Best way to sell bows ?

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dawallace45
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Best way to sell bows ?

#1 Post by dawallace45 » Mon Feb 28, 2011 9:04 am

Guy's I need some advice , this may have been asked before but what do you all consider the best way to sell bows , I know there are a few of us here who make bows on a regular basis mostly to pay for our gear and for our hunting trips and even some who are semi-professional so there should be some good ideas and experience's out there

I know that Rod sells most of his bows through word of mouth and that is how I've sold most of my bows as well but it's not consistent , especially when the guys your selling to aren't involved in any clubs and tend just to hunt with them and aren't involved with many other archers , I have bows in one archery shop and have talked with another place that sells archery and fishing gear and they are interested in stocking my bows in the near future but is there a better way ? I've been considering selling through Ebay but really don't know much about the process , has any one done this and what did they think of it all ?

Any ideas

David

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bigbob
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#2 Post by bigbob » Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:36 am

David I've sold a bit of stuff on eBay, not bows though, but sometimes one sees the odd one listed that has been made by an Aussie bowyer. I dont think too many get sold though but as a means of getting your product 'out there' it would give you good exposure for nominal fees even if not sold. They [eBay] charge insertion fees and a percentage of sale price in commission once sold. It would mean a photo and 'blurb' would be there for all to see. Your details could be obtained from the listing and interested persons contact you . Might be worth a go, after all nothing ventured nothing gained.
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#3 Post by longbow steve » Mon Feb 28, 2011 12:06 pm

Hi Dave, you have to get known. Nick Lintern does the crafters profiles in the magazine so it may be worthwhile sending an email to him to get some free exposure. Other than than get your gear to trad shoots and shops.
I dont think ebay is the best option as people dont seem to want to pay the price that would make it sustainable but for a $10 auction you never know? Similar sights like Gumtree are free I believe and may get a bit of other interest. Steve

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rodlonq
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#4 Post by rodlonq » Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:09 pm

Hi David,

How about mounting your own website? I went through this a few years ago. It costs about $100 /year for commercial domain registration (.com.au). And then a fee for a web host (I think its about another $100/year) which will give you you're own email addresses using your domain name and enough space for a comprehensive website. It is probably cheaper than that if you get the whole deal as a bundle.

The hardest thing I found was someone to build the web pages and load them onto the site a low cost. I went with a very cheap site to begin with that was done by a part time web designer, and a while ago I upgraded to one built by professionals.

For my money it is the best exposure you can get. Most of my enquiries come directly from my website with yellow pages and other directories making up the other about 20%. My business is not archery related but I reckon it would be the same across the board. People want to sit back in the evening, take in some refreshment and surf the web for their next bow. I also note that a lot people asking questions on Ozbow about local bowyers point out that they would like to see what is available via www.

Cheers....... Rod
Last edited by rodlonq on Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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excelpoint
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#5 Post by excelpoint » Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:10 pm

There's always the ONLY Traditional Bowhunting magazine in Australia that you could maybe do a build along etc in to get your name out a bit.

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rodlonq
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#6 Post by rodlonq » Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:16 pm

Excelpoint has a point there :lol: I would enjoy reading it :D

Cheers....... Rod

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Chase N. Nocks
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#7 Post by Chase N. Nocks » Mon Feb 28, 2011 5:26 pm

Some great advise there David.

I don't think ebay is the way to go. Your not hitting your target audience. And you will probably get a huge number of questions from a fairly uninformed audience that likes the idea of shooting a bow and arrow and then winge that they bought a bow that wasn't "accurate".

I think places like this forum are a great opportunity. Shoots and comps where people can try out even just one great sample of what you do. A 40lb or 45lb bow will tell a lot about what people can expect...you don't need a bow in every draw weight.

The ultimate is a website with lots of information...information is KING. Everytime you get a new question make it part of your introductory blurb, or your Q&A, or the model information.

Have photos that include riser both sides, the bow strung and unstrung and the belly and back if you are offering veneers etc.

Show and describe your options such as riser design, number of laminations, lamination choices. If using Aussie timbers give a little info (where known) what famed or well regarded bow timbers they emulate.

Glass colour choices....hint if you can get hold of green glass get ready for a stampede!!!! In can start a lament session around any trad archers campfire by mentioning green glass. :lol:

Bow length choices, straight or D/R, ILF ... etc etc etc visit some good web sites and see what I mean...

Mohawk, Fedora, Montana, Cascade, Morrison

Other than having the opportunity to shoot samples of bows, then yep surfing the net looking at bows, who makes them, who likes them is a nice way to look for the next bow...maybe yours

Good Luck mate

one last thing....in my opinion as a buyer not a bowyer .... shoot the bows before you send them. You know your bows...tune as best you can to the archers drawlength and put a nocking point on the bow (I know we have different releases etc) but you will hit good shootability more often than not. AND as Pete Ward says it is SO NICE to get the new bow, string it at the makers recommended brace height and nocking point and get outside and start fling arrows straight away.

Cheers
Troy
I am an Archer. I am not a traditional archer, bowhunter, compound shooter or target archer.....I am an Archer
"Shooting the Stickbow"

....enforced by the "whistling grey-goose wing."
"The Witchery of Archery"

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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#8 Post by greybeard » Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:20 pm

David,

A difficult question to answer.

Some points that come to mind are;

Do you wish to produce bows as a hobby, a part time business or a full time job?

Are you going to have a range of bows in stock for sale or custom make bows to order?

How many bows could you reasonably expect to make per annum?

How many bows could you reasonably expect to sell per annum?

Is it going to be a short, medium or long term commitment/venture?

Once you have settled on the level commitment it may help you plan your marketing strategy.

Whatever level of promotion you may choose it is important that you can offer a reasonable turn around on customers’ orders.

Daryl.
"And you must not stick for a groat or twelvepence more than another man would give, if it be a good bow.
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken.
[Ascham]

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]

I am old enough to make my own decisions....Just not young enough to remember what I decided!....

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Steven J
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#9 Post by Steven J » Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:02 pm

David,

Follow Darryl's advice. What you are really doing is developing a business plan. In writing the plan down, and seeking honest answers to the questions that arise, you will find that the answers start becoming rather obvious.

I found a web site really helps. Not so much because people stumble across it, but when you are asked for some photos of your work, you have a place to direct people to. It saves copying a whole heap of photos into an email every second night.

I wouldn't start with Ebay. It is flooded with poor quality goods and people are only on there for a bargain.

Steve
Last edited by Steven J on Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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excelpoint
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#10 Post by excelpoint » Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:06 pm

I would be happy to run a bowyers profile in the mag for you and any other Aussie bowyer. All you have to do is send one in. The resource has been there for a while now, you might as well utilize it.

It would also be a good idea to get someone independent and in no way associated with you or your bussiness to do a review on one of your bows. Again all you need to do is send it in and it will make it into the mag.

The offer is there if you want it.

dawallace45
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#11 Post by dawallace45 » Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:43 pm

Guys , thanks for all the replies , will have to get back to you tomorrow properly , had a tooth out today and it was a difficult extraction and it took 8 hours for the bleeding to stop , might have some thing to do with all the aspirin I've had lately for the arthritis , any way at the moment don't feel up to sitting in front of the computer , going to have a early night

David

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Chase N. Nocks
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#12 Post by Chase N. Nocks » Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:14 pm

Hope you're feeling better tomorrow mate.

Troy
I am an Archer. I am not a traditional archer, bowhunter, compound shooter or target archer.....I am an Archer
"Shooting the Stickbow"

....enforced by the "whistling grey-goose wing."
"The Witchery of Archery"

dawallace45
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#13 Post by dawallace45 » Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:26 pm

Troy

Yeah , feeling a lot better today

Bob the reason I've been thinking of ebay was because I've noticed a couple of brand new Keith Keddie longbows on there , think I'll make a point of seeing how he goes with it

Rod
Have thought about the web site but for the moment I'll put it aside , had a web site years ago when I was making Inkjet refill kits and I found that I really didn't like playing with web site design and maintenance [ site was getting hacked every few weeks ] and at the moment I really don't think my out put would justify it but it is some thing to consider in the future

Excelpoint
I really do like the Idea of doing a build a long , I tend to take lots of pictures of things as I do them to consider a better way later on , possibly won't be for a month or so as I'll be going away hunting and fishing quite a few times in the few months

Troy

Yeah , I think your right , may have to join the local club and start shooting competitions again , pretty much gave that away years ago , used to be a reasonable A grade archer many many years ago but now would probably only make C grade on my best day , too much down time with a on going shoulder problem and arthritis , have been up for a look at the Longbow and Recurve Muster just up the road a couple of times and have to say that I have missed it a bit

I tend to only use black fibreglass , I figure it make my ordering simpler , of course if you happen to know where I can find some green fibre glass then Id be interested , had a bear recurve many years ago with green action wood riser and green fibreglass , bloody nice looking bow

One of the things is that I tend to like making bows , it keeps me busy , I have some health problems that tends to limit me some what at times , lower back is stuffed and arthritis in the spine , have done severe tendon damage to both shoulders , elbows and wrists , they tell me that I'm what they call un-employable but I can't stand sitting around and I enjoy making bows , it generally takes me about two to three weeks to build a bow , have done it quicker but mostly there hasn't been the need , I can easily build a bow every two weeks and have several times when a customer needed the bow by a certain time [ once in less than a week ] , the main thing that has held me up is when waiting for fibreglass or if the weather is too bad to spray finish the bow

Generally when I sell a bow it is set up with the knocking point and such , the exception is the bows I have in shops as I figure the shop owner will probably do that for the customer , yeah , know what you mean , getting a bow in the mail not set up is like a kid getting a toy for Christmas with out the batteries , I once got a bow sent to me that didn't have a string , had to mail order the string and that took another two bloody weeks to arrive for some reason , talk about ****** off
I test shoot every bow to find the best brace height , of course that may be slightly different for the new owner but general close enough for government work

Greybeard
Yeah some things I'll need to decide on , I suppose part time business is more what I want to end up doing eventually , not sure about the custom bow made to some ones specifications , I have made a few custom bows where I supplied the timber and after marking out the riser blank the customer turned up and decided that he didn't like that piece of timber and then wanted a totally new piece of a different breed of timber luckily before I started cutting , one customer changed their mind so much that I wasn't game to make a cut for three weeks in case of another choice change , also made a few bows where customers supplied their own riser timbers and that was less stressful ,

Mostly I just make up a selection of bows with different draw weights , the style I mainly make is straight laid , 68" NTN with 16" riser , lately I've been making most with three laminations of Tulip wood but some times use Vertical laid bamboo as well , I like using laminations of Kwila , Sallie wattle , Tulip wood for the risers but am keen to try pretty much any Australian hardwoods that look suitable that I can source nearby ,

I got into bowmaking because I couldn't buy moderately priced longbow that was smooth and didn't stack at my draw length [ 30" ] and had little or no hand shock so I made my own , for many years my favourite bow had been a Howard Hill longbow 70# @28" , loved the straight grip and the lightness of the bow , but I didn't like the hand shock , sold it off 10 years ago when I was told my shoulder was so damaged that I'd probably never get full use of it again [ got full movement of it now but it still goes click , click , crunch ]

Up until just before Christmas selling bows wasn't really a problem , some one would turn up as I was finishing a bow and buy it or some one would ring and say they wanted a bow of a certain draw weight and I'd send them pictures of the ones I'd just finished or were just finishing and that was fine no hassle , no problem , things have slowed down since

Steve , thanks , good advice

Excelpoint

Will take you up on that and I'm sure that Rod [ LB Rod 55 ] will too but I'm heading off in a few days and will only be home for short times during the next month will PM you and have a talk about it

Won't be doing too much bow work in the next month either , seem to have managed to have picked up a few brown snakes in the storage area of my shed , one of them is over 7 ft long , storage area is 9 m long and 2 m wide with a narrow walk way down the middle , haven't seen the snakes but can smell them and they left their shed skins about and they keep knocking stuff off the shelves , don't know why they are in there there are no mice and there isn't any thing for them to eat , I tend to leave the doors open of a day for them to leave but I suspect they are still in there , think I need to sprinkle even more naphthalene around the shed , or does any one know of any other snake repellents ? been a bad year so far for snakes , had a tiger snake on the veranda the other day

David

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bigbob
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#14 Post by bigbob » Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:29 pm

Dave, it was after seeing Keith Keddie's bow advertised on eBay and knowing he is a reputable bowyer I thought it might be worth your while. Actually selling some on there is one matter, but as a vehicle for putting your bows out there, it if nothing else is a good vehicle for national and even international exposure, and the point I made was for the small amount of insertion fees it would be cheap advertising.Others raised salient points about fleaybay and dubious worth so I guess it is for you to mull over. Cheers.
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texx
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Re: Best way to sell bows ?

#15 Post by texx » Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:16 pm

dave this aint going to help you but i am going to tell it anyway .
true story of a farmer in america who had a barn that got over run with snakes dozens of em ,to the point that no one could go in the barn without getting bitten .
so they put a mesh fence around the barn and inside the fence they put a few hogs within a few weeks the hogs had killed every snake .
on the selling your bows thing ,a website would be the go , i am looking at that myself for selling my custom pens and wood turnings .
i know a few guys around the world that have their own sites and they sell a fair portion of their pens through the web site .
so far mine have been selling pretty good in my shop .
and dont feel to down about it being slow at the moment everything is slow right now , and after being in retail for over 25 years i can tell you that the worst month of the year is february , november runs a close second .
johno
always seems to happen when its least expected most

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