8 Eyewear: From Idea, to Launch, to Growth (And Quitting the Job)

[Vick]

First, congratulations for your family and the newest member; I wish you all the best! I don't have a child, but I have heard that it is a rewarding experience, so cherish it.

It's encouraging to see you fight in the face of unforeseen challenges. Are you happy with the way your company's future looks (ignoring the logistic mistakes)?

thanks !

yes.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

orders are coming in everyday. just not as much as i would like.

Getting orders every day is a great sign. Imagine what they will be once you start advertising more, optimizing campaigns, building social proof, social traction etc.

Congrats on the newest to the fam!

 

[Vick]

thanks MJ!

 

[Don Dano]

Congratulations on your first child and the long awaited launch of your business.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Phones]

I just hate DHL, I bet you almost paid more for their service than for the product itself.

2x quoted is already wrong, let alone 6x more. I'd complain and refuse to pay, thats insane.
Image if your margins were much slimmer, you'd be selling at a loss already.

 

[slodki]

Congrats on the new addition to your family!!

Regarding DHL - that price is crazy! I know this is your first shipment and you needed it straight away. Eventually you will work up to the level where you are importing by the container (even if it's half a container).

DHL has quoted you $2900 to freight from China to Canada. Yes, it took a few days, but the cost is very high. If you sent it by container I rekon the shipping cost would be 1/3rd but it would take 2-3 weeks (for a 20' container), even if you sent half a container.

Random question - have you thought of shipping directly from China? Not by Hong Kong post etc, but by reputable express post?

 

[Vick]

Starting to get some nice reviews! and these are from people I don't know.

http://iwear8.com/products/v-1-matte-black-red

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

Curious if you want to offer a money back guarantee? Sunglasses are a very personal item and for me, I love them. But I know they won't fit me. Do you offer any "no obligation" refund+shipping for customers who claim they don't fit? While this is a big expense, it is another barrier in your brand... "Wow I love these! But will they fit me? And look cool on me??" Without having your guarantee advertised, it might be a big roadblock to sales.

Starting to get some nice reviews! and these are from people I don't know.

Awesome, like watching the birth of a baby.

 

[TJPB]

Curious if you want to offer a money back guarantee? Sunglasses are a very personal item and for me, I love them. But I know they won't fit me. Do you offer any "no obligation" refund+shipping for customers who claim they don't fit? While this is a big expense, it is another barrier in your brand... "Wow I love these! But will they fit me? And look cool on me??" Without having your guarantee advertised, it might be a big roadblock to sales.

I've struggled with the same question. While we're doing our best to provide exacting measurements etc on all our products, I know that when women get them, a good % will not fit. With sunglasses I think the chance of this is less but still there. If I were to offer a "doesn't fit" return policy I think I would have to charge shipping or it could get extremely expensive with the ladies constantly returning items for another size.

Sorry..didn't mean to hijack...just something I think about every day.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

While we're doing our best to provide exacting measurements etc on all our products, I know that when women get them, a good % will not fit. With sunglasses I think the chance of this is less but still there. If I were to offer a "doesn't fit" return policy I think I would have to charge shipping or it could get extremely expensive with the ladies constantly returning items for another size.

Unfortunately I think this will be a necessary cost of business and should be apart of your fixed costs. You will create a legion of pissed off people if you make your customers pay for returns. There's a leap of faith in buying wearable goods which is why a lot of companies that deal in clothing have to offer free returns. Think Zappos... and unfortunately, Zappos operates on razor thin margins. Once sales start to accrue, this definitely will be a bridge you need to cross. Same goes for @Vick.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[TJPB]

I agree. Most of the reason they have razor thin margins is the fact they sell the same products people can buy anywhere else. They can't charge a premium for anything. In our case, this isn't true as it's the one an only place people can get KEEPTIGHT® brand gear...same goes for @Vick and Eight. This makes it a bit easier to offer free return shipping but it's still a hit.

I wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper/more efficient in the long run to have the option for customers to select two sizes and we ship both. Then they try them on, keep the one that fits and send the other back. This can get real sticky with apparel though.

Sorry again for the hi-jack. I'll meander over to my thread with this

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Sorry again for the hi-jack.

Don't think its a hijack with respect to Vick's business as these are legit concerns. A viable solution might be different size glasses based on head size. Again, I can tell you right now, no matter how much I like these, they will swallow my head. That has nothing to do with the saleability of these, but my genetics.

 

[ZCP]

Silly idea..... what if vick has some 'try on' sizes and offers a $25 option to 'try before you buy' ..... if not returned, they are all charged to the card. That should cover the shipping and handle what @TJPB is suggesting.

Might be a stepping stone to a way to BMG this with a set of sunglasses sent every 90 days if you do not cancel....

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kyle Tully]

There are a few sunglasses websites that have a simulation thingo where you can upload a pic of yourself and see how the glasses will look on you.

I used a few different ones when picking my last pair and they work surprisingly well. Was extremely happy with what I ended up buying.

But yeah, build in the cost of shipping/returns into your price then promote it as a benefit. People would rather pay $200 and know they can do a free return/replace than spend $180 and be up shit creek if they don't like them.

 

[healthstatus]

You might test some sort of "fit Guarantee" to Canadian visitors where it wouldn't be much hassle, it might be one of those things that it would increase conversions, but hardly anybody actually goes through the trouble to box them up and send them back. I would think that would be the case at your price point. I know there was a shoe website that for an extra $5.00 you got a "fit guarantee", but I think you should just build it into the price, then test it, and see how many actually come back (you could limit quantities to one address to keep someone ordering one of every color then only keeping one pair and sending the rest back.)

BTW, I bought a pair, had the Fedex delays, Vick was on top of it even with his new life experience going on, got them and I really like what I got.

 

[Vick]

thanks guys for the feedback.

yup. think you guys are right.

my conversions have been very low. even with a 4-11% CTR on facebook.

i think the main struggle i have is people being scared they wont fit. ive already had a few emails concerning this.

gonna make the change right now.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Vick]

ok. changes made.

 

[wilddog]

Genius! I know a girl that works TIFF every year as a volunteer. Let me see if I can get a hold of her, maybe she knows someone.

Spoke with a friend and apparently she moved to BC last year, dammit.

 

[Jake]

hey everyone sorry for the lack of updates but this week has been crazy.

first off. we had our first child on the 31st of August. so my computer time has been cut drastically

second. orders are coming in everyday. just not as much as i would like. also my ads on facebook seem to be not directed properly, very little conversions from those, so i need to test alot there still.

third. had some major issues with Fedex and shippin to the states, its a long story but basically, customs needed certain forms for clearing sunglasses into the US, apparently the FDA needed a Drop Ball Test and Manufactuer info. I started attaching the forms, and still they were gettin delayed, i have my Fedex rep looking into why my US shipments keep gettin delayed when all the proper documents are attached. she thinks it has something to do with the distributing facilities not scanning the Customs docs. anyway, gettin that sorted out. Also, were considering using Amazon very shortly for our shipping, having to much issues and costs doing this myself. I know someone on the forum ordered a pair that went through this Delayed fedex crap, and again, I apologize for the delay I'm trying my best to clear all the packages as fast as possible. so far every shipment to the US has been delayed because Fedex cant do there job properly.

fourth. got a Invoice from my DHL import for what I owe them. the invoice was about 6X the price they quoted me before, which almost made my head explode, seeing as they quoted me $2900. so, obviosuly an error on there part. thats gettin sorted out. but was scary, thought they had some hidden fees or something, but apparently its an error.

other then the fedex crap. things have been ok so far.

so my focus right now is on perfecting my facebook ads to the right people.

Congrats on the kid, Vick! Amazing and difficult times ahead!

My pair has arrived in the U.S. I'll let you know once they arrive out here and I've had the opportunity to check them out a bit.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Grimaldo]

ok. changes made.

It is really great to see a man taking action in the feedback and advices he is receiving. Awesome.
Congratulation for you progress, looking forward to order one!

 

[Vick]

Uploaded a video for our strength and stress test for our frames.

 

[3things]

Video is a good idea I sold Oakley to rifle/pistol/shotgun shooters in their early days in the UK [the early 'm-frames'] - they used to send out an m-frame lens to their retailers that had been shot at 10-12 yards with a 12g shotgun, to demonstrate their strength - it did well for them, but it was before the days of youtube so you physically had to show someone the lens by hand! Maybe you could do a video series of similar exploits (more kind of 'fun'/viral than serious)? Like blendtec did with their blenders.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Vick]

update:

sales are dying down a bit, Facebook ads are not really proving good results yet. Im currently getting a 9% CTR on an ad right now, but no conversions from it yet. The stats on my site are getting better though overall. Longer visit lengths, returning visits are up, more traffic through the check out process but carts are abandoned at the last page.

Fedex is royally screwing me up the @$$
There still delaying my shipments, even thought the forms they asked for are attached to the packages. I swear there heads are screwed on backwards.
Just got blasted with a crazy a$$ invoice, shipping prices were around 25$ and then they tacked on another 22$ per ship for taxes and duties. So my average ship cost to the US is around 50$ and that's with the DISCOUNT they gave me.
Fedex shippin within Canada is good though no issues what so ever. cost is around 10-15$ on average

I think the solution is very simple.
Amazon FBA for US shipments.

On another note. Had some people contact me about wholesale for some retail stores, nothing fancy just mom and pop shops.
I finished my wholesale price guide and product guide last night. i sent the wholesale guide to him and he wasn't happy. I'll post the guide below and maybe some veterans can tell me if im doin something wrong or if my prices are out of wack.

as far as the product goes. no complaints only good reviews and thank yous, which is a great sign. so my issues seem to be targeting and shipping right now.

heres my wholesale cost structure, let me know if these sound crazy or out of wack

 

[TJPB]

Please talk to my guys before going FBA.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I know nothing about wholesale sunglasses but yea, my first impression was you are way off. Just a guess, but I would think wholesale would start at about 50% off retail, perhaps more. Heck, book wholesale is 55% off retail.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[SJMM]

In terms of advertising. Why don't you find other avenues to advertise? Like men's magazines, blogs. PR articles. I think there's a free PR Article submission website. Maybe you have to change your targeting within facebook?

 

[Vick]

I know nothing about wholesale sunglasses but yea, my first impression was you are way off. Just a guess, but I would think wholesale would start at about 50% off retail, perhaps more. Heck, book wholesale is 55% off retail.

even for just 20 pairs?

 

[Vick]

In terms of advertising. Why don't you find other avenues to advertise? Like men's magazines, blogs. PR articles. I think there's a free PR Article submission website. Maybe you have to change your targeting within facebook?

i am Instagram is a good ad vessel, been told to try that more

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[SJMM]

i am Instagram is a good ad vessel, been told to try that more

Someone here has a post on how to get a whole bunch of likes and followers. Don't know much about instagram.

Try banner ads. Im sure there are lots of blogs that are well ranked that sell banner ads. You can have someone on fiverr design it.

Also, if there are people leaving the cart, maybe the description is not enough to convince them.

Here is a link to Gary Halbert( hes a genious copy writer) He explains how to construct the offer.

http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletters/zgkl_best_copywriter.htm

Hope this helps.

 

[RHL]

Hit up a local skate shop or motorcycle dealer (Harley, etc.). These places are often counter-cultural and a seed bed for new trends; they love new stuff. Ultimately, they want to sell. If your glasses sell (and I don't see why they wouldn't, I know my plastic oakleys couldn't survive flexing like yours do, and I don't think the x-metals could either, if I was strong enough to deform 1/16" of solid titanium.