JC Pilot Shop

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I could do the middle man thing if I could access the product but most affiliate programs offer a low commission. Like I sold a crapload (!!) of books for Amazon, but I really didn't make enough to cover hosting fees which is why I went with banner ads.

The only problem with being a new guy in the eCommerce business is that it's purely price-driven. If I've got to work my tail off and sell near cost (low/no profit), it's not worth the time.

But then since I'm a small guy, I don't have the buying power that I'd need to acquire products at a low enough cost in order to offer a reasonably competitive price.
 
There's always dropshipping. Works well for some people on Ebay. You simply tell your supplier when to ship what and where, and they'll do it. People think that the package comes from you, but you don't have to ever touch the package! Unlimited amounts to sell and you never need a warehouse.
 
The only problem is that drop shipping is unbelievably expensive. We were looking at a company once who sold Xbox games for about 20% off, but then charged 30% for shipping. It's just too much of a headache to try to keep it all the math figured out right to the point that you are profitable. Another one I looked at had a catolg of items that you could get for half price with an order of $25 or more, but then the shipping was 17%. I think it's much easier to just go straight to the maker, find out where the quantity disounts are, and then sell the stuff yourself.
 
The problem with being a middleman is that you will have to tack on a profit so that you can make some $$$ for yourself. This will make things increasingly expensive compared to your competitors (Sporty’s, Spinner’s, etc.). Unless you have a large investment to buy directly from the producer and sell at a lower price compared to comparable pilot shops, quality/price conscious consumers, such as myself, will not be attracted to such store.
 
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Just too much trouble than it's worth, IMHO.

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I think so too... unless you have the large initial investment to purchase directly from the manufactures by bulk.
 
And to do it on a large scale you'd PROBABLY want to do it the "legal" wa which usually means home occupation permits, business license, tax id, etc. And you'd also have the PITA of having returned products, upset customers, shipping problems, broken items, things you probably don't WANT to deal with or have the time for.
 
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And to do it on a large scale you'd PROBABLY want to do it the "legal" wa which usually means home occupation permits, business license, tax id, etc. And you'd also have the PITA of having returned products, upset customers, shipping problems, broken items, things you probably don't WANT to deal with or have the time for.

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Dealing with upset customers is the hard part!
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And you'd also have the PITA of having returned products . . .

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Ooohhhhh!!!!!!
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I can't believe that you typed PITA!!! Isn't that the same as cursing (in your own words...)???
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Sorry, had to pick on you!!!
 
Allright, just forget it then. It seems like it wouldn't work. Sorry for talking about it in the first place.
 
Go for it, Doug!

Does Sporty's have an affiliate program? If not, maybe you can be the first! I recently read that Sporty's will meet or beat any advertised online price, so if you could somehow hitch up with them, you'd be set!

Good luck,

JR
 
Hello Doug,

Maybe something like this will work for you....

Get your business permit, resale license & PayPal account.

Poll for what items people want the most. For items with sufficient interest, make them items of the week or month. Once you have sufficient commitments or interested parties (to meet the minimum quantity orders required by wholesalers), buy in bulk and complete the transactions.

You could even go the EBay route and use the "Buy It Now" type quantity auctions. By doing so, you'd cater to a larger audience as well as expose your site to more people!

Good Luck!

JR
 
I think the affiliation with sporty's might be a good idea... I know someone who does the buying/selling of star wars stuff over ebay and he makes a pretty good profit off of it, so, if doug was to buy in bulk when things are like on sale or something, it might be profitable...who knows...
 
imho:

Would it be worth the trouble dealing with all the issues that could pop up...anything comsumer related. Doug you might not have time to use your own forums.
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I would say what is the main objective of Jetcareers......its mission statement.....is an online shopping network going to support your goals and mission.

Just an opinion...everyone has one....
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I really recommend going with the affiliate program. If you partner with the right people, they'll even set up their site so that it fits into the JC site, with the look and feel of the site.

I've worked on these before. The place I work for has its career center hosted by someone else, but the look and feel of our website is preserved.

Doug, if you want more details, PM me and I'll show you what I mean.
 
I think the competition would be fierce considering Sportys, Marv Golden, PilotShop etc. Think of how much all those Sportys Catalogs cost that we all get and do nothing with. Not that you have to have catalogs but they are powerful marketing tool and costly. Unless someone actually buys those Christmas cards...

It would take a ton of time and I doubt Kristie has any time or wants to deal with it while your gone.


Build a house and dirt strip in Zona and start a flight school. You already have a target market
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Build a house and dirt strip in Zona and start a flight school. You already have a target market
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I think a Jetcareers flight school would definitely...

fly.
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