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christmas card business

ThirtyOne

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I actually don't think so - If you make cards that aren't crazy hardcore (like the one with all the people drowning), but just snarky, I think you could sell them to both people buying for atheists, and atheists looking to send a barb to their friends.
that's an idea: backhanded greeting cards
 
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G-Man

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Now if someone could just make snarky greeting cards directed at vegans, I could have passive aggressive revenge at this year's company Christmas party.
 

amp0193

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Puppy

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Many athiests' favorite hobby is telling everyone how atheist they are.

when i saw this my first thought was, true, but still not as bad as vegans are about it. thanks g-man for going there first. ill be in line right behind you to buy those cards.
 
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amp0193

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when i saw this my first thought was, true, but still not as bad as vegans are about it. thanks g-man for going there first. ill be in line right behind you to buy those cards.

I think this is because atheism isn't as cool as it used to be. Now it's just kind of normal. Back in the day, you were on the fringe if you were an outspoken atheist.

I definitely agree that vegans (and many similar sub-sets of people with a focus on environment/natural living) are way worse about it.

Which is why I think that youtube channel is so damn funny.
 

G-Man

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I definitely agree that vegans (and many similar sub-sets of people with a focus on environment/natural living) are way worse about it.

It's always good to find out your new coworkers are vegans BEFORE casually (and jokingly) mentioning going hunting as a child.

OP, I don't know if the vegan or atheist snark plays in the UK, but you might have your greeting card ideas.
 

amp0193

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It's always good to find out your new coworkers are vegans BEFORE casually (and jokingly) mentioning going hunting as a child.

I'm anti-vegan.

They are eating my food's food.
 
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Puppy

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i try to coexist. i wont shove my steak in your face if you dont shove your tofu in mine. sadly its almost impossible. they agree to not try to force feed me hummus but they still try to swipe my meat and call me a murderer and proclaim their moral superiority (not even joking - true story):rage:

sorry dont mean to derail the thread into vegan rants. back to greeting cards...
 

pipedream2017

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thanks for the replies guys. i was also thinking about hitting up local shops and asking if i could have a small space in the shop for 50/50 profits on the cards? opinions?
 

Scot

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thanks for the replies guys. i was also thinking about hitting up local shops and asking if i could have a small space in the shop for 50/50 profits on the cards? opinions?

Brilliant! That will definitely differentiate you from other card companies. Why didn't hallmark think of selling in card shops.
 
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ThirtyOne

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I love it. This guy is definitely a troll. Keep it coming.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

amp0193

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thanks for the replies guys. i was also thinking about hitting up local shops and asking if i could have a small space in the shop for 50/50 profits on the cards? opinions?

A better option would be to design and print 20-30 cards, build out an endcap, and try to sell the whole she-bang to shops. The model you're looking for is wholesale to retail.
 

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never thought of that. i think it could be a good model to use in the process of testing a product and building a brand. i think i need to seriously consider trying this for my own product project. question - how would i approach shops? who would i talk to? do i make an appointment? have a presentation? i understand the process up to selling it to the shop, then i dont know what to do.
 
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sparechange

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over saturated imo

how about this? a website where you create customized letters or cards > send them to a friend? maybe that could be a market, just a random idea
 

amp0193

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never thought of that. i think it could be a good model to use in the process of testing a product and building a brand. i think i need to seriously consider trying this for my own product project. question - how would i approach shops? who would i talk to? do i make an appointment? have a presentation? i understand the process up to selling it to the shop, then i dont know what to do.

You talk to the owner or manager of the shop.

Cold call, walk in, appointment, however. All will work, some will be more effective than others.

If you have cards that are in some way unique from what's out there and the price is good, and you have a nice little end cap display, then you just gotta tell people about it.

It's not nearly as complicated as you think it is.
 

Puppy

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You talk to the owner or manager of the shop.

Cold call, walk in, appointment, however. All will work, some will be more effective than others.

If you have cards that are in some way unique from what's out there and the price is good, and you have a nice little end cap display, then you just gotta tell people about it.

It's not nearly as complicated as you think it is.
my project isnt for cards but its still a product i could bring to retail locally. initially i had amazon, a web page, and social media as how i would sell it but im thinking getting it in a store locally would be a good way to test my product and the market and i could get some good info from it.

i dont think its at all complicated, and i feel dumb for asking how to sell it. once ive made contact i think i can present and sell my product to the store, if they say no then i can find out why and overcome it or try another store. its the making contact part i just dont know how to do. i dont know how to contact appropiately or what is appropiate and whats not.

i can see myself walking in and being like hey i have this product and no one in the area carries it. if you carry it will bring more business to you and set you apart as you will be THE place to go to get this product. here is how my product will appeal and add value to the consumer and to your business [quick bullet points of benefits/value]. i have created a display to use or can configure it to be used in shelf space allotted. i would like a 6 month spot/trial. so what duya say? ...and i also see that not working. i think i have the right idea and concept but my excution plan is still flawed because i simply dont know and have no experience in that aspect of the process
 
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amp0193

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i dont think its at all complicated, and i feel dumb for asking how to sell it. once ive made contact i think i can present and sell my product to the store, if they say no then i can find out why and overcome it or try another store. its the making contact part i just dont know how to do. i dont know how to contact appropiately or what is appropiate and whats not.

You're not dumb for asking. 1.5 years ago, I felt the same way. Wholesale to retail was a mystery. Now it's not. I get it, there's no guidebook, and there's not a lot of writeups online about selling to retail.

You won't learn any of that stuff until you just do it. Go make a fool of yourself and have some awkward conversations, and yes, you will quickly learn what to say and what not say. There is no substitution for just trying. Just pick a method and give it a go. I was working a full-time job when I started the wholesale side of my business, and got all my leads via cold emails, as I couldn't get away during the day to call or meet with people in person. The conversion rate was low, but it got my foot in the door.

i can see myself walking in and being like hey i have this product and no one in the area carries it. if you carry it will bring more business to you and set you apart as you will be THE place to go to get this product. here is how my product will appeal and add value to the consumer and to your business [quick bullet points of benefits/value]. i have created a display to use or can configure it to be used in shelf space allotted. i would like a 6 month spot/trial. so what duya say?

Sounds fine. Before any of that, the first question you need to ask is, "I'm so and so with XXX company. Who's the appropriate person to speak to about new product lines?". Don't waste your time pitching to a non-decision maker.

i simply dont know and have no experience in that aspect of the process

Dedicate a week to attempting to sell. You will make a fool of yourself, but after a week, you will have experience.


See all those other products on the shelves? The owners of those companies didn't know what they were doing either. Until they did.


Alternatively, hire some sales reps. See the link in my signature about distributors. All of my new wholesale accounts are now coming to me with no work being done on my part.
 
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Bulgano

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The idea is good as a concept, but by doing Christmas cards, you are leaving yourself to a closed market. Why make it so you only make a profit 1 month of the year, when instead you could generalise and appeal to the "General Card" market instead?
AKA; Instead of limiting yourself to Christmas Cards, offer that as well as Father/Mother's Day cards, Birthday cards, Get-well soon, etc...

Although, that being said, the only market for that to my knowledge is primarily dominated by "moonpig" and other similar sites.

In the wise words of Biophase, you need to take the idea and improve it so that you can say to consumers that you offer a better product than what "moonpig" offers.
 

ThirtyOne

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You're not dumb for asking. 1.5 years ago, I felt the same way. Wholesale to retail was a mystery. Now it's not. I get it, there's no guidebook, and there's not a lot of writeups online about selling to retail.

You won't learn any of that stuff until you just do it. Go make a fool of yourself and have some awkward conversations, and yes, you will quickly learn what to say and what not say. There is no substitution for just trying. Just pick a method and give it a go. I was working a full-time job when I started the wholesale side of my business, and got all my leads via cold emails, as I couldn't get away during the day to call or meet with people in person. The conversion rate was low, but it got my foot in the door.



Sounds fine. Before any of that, the first question you need to ask is, "I'm so and so with XXX company. Who's the appropriate person to speak to about new product lines?". Don't waste your time pitching to a non-decision maker.



Dedicate a week to attempting to sell. You will make a fool of yourself, but after a week, you will have experience.


See all those other products on the shelves? The owners of those companies didn't know what they were doing either. Until they did.


Alternatively, hire some sales reps. See the link in my signature about distributors. All of my new wholesale accounts are now coming to me with no work being done on my part.

Whatever you do, all along the way, make sure that your angle is adding value/making money for them. They will listen and respond.
 
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Imgal

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My first thoughts on reading the post?

You could replace "Christmas cards" with just about any other word "Car", "Television" or "Potato".

Too goddamn generic... which rveryone has done a great job of pointing out since.

That isn't however my biggest concern @pipedream2017 . There was no mention of the consumer in your post, and more importantly what their pain point or problem was.

If you'd come in and said I've discovered that 10% of all Christmas card buyers suffer severe papercuts from the cards that are on the market and I'm going to print mine on some cloud like soft material to get around this, I'd think you were prime for success.

Currently, all you're doing is joining a long line of people doing exactly the same thing meaning margins are low and you'll be spending all of your time fighting to stand out instead of doing so because you have a unique product.
 

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There is definitely a market for off for, well, non-traditional greeting cards. I've sent these to my brothers before. Might not necessarily be retail friendly, but a project worth pursing if you have the talent for it.
 

amp0193

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Speaking of non-traditional cards.

Here's a company started in my town, that got national news coverage last year and a Shark Tank appearance.

Potatoparcel.com
 
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ThirtyOne

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@Puppy I should add, don't tell them HOW MUCH money they'll make. Just tell them that you'd like to offer your product for sale in their space and that you are willing to pay them a fee for it. Negotiate later what that fee will be (royalty, commission, flat fee, etc).
 

becks22

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There's potential here but what consumer do you want to target. You can't possibly target everyone. Is it people with an odd sense of humour? Lots of the ideas here seem to be headed that way. Maybe cards that have memes on them to target the Gen Y-ers like me. Just read about a company who sells wedding invites, save the dates, and cards but they are targeted for same-sex couples because they realized that market was untapped and the owner couldn't find a 'Groom & Groom' wedding card for a friend. Executed the idea well and then BOOM--- they were up to like 2 million in revenue within a year or two.
 

Puppy

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@Puppy I should add, don't tell them HOW MUCH money they'll make. Just tell them that you'd like to offer your product for sale in their space and that you are willing to pay them a fee for it. Negotiate later what that fee will be (royalty, commission, flat fee, etc).

i cant tell them HOW MUCH because i wont know. i dont want to sell it to them based on spectulative numbers. im thinking sell the product based on the value it adds to their customer base and in return for giving me space they will get a percentage of the profit. so commission based. i dont know about royalties and i dont think royalties will apply here and flat fee doesnt seem like it would be beneficial to both parties, one party wins one loses. but a percentage seems like it will set the ground for the more i sell the more they profit and all they have to do is give me the space and let me in the door.
thanks for the insight
 
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amp0193

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im thinking sell the product based on the value it adds to their customer base and in return for giving me space they will get a percentage of the profit. so commission based.

F*ck that.

Get paid upfront in full.


Cash flow is everything.
 

ThirtyOne

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i cant tell them HOW MUCH because i wont know. i dont want to sell it to them based on spectulative numbers. im thinking sell the product based on the value it adds to their customer base and in return for giving me space they will get a percentage of the profit. so commission based. i dont know about royalties and i dont think royalties will apply here and flat fee doesnt seem like it would be beneficial to both parties, one party wins one loses. but a percentage seems like it will set the ground for the more i sell the more they profit and all they have to do is give me the space and let me in the door.
thanks for the insight

this all depends on what the item is and what the store is.

Does it sell itself via the end cap? Or does it require a sales person (you or them) to sell it? AKA is the value add readily apparent upon seeing it, or do you have to educate the consumer in anyway?

If it sells itself, how proven is the demand? If it's good, go ahead pay a flat fee. Just make sure to price it so that your numbers are going to add up. That fee could be for the duration of the lease of that space, or a flat month to month fee even.

If it requires a sales person, and you don't wanna be that person, commission is usually the route to go. However, if the commission isn't sweet enough they won't wanna sell it. Commission works best when the product costs a bunch or is easy to sell so that a percentage equals a significant return.

For example, a salesperson ain't gonna make no money getting commissions on Christmas card sales at the register, even if the value add is apparent.

However, if they are selling snowblowers at $300 ea, and they get a 10 % commission, that's better than their hourly rate, and they now wanna sell for you.
 

Puppy

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this all depends on what the item is and what the store is.

Does it sell itself via the end cap? Or does it require a sales person (you or them) to sell it?

If it sells itself, how proven is the demand? If it's good, go ahead pay a flat fee.

.

the product will sell itself, all that is required to sell it is effective advertising to get the consumer to see the value. *this part i have no problem with, i know how to reach my demographics and how to sell to them.

the demand is not proven... yet. this is why im thinking commission until i have solid numbers to prove the market is there. once i have that i would like to go to a flat fee or flat fee plus commision. first i need to prove myself or get a store willing to take the risk of stocking an unproven product. either way, i think i need to start with a commission model.

its kinda like this, im not the guy selling the car. im the guy selling the tires for the car. except im selling you a new set of tires every month because ive made it appear you need new cooler tires every month and ive made it cheap and easy to do so.
 
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amp0193

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the demand is not proven... yet. this is why im thinking commission until i have solid numbers to prove the market is there. once i have that i would like to go to a flat fee or flat fee plus commision. first i need to prove myself or get a store willing to take the risk of stocking an unproven product. either way, i think i need to start with a commission model.

Stores add new, unproven products all the time.

Store owners are smart. If they see that your product is value, and they think their customers will buy it, they'll buy it from you.
 

Puppy

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Stores add new, unproven products all the time.

Store owners are smart. If they see that your product is value, and they think their customers will buy it, they'll buy it from you.

F*ck that.

Get paid upfront in full.

i am in no way disagreeing, i belive you are correct. end goal will be selling it for flat fee/flat fee + commission. i want to start with commission because it will be more fun and will engage me more in learning and growing my business. im the sort of person who is motivated by what is fun for me. i believe my product will be profitable but if i dont make the process fun (for me) i wont stick with it.

two questions i put to any idea i have are
1. is it fun? how can i make money off of it?
2. can i make money off of it? how can i make it fun (for me)?
 

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