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I am trying to sell these keychain breathalyzers

Would you possibly buy one at $12 including shipping

  • yes I would buy one they can help me monitor my drinking at parties etc

    Votes: 27 37.5%
  • No not intertesed in monitorning my drinking

    Votes: 29 40.3%
  • yes but thats too much

    Votes: 3 4.2%
  • I dont know

    Votes: 2 2.8%
  • I would buy one as a gift for a friend

    Votes: 11 15.3%

  • Total voters
    72
D

Deleted28123

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Your first step is to contact University of Michigan. http://www.mgoblue.com/school-bio/trademark-licensing.html

smh.
I sent them an email about licensing

Hi, My name is Jeff Krasnow and I am creating a small business to help prevent Alcohol intoxication and binge drinking on college campuses. I am living in Ann Arbor and I am looking to sell keychain sized breathalyzers (UMbreathalyzers) to student around campus. I am looking to use the University Of Michigan Insignia on the breathalyzers. My goal is to create awareness and prevention of binge drinking as well as have students around campus able to drink at safe levels. I believe it is never realistic to fully stop drinking on a college campus, but with a device that can objectively measure a students intake, binge drinking can be controlled and prevented. Obviously This would be a novelty device intended to monitor drinking and prevent binge drinking

the question is if they say no(which is likely) and I will be stopped dead in my tracks. It is possible I will have to sell this product without university insignias if they do not approve

i just purchased a domain as well. Umbreathalyzer.com
My question is do I move forward with the product first, the website, the licensing or business model?
 
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jon.a

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I sent them an email about licensing

Hi, My name is Jeff Krasnow and I am creating a small business to help prevent Alcohol intoxication and binge drinking on college campuses. I am living in Ann Arbor and I am looking to sell keychain sized breathalyzers (UMbreathalyzers) to student around campus. I am looking to use the University Of Michigan Insignia on the breathalyzers. My goal is to create awareness and prevention of binge drinking as well as have students around campus able to drink at safe levels. I believe it is never realistic to fully stop drinking on a college campus, but with a device that can objectively measure a students intake, binge drinking can be controlled and prevented. Obviously This would be a novelty device intended to monitor drinking and prevent binge drinking

the question is if they say no(which is likely) and I will be stopped dead in my tracks. It is possible I will have to sell this product without university insignias if they do not approve

i just purchased a domain as well. Umbreathalyzer.com
My question is do I move forward with the product first, the website, the licensing or business model?
I can see a bunch of students getting into a high score competition.
 
G

GuestUser113

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I sent them an email about licensing

Hi, My name is Jeff Krasnow and I am creating a small business to help prevent Alcohol intoxication and binge drinking on college campuses. I am living in Ann Arbor and I am looking to sell keychain sized breathalyzers (UMbreathalyzers) to student around campus. I am looking to use the University Of Michigan Insignia on the breathalyzers. My goal is to create awareness and prevention of binge drinking as well as have students around campus able to drink at safe levels. I believe it is never realistic to fully stop drinking on a college campus, but with a device that can objectively measure a students intake, binge drinking can be controlled and prevented. Obviously This would be a novelty device intended to monitor drinking and prevent binge drinking

the question is if they say no(which is likely) and I will be stopped dead in my tracks. It is possible I will have to sell this product without university insignias if they do not approve

i just purchased a domain as well. Umbreathalyzer.com
My question is do I move forward with the product first, the website, the licensing or business model?


https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...te-time-and-money-playing-entrepreneur.53375/
 
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Kingsta

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Ann Arbor and I am looking to sell keychain sized breathalyzers (UMbreathalyzers) to student around campus.

Not sure if its a big deal but to me it is. You wrote this incorrectly, missing an S. Also, you're trying to pitch a product to the university and this looks weak if I'm honest, you really need to sell yourself. Why should they give you a trademark license in the end?
 
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D

Deleted28123

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Not sure if its a big deal but to me it is. You wrote this incorrectly, missing an S. Also, you're trying to pitch a product to the university and this looks weak if I'm honest, you really need to sell yourself. Why should they give you a trademark license in the end?
They would trademark me because the university gets a cut and this solves a long term problem of binge drinking that occurs on the university. Yes I should have formatted the license request more professionaly, and I should have avoided the typo, but I was in an excited frenzy.

I have a vision. I see students bringing these things with them to partys and bars like they do their purse or iphone. Drinking heavy amounts in to a stupor is a silly behavior, especially since people arent able to see how drunk they are. We can save thousands of live each year with this product, we just have to make it "cute",
 

randomnumber314

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They would trademark me because the university gets a cut and this solves a long term problem of binge drinking that occurs on the university. Yes I should have formatted the license request more professionaly, and I should have avoided the typo, but I was in an excited frenzy.

I have a vision. I see students bringing these things with them to partys and bars like they do their purse or iphone. Drinking heavy amounts in to a stupor is a silly behavior, especially since people arent able to see how drunk they are. We can save thousands of live each year with this product, we just have to make it "cute",
60024435.jpg


F*ck your vision, what do your customers want?
 
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Ma Co

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I sent them an email about licensing

Hi, My name is Jeff Krasnow and I am creating a small business to help prevent Alcohol intoxication and binge drinking on college campuses. I am living in Ann Arbor and I am looking to sell keychain sized breathalyzers (UMbreathalyzers) to student around campus. I am looking to use the University Of Michigan Insignia on the breathalyzers. My goal is to create awareness and prevention of binge drinking as well as have students around campus able to drink at safe levels. I believe it is never realistic to fully stop drinking on a college campus, but with a device that can objectively measure a students intake, binge drinking can be controlled and prevented. Obviously This would be a novelty device intended to monitor drinking and prevent binge drinking

the question is if they say no(which is likely) and I will be stopped dead in my tracks. It is possible I will have to sell this product without university insignias if they do not approve

i just purchased a domain as well. Umbreathalyzer.com
My question is do I move forward with the product first, the website, the licensing or business model?

If they say "no," you might want to consider writing another letter that uses the word "you" more.

Literally and in the meaning of: "what's in for them."

Why should they agree to your idea? How does the campus benefit?
 

Glorydog

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The first thing you need to do is order them. Once they come in, test them out, and hit the streets selling them. I'm not sure why you feel it is important to put the Michigan insignia on them. Just order them, take them to your local strip where all the bars, etc. are and start selling them.

If I were to buy one, it would have nothing to do with the fact that my school logo was on it. The only time I could see you benefit from branding with school insignias is if you partnered with the school.
 

Walter Hay

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588 sold on groupon in Australia already at $19. You may want to increase your price.

ll1lk.jpg


That being said, every single item I see from ali express and alibaba get put on Groupon so fast. How do these people always get in so quick?
US$19 at today's exchange rate is A$14.63
 
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Walter Hay

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I am trying to sell these keychain breathalyzers to kids around my college to prevent overdrinking
I am purchasing them at 5-7 per piece, and I am seeing them with the college insignia on them at $10-12 per peice. what I am wondering if they would sell. Could you see yourself buying a keychain breathalyzer for $10-12 and is this at all scalable? I am going to try and sell these locally at first 4-6 profit per piece. I do not expect to become a millionaire I just want to profit off something. what you guys think?
yKhnypME.jpg
You should try to locate the actual manufacturer rather than buy from the wholesalers or traders who have already added their markup. Forget about Alibaba, most of the "manufacturers" there are traders. Forget about Aliexpress, that is a retail site not too different to eBay except all the prices are Buy It Now.

It will be a lot of reading for you, but you might like to read through at least some of my posts on my thread
Ask Me Anything Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.
 
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Walter Hay

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Get the bars to subsidize them and put the bar logo on them.
That is a great idea. An expansion on the idea is to promote it to them as a membership tag that entitles the bearer to privileges - usually discounts or special offers.
I am having a hard time determining a business model, who to order bulk from alibiba? I heard they can scam. As well as whether its easier to start shipping locally or should i immediately scale this to all schools
Jeff see my earlier post, but if you need help to locate a low cost way to have logos added locally, just PM me.
 
D

Deleted28123

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You should try to locate the actual manufacturer rather than buy from the wholesalers or traders who have already added their markup. Forget about Alibaba, most of the "manufacturers" there are traders. Forget about Aliexpress, that is a retail site not too different to eBay except all the prices are Buy It Now.

It will be a lot of reading for you, but you might like to read through at least some of my posts on my thread
Ask Me Anything Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.

I am in the process of locating the direct manufacturer determining the lowest price possible
but if anyone can help me locate one that would be great
my plan is to design the logo, paste them on myself once the breathalyzers are in my posession
 
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D

Deleted28123

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You should try to locate the actual manufacturer rather than buy from the wholesalers or traders who have already added their markup. Forget about Alibaba, most of the "manufacturers" there are traders. Forget about Aliexpress, that is a retail site not too different to eBay except all the prices are Buy It Now.

It will be a lot of reading for you, but you might like to read through at least some of my posts on my thread
Ask Me Anything Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.
I am having trouble finding the DIRECT manufacturer for these you think you could point me towards them walter
 
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Hussein_Eid

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It's great if I have it in U.K I would work on it on higher scales. So you have big chance use it.
 

David Wills

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I do not know how works in the US but I have just finished in a UK Uni and I think that they will not willing to put their logo in anything related to alcohol. I guess that the idea of bars or even partner with some alcohol brands can work better than Uni issues.

Good luck in any case!
 
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exclusives88

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I would not buy this for a couple of reasons. First reason is that it doesn't look good and it is too bulky to put on a key chain. Second reason is that I would want it to be as accurate as possible.

I would be a buyer if you designed it to be much smaller so that it would look good with my keys. I like my key chain to be bare. In addition, you can add different features on it -> personal alarm, pepper spray, key tracker. You should also test against to a more expensive breathalyzer to see the difference. That is my opinion :) Just thinking out the box, maybe a case that holds your key and it will only unlock if you pass the breathalyzer (Then again someone else that is sober can blow into it).

If Ebay is selling that for $3.90, I am sure you can buy it cheaper from a direct manufacture.
 
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Walter Hay

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I am having trouble finding the DIRECT manufacturer for these you think you could point me towards them walter
Hi Jeff,

I have answered your PM with a direct link to the real manufacturer. Make sure you don't share it.

You will see that I have selected a different model out of their product range because although probably about the same cost to you it is very different in appearance and will allow you to stand out in the crowd that is selling the one you first found.

They also make that one, and they also have a lower cost one that does not have a digital display.

Don't be tempted to buy from traders on Alibaba or Aliexpress. Too many scams.

Regards,
Walter
 
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Walter Hay

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I would not buy this for a couple of reasons. First reason is that it doesn't look good and it is too bulky to put on a key chain. Second reason is that I would want it to be as accurate as possible.

I would be a buyer if you designed it to be much smaller so that it would look good with my keys. I like my key chain to be bare. In addition, you can add different features on it -> personal alarm, pepper spray, key tracker. You should also test against to a more expensive breathalyzer to see the difference. That is my opinion :) Just thinking out the box, maybe a case that holds your key and it will only unlock if you pass the breathalyzer (Then again someone else that is sober can blow into it).

If Ebay is selling that for $3.90, I am sure you can buy it cheaper from a direct manufacture.
I have found the real manufacturer that is offering different models for as little as $1.38.
 
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Awsome idea mate. Where do you get the breathi's from? I may want to do something similar in Australia.


Regards
 

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As a consumer I'd want to know about accuracy, probably through video demos and testimonials.
 
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I could only see myself buying this as a gag gift or to see who is the best binge drinker, otherwise it would only find itself in my possession if it was giving to me free for buying/participating in "x". If an inebriated person decides in there head that they are going to drive then, barring having some good friends to say no, that person will probably drive. The only way I could see this saving lives is if it somehow did not allow you to drive if you failed the breathalyzer. I think the biggest market to just move some quick for some extra cash would be frats, sororities, and bars. If you scaled it up you could maybe work it out with a beverage company to run a campaign that includes one with every 12 pack or something and that would move some. Another scaleable option would be to work with a campus awareness group who may purchase some in bulk from you using the schools money. I just can't see a huge demand for these.

Thus is the opinion of a born and raised Wisconsinite.
 

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