Think tank! Please take the time to give your input!

[Skipper D]

Maybe theres the answer , maybe once we know how many we have in the group we aproch one of thease big companys who are allready in buisness and see if they would cater to us by giving us the discount , does this sound like some thing duable . I think thats a very simple way .

[scugpg]

Maybe theres the answer , maybe once we know how many we have in the group we aproch one of thease big companys who are allready in buisness and see if they would cater to us by giving us the discount , does this sound like some thing duable . I think thats a very simple way .

 

That is a good idea. Something like pay a membership fee and have authentic OFC membership cards or discount number to provide when purchasing.

[TJQ]

This is all well and good, Ive been through the OFC discount scenario before, main problem is who administers it, im all for discounts and all, but the administration of this is time consuming, what happens with returns?? etc... Theres a reason that stores make 40 percent, to cover costs of doing business. Who ever takes this on wont find it "fun" for long.

[craigdritchie]

Nice ideas, but I think y'all would be better off approaching an existing internet or mail-order retailer and seeing about working out some sort of group discount - call it an OFC loyalty program of some sort. I think most here would choke upon seeing the real, actual costs of setting this sort of business operation.

[JTorra]

This is not a new idea.... I'm sure you've all heard of the "deal a day" websites. Groupon, Living Social, TeamBuy (were on Dragon's Den) This concept went crazy about a year ago. http://groupbuyingcanada.com/canada-goes-crazy-for-group-buying-daily-deals/

 

What is being proposed is a bit different, but still involves the "group buying" concept. Some retailers love it as advertising (as mentioned, the "loss-leader" concept) and others will hate the idea of giving away margin.

 

It is definitely doable if thought out properly. It would have to be a "daily deal" site geared specifically to outdoor gear and successfully attract retailers to offer up deals as a way of getting their products used by more people. There are already man-specific http://www.groupdudes.com/ and women specific versions of these.

 

If someone wants to start one up I'm in as member! I already helped start this one... http//:www.teamsave.com and it was no fun. But the guy who started Groupn was offer 5.6 Billion by google 24 months after he started it. He turned it down

Edited January 5, 2012 by JTorra

[Big Cliff]

Well, first I have to say that I really appreciate all the feedback both pro and con. Building a good foundation is the best base any business can start with and information is power.

 

Second, I must say that I had a very interesting phone conversation with Phil today. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your insite, observations, and input Phil.

 

You are obviously one very bright young man and I really appreciate your input!!!! We will be talking more and maybe your idea is the solution. I checked out your web site and was quite impressed! Keep up the good work my friend! Hope to see you some time next week, we'll hammer out some details between now and then.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Big Cliff

[Harrison]

Thank you very much Cliff, too kind sir. Look forward to chatting more.

[ccmtcanada]

Cliff

 

We'll talk about buying power and retail margins from my perspective on Saturday.

 

It would be a tough go to say the least, however it's not impossible given the Internet these days!

[TennesseeGuy]

Buy stock in your favorite companies. Profit from ownership.

 

Make the investment. Go fishing. Enjoy life. Simple is good, especially for someone as simple as Tennesseeguy.

 

I've never made much money, but I drive 9,000 - 12,000 miles a year to fish in NW Ontario. I'm heavy in energy funds.

[singingdog]

Not a new idea at all: Mountain Equipment Coop and REI in the states are run on almost exactly the same model you are talking about. If you are serious, you should talk to someone on the board at MEC.....it all started with some backpackers having a conversation very similar to this thread.

 

A few things to think about:

1. Becoming, and maintaining a not-for-profit organisation is not easy. The requirements for organisation and operation are fairly strict and very time consuming to govern and administer.

2 Anyone that thinks that outdoor retailers are consistently getting 400% margin is living in an alternate reality. 40% margin (less than double wholesale price) is typical. 50% margin (double wholesale price) is good. Check the prices on the MEC website: they are typically running somewhere around 35% margin, which generates little or no profit. They have the buying power of 3.3 million members.

 

The amount of buying power that the membership of this board would generate may get you past a sales rep and directly to the distributor. I seriously doubt it is going to get you dealing directly with the manufacturer.

[radar]

Why not keep it real simple. If someone wants something (rod, reel, sonar....) maybe they can arrange a bulk rate and offer it to OFC. Maybe they can get their's for free or real cheap. There are already a few people who do this on the board for plastics, rods, charters etc.

 

Maybe a list of suppliers could work. To keep it spam free it goes into classifieds.

 

I'm not a regular, but most of you are and could pm each other about deals and direct people to classifieds.

 

Not really what Cliff's original idea was, but could still work.