WillBrown2893 Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 research i hav done so far is facts and figures about the airsoft market, airsoft businesses and wat suppliers they use, laws surrounding airsoft, further research into DE and how other businesses price their products, costs and how to setup web based business, a few predicted costs (not tht great as they are just a prediction), and a list of competitors that i will face and the most popular locations for airsoft businesses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MZKaleem Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Another thing you need to check out is a reliable courier service that wont lose items in post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joec1 Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Advertising. Margins - per item Packaging for courier Storage costs Public liability Added home insurance (if working from home ss not all mortgage companies all businesses from home) Security Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporters Airsoft-Ed Posted February 27, 2013 Supporters Share Posted February 27, 2013 Going back to something mentioned on the last page, shops don't actually have to be part of UKARA to sell RIFs. UKARA is put out there as being the only way, but if you actually try and join it as a retailer then you'll find it's under the control of all the top tier shops and you have to pay a premium to join. A premium set by those top tier retailers, who love having no competition. UKARA is almost a legal monopoly. You can sell RIFs without it, so long as the buyers have their details checked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporters Richard65 Posted February 27, 2013 Supporters Share Posted February 27, 2013 Do you know how many people play airsoft and how fast these numbers are increasing? Do you have the technical skills to handle repairs or basic modifications to fps before sending out the guns? My own preference for suppliers is either the shop at the site I use regularly (they can sort out any issues on the game day) or a supplier close to home making it relatively easy to get support. This is because I do not have enough knowledge to do my own repairs - other than basic stuff. A mail order purchase would have to be very attractively priced to compensate for local support. Others on the forum obviously have greater technical skills and will happily buy from USA/Far East. Good luck if you go ahead with this venture but I think you will need a fair bit of finance to make it work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armysurplusandtoys Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 having just started up my own business i know its a mine field, so good luck just do your research and although my knowledge of air soft is limited my experience and knowledge of the clothing and accessories is vast, my air soft products will be a work in progress and like any good business man or woman knows you need lots of patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armysurplusandtoys Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 oh and i did want to mention, I think that for a good business you must have in your hands what you want to sell or at least 99% (unless trialing a new product). This means once an order comes in you can dispatch that item within 24 hours. This provides your customers with 100% satisfaction and if you do not, you will only upset your customer base. I did notice you said you are at uni but have you worked in retail? not to sound harsh but almost all my working life has been in retail and i only spent about 3 years of that not in retail working as a lifeguard, Just these are the things that will make you stand out. Uni may teach you how to run the business behind the scenes but what the most important thing is knowing what you customers want to see? but like i said on the last post, i really do wish you luck p.s. out of all the forums i have been on since my first forum (land rovers) i thinks these have been the most honest and open in a non malicious way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Absolutely nobody has mentioned perhaps one of the most important aspects to running a business in the UK. Tax. Have you considered this in your plans? Will you be self employed? A partnership? Limited liability or will you take liability personally (i.e. if sued at a small claims court). It has happened in our community before... What about VAT registration? And if so, which scheme? Here's a good start for your research: https://www.gov.uk/browse/business Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jubigala Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 If I was you, I'd approach your local gun/military shop and ask them to sell items for you. I sold my guitar in a similar fashion. You'd maybe need to do some market research as to what you likely be a good draw line item. The benefit is that the punter can feel your product in an environment they trust, is established and knows what they are talking about. You can give them the 411 of the item. They will likely charge a commission/seller fee, but as you name the price they will sell at, you have control over profit. If you calculate what your supply price will be, what you will ask for it, then their seller fee in %, you can gauge how much you will make profit, but you have few overheads and get the full benefit of a shop doing all the work plus their customer base. You will likely not even sell a unit a month at the start, realistically.. so this is a great option as you can make a little money, let someone do all the work in return for what would be the cheapest overhead to you. Remember, unless you are going to sell on eBay, your website (that must have secure on-line payment) will cost you over 1k alone. Try to sell how easy it is to sell one item first, and then go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattbibby Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Sorry in advance if this sounds harsh... As someone who has 'been there, done that', the fact you are having to ask these questions on here rather than going out and getting on with it, says it all. Good luck, but don't give up the day job just yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.