Hello, New to this Forum-Have an Idea!

[mbauer]

Hi Everyone,

Just recently signed up with this forum. I see some names from PM. com here.

Chris just listed my Stomp Rockets for sale. This is my first real adventure in selling my designs.

Been thinking of ways to sell them, reach a wider market.

Several models have been in a display case in the EAA Museum. The EAA has their own magazine for their members. The add rates for this magazine are spendy.

What I'm proposing is a group of designers getting together to equally pitch in for the costs. EAA members tend to build models. The scale models I've seen on PM.com can sell themselves!

How many of other designers advertise?

If we pull together, a Download could be created. Advertising in the back of the EAA magazine, a URL would link to this download.
This would tell how much traffic is generated.

This download would have a model or two (up to the designer how many they want to add) from every designer. This would create a diversity of models, appealing to a greater market. The profit would be split equally amoung the designers by membership, not how many models on the CD.

This would bring them direct to Ecardmodels.com which they could browse as they like.

EAA members go straight to the back when their magazine arrives, if they are anything like me. Glance thru the pages to see the arctiles, but always ended up reading the mag from back to front as I checked the adds for new stuff.

EAA member also tend to have kids and/or Grandkids. These kids like almost anything aviation related, but they are kids and like anything cool! The models they could check out on Chris's site are way beyond "cool"! Some might like buildings. animals. space related - both real/SciFi...

A CD of the same download could be placed in their museum gift store, to sell across the counter. Our models would fall right in line with what they do!

It just seems to me like there is a resource that should at least be tried!

Now about pirates-they s%#*k! A thought was to put an URL on the bottom of all my fuselages.

"For a good time go to www.ecardmodels.com".

That way if they are distrubing them illegally, the builders might show up looking for more models.

Not everybody knows they are pirated!

Thoughts on this?

Best regards,
Mike Bauer

[airdave]

Several models have been in a display case in the EAA Museum. The EAA has their own magazine for their members. The add rates for this magazine are spendy.

Hi Mike!!
you only just made it here?!

Whats EAA?

Where do you buy/get their magazine?

"add" rates...took me a couple of reads to figure it out, you mean "ADS" right?

lol I'm slow this early...sorry

Your post, is a little confusing (at least it is to me)...so I wanted to try to clarify...

you are suggesting we buy an "AD" in the back of the "EAA Magazine".

An AD about what? our models for sale? or about ecardmodels?
...and you are suggesting a Web Link (URL), to get a"DOWNLOAD" package of free models.

and CD version of the Model collection to be sold in the EAA Museum Shop.


So, I say....first lets see the magazine?

What does the AD cost?

Collecting some free models is pretty simple...and creating a download package is pretty simple, although I would keep it smaller, maybe only one model from each designer who wants to be involved.

The CD for sale in the store can be a much larger collection of models...but someone has to supply the materials, produce the CD, produce the packaging, and deliver stock to the Museum. Thats a more difficult arrangement.

[mbauer]

Hi Dave,

Yes, suggesting a group of designers pooling together for the ad. EAA is the Experimental Aircraft Association. I was a member for years. The local chapter members all built models of some kind, along with full size airplanes.

I have a PDF of the rates for the different magazines they publish. Each has its own pricing. Very spendy!

Yes & No on the clarity = Yes, a group of designers each submitting a model for the CD (physical sale) for the giftshop at their museum. No-on the free stuff.

The reason for this is that most of the members have families. Lets say the CD has the following to offer:
Dad like boats and cars, Junior likes airplanes and rockets, while mom sees nothinng wrong with building light houses, Sis, well she like figurines and doll houses.

With a CD being sold across the counter, they would/could be new converts, but at the same time showing them what paper models are about. This would be a way to generte new customers!

If the CD idea catches on, there are all kinds of possibilities as far as downloads. Here at Ecardmodel, the download could be grouped as a compliation being sold as a single purchase, but with many different models. Each designer would get the same percentage from each sale.

Plenty of free models on the market, why give them away? If we go to the trouble of "buying" ad space, creating a CD, why would we want to give anything away. Most of the members of the EAA aren't use to free stuff, besides let them find it on their own, once we have made a sale to them.

We could list ecardmodels or the designers personal sites or even PM.com as reference places for more models.

Just getting the CD into their hands is the first step.

Does this help, or did I really step in it?

Just recently signed up because, designing for profit now...Kind of like like the famous saying, "I have a dream...".

I have designed models since late 2001, selling a few kits on ebay during the early 2000s, until my place of employment found out. They offered me a choice, quit work or quit selling models. My models number above 16- that fly, but no instructions for them because they were just for me, unitl recently.

I can see why designers have the free models. Great way to advertise, draw interest, but with the internet, paper models are becoming more popular. Available now world wide, while in the past it was a "in the know" kind of hobby. You had to know where to get the physical model before the internet and PDFs.

So, with all of the free models, it makes more sense on finding new builders, by testing the waters at such places as the EAA.

Another magazine style that would be a great choice would be the car/aircraft/boat RC model magazines, their rates are quite cheaper than the EAA.

Free downloads also gives the pirates something for free, that they compile.. With designers working together as a group, we take the complied assortment of models from them. They are stuck with the freedownload type, while the CD has the recent more detailed models that are for sale and not available as downloads.

This same designer CD could be sold on Ebay, just like the pirated versions. Generating even more customers to our hobby.

If a pirate wants it to copy, at least they have to buy one copy!

Whops can't upload-6.7mb size... PDF of the EAA rates.
Mike Bauer

[cgutzmer]

I live about an hour from the museum and could have cd's made ;) personally dont really have time to put the initiative together right onw though :( anyone? :)

[mbauer]

Hi Chris,

Going to the Challenger Learning Center today for another build class.

I'll talk to them and see if they are interested in trying some more models. If they are, I'll do the CD etc.. as needed.

Mike

[airdave]

Not sure what I could contribute...maybe pull a model out of the Diorama Kit?
But I'm sure I could add something.

Follow it up Mike, see where it takes you...I'm in
Now...we need another half dozen contributors, or more!