Nick

[spanner570]

Nick, I own a retail shop, not modelling. I don't wish to sound unfriendly or nosey but let me get this straight......These guys have given you part time employment and now you are thinking of setting up against them, albeit in a minor way, whilst still in their employ. Is this correct or have I misread your intentions?

Ron

[Guest]

Ron,

I'm a student in my 3rd year of university. Hopefully within a few months i'll have graduated and be on the career ladder in a full time occupation, so I will be leaving soon regardless of whether or not my online venture comes off or not. I fully appreciate that my contract doesn't allow me to operate a 'rival' venture whilst in their employ and I fully understand the consequences which would befall me should I go ahead anyway. There is however nothing in my contract to say that I cannot do market research, and lay the foundations whilst still being an employee.

Regards

Nick

[Guest]

Nick, I'm all for private enterprise & it's good to see a bit of drive from a young person. However, to work in a modelshop has to be a bit of a dream of mine (mainly a dream as I doubt the wages would be enough) so I'm a little dismayed that you can't wait until your obvious conflict of interest is over. If it was me in your position, I'd concentrate on making models to get experience & perhaps negotiating a contract at your work to get commission on whatever new ideas that you implement. That would both increase your income & maybe lead to a better position at the shop when your studies are finished. Only my opinion & I hope it doesn't give offense. Patrick

[Guest]

Thanks Patrick.

Whilst I don't necessarily consider myself a hugely successful modeler, I do however think that I have a broad and in depth knowledge of modeling techniques and I do have quite a bit of knowledge on the subject.

Whilst I do enjoy my job and my employer is undoubtedly the best employer I've ever worked for, the job itself is very similar to any retail job, products aside. Also many successful companies have been started by former employees. Waterstones is a good example, being started by a former employee of WH Smith.

I don't wish to sound nonchalant or sound as if I view my job as being beneath me: far from it. I enjoy my job and i'm extremely grateful to the company for the opportunity they have given me. Running an online shop has always been an ambition of mine and i do not intend to launch my (potential) site whilst still working for the company.

I'm just interested to see what sort of products would be welcomed by the modeling fraternity.

I welcome any response, both positive or negative.

Many Thanks

Nick S

I do welcome

[Guest]

Hi Nick , I`ve got to agree with the other guys who have posted , if you had posted without mentioning you was working for another model company then you might have got a better response , whatever you choose to do I wish you good luck ,

saying that I`ve just found netmerchants through this forum and just spent £50 odd quid on some 1/35 british WW2 SAS , paras , and commandos figures , & some diorama stuff that I could not find doing a normal google search ,

Dont you just love this forum

Nick - follow your dream mate , but dont cross those who have taught you.

I`m 42 who used to have my own building firm , one thing I learnt very quickly was dont tread on your rivals toes especially the guys who taught you the trade in the 1st place

Richy

[stona]

Well Nick I know b**ger all about the retail business but I don't see how you could make a go of selling "niche" products as by definition they must appeal to a minority of modellers. There are companies who,for example, sell specialist resin detail sets but I suspect many do it more for the love than the money. They are often owned by serious modellers. As far as mainstream kits and accessories go there is a lot of competition out there! Please don't think I am trying to pour cold water on your ambitions, quite the reverse, but you have to be realistic. Most model shops operate online now and competition is fierce.

I tend to buy mainstream kits which are available from many sources. Price aside,and they don't vary much, the deciding factors for me tend to be service and an up to date stock level online. I have my preferred online retailer and it would take something special to convince me to change.

I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to try.

Steve

[Guest]

Well good luck to you & I would guess that a person doesn't need to be a great modeller to sell models, especially in an online capacity. If I had a street-based retail store, then I'd want to be a pretty good 'hands-on' modeller. My advice in terms of stock (apart from cheap prices!) would be to pick the popular types of kit, eg in AFV terms Tigers 1 & 2 for instance, and then have complimentary paints, pigments, detail kits (photo-etch) that will improve & finish off the basic kit. Patrick

[Guest]

Cheers guys, all feedback is greatly appreciated.

Perhaps I should elaborate on a few points. The company I work for is unlikely to be affected by a small (tiny) online business. I don't work for a small traditional model shop where any drop in trade is likely to have adverse effects. I am not jeopardizing anyone's job.

In terms of modelling ability I've tackled lots of projects in my time with quite a bit of success. Whilst i'm not professing to be an accomplished modeler such as those who display their work in magazines, I feel confident enough that I have enough practical experience to advise other modelers on their projects.

In terms of niche products, for example stocking discontinued or hard to get hold of kits, i'd be able to distinguish myself from other retailers who perhaps may not deal with certain companies due to politics and other business deals etc.

I don't want to earn millions out of this (however nice it would be!), I just want to have a viable going concern that hopefully puts an extra couple of pounds in my bank account each month; university is an expensive pursuit, somewhere near £20k for three years last time I checked.

Any further comments about any aspect are greatly welcomed. Any more suggestions about stock will be appreciated.

Regards

Nick S

[Guest]

If you work for a big chain like Modelzone, then I take your point about competition Nick, but it would be rather unfortunate if your little business put your job at risk! As for your ideas about niche products, I think Steve's comments are very valid-there are a large number of established vendors of such items who've garnered strong customer loyalty over the years. Perhaps you should have a look over the threads of new members on here & look to fulfill their needs-a guiding light for inexperienced modellers? I know this reply sounds very negative and it's not my intention to rain on your parade. If your venture becomes a success then all credit to you. Why not join in on here & post up some pics of your work? And if you find a way to sell large bottles of Tamiya thinner, you'll have a customer in me! Patrick

[Guest]

No no, far from it. I'd rather have what you term 'negative' comments than nothing at all, before I take a flying leap into a venture that leaves me lumbered with say £500 of unsold kits.

As I say, i'm very much in the early stages. As of yet I have no business plan or any suppliers lined up, merely ideas.

In terms of large bottles of tamiya thinner they are a nightmare to get hold of. I suspect this may be an issue with Hobby Company (the UK importers of Tamiya/Italeri and other such brands) wanting more sales of smaller bottles. I don't know for certain, but to me this seems plausible.

[Guest]

I think the issue of Tamiya thinners is down to EU regulations regarding the shipping & import of flammable materials, especially with the fears of terrorism. Smaller containers pose less of a risk-I work for a shipping firm so I deal with the regs all the time. On another point, one way to get a leap on other shops would be to find smaller foreign companies who cater for modellers. For instance, RB Models in Poland makes tank barrels that are as good as Aber's (I suspect they supply Aber!) but are alot cheaper, yet they have almost no distribution over here. No-one on ebay carries their stuff ;o)

[Guest]

That's quite interesting. I've heard all sorts of rumours regarding the missing Tamiya ranges, from the believable to the frankly absurd. I know a lot of the general public who aren't necessarily seasoned modelers get very frustrated when they can't get half of the colours that the kit states it needs. Many don't seem to appreciate that as a model you can paint it in whatever colours you want as it's ultimately your creation. Often simply pointing out equivalent colours from other manufacturers is met with disregard. I suppose that's one of the problems with modelling; to outsiders it's a completely alien world, yet I always find that the application of common sense seems to overcome most obstacles.

That's very interesting information regarding the tank barrels. It's through products such as these which I would try and differentiate myself from other competitors. I'll have a look into this. I've already looked into importing goods from China. There's a company who produce diecast model cars of a quality similar to Minichamps & Autoart called Paudi model, however for the time being at least the sheer numbers involved are too large for me to even begin contemplating.

Nick S