CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

**Curt Palme**

You all might remember the thread that Kal started back in October about selling whole projectors under the guise of being parts units. The discussion went on for 3 pages about how possibly to change the for sale section to a tiny fee to place classifieds area, but the general consensus was to do a 'donation' to the website when someone sells something. Here's the thread as a reminder:

http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13087&start=0

Well, since we ended that thread, there's been a total of ONE donation to the site, even though as you skim the first two pages of classified ads, I see a lot of "SOLD" notices.

In the last week, I've had at least three instances where parts are offered for far less than what I sell a working, tested, modified, and warrantied part for. That's to be understood, as I'd expect all other parts by private individuals would be sold on an as is basis with no warranty. Sometimes these parts do end up coming back to me to be serviced, but sometimes not.

I also had one person email me with regards to troubleshooting a projector, I quoted a price on the part, and then I got the 'I found it cheaper on your forum, thanks for having that there' reply.

As I stated in the other thread, this site is my business. While I have a lot of fun doing this, it also pays for my mortgage and food. It's obvious to everyone that long time CRT owners are dumping their sets when something goes wrong with them, and yes, the odd person is still 'discovering' CRT projectors. Bottom line is, the time has come where the sale of CRT parts on my own website by others is affecting my bottom line.

So... unless you want to try and convince me otherwise in this thread, I am going to disallow the sale of CRT projector parts on the buy/sell section of the site. You'll have to sell them on eBay or Videogon or elsewhere after Jan 1.

Trust me, if business were booming, I wouldn't even consider this move. But with times being tight, and the CRT market shrinking, I can't afford the 'free to $20' competition any more.

Anything that isn't a CRT projector, scalers, cables, audio, screens, heck, even mounts are all still fair game at this point. I'm only applying this to CRT projectors specifically for now.

Comments?

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:43 pm Post subject:

Will this include something you don't have in stock? Lets say someone needs HD-145's you're out but a form member has a set and emails you telling you this. Would you allow the sale or even broker it by connecting the two people? Or would you just say sorry I have none try videogone/ebay?

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject:

If I happen to know specifically that someone has a part that I don't, I'm happy to pass it on, but chances are that's not going to happen.

Trust me, now allowing others to sell stuff isn't REALLY what I want to do, when Marquees are virtually being given away here, that affects my bottom line. (no, I'm not picking on my fellow Canadian, he wasn't breaking any rules when he posted, but it does take away from my livelihood.

Also, at this point, I'd say it's pretty rare that I'm out of something specific. I have zillions of parts here...

ecrabb · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:50 pm Post subject:

Curt... Personally, I don't see a problem with the change. It's your site to do with as you please. Period.

Now... To be perfectly honest, you know the PM's will still fly, right? Somebody's gonna post that they have a bad LVPS, and somebody else is going to PM that they have one and it's $X. You have a community here now, and people are going to talk. To use a high school drug-dealing metaphor, the dealing is just going to move from the lunchroom to the bathrooms, and finally out behind the school. Everybody will be buying/selling the drugs, you just won't be condoning it.

I still think you should consider making the Buy/Sell section available to post only for Members. At least, it would entice people to join... and at least there's some money in that.

SC

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

I think you should have a small fee for posting CRT parts each time. Like a flat fee of 5$. If kal can somehow add a paypal button that to the New topic button when some one wants to post a part I think that be ok. or what ever you decide the price should be. OR add a memebers price for also selling.

Athanasios

BradTheAggie · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 651 Location: Oak Point, Texas

Could you make selling projector parts from third parties an anonymous sale, where the seller comes to you, says "I want to sell my 03p VIM through your site for $300". You post the ad in Buy & Sell for $330, adding your 10% commission. If a buyer appears, you take the $330, pass the $300 along to the buyer, and the sale is completed. That way, you can guarantee getting your 10% commission without sales going behind your back...

Just a thought!

paw · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1176 Location: Arvada, CO

I agree. It's your website. You're still more generous than AVS.

You're going to need more $$$ with more mouths to feed. Wink

I've hear one of them is a real pig. Rolling Eyes

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:50 pm Post subject:

Brad and Nashou, I'd love to do it, but it's all about time management. It's tough enough keeping track/answering 30 legit emails a day, to try and keep on top of say 100 active listings isn't going to happen in a typical day. THen what about a warranty issue vs a part that I've personally sold? More tracking of parts, 'did I sell it or did I simply get a commission off this past parts sale', then the part is the wrong one, then that's not the problem with the set....etc etc. Nah, while it's a good idea, or if Kal could implement a $5.00 a listing price or something like that, then I wouldn't have to get involved.

Long term as I've posted elsewhere, I'm getting back into sound contracting, but that will take a year or two to build up. I was hoping to change the website around by Jan 1, but I've been so busy both socially and workwise that I haven't written a single page of text for the sound side of the site. YEs, Sparky is making me realize that working 80 hours a week isn't a good thing always, and frankly as I get older, I don't really WANT to work 80 hour weeks. I'm still doing 60 hour weeks for sure.

So, keep the suggestions coming, I'm open to other ideas. If PMs start flying, that's fine, ignorance is bliss. Smile

I know a lot of times I seem to be the only guy that has the part anyways, so people do try and go elsewhere, and come back when they can't find the part, but as I said, I do need to survive, and want to keep repairing and selling projectors as long as possible. I can see doing it for another 7ish years, although in the 7th year, I'll be repairing those 'old' BArco 909s, and will probably only be doing it 10-20 hours a week.

One idea that I had to keep income coming is to charge say a $200 a year flat rate for access to the 'tech' part of the site, where I dissect EVERY circuit board that I've ever worked on, post schematics, and parts that can fail. My own s/manuals are covered with notes as to parts that die in projectors.

In theory, I could then stop doing repairs and let everyone diagnose boards themselves with my assistance via email. The problem is, select few would pay $200 a year for that, not to mention that I'd have to write tech articles that would exceed the size of the main site at this point. I don't have the time to do that either, and I have a feeling that less than 10 people would actually step up and subscribe to that.

Anyways, I digress..

PaulB · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:06 pm Post subject:

Charge a fee per listing, members only. Might as well make the site work for you, a good part of what makes this site good is the Buy & Sell section so why not make some money out of it whilst keeping it open for members to use!

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4901 Location: Flower Mound, TX

I have to say, you need to decide if you want this web site and (as SC) said "community" or not.

AVS makes its living selling projectors, yet their for sale section has projectors for sale. Perhaps you should consider a similar model: members sell things for free, all others have to pay a listing fee. That way, you make money.

As SC said, the "suppression" approach does not work. People will simply look at AVS or look at eBay or send PMs. You won't really stop much--you'll just hide your visibility into it. What you will stop though is traffic to the site. Traffic to the site is good for you--in several ways. Driving traffic off the site is not good.

As all know, I'm full of opinions, so here goes. Smile

The other thing you need to do is STOP spending 20 minutes plus helping everyone who calls you. You need to sell support. Annual support contracts for $X, per incident for $Y. You make them log in the support portion of the site and log the incident. Most you'll be able to solve more rapidly via email (or support tool's system). I think you are not recognizing your best asset. Anyone can be a parts depot--and board level repairs will become less frequent as the market is flooded with spares from CRTs no longer worth re-tubing. Your best bet is selling your knowledge and experience. Selling support lets you sell that knowledge and experience and keep this going longer. I think you need to realize your best asset is "CRT Consultant" not "CRT Repair Guy".

Second, take what Kal has done with the products and the Amazon stuff and take it further. Have more of a marketplace front end. Get more Amazon purchases from here. Sell other A/V stuff. Sell "projector packages" with everything someone needs. Heck, sell "CRT connect packages" with everything but the CRT. Somebody picks up that free Marquee locally but comes here to buy the BD player (most likely through Amazon), HDFury, GammaX and cabling they need a long with a set up DVD and detailed projector specific set up and connection instructions. How 'bout "CRT Connect Package plus Support".

Hell, how many times to we keep answering peoples questions on this site? At least twice per week we tell someone they need to buy an HDFury or a moome or whatever. If you had a "CRT Connect Package plus Support", you'd get free plugs from people like me, SC, etc which instead told them, "just buy the CRT Connect Package plus Support" and you'll be good to go!

Now, on the "out there" wing, the way to keep it really going is:
1) Note how vinyl is back to being the rage such that people will spend $3000 on turntables and needles to approach the sound most people get from a $200 CD player--the sound has a different quality--they like the "defects" of it. If a "CRT Mystique" could be fostered, the niche market could last longer and be more profitable.
2) In order to serve a niche market like this, you have to be more "home theater guru" than "CRT PJ Guru". That way more focus on the HT need aspect that the PJ need aspect.

Anyway, take it FWIW. I just don't think the "suppression" approach helps you in any way really.

Angus_rg · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:20 pm Post subject:

zaphod · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2002 Location: Cloverdale

benareeno · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 1614 Location: ottawa, canada

I agree with Dave...you need to charge money for your support. Supressing the forum in any way can't be a good thing. Plus, everyone who leafs through your buy&sell probably leafs through videogon etc. In a market/hobby that's fading very fast (crt), supression will probably not workout...but that's just my opinion.

Ben

rabies_70

zaphod · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2002 Location: Cloverdale

CRT_Ben · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 1684 Location: Northern Virginia

To be quite honest, Ray, I sold something recently and simply forgot...nothing has been added to the Buy & Sell forum regarding such donations (text banner, sticky, etc.). I did read the thread a few months ago but if this scheme was supposed to work it shouldn't have been dependent on every single seller digging up a thread that they might have completely missed in the first place (and thus wouldn't have known of its existence). Not attacking Curt or Kal or anybody, just my thoughts on the failure of the previously agreed upon scheme.

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4901 Location: Flower Mound, TX

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4901 Location: Flower Mound, TX

One more idea--change the name of the site with the new look to more of a "store" type sounding name or something that plays up the strength of CRTs.

Hey, I got it, how about "blackfreaks.com" or "blacklover.com"--think of all the CRTs you'll sell to people who came looking for porn!!!!!