Ok guys I have a question and I need your thoughts and ideas. Let’s say a friend was to open an on-line model shop. What I’d like to know is what you are buying…

For the time being he only selling modern AFV and Aircraft kits. As for the aftermarket resin, PE, decals and paints well that will come later. For the time being modern kits, let’s say Vietnam to present.

Also would you guys be willing to buy on-line as most do, and if you’re looking for something particular (anything resin, PE, decals ) would you shop here and be willing to wait the extra day or so for that item.

Justen will stock many of the newer Trumpeter, Tamiya, AFV, Hobbyboss and so on. Most popular scales from 1/72 to 1/32.

Shipping…how important is it to you. Well lets just say you’ll get a great deal if not a better deal.

Justen is looking to fine out what model kits you guy would be willing to buy and what scale, so give us your thoughts.

Happy Modeling,
Section 8 Hobbies

hasegawa and tamiya in 1/48 any of there modern stuff in american and I would wait extra days if the shipping was cheaper say a flat rate box .And I would like a place thats honest and would answer questions that customers have like..."Hi do you have a f-4 Phantom in 1/48?"I would send e-mail Reply:No sir but I can get it from supplier will be here in a week! instead of just a button saying out of stock.That would be nice.Just some thoughts.And last but not least if he is cheaper dosnt have to be much I would buy if it were 10.00 dollars cheaper everyone knows we are all looking for a deal.

Build On,
Justin

I definitively would use an on-line shop if I have to, if I trust it and when it provides added value.

have to: At the moment stash is too big, not buying anything

trust it: I don't want to see "in stock" on a screen to find out after paying that delivery will be in 120 weeks time.

Added value: as an example: If I select a kit on the site then I want to see immediately which resin, photo-etch, decals, paint ... are available for that kit so that i can buy everything needed in one shot.

what I would buy:

1/48 scale, anything with a jet engine (including choppers) and always high quality kits. I don't want to buy a kit with heaps of flash, wharped plastic, unreadable instructions... I am simply not masochistic enough. So he does not need to have every F-16 kit that was ever produced, the best kit available is sufficient. ;-)

hope this helps

Hi Joe

A shop specialising in modern stuff wouldn't appeal to me, but I can see how concentrating on a niche sector of the hobby might work well.

If your friend can build a reputation for nailing everything that's worthwhile in terms of kits and accesories for that genre - especially as Drabslab suggests, with a one-stop-shop approach so that, when you choose a kit you are also presented with the appropriate aftermarket upgrades - that could build a clientele of customers who will return to the shop as first choice. To further that, I'd consider some sort of loyalty scheme to reward regulars for their purchases.

I wish your friend every success. And obviously, if he gets going, we'll do our best to help on Aeroscale as regards news items where approriate.

All the best

Rowan

Justen knows the retail business all to well, that’s what he does in the real world. So far the opinions you guys have suggested have help and he has taken notes.

Now as to the modern stuff well Justen is selling some of the WWII kits, but for the time being it is mostly modern. What’s going to happen is as the products sells the money will be circulated back into the shop adding a broader range of products which will include paints, tools and such.

As to the website, it’s going to be great from what I hear, no BS as most of you voiced. The products listed will include a photo and as time goes on a review section.

I won’t say much more as Justen is reading all comments and will chime in real soon to explain more in detail the how’s, what’s and when’s .

Happy Modeling,
Joe

First of all, let me say, I love the name, "Section 8 Hobbies."
My preferences aren't shared my most people, unfortunately. I really prefer modern planes and aircraft to World War II. All I can say is, try to keep a bit of everything in stock, and you'll have something for everyone. One of my pet peeves is having to order things from three different online sellers, and having to pay for shipping three times, because no single store has everything I want. I also hate being charged nine dollars for every order, whether it's four big model kits or a decal and brass photo etch. Sprue Brothers has the best system, which calculates your shipping fee for you based on zip code. Unfortunately, my computer doesn't seem to like Sprue Brothers. My screen freezes up whenever I go there.
Also, you'll want to be up front about what the shipping charge will come to. There are sellers who overcharge for shipping, unfortunately (especially on eBay) and some who expect you to place an order before they'll tell you how much they'll charge. Anyway, I wish you success in this venture.

Hi again

One point that would be very useful would be to allow customers to make special arrangements for how they want their good sent - such as breaking an order down into a number of consignments if the overall value exceeds the limit for imort duties.

All the best

Rowan

Hi,
I work for a company that operates several webshops, not model kits, but power tools, welding equipment etc. So this is a very accessory- and advisory-intensive market, just like model kits.

What I like on a good web shop is:
- there are good photos of everything;
- the pricing/shipping information is always very apparent and clear;
- the web surface is kept simple, no blinking pop-ups or music etc.
- the homepage is FAST! If a page loads longer than 5 seconds, the customer will turn away.
- there is a very good search engine that will find misspelled product names just like "harryer" for a Harrier, it is especially important if you want to operate internationally.
- keep your webshop on the top of the search engine hit lists. The second hit in an engine search will only provide 50% of the turnover in an average compared to the first placed hit. The third hit is only 10% and hits below place 10 are completely useless.
- change the design regularly, 1. to keep the people interested; 2. to get a chance of new business communication regularly.

Specifically, for the model kits, especially modern, you could use some cross marketing, ie. if you look for a Saab J-37 for example, apart from the available kits the available AM parts and decals and literature could also appear at the same time as recommended, maybe along with links to the kit reviews and forum posts and the suggested paints. It is a good idea if your homepage could quickly generate a downloadable .pdf of this list so that the customer can save it up for himself if he cannot buy everything at once.

Also, if you opt to operate a live-voice customer service (which is very important I think) be sure that there is really somebody at the phone/e-mail/skype/fax etc. to respond! Nothing is more disappointing that a customer service that does not work.

Then, if you link up the homepage to your logistics software, you can show the customers when the items would become available instead of showing only Out Of Stock, and saving yourself from a hill of phone calls.

Important is that shipping is traceable, so always communicate with your client when the package is sent, along with the tracking number so that he can see where his stuff is. For shipping time, one or two days waiting is not so dramatic if the client feels being updated, these being hobby supplies (unlike for auto parts or welding accessories which are being used for work therefore always urgent).

These are a few ideas from my experience, I hope it helps.

Thanks to Joe for posting this question. He's been immeasurably helpful in during my start-up phase.

I'm happy to see that most of the points posted here have either been addressed or at least considered; makes me feel like I'm on-track.

As Joe has stated, I have quite a bit of retail experience (automotive supply) and a TONS of service experience. Furthermore, I know what I like to see on a site and how I like to shop. With that in mind here's what I'm shooting for. As you can see, it's a very "Keep it Simple" strategy:

-ease of naviation
-visually pleasing and graphically useful. (trying to balance this with load-times is a challenge
-great pricing
-transparent shipping with very easy to understand terms.

As far as what's available on the site, that will be an ever-growing selection as I have to be careful with my start-up budget and continue to 'roll" sale into growing that inventory. SO, when you see "New stuff coming in every week," I mean it

Anyway, I'm hoping to have everything live in a week or so (tech issues are the only hold-up and this point.) But let me ask this quick question: I'd like to have a little give away item for the first few hundred orders. I'm trying to find someone to print me up little sanding sticks or something with my logo. Anyone have any ideas? I'd be eternally grateful. And thanks for the well-wishes!

Thanks guys,

Justen
http://www.section8hobbies.com

There is something called a mashup which means bringing the relevant content of several websites together.

As examples:

Instead of writing articles describing the history of a plane: get content from wikipedia

Instead of spending time writing reviews: make a deal with Aeroscale

Instead of buiding a forum: again, make a deal with aeroscale

and so on

Good ideas, Drab... I'm definitely going to have to give all of those some thought. I'm going to have a Gallery section too to showcase certain products.