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Any sex-toy developers? A long-shot I'm sure...

Marigold

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I'm Emma.

I "invented" (using that term loosely) a sex-toy related piece of equipment based on initially my need and then from doing some research I see there are other people with the same idea.

It's not so much a toy as an accompaniment - your mind is probably wondering WTF that is?

Anyway, I saw there's a sex-toy entrepreneur who managed to fund through indiegogo two or three major sex toys and he's obviously very successful.

He offers consult calls but my gut instinct was that telling a guy already successful in making toys about a toy might not be the smartest move.

Anyhow. I need this thing made. Don't even ask me what a 3D printer is because I haven't a clue. I don't know how to prototype - this is my next move research wise.

I'm sticking my hands right up here to say that I am doing everything all at once because a) I'm ignorant and b) I'm excited (not like that).

I have a name for my thing. I have a website (not built but reserved) and I have an instagram account.

WHAT'S THE DAMN QUESTION, EMMA???

I just wondered if anyone on here had experience or advice in this field - making a toy, not masturbation in general. Or any pointers as to prototype makers and developers?

Thanks in advance.

Emma
 
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RazorCut

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Seems to me you need to draw it out so that someone can create a 3D model (hire one on Upwork or Peopleperhour etc.) then send it to a 3D printing company (after discussing the physical qualities of the material you require)

Does it require any electrics?

He offers consult calls but my gut instinct was that telling a guy already successful in making toys about a toy might not be the smartest move.

Yeah probably not a smart move.

-
 
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RazorCut

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Oh another alternative is to licence your idea for a royalty. Can potentially be more lucrative than trying to sell the item yourself if you find the right company to partner with.

Just google Stephen Key for info on that.

-
 

Marigold

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Seems to me you need to draw it out so that someone can create a 3D model (hire one on Upwork or Peopleperhour etc.) then send it to a 3D printing company (after discussing the physical qualities of the material you require)

Does it require any electrics?



Yeah probably not a smart move.

-

Thanks! Luckily it doesn't require any electrics but in all honesty I've no idea how it really works because I'm not mechanically oriented shall we say.

I mean, I know how I wanted to work I just don't know how somebody would make that happen with plastic? Does that make sense?

And if you're up for a laugh let me see if I can attach a copy of my drawing so far ha ha ha
 
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Longinus

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I know somebody who's into this business. If you're planning to manufacture in China, expect massive headaches with customs and inspection for every shipment. This makes it a high barrier to enter for competitors, but it's something you must deal with.
 

Marigold

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Oh another alternative is to licence your idea for a royalty. Can potentially be more lucrative than trying to sell the item yourself if you find the right company to partner with.

Just google Stephen Key for info on that.

-
Yeah, that's what I had initially wanted because I didn't know if I wanted to manufacture and distribute. don't you need a patent to license? Because I've decided to not go down that route.
 

Marigold

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I know somebody who's into this business. If you're planning to manufacture in China, expect massive headaches with customs and inspection for every shipment. This makes it a high barrier to enter for competitors, but it's something you must deal with.
So your friend manufactures in China or uses an alternative?

What are the alternatives?
 
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RazorCut

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And if you're up for a laugh let me see if I can attach a copy of my drawing so far ha ha ha

OMG, maybe you need to get a friend who is a better artist to do the 2D sketches first. Does it come back if you throw it? lol

In answer to your question you don't usually need a patent if you go the licensing route so it is not an expensive process but does take work to research (to see if your idea is patentable and to find suitable companies to approach).

The benefit is once you have done a deal it becomes a passive income stream so allows you to move on to the next project unhindered.

The downside is you could *potentially* earn more money by manufacturing and distributing it yourself.
 

Marigold

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OMG, maybe you need to get a friend who is a better artist to do the 2D sketches first. Does it come back if you throw it? lol

In answer to your question you don't usually need a patent if you go the licensing route so it is not an expensive process but does take work to research (to see if your idea is patentable and to find suitable companies to approach).

The benefit is once you have done a deal it becomes a passive income stream so allows you to move on to the next project unhindered.

The downside is you could *potentially* earn more money by manufacturing and distributing it yourself.
Thanks for that, I didn't know I could do it without a patent. I really love the idea of licensing it out. Because I have another idea just right behind it haha.

I'm about to submit my idea (with a slightly better drawing) to a company. I F*cking HATED tech drawing at school :)
 

RazorCut

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I'm about to submit my idea (with a slightly better drawing) to a company. I f*cking HATED tech drawing at school :)

If you are doing this for a licensing deal I would hold on. There is a lot of work required before you contact a potential partner. I'd suggest you start with reading One Simple Idea first.

Here's a preview:

One Simple Idea: Turn Your Dreams into a Licensing Goldmine While Letting Others Do the Work
 
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Marigold

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Davejemmolly

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Is there a reason you are opposed to filing for a patent?

That seems to be one of the major advantages to creating a physical product, and offers both a legal and psychological barrier to someone directly copying your idea.

Seems a no brainer for mine! I’d love to be able to file for a patent in my business
 

Marigold

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Is there a reason you are opposed to filing for a patent?

That seems to be one of the major advantages to creating a physical product, and offers both a legal and psychological barrier to someone directly copying your idea.

Seems a no brainer for mine! I’d love to be able to file for a patent in my business
From what I've read here (and in the book @RazorCut recommended above) it seems unnecessarily expensive and time consuming and costly to fight anyways.
 
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Raoul Duke

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Is there a reason you are opposed to filing for a patent?

That seems to be one of the major advantages to creating a physical product, and offers both a legal and psychological barrier to someone directly copying your idea.

Seems a no brainer for mine! I’d love to be able to file for a patent in my business

Filing a provisional patent is a better route in most cases. If you do find a company to move forward with your product aka license with royalties. You can have the company itself pay for all of the patents during the agreement process. Or if they can't sell "X" amount in a quarter... You can take your product and go else where.

It has been a while since I have read One Simple Idea. So I may be wrong in some areas.
 

Davejemmolly

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From what I've read here (and in the book @RazorCut recommended above) it seems unnecessarily expensive and time consuming and costly to fight anyways.

I’m no expert, and I’m sure there are many more qualified people than me on this forum, but I hold a different view.

For mine, the existence of a patent pending application on your design may act as a sufficient deterrent to potential other entrepreneurs looking to create a similar style product.

Hopefully the underlying fear of knowing that coping a patent pending may cost them any potential from the offending product, will divert them into another direction
 

RazorCut

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Filing a provisional patent is a better route in most cases. If you do find a company to move forward with your product aka license with royalties. You can have the company itself pay for all of the patents during the agreement process. Or if they can't sell "X" amount in a quarter... You can take your product and go else where.

It has been a while since I have read One Simple Idea. So I may be wrong in some areas.

No, I think you are pretty spot on. The sales quota's would need to be agreed and in the contract as well of course. Emma really needs to read the book though.
 
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Marigold

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No, I think you are pretty spot on. The sales quota's would need to be agreed and in the contract as well of course. Emma really needs to read the book though.
Emma is on chapter 2 already.

Presumably you could also put on your website that it is patent pending even if it isn't? Surely that would be a deterrent and nobody would go to the hassle of actually finding out whether that were the case? I could be wrong of course.
 

AgainstAllOdds

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Two steps. Then start talking to manufacturers and what it would cost to develop your product.


All sorts of weird shit at that trade show. I'm sure you'll find someone capable of creating your product, and they'll walk you through the steps and costs.
 

Marigold

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Two steps. Then start talking to manufacturers and what it would cost to develop your product.


All sorts of weird sh*t at that trade show. I'm sure you'll find someone capable of creating your product, and they'll walk you through the steps and costs.
Haha, looks interesting!
 
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RazorCut

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Presumably you could also put on your website that it is patent pending even if it isn't? Surely that would be a deterrent and nobody would go to the hassle of actually finding out whether that were the case? I could be wrong of course.

A provisional patent isn't hard to do and is not expensive so you are better off doing it first.

-
 

Longinus

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So your friend manufactures in China or uses an alternative?

What are the alternatives?

She's Chinese and a trader of Chinese sex toys. It's a hard product (no pun) in general, high return rates also. Pretty sure you will find alternatives, but perhaps it's still worth the headache to get them from China.
 

Marigold

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She's Chinese and a trader of Chinese sex toys. It's a hard product (no pun) in general, high return rates also. Pretty sure you will find alternatives, but perhaps it's still worth the headache to get them from China.
Nice pun! Thank you for your input. To clarify it's more of a sex toy add on so there is that.
 
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Raoul Duke

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She's Chinese and a trader of Chinese sex toys. It's a hard product (no pun) in general, high return rates also. Pretty sure you will find alternatives, but perhaps it's still worth the headache to get them from China.

u4rHu92.gif
 

WJS

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Thanks! Luckily it doesn't require any electrics but in all honesty I've no idea how it really works because I'm not mechanically oriented shall we say.

I mean, I know how I wanted to work I just don't know how somebody would make that happen with plastic? Does that make sense?

@Calvert79 since your product doesn't require any electrical parts you should totally make a prototype yourself. It will be very useful for you whether you want to license it out to companies or produce it yourself in the future. At this stage you probably don't need to engage a 3D printer yet.

Check out InstaMorph (you can get it from Amazon at at a very cheap price). It's a plastic resin that turns into jello-like material in warm water and turns solid when it's cool. You might need to buy a few packets of them, depending on how big your product is. Mould it with your hands like how you would with clay, wait for it to cool, and voila, you have your crude prototype! You can make multiple different parts and glue them together, and paint them with colours or mix them with paint powders. Best of all, InstaMorph can be reshaped over and over again so it will come in very handy for you (pun not intended, lol)
 

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This is great Emma! You can do this!!

Don't hesitate to make a mistake fast and then adapt to be further than you thought was even possible at the start! There are steps that require more time and diligence (prototyping, funding if that's an issue) but you have the drive to not let those hurdles stop you!
 
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QDF

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Two steps. Then start talking to manufacturers and what it would cost to develop your product.


All sorts of weird sh*t at that trade show. I'm sure you'll find someone capable of creating your product, and they'll walk you through the steps and costs.
+1

Also, you can get a better design concept of your product fairly quickly and cheap.

1. Find a freelancer to create concept sketches of your idea. Give them your own sketches and as much detail on your idea as they need. It will likely take many revisions until you are on the same page, but you should end up with a much better sketch of the product.
2. Find another freelancer to model the product in a 3D CAD software based on the sketches you now have.
3. You should now have a clear vision of what you want to make. Go to the expo mentioned, take copies of the sketches and files you have at this point, and talk to manufacturers, etc. Learn how it would be made (material, what type of manufacturing, etc.) and what you have to do to have it made. If your product is simple enough, you might already have all you need to start getting quotes from manufacturers. If not, you will quickly find out what else you need at this point.

You also might be able to find a procurement/sourcing company to help you with this step. I personally haven't used any, but I've talked to a few in the past who are fairly inexpensive and seem reputable.

I don't know anything about the industry or your product, but as an outsider, this is how I would approach it - a lot of the other posts here are good too. In the meantime, you can find a way to develop a prototype. 3D printing is great, but it's easy to get a decent chunk of change wrapped up in it when it's not really necessary (ask me how I know this). In my case, I found Chinese manufacturers who were able to make molds and real samples of my product for the same price that I had mine 3D printed for in the States.
 

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OMG, maybe you need to get a friend who is a better artist to do the 2D sketches first. Does it come back if you throw it? lol
I agree with this. Get someone to do the 3D designs. Get it notarized so it's on record.

I’m no expert, and I’m sure there are many more qualified people than me on this forum, but I hold a different view.

For mine, the existence of a patent pending application on your design may act as a sufficient deterrent to potential other entrepreneurs looking to create a similar style product.

Hopefully the underlying fear of knowing that coping a patent pending may cost them any potential from the offending product, will divert them into another direction

I wouldn't bother with patents because
A) it takes years and thousands of dollars
B) PEOPLE CAN STILL COPY YOUR PRODUCT BY MAKING MINOR CHANGES AND SAYING IT'S NOT THE SAME THING. If you want to patent, wait until you have time and money.
 
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Bearcorp

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Thanks! Luckily it doesn't require any electrics but in all honesty I've no idea how it really works because I'm not mechanically oriented shall we say.

I mean, I know how I wanted to work I just don't know how somebody would make that happen with plastic? Does that make sense?

And if you're up for a laugh let me see if I can attach a copy of my drawing so far ha ha ha

Trying to figure out what this is or how it works makes me feel like I'm 12 in Sex Ed class all over again :rofl:

I can only repeat whats already been said about reading Stephen Key's book, and good luck!
 

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@Walter Hay has a megathread on here about sourcing products directly from manufacturers (in China or otherwise) and might have some specific experience in this industry.

@Vigilante might have some pointers about licensing and what kind of protections/patents you might want if you're going to explore this route.
 

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