new shop idea???

shadowmaker · 14-09-2006

i am thinking of opening a shop up and i would like to know what people would buy and also there may be a website to go with it! if you have any ideas ie

rc cars - size
trains - scale
models - build yourself
scenary
etc you get the idea i hope if you have any suggestions please post them on here and they would also be mail order as well!!!!!!!!

rjwood_uk · 14-09-2006

maybe you should talk to squiffythewombat.

these guys helped him start up an online shop

http://www.semodels.com/

rjwood_uk · 14-09-2006

this is a message i am passing on from Squiffythewombat.

"opening a model shop in this day and age will require some serious thinking. Taking a look at the surounding areas and do you market research, make sure that there is the level of modellers to support you. A shop with a small customer base wont last long.

Trade references will be very important before companies allow you to stock their products. If you dont have any then you will find getting credit and distributors hard.

Look to the web for ideas and try to focus on a specific area of the hobby. Modelling has a vast aray of types these days from RC to trains to kits to steam! If your planing to stock both, RC, trains and plastic kits i would have a long hard think;- do you have the capital, where is your market? do you know lots about kits as well as trains? Theres no good selling something to a customer if you cant explain how it works or mend it when things go tits up!

Remmber that to be able to stock Hornby you must have trade ref's, a retail premisies and a minimum of £3000 for your first order (which will be pro-forma). Smaller cottage industries are more likelly to work with you but these are no good on their own. Personally i started by ringing the distributors and finding out their reguirements, i then went away and did some more market research and ended up where i am now. Ive been doing this about 8months now and there is still 100 things to learn everyday and i only focus on plastics, not rc or trains.

If im utterly honest, by the tone of your post i think you in the "hmmm what if" stage... the "i would love to run a model shop" stage, but you have to remmber that its VERY VERY VERY STRESSFUL, you will have to work every hour of the day, not see any friends and basically be a hermit."

he says he realised he could waffle on for ten pages so if you want to speak to him about anything and for advice you can either speak to him on msn by adding squiffydawombat@hotmail.com or using the contact form on his website:

http://semodels.com/contact_us.php?o...e819930971d0e8

**Bluewavestudios** · 15-09-2006

I thought I hadn't seen Squiffy on here for a while, He is Obviously Busy. I must admit running a model shop is something that appeals to me but as stated above there are a lot of things to be considered.

Around here would be an excellent Market as we have Numerous Places for R/C Models of all Types and not one R/C shop here at all. The nearest to me is a 22 mile drive and then the next One is in Wrexham which is about 40 Miles away.

We have 3 Model Train shops but that is it....There used to be a good R/C shop here but they sold out to move into Kit Production. (Look up RM Marine)
They had one of their kits reviewed in one of the Model Boat Mags...it was a 1920's Customs Launch...The review was a very Favourable one for them and business really took off for them and they haven't looked back since.
I know both Roger and Mike Heath of RM Marine very well and we have been good friends for well over 20 years now...I had the pleasure of a guided tour of their small factory workshop a while back and it was very worthwhile.

Who knows what the future holds...I might not bin that idea just yet.

Regards.......Mark.

**Bunkerbarge** · 15-09-2006

I am sure that for everyone we see make it there must be many many more that don't.

It is a mine field out there for the unwary and I know from my parents experiences that to make a small business work you have to give up your lives. Not an easy thing to to.