backhertz
06-25-2010, 08:40 PM
I was replying to Dusty and got off topic in the Woodworking Review. I don't know how to move it or link it here, so I figured I'd just cut & paste. I really hate to see the company suffer anymore than it has. I don't really have any business sense, but I see others selling used Shopsmith parts at times for more than Shopsmith does. Something just isn't right. If you can't beat em... Oh, I have another Mark V a friend gave me- an old Greenie.
Lucky dog? lol If my wife finds out.... I need this in addition to the hole in my head, but I figure it will help the company. I have no idea if the factory will ever produce the quantities of Shopsmiths in years gone by, but there is a huge market in catering to the needs of users like myself who have many Shopsmiths- of which I paid no more than $300 for. There are so many that people purchased on a whim which was combined with Shopsmith's excellent marketing strategy in the 80's. From my observation, the purchasers were people who kinda grew up with the ads in the old magazines of the 50's who always wanted a Shopsmith. The last initiative from my viewpoint was a flop. I was happy to spend half a day at Lowes where the Shopsmith rep set up by the door. He spent a day there & sold one unit to one guy who went hog wild & demonstrated one lathe operation- to me. I watched the system when he went to lunch & not one person came by the display to even look or ask a question. I think that initiative was DOA. I'm not sure if the guys were allowed to get customer's attention as they strolled into Lowes, but since I just about live in my local Home Depot, I see very few large tools sold except for when there might be a special sale & even then, I have never seen a large tool go out the door other than maybe a Shop Vac. It seems people are more attracted to the wholesale 'clubs' or Internet businesses. I am surprised Shopsmith doesn't have an Ebay presence. I often see choppers (people who buy a Shopsmith & sell the pieces) often selling parts for more than Shopsmith does! I know one person who has been extremely successful in his Ebay business & there are people like him all over the country. Unbelievable, but true. I think Shopsmith could make a fortune if they hired these guys to sell stuff as these guys have some really great marketing & no overhead except some time to buy the Shopsmiths which usually come with all the accessories & take em apart & clean em up. I realize this might effect the customer service staff in transitioning to a different way of doing business, but I think Shopsmith, unfortunately may have missed the boat despite my spending a small fortune on sale items. But I purchased most of my stuff on Ebay & Craig's List. A friend of mine who worked for a small company that really grew- A C Moore said the secret to their success was on volume, not individual item profit along with buying in bulk from China and other Far East countries. Buying items made in America simply can not compete with the low cost and sorry to say, quality of many imported things. Look at Costco. You buy something there at a really low price & it breaks. Costco will gladly refund your money or replace it. I saw one guy bring in a Dewalt 12" mitre saw that looked like it had barely survived a nuclear blast. As I stood in line he said he bought it the week prior & it broke... Costco gave him a new one. How on Earth can a company like Shopsmith compete with that? Whew, I really went off topic. Sorry.
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Lucky dog? lol If my wife finds out.... I need this in addition to the hole in my head, but I figure it will help the company. I have no idea if the factory will ever produce the quantities of Shopsmiths in years gone by, but there is a huge market in catering to the needs of users like myself who have many Shopsmiths- of which I paid no more than $300 for. There are so many that people purchased on a whim which was combined with Shopsmith's excellent marketing strategy in the 80's. From my observation, the purchasers were people who kinda grew up with the ads in the old magazines of the 50's who always wanted a Shopsmith. The last initiative from my viewpoint was a flop. I was happy to spend half a day at Lowes where the Shopsmith rep set up by the door. He spent a day there & sold one unit to one guy who went hog wild & demonstrated one lathe operation- to me. I watched the system when he went to lunch & not one person came by the display to even look or ask a question. I think that initiative was DOA. I'm not sure if the guys were allowed to get customer's attention as they strolled into Lowes, but since I just about live in my local Home Depot, I see very few large tools sold except for when there might be a special sale & even then, I have never seen a large tool go out the door other than maybe a Shop Vac. It seems people are more attracted to the wholesale 'clubs' or Internet businesses. I am surprised Shopsmith doesn't have an Ebay presence. I often see choppers (people who buy a Shopsmith & sell the pieces) often selling parts for more than Shopsmith does! I know one person who has been extremely successful in his Ebay business & there are people like him all over the country. Unbelievable, but true. I think Shopsmith could make a fortune if they hired these guys to sell stuff as these guys have some really great marketing & no overhead except some time to buy the Shopsmiths which usually come with all the accessories & take em apart & clean em up. I realize this might effect the customer service staff in transitioning to a different way of doing business, but I think Shopsmith, unfortunately may have missed the boat despite my spending a small fortune on sale items. But I purchased most of my stuff on Ebay & Craig's List. A friend of mine who worked for a small company that really grew- A C Moore said the secret to their success was on volume, not individual item profit along with buying in bulk from China and other Far East countries. Buying items made in America simply can not compete with the low cost and sorry to say, quality of many imported things. Look at Costco. You buy something there at a really low price & it breaks. Costco will gladly refund your money or replace it. I saw one guy bring in a Dewalt 12" mitre saw that looked like it had barely survived a nuclear blast. As I stood in line he said he bought it the week prior & it broke... Costco gave him a new one. How on Earth can a company like Shopsmith compete with that? Whew, I really went off topic. Sorry.
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