SpinAgain Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 (edited) It has always been a dream of mine to own a business. And being the record fanatic I am I have always wanted to merge the two. Recently I have been thinking about giving it a go and see what the market has to offer. I have been in talks with suppliers and I have a website and Facebook page ready to roll. My next steps are just to build inventory and market it. My business model would be a strictly online vendor who only sells vinyl and accessories. (no tapes,cd,dvds etc.) So I'm gauging feedback from the vinyl community as to if there is any interest. I'm thinking my website is also going to have a used section where I build a used record inventory through trade ins from customers. If anybody has any feedback for me I would greatly appreciate it. As I said this is still in the planning stages however I truly would like to have a run at it. I am currently taking names of people who would like to subscribe to a newsletter as I make the trek down this road. The name of the company is going to be Spin Again. Edited April 2, 2018 by SpinAgain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Group Buy Guy Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I like the name and I wish you luck. My only advice is to write up a thorough business plan and make sure that you have a safe amount of working capital set before you get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museummouth Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Starting a record store/marketplace now is next to impossible with big box online retailers dominating it. Unless you can beat Amazon's prices for new releases or discogs for used. dnl, AlexH. and Tommy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I was thinking of opening an online business that shares my love for cinema, film and TV. We send you DVDs in the mail and when you’re done just send them back. Also, if DVDs aren’t your thing we will have a streaming service that allows to to choose from our catelog of movies to watch/stream without the hassle of downloading. Thoughts? aopps42, unknown pleasures, shenanigans and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unknown pleasures Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 25 minutes ago, Tommy said: I was thinking of opening an online business that shares my love for cinema, film and TV. We send you DVDs in the mail and when you’re done just send them back. Also, if DVDs aren’t your thing we will have a streaming service that allows to to choose from our catelog of movies to watch/stream without the hassle of downloading. Thoughts? Whatever you do, don’t get involved with Kevin Spacey. I hear he has some skeletons in the closet, if you know what I mean... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 1 hour ago, unknown pleasures said: Whatever you do, don’t get involved with Kevin Spacey. I hear he has some skeletons in the closet, if you know what I mean... Sound advice. We may bring on Aziz Ansari for some creative direction. I prefer actors who have had to claw their way to the top WAXXX 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinAgain Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 Personally I don’t find disogs user friendly at all, and shipping to Canada is always out to lunch. And with amazon I find they don’t give details about pressings. And in my talks with suppliers we should be able to offer the same prices. In Canada we don’t really have any online vendors that cater to the vinyl community. That is the niche I want to hit. An online vendor that caters to vinyl collectors. That you can contact to get specific details about pressings etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantheriver Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 No dads? Pass. Tommy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinAgain Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 54 minutes ago, dantheriver said: No dads? Pass. Edited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinAgain Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 I should add I’m not in this to get rich. I just love everything about the hobby of collecting vinyl and I want to just tap into a small section of the market to accomplish my goal. 6 hours ago, Tommy said: I was thinking of opening an online business that shares my love for cinema, film and TV. We send you DVDs in the mail and when you’re done just send them back. Also, if DVDs aren’t your thing we will have a streaming service that allows to to choose from our catelog of movies to watch/stream without the hassle of downloading. Thoughts? I get the joke here but I’m talking a lot smaller scale then trying to fight giants in the market. Was just looking for feedback not mockery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 17 minutes ago, SpinAgain said: I should add I’m not in this to get rich. I just love everything about the hobby of collecting vinyl and I want to just tap into a small section of the market to accomplish my goal. I get the joke here but I’m talking a lot smaller scale then trying to fight giants in the market. Was just looking for feedback not mockery. I hear ya man, I just think its a bad idea Amazon out of the picture, why should I buy from Spin Again instead of BullMoose? Group Buy Guy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinking_in_design Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 There's a lot of competition now a days. Ive seen a lot of online vinyl shops come and go. You might survive if you sell a niche genre but your market dwindles in buyers. Im not too familair with the Canada market, so maybe you can make an impact, but how will you advertise and get traffic to your site? docbronze 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinAgain Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 My main marketing plot will be customer service that is more personalized and catered towards vinyl collectors. I know personally when I shop online for vinyl I want to buy off someone who knows what they're selling. The plan for this idea isn't to grow this into chains across the country. My goal is to layout a spot where you can have a browse through an extremely user friendly website and read customer reviews from other vinyl enthusiasts and even contact one of the owners to discuss vinyl and different recommendation for the customer. I encourage you to check out the website and sign up for newsletter as we start to grow our business and build inventory and give us a fair chance to gain your business. www.spinagainrecords.weebly.com. 1 hour ago, Tommy said: Amazon out of the picture, why should I buy from Spin Again instead of BullMoose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1876records Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 (edited) creating an online-only retailer in this climate up against Bullmoose, Amazon, and a million others does not seem like it would work long-term. I would recommend just taking advantage of the Discogs marketplace as a seller. or an even better idea would be to open an actual shop. put all of your focus on customer service and a healthy inventory, become a large part of the community, and rely on a loyal fanbase. Edited April 2, 2018 by 1876records Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinAgain Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 6 minutes ago, sinking_in_design said: There's a lot of competition now a days. Ive seen a lot of online vinyl shops come and go. You might survive if you sell a niche genre but your market dwindles in buyers. Im not too familair with the Canada market, so maybe you can make an impact, but how will you advertise and get traffic to your site? The plan for marketing is through different outlets. Facebook will be a huge marketing tool for us. I have a Facebook page ready to roll and we plan to roll out advertising campaigns through Facebook, such as contests, giveaways, paid advertisement etc. Also I will be sponsoring a couple record fairs that are set to go ahead this summer locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl_ben Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Let me know in a year when you are closing shop and need to have a clearance sale. Tommy, unknown pleasures, AlexH. and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicondevil Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 5 hours ago, SpinAgain said: Personally I don’t find disogs user friendly at all, and shipping to Canada is always out to lunch. And with amazon I find they don’t give details about pressings. And in my talks with suppliers we should be able to offer the same prices. In Canada we don’t really have any online vendors that cater to the vinyl community. That is the niche I want to hit. An online vendor that caters to vinyl collectors. That you can contact to get specific details about pressings etc. Discogs is pretty great for me, though I don't live in Canada. When I need to find out more about a record I just ask the seller. I don't mean to piss on your parade, but like others have said, this is a venture that seems destined to leave you in debt with a room full of back stock that you can't sell. You may want to just see if you can be successful as a seller on Discogs first with limited stock. That should give you an indication that you should proceed or figure something else out. Good luck! thievedrelic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Hundred Fifty-Two Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 This may work, but you will have to accept extremely slim margins. No one outside of Canada will order from you so unfortunately that’s all the info I can offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Group Buy Guy Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 19 minutes ago, stl_ben said: Let me know in a year when you are closing shop and need to have a clearance sale. Let me know today that you've officially left VC. Karpatenhunde77 and Derek™ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N8TRU Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 9 hours ago, Tommy said: I was thinking of opening an online business that shares my love for cinema, film and TV. We send you DVDs in the mail and when you’re done just send them back. Also, if DVDs aren’t your thing we will have a streaming service that allows to to choose from our catelog of movies to watch/stream without the hassle of downloading. Thoughts? Not gonna lie, I still use DVD Netflix and I think I've rented over 700 DVDs since 2013. aopps42, Tommy and Group Buy Guy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 16 minutes ago, N8TRU1 said: Not gonna lie, I still use DVD Netflix and I think I've rented over 700 DVDs since 2013. Right, but my main marketing plot will be customer service that is more personalized and catered towards DVD enthusiasts. I know personally when I shop online for movies I want to rent from someone who knows what they're doing. The plan for this idea isn't to grow this into chains across the country. My goal is to layout a spot where you can browse through an extremely user friendly website and read customer reviews from other film enthusiasts and even contact one of the owners to discuss movies you like and different recommendations for the customer. somethingvinyl, WAXXX, HoneyFrosted and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinAgain Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 18 minutes ago, Tommy said: Right, but my main marketing plot will be customer service that is more personalized and catered towards DVD enthusiasts. I know personally when I shop online for movies I want to rent from someone who knows what they're doing. The plan for this idea isn't to grow this into chains across the country. My goal is to layout a spot where you can browse through an extremely user friendly website and read customer reviews from other film enthusiasts and even contact one of the owners to discuss movies you like and different recommendations for the customer. No need man. If you’re done with your input you can move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl_ben Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 But yeah, best bet for selling records online is most likely to just sell on Discogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 42 minutes ago, SpinAgain said: No need man. If you’re done with your input you can move on. yeah, I just don't see the market for personalized email communication with webstore owners on music taste and recommendation when making a record purchase online Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney Crosley Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Canada is a really shitty market. Canada Post is one of the main reasons, but there are other factors too. Start with the fact that it can cost anywhere between $11-20 to ship one record, and that taxes can be as high as 14%. The few places in Canada that you can order online usually have limited supply or charge for shipping (take our overlords, SRCVinyl, for example, who don't have a free shipping threshold at any point. I once bought $100 of clearance vinyl - but it cost $130 by the time shipping and taxes were factored in.) This means that it will be mathematically impossible to sell a $16.99 record for under $30. And then even if Amazon.ca has it for $24, it would still be cheaper (and at times quicker) to order from them. As a Canadian record buyer, I would love for this to work, but with no Media Mail, and Canada Post rates continually getting to comical amounts, I find it easier to buy from Amazon.ca, ImportCDs/Collector's Choice, the occasional German store (sometimes 4 Euros shipping to Canada), and go in person. Means I don't get anywhere near the amount of deals most Americans get from Amazon.com, Discogs, Bullmoose, etc. but it's the best we can do here. Not intending to shit on your idea. Canada Post has done that for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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