An idea for a new bdsm shop

[Lancer]

Most of our bdsm products seem to come from Chinese suppliers with shaky reputations and often misleading images. Popular stores (my example being sub-shop.com) can overcharge so much that if it were any other buisness it would sued for price gouging. So what i propose is that someone(me if you can wait a few years) could create a shop where the original price for objects is shown as well as the price the store charges. The store earns money by the small price difference with the rest of the added money going in to bail out poorly made products and to fund future purchases. The store will not try to sell you products as hard as it can but can be used to avoid scams which can save the community a lot of money. It seems like a win win where people can make money and the buyer saves money compared to being price gouged or buying a junk product.

[egregious]

An interesting concept.
What about these ideas:
Implemented using drop shipping direct from China, with shop skimming a % from original price to find itself. - that saves you postage etc.
But you would need either a price limit, so items don't get import duties on them - changes country by country, else you will find yourself in import/export business & needing warehouses & agents in each location.

Stock determined by the community - so items have been independently ordered, tested & reviewed by a known community member. That would reduce need to order & test youself. But could be challenging as items become unavailable to delete them.
Also screens drop shippers so custom declarations are not embarrassing for customers.

Risks might come from sizing on items - can be very variable & customers will have a much wider range of body shapes/styles. that's why expensive made to measure services still do quite well.

[Like Ra]

The store earns money by the small price difference with the rest of the added money going in to bail out poorly made products and to fund future purchases. The store will not try to sell you products as hard as it can but can be used to avoid scams which can save the community a lot of money.

Excellent idea! Now we need to find someone who is ready to work extra 8-10 hours per day for free. I've been doing this for the last 15 years, so it should be easy.

[Zooy]

The store earns money by the small price difference with the rest of the added money going in to bail out poorly made products and to fund future purchases. The store will not try to sell you products as hard as it can but can be used to avoid scams which can save the community a lot of money.

Excellent idea! Now we need to find someone who is ready to work extra 8-10 hours per day for free. I've been doing this for the last 15 years, so it should be easy.

Right! People underestimate the cost of work and overhead. If you have aeady a paying job, you can do it (maybe) as a hobby, but if you have to live of it, you do have to charge.
Recently I needed some little plug adapters. In the shop they were 1 Euro and at aliexpress 3 cents + postage. In the end I had 6 of them for 1.26 Euros (including postage). BUT:
1: I had to wait several weeks.
2: I did not really need 6 (only 2). I have been giving away two aeady.
3: the shop needs an administration for the taxes (and charge VAT).
4: the shop also orders it of course in China, but now has them in the shop not knowing whether they can sell it: investment?
5: the shopkeeper has to live, hence needs to charge per hour. I think that if I would have been in more of a hurry, the 1 Euro would have been quite acceptable.

The investment/inventory aspect is actually quite important when you sell goods. An example is a stamp or coin dealer. The amount of money that sits in their shop is enormous, if it is a good shop. Usually for that they have a loan from the bank. And of course they have to pay interest over that. And then at times there comes a client to buy a few things.....

[Lancer]

The store earns money by the small price difference with the rest of the added money going in to bail out poorly made products and to fund future purchases. The store will not try to sell you products as hard as it can but can be used to avoid scams which can save the community a lot of money.

Excellent idea! Now we need to find someone who is ready to work extra 8-10 hours per day for free. I've been doing this for the last 15 years, so it should be easy.

Likely why it has remained an idea and not a working one. Communities providing advice on products like here are still great though.

[vm1971]

So what you're saying is that you would like items that people purchase with discretionary income, that want some level of privacy and is used on a high-desire activity to be deep discounted?

Would you like your employer to deep discount your wages/salary?

Someone would have to be an idiot to run any kind of business like this where they put some or all of their money in harms way just so that they can live a minimum wage lifestyle.

Items are worth what people are willing to pay. If you don't like sub-shop's pricing, don't buy from there. Apparently, enough people do so they keep selling at their prices. They provide a number of value added services including pictures of the items in action as well as their personal reviews of them. This is one of the reasons they're popular and other people give them their money.

[Like Ra]

Items are worth what people are willing to pay.

Yes

If you don't like sub-shop's pricing, don't buy from there.

Yes

Apparently, enough people do so they keep selling at their prices.

Yes, "low margin, high volume" vs "high margin, low volume"

They provide a number of value added services including pictures of the items in action as well as their personal reviews of them.

Very good point. However, for example, my opinion does not always match theirs, and you can find reviews on Ali-pages, where the items are ultimately coming from.

In other words, it's close to impossible to compete with Aliexpress (if you buy in pices) or with Alibaba) if you buy in volume). The only way to make some earning is to buy in volume from Alibaba, avoid taxes and sell them for the same amount of money as Aliexpress PLUS postage. And it's the postage and taxes what will kill the local business. The Chinese ship for free, and delivery within EU costs 12-20 euros (with tracking code and possibly signed). 5+ euros within NL (no tracking code).

[vm1971]

That's not what I'm disputing. I'm disputing the foolish business model that clearly doesn't have a profit motive.

Your point about competing with AliExpress is a little short-sighted. Price is not the primary factor in a purchasing decision. If it was, there would be like 6 ultra-mega-retailers on the planet and nobody else.

[Like Ra]

I'm disputing the foolish business model that clearly doesn't have a profit motive.

I addressed this here https://www.likera.com/forum/mybb/Thread...4#pid43334 😊

there would be like 6 ultra-mega-retailers on the planet and nobody else.

I think we are going in this direction 😁

[Tinker D]

Funny……

I’m retiring in a few years and need a new hobby.
California has put a lot of restrictions on my old hobbies, so I’m thinking on a more fetish hobby.

So far, I’m looking at bondage harness for larger players. What I call XL, the
suppliers call 6-7X. So, I’m compiling a list of sellers, their shipping, sizes and cost.

Profit? Of course I want to make a profit, but not a 400% profit. I don’t need a store front eather. Just a spare room in my house and a closet full of outfits and stuff. Nothing fancy.

It’s more of a research and locate, as my old hobby was more like seek and destroy. But I do like your idea.