football programme website

[Rafehod]

Hi All

Have any of the dealers on here started or still selling programmes on their own website. If so did you get many sales, did you manage to get anywhere near the first page of google and was the traffic worthwhile to cover the expense of the site?

Toying with the idea as selling on ebay can be crippling with the fees.

Thanks for any assistance or ideas

[Auchinleckian]

Haven't got around to it yet, but will eventually do so. Have produced a small number of electronic lists since last March when I took up the programme lark full time, and they've been received rather well. The list of clients I send it to is slowly expanding and I usually generate semi decent sales from the list.
I always ensure there's new stock on it, as there's little point in putting out lists that are exactly the same month in, month out. When I put my next list out in the next few weeks - after a 5 month lay off due to fairs - there'll be sufficient new material in it to hopefully generate another semi decent return.
It all depends, I suppose, what you want out of it. I consider myself lucky that it's not my primary source of income as I took early retirement 18 months back. Should I wish to make it any bigger, and buy the big collections again, there's no doubt there's more money to be made but I know it's much more a difficult job nowadays than it used to be.

[Fishy]

If either of you set up a site I wish you all the luck in the world.

One thing I would ask though is that you indicate when you have updated your list - all that is needed is is 'last updated' spot near the top of the homepage.

There are too many sites without any indication (imho) and it can be very annoying not to mention time wasting. Some dealers do send out an update email which is another way.

The other upside of this that I can see is that it shows that you are still operating the site - quite useful to us punters if you see what I mean!

Thanks and good luck
ian

[martino]

A few years ago I started a Website as I believed "every business needs a website".

To cut a long story short the problem was the amount of time it took to upload stock and then maintain the site. I could have been at it 24/7!

I got a very favourable review in Programme Monthly, direct sales and "cross-sales". However, overall it was not a cost effective sales medium for me.

I closed the website down after about 12 months and went back to E Bay / Programme Monthly etc.

I was a "one man" operation. I can only assume that the big dealers with websites have someone who can load / maintain the stock for them.

Like it or loathe it E Bay gives instant access to millions of potential buyers which would never happen with your own, new, website.

[martino]

Auchinleckian wrote:

It all depends, I suppose, what you want out of it. I consider myself lucky that it's not my primary source of income as I took early retirement 18 months back. Should I wish to make it any bigger, and buy the big collections again, there's no doubt there's more money to be made but I know it's much more a difficult job nowadays than it used to be.

Agreed. I am in a similar position so it is more a "hobby".

Buyers seem to want a bargain these days which must make life hard for the big dealers. What frightens me is the amount of money the big dealers must have lying around in unsold stock. To me most unsold stock is dead money and so it goes back into auction etc, although I keep some more desirable items for my own collection if they do not sell.

[Rafehod]

Thanks for all your comments, I wont abandon Ebay totally but use it as a marketing tool for my site which will hold the vast amount of my stock.

I have a shop currently but as you know some stock simply does not sell there so instead of paying each month 5p to list it I will move that stock to my site with alot of good stuff also.

I am going for it and have started it, I am going to make it as user friendly as possible and the uploading of stock seems quick enough.

I will also have a shopping cart facility as I have noticed that most dealer sites only list their stock and you need to email them what you want and wait for them to confirm postage and indeed availability. All this seems a bit clarty so I have set up an automatic postage calculator all done via weight and you can pay instantly through paypal.

I am loading stock on it now but can't really open it yet as it has embarrassingly little on it but think it will be the easiest to use that I have come across and most importantly the fairest pricewise.

It will be interesting to see how it goes once opened and advertised, but a little way off at the minute.

[Wullie]

"a marketing tool for my site". a very good idea. I know a coin dealer who deals on Ebay but directs you to his site and tells you he will sell items for much less than he sells on ebay. I'm amazed he gets away with it, but i don't mind as i only buy direct from him now. And his website is nothing special or fancy. A free webpage and photobucket. I guess it works well for him and keeps costs down.

[ashburton-grove]

kickoff3pm
free listing, easy to use and relist. No fv fees under £9.99.
I've sold some already on there. Save yourself time and money.
_________________
"We have a problem with Sol Campbell" Arsene Wenger. 04/02/06

[Rafehod]

ashburton-grove wrote:

kickoff3pm free listing, easy to use and relist. No fv fees under £9.99. I've sold some already on there. Save yourself time and money.

Tell me more how does this work, you sell much on there? and is there the traffic to get the sales. what sort of progs you selling modern or 20s 30s 40s etc.

Would be very interested to know.

[grantham]

Have dealt with an online store for a num ber of years, my lastest version is currently going live www.programmehut.com Only has FA Cup programmes loaded and priced. But I'm not sorting my stock and will be loading as quickly as possible.

I'm using it in-tandem with my stats site www.thefootballarchives.com, both of which I've been doing as a hobby for the last 4 years and now I feel they are in a position to start to re-coup some of the money I have spent.

This is my send request for which teams stock you want loading first, after my initial request I have begun sorting them first and will add the stock shortly.

Any feedback for either site is most welcome

[Rafehod]

Thanks for all your responses

As I said I have gone for it and we will see.......I was wondering if anyone could give me some feedback ( nothing to technical mind). Although there is hardly any stock on it at the minute I have plenty to add and will be doing so every day when time and work allows me. I think the lay out works well and although basic at the minute seems to serve a purpose.

Its here www.mhfootballprogrammes.co.uk

Thanks for any feedback, good or bad!!

Martin

[grantham]

This is by no means technical, but the file size for your images is WAY TO BIG for normal useage, notice the slowdown when images load ?

That is because they are huge, I'm on broadband and it's painful, think of those on lesser bandwidth (maybe fewer and fewer, but you have to address something so easy to fix)

Use Gimp or another image package to compress them

[Rafehod]

grantham wrote:

This is by no means technical, but the file size for your images is WAY TO BIG for normal useage, notice the slowdown when images load ? That is because they are huge, I'm on broadband and it's painful, think of those on lesser bandwidth (maybe fewer and fewer, but you have to address something so easy to fix) Use Gimp or another image package to compress them

Thanks for that Grantham

I have noticed this and will start compressing them going forward.