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Old 01-07-2022, 06:01 PM
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Draco Draco is offline
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Virtual Stores?

Hi. I've been selling my models for a year with ecardmodels, and I really like them, and I want to continue working with them, but I'd like to know if there are another virtual stores, maybe covering the rest of the world?
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Old 01-07-2022, 07:46 PM
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Ecardmodels covers the Earth, anyone from any country can buy from them.

But if you want to search for other stores, use paper model store, online as your search terms
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Old 01-08-2022, 03:11 AM
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Draco, there are only a few that cater for paper models as such - most are artsy-crafty types of stores. But you can use these as well.

One good example that does have lots of paper models is etsy. They would be worth trying as they have a huge global market.

Paper models | Etsy.

Here is another very nice paper model shop to try.

1/25 H. Zettelmeyer Steam Roller by Lachezar Dragostinov :: Lachezar Dragostinov :: Card Models :: ZarkovModels Store
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Old 02-11-2022, 05:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin WS View Post
Draco, there are only a few that cater for paper models as such - most are artsy-crafty types of stores. But you can use these as well.

One good example that does have lots of paper models is etsy. They would be worth trying as they have a huge global market.

Paper models | Etsy.

Here is another very nice paper model shop to try.

1/25 H. Zettelmeyer Steam Roller by Lachezar Dragostinov :: Lachezar Dragostinov :: Card Models :: ZarkovModels Store
Thanks, Kevin!
I had found Betexa, but after having problems sending them my models, they stoped answering me when asked if they had received everything. :-(

I'll try yours (But I'll never forget ecardmodels, love them!)
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Old 02-11-2022, 10:16 PM
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airdave airdave is offline
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The biggest problem is cost.
Any site that will let you have your own store and/or sales, want to charge you monthly fees or hefty commissions.
Papermodel sales are generally pretty sparse...its hard to sell enough to cover all expenses and make any sort of profit.

And its a lot of work to run your store and handle the sales.

Ecardmodels is free to sell your kits, and they handle everything,
but they still take a cut of your sales for the service.
Good thing about ecards, is they offer the best rates, and give you the biggest profit.

I also wanted another outlet to sell my models, in addition to ecards,
thats why I ended up creating my own store.
I had to buy webhosting for all my websites, my forum, etc
and so I used that for my online store.

You need to build a store website, and for that you need a website builder.
There are a few basic programs for that, and there are more elaborate ones that cost money.
I have a program that I am very familiar with, but its limited in what it can do
and its quite old now...but it serves my needs.

I didn't understand the whole e-commerce thing, so I used paypal's options to handle the sales and checkout.
I had to learn how to create paypal buttons and add them to my website,
but that wasn't too hard.

Then you have to promote your store, spread the word, and wait for sales.
Thats a lot of work too.

lol ecardmodels sounds better and better...
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Old 02-12-2022, 12:14 AM
Laurence Finston Laurence Finston is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by airdave View Post
You need to build a store website, and for that you need a website builder.
There are a few basic programs for that, and there are more elaborate ones that cost money.
I have a program that I am very familiar with, but its limited in what it can do
and its quite old now...but it serves my needs.
Strictly speaking, you don't need a website builder to create a website. If you want a store with the "look and feel" of typical webstores, like Amazon, then you might. If you really want to make money on the site and have to worry that potential customers would be put off by something that doesn't look "professional", then this might be the way to go.

I've rented some webspace and plan to try selling artwork on it, prints and maybe some other things. I'll put my model plans on it, too, but they are all free. One thing I want to try is to use linoleum and/or woodcuts for prints with model plans so that I can use finer ink (or more likely oil paint) and fine paper, since it's always bothered me that model plans are not that way and if I do, I will sell them, though the plans themselves in electronic form will remain free.

I've created several websites, personal and for work, and I've only ever used straight HTML with Javascript for client-side executable code. For server-side web-programming I've used C++ with FastCGI and a MySQL database. Everything was hand-written and not using an IDE (Integrated Development Environment). I don't know yet whether the server from my web provider supports CGI. If not, I'll have to learn PHP, which it does support.

Some people have occasionally criticized my websites but they serve the purpose and since they consist of straight text and graphics, the fonts are scalable so they are accessible to people with impaired vision. I'm not that concerned with maximizing sales, so this approach will work for me.

HTML is pretty simple and Javascript is also not that hard, so people should not imagine that using an IDE or website creator is a must. For server-side web applications with or without an attached database one does need to acquire more advanced skills but it isn't rocket science. Well, it can be, but it doesn't have to.

As examples, here are my currently existing websites:
Personal, under construction: Laurence Finston's Website
GNU 3DLDF: The GNU 3DLDF Website

For the latter, the entire source code for all of the (many) webpages can be obtained with this command (from the command line if you're using Unix and from a DOS window on Windows, assuming you've installed CVS):

cvs -z3 -d:pserver:[email protected]:/web/3dldf co 3dldf

Further instructions are available here:
3DLDF - CVS Repositories [Savannah]

I would encourage anyone to try writing straight HTML. You don't even need webspace for this. You can load local HTML files into a browser like this:
file://directory/filename.html
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Old 02-12-2022, 02:21 AM
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herky herky is offline
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papertrade sell a few of there models as downloads
ls
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Old 02-12-2022, 07:50 AM
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airdave airdave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Laurence Finston View Post
HTML is pretty simple and Javascript is also not that hard
lol
I'm going t take a chance and say that 90% of us don't understand this stuff
no matter how easy you think it is..

90% of what you just posted I don't understand!
lol
Its literally like someone speaking another another language when I hear this stuff.

I use a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) style website builder because I cannot understand html and coding.
I'm a interwebtechs dummy.
And many are like me.
And if we want something more than just a sheet of text (for a store) then this is the only option for many.

I was just pointing out that creating your own online store is not hard
but may require a fair amount of tech understanding, effort, and cost.
And you still might not reach a wider audience than ecardmodels can offer you.

I forgot to say, if you are selling digital (PDF) model files, then all I have said applies.
If you wish to sell pre-printed models, then there are many other places available to sell your kits.
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Old 02-12-2022, 08:31 AM
Laurence Finston Laurence Finston is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by airdave View Post
I'm going t take a chance and say that 90% of us don't understand this stuff no matter how easy you think it is..
You may be right, but it is all learnable. One also would have to learn how to use a program for creating websites. I doubt that that would be easier and by learning HTML one would have a better understanding of how things work "under the hood".

Judging from the models people post about here, I would say most of the participants are technically-minded.

Before I retired my profession was computer programming and over the years I've learned several programming languages and various programming tools, software packages, operating systems, etc. And I did not study computer science or ever take any classes in programming. I can say from my experience that it is literally true that HTML and JavaScript are relatively simple compared to most if not all other programming languages and can be learned with a reasonable amount of effort.

If anyone prefers a different approach, I don't see any problem with that. I was just offering information or the benefit of my experience, if you will.

This is the complete code for a valid, simple webpage:

******************************************

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
<title>A Rudimentary Webpage</title></title>
</head>

<body>
<font color="black">
<h1 align="center">
<a name="top"> A Rudimentary Webpage
</a>
</h1></font>

<h2 align="center">
<a name="Who_I_Am">
</a>
Who I Am
</h2>

<p>
I am a person who's selling paper models.
</p>

</body>
</html>

****************************

If you save it into the file ttemp.html in the directory /home/somebody/ or \home\somebody\ in Windows, you can load it into your browser by typing this in the line for the URL: file:///home/somebody/ttemp.html
I don't remember how the directory names in browsers are handled by Windows. One might have to try both variants. I think it's the same as with Unix (with slashes).

A tag like <p> for "paragraph" starts a unit of organization which ends with a similar tag including a slash, e.g., </p>.
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Old 02-12-2022, 09:57 AM
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First, I would like to say thank you to each contributor to this thread. This is a wonderful and practical discussion. I have struggled with the idea of how to effectively support a broader community of model builders and designers while providing a simple marketplace for buyers and sellers to easily and affordably interact. I’m not very technical; I have managed several websites over the years. I know just enough to get myself into trouble, but not enough to get myself out. It’s a pain in the ass! I have found that sometimes it is both easier and more enjoyable to utilize what is available rather than re-invent the wheel.

I have a thought which may feel slightly off topic but could be quite profound in its application in all areas of intellectual property (I.P.) protections. The development of NFT’s in the digital art space holds a lot of promise for real-world transactions. The monetization of your artistic effort can be encoded on the block chain to provide an indefinite passive income every time a design passes hands across the internet. It would also address the loss of control of one’s I.P. This is all a bit more technical for this thread but worthy of discussion. If anyone so incline, here is a link to a video I have found really intriguing about the topic.

Raoul Pal's Introduction to the Exponential Age - Raoul Pal&#39;s Introduction to the Exponential Age - YouTube
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