TubeNet

so,
I've been kicking around this idea for a little while and it sounds reasonable to me, but I want to know what you guys (and gals) think and if anyone is interested in sending out their products. I figured that there is not a big showroom here in the South East to try out different horns and mouthpieces etc... I happen to have a couple of horns and well, too many mouthpieces and I'll usually have some friends over and we'll have a "dork night" where we sit down, try some horns, try some mouthpieces , listen to some music order pizza and whatever. We have thought that it would be great if we could have companies send us a line of their mouthpieces so that anyone could contact me come on over and we could try out a bunch of stuff. Then maybe have some tubas there too for people to honk on.
I figure that the companies could send down some stuff and if people want to buy it they could cut a check, or pay online or whatever, but have it here in stock if you willl to take it home with them. Since it would be fun for me to have the stuff around to toot on myself and since well, it would be out of my apartment, I wouldn't expect much by way of earning $$ on it (at least at first). Commision could be on a sliding scale, (ie. the 1st one would be little or no commision and then the more that goes out the door then I might stand to make a little $ from it). So here is the kicker, I don't have tons of capital laying around (or much at all) and since it would be a low pressure environment it would be great if the companies would send the stuff on a consingment style basis (because I don't have the money to lay out and hope that someones buys this stuff). It would seem to be a win /win situation for them. Their product gets to the SouthEast, people get to try out their whole line of stuff, find out what they want and make some money on the deal (possibly a bunch).
I have heard so many times on the board about certain brands "where can I go to try these out and see which one I like the best" and there aren't too many places out here. For example, I have had 2 fellow tubenetters come by and try out a whole bunch of MPC's with the minidisc rolling. They both knew that I had no preference either way on what they were going to buy and in the end they both wound up finding some stuff that worked for them and I would love to expand on that idea.
I guess the 1st thought is "well Bill, that sounds alot like something that already exists called A STORE!" Yeah, ok true but, I can't afford to rent a retail space, buy all of the merchandise, staff the store and somehow hope that the business flourishes before I go bankrupt, so I figured that this might be a way to ease into the idea and if it starts to happen, then maybe rent a place and so on. For me it's such a bummer to not have a Dillon or Brasswind or Custom or whoever here in the South, and they all had to start somewhere and maybe this might be the way to get something going. I'm sure there would have to be tons of legal aspects and liability and whatnot, and hopefully at first it could be based on a good relationship, a handshake and the idea of their company making money in an untapped market and or coures the more it grows the moree formal things would have to get.
What are you thoughts? Is it wrong to think that companies would send out their products without me laying out money? Does this seem like a good idea at all? Are there any folks out there interested? (MPC's or manufactures or even people selling accessories {stands and what not}? Maybe I'm nuts (possible) or maybe I just love having tubas around for me and my buddies to play around with (also possible) or maybe this might be a cool opportunity for all parties involved.
Bill Pritchard

Of course, the only people whose opinion really matters are the owners of retailers who would be in a position to take you up on the offer, and I am not such a one.

But...

I think the idea has several significant shortcomings from a business standpoint. Consider it from the point of view of "Mr. X", an instrument retailer who is successfully selling low brass instruments up north somewhere (or out west, or wherever). First, you're asking Mr. X to take all the risk. Since you are taking no risk, what is your motivation to sell their merchandise? They will be placing many thousands of dollars worth of merchandise at risk. Even if there was no chance of the inventory being damaged or lost, Mr. X is tying up all this stock for months, at the least, just to try your idea. He's taking a lot of risk with the prospect, very likely, of selling a few mouthpieces.

The next problem is that, running this fledgling business out of your apartment (which is likely illegal and almost certainly in violation of your lease) means that people off the street won't be dropping in to try and buy things; it sounds more like you're offering a tupperware party for brass gear. So all this merchandise is tied up day after day, not in front of any potential purchasers. Mr. X is losing the opportunity to sell his very expensive inventory, because it's locked up in your apartment!

A few other considerations: who will pay to insure the inventory? Who will pay for advertising? Who will service the instruments, once they are sold?

I hope this doesn't sound too harsh, Bill. I know your heart's in the right place, and I certainly share your frustration at not having more choices available in the south. If I believed in telepathy, I'd be sending brain-waves to a particular up-n-coming music store owner in the south to expand his offerings; but of course it's his business, and I'm not about to tell him what he "ought" to do (or to name him in public -- though a lot of you probably already know who I mean).

Now, what just might work would be to work a deal with some of the independent "boutique" mouthpiece makers to sell you their mouthpieces at wholesale prices and permit you to resell them at retail. You could go into business with just a few hundred skins that way, and funnel your profits into broader inventory. Who knows, you might even get into retailing tubas yourself one of these days, without need of a sugar-daddy!
_____________________________________
Joe Baker, who is sending out brain waves: "more tuba brands...more tuba brands...."

Cool,
a reply already

it sounds more like you're offering a tupperware party for brass gear

yeah, I guess that's almost what I had in mind.

So all this merchandise is tied up day after day, not in front of any potential purchasers.

The only problem is that we don't get any of that down here and we are still potential customers.

Now, what just might work would be to work a deal with some of the independent "boutique" mouthpiece makers to sell you their mouthpieces at wholesale prices and permit you to resell them at retail. You could go into business with just a few hundred skins that way, and funnel your profits into broader inventory. Who knows, you might even get into retailing tubas yourself one of these days, without need of a sugar-daddy!

Cool, very awesome. That would seem like the 1st step.
Thanks for your post, some good stuff for me to chew on!
Bill

Cool,
any more ideas?
any more people (especially mouthpiece folks) interested in sending some stuff for people in the area to try?

I have leads on one company (I'll tell you more when it happens, I don't want to jinx it).

It would be cool especially for moutpiece makers that use other types of material so that consumers down here could make A B comparisons between their regular equipment and the other type (be it heavyweight, stainless steel, titanium, lexan or whatever).
Cool,
Bill Pritchard

wow,
for a board of folks who like to flame up lots of folks, this thread is pretty quiet. Hmmmm.......
well,
bUmP!
Bill

Tubadork wrote:wow,
for a board of folks who like to flame up lots of folks, this thread is pretty quiet. Hmmmm.......
well,

Bill, I think it's pretty quiet because the only folks who would be interested would have to be within shouting distance of you. I don't think your idea is going to grab many folks living out in Missoula.

Hey! I have an idea You could put 30-40 tubas in a special semi and pull 'em all over the country so folks could try 'em out. Hey, Schlep you wanna drive

I don't really intend to be mean and nasty, but... there are already a couple of houses around the country that have made monstrous investments into stocking horns for us to try out. Kanstul seems to be the most liberal manufacturer about sending horns for trial, but they want their money in 30 days.

hi,

that sounds OK...

...I'd like to try 27 mouthpieces - but the one that I buy from you must have never been tryed by anyone else.

that's cool too,
people can try 'em out here and then walk right over to the computer and place an order.
As a quick update we have a few interested companies and even a few people who are looking to drop by and try some stuff out.
woo hoo! And as Andy said, this really isn't about money for us, we really just want folks to have options and not just buy any old thing or spend money ordering a mouthpiece online that they have never tried.
cool,
I think this can work, but hey, I'm a dork,
Bill

Personally, I don't mind buying a mouthpiece that some one else has played on. One of my favorite mouthpieces came out of a bin of used mouthpieces. I could not fathom buying any musical equipment without having tried it first. Heck even harmonicas are tested using those cardboard bellows (I used to work in a music store).

I would say it seems like you are going about this the right way. You seem to be looking for investors and have found a few potential ones and have even found people that want to stop by if this gets rolling. Investors and clients are very necessary in an endevour such as this.

Since I don't seem to have anything new to add I will wish you the best of luck in starting this thing. Who knows you may get something very cool going.

Henry Gertcher