How would you sell Nothing?

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F

Fiend

Free Member
Dec 3, 2012
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  • #1
    I'd like to keep this simple, but i'm afraid that there is no way to actually do it.

    Basically, a friend and I started a website that sells Nothing. At 1 euro a piece.
    Once 1 million units of Nothing are sold, we plan to make it an open market and allow people to trade it pretty much like any other commodity.

    It is meant to parody the way the commodities market operates, and, if successful, make people stop and think about how or why they assign value to things.
    Mostly we are hoping to make it fun for people to invest a few Euros in Nothing and then watch the prices fluctuate, follow our news, etc. We do not encourage people to invest large sums in Nothing, which we clearly state in out Terms of Use.

    We've also recently introduced a new part to the website, called "I'd Rather Buy Nothing" which allows people to state that they would rather buy Nothing then a product or a group of product they find offensive, or immoral, or simply dislike.

    We've so far managed to sell a bit over 500 units of Nothing, which for the first few months of selling Nothing at all isn't too bad, but if was are going to make this idea work properly we need to make it go viral.

    I'd love to hear your ideas on how you would do this.

    For more details please visit our website (just Google Nothing Exchange), or feel free to ask questions in this thread or send me a private message.

    Thanks :)
     
    S

    Steve Sellers

  • #4
    cjd said:
    You haven't actually sold any at all have you?
    Click to expand...

    Why would anyone want to buying nothing for 1 Euro, when you can buy nearly nothing for 1 Euro.

    Drivers+queue+for+petrol+and+diesel+at+an+ESSO+service+station+near+Christchurch,+Dorset


    And it sells like hot cross buns on a cold cold day.....
     
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    Japimedia

    Free Member
    Jan 7, 2011
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  • #7
    Fiend said:
    What a friendly and cheerful crowd you all are :| Helpful too.
    Oh well.
    I suppose I should have known better then to expect a business forum to like an idea like this.

    Thanks anyway.
    Click to expand...

    You only posted late yesterday evening and within an eight hour period have decided "I suppose I should have known better then to expect a business forum to like an idea like this." Not really a great way to entice people to contribute their thoughts... :|

    Just saying...:rolleyes:
     
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    Fiend

    Free Member
    Dec 3, 2012
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  • #9
    patientlady said:
    Hi
    I was intrigued by your post, so had a look at the website and then quickly lost the reason I was there. Your post seemed to express your reasoning for the site, but the site doesn't seem to, if that makes sense. I don't get it!
    I think Twitter must be your answer, but... ;)
    Click to expand...
    Thank you very much for the feedback.
    We redesigned the home page recently reduce the walls of text it contained. Most of our old users gave positive feedback after viewing the new look, but I suppose they were already familiar with the whole idea and different parts of the site.
    We might need to consider finding a compromise between the two options.
    Once again, thanks very much :)

    Japimedia said:
    You only posted late yesterday evening and within an eight hour period have decided "I suppose I should have known better then to expect a business forum to like an idea like this." Not really a great way to entice people to contribute their thoughts... :|

    Just saying...:rolleyes:
    Click to expand...

    A fair point. I'm sorry I was so quick to judge, it just seemed that all the responses were unpleasant and almost hostile, without any reasoning to explain such attitude.
    A thing like that can put a girl off.
    I guess I'll stick around for a bit longer, and see if we can all just get along :)
     
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    Fiend

    Free Member
    Dec 3, 2012
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  • #10
    Nuno said:
    If I were to give money away, (which is what this is), I would prefer to give it to a charity rather than a site like this.

    I would find that far less "offensive, or immoral, or [something I] simply dislike"
    Click to expand...

    Sorry for the multi-reply, just saw this response.

    That is another fair point, and it is absolutely your right to do so. You can even post in the I'd Rather Buy Nothing section without actually buying any Nothing (you can post that you would rather buy Nothing then the Nothing Exchange Nothing and then not buy it) Uh that kinda made my little head hurt.

    We never claimed to be a charity, in fact we promised not to be one.

    What we are, is an experiment, and one we hope will be fun for enough people. Buying Nothing is more akin watching a movie then to donating to charity.And if a full million is ever sold - I think it would be a very fun movie to watch.

    Think of how many times you paid for a ticket for a movie that was just god-awful. If everyone around invested the same amount of money in Nothing, we could all have a blast watching it turn into an open market, and trading in it. I can't say I wouldn't like to profit from this, but I think I'd be quite willing to give all the profits away just to see the price of Nothing rise on the open market :D

    I know most people will not do this, but the internet is big, and there are plenty of people around, and I'm pretty sure that if we keep at it, at some point, sooner or later, we will make this work.
     
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    PrestonLad

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    May 3, 2012
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  • #11
    How many students have sat round their house with a few beers, and tried to 'copy' the MillionDollarHomePage idea? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Million_Dollar_Homepage

    I think the first thing you've got to do... dump your attitude.

    I know you're backtracking now, and admitting that you were hasty (ridiculously hasty!) in slating this forum... but it's clear that there's something wrong with your approach that you could have even conceived of getting stroppy like that.

    You absolutely know that you're going to meet with cynicism - and frankly, you deserve it... because for all that you dress it up as "an experiment"... you are trying to do the classic "get-rich-quick" scheme- to get a million pounds for little 'work' (If everyone in the country game me a penny, I'd be a very wealthy man... and who's going to miss a penny?!). Who knows... this might be one of the miniscule minority that work - I'd say that you do have a twist to work with.

    So my advice... go away for a couple of days, and take on a different mental attitude. You're going to need it.
     
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    Fiend

    Free Member
    Dec 3, 2012
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  • #12
    PrestonLad said:
    How many students have sat round their house with a few beers, and tried to 'copy' the MillionDollarHomePage idea?

    I think the first thing you've got to do... dump your attitude.

    I know you're backtracking now, and admitting that you were hasty (ridiculously hasty!) in slating this forum... but it's clear that there's something wrong with your approach that you could have even conceived of getting stroppy like that.

    You absolutely know that you're going to meet with cynicism - and frankly, you deserve it... because for all that you dress it up as "an experiment"... you are trying to do the classic "get-rich-quick" scheme- to get a million pounds for little 'work' (If everyone in the country game me a penny, I'd be a very wealthy man... and who's going to miss a penny?!). Who knows... this might be one of the miniscule minority that work - I'd say that you do have a twist to work with.

    So my advice... go away for a couple of days, and take on a different mental attitude. You're going to need it.
    Click to expand...


    There is nothing more I can say here without sounding like a troll. Or at least nothing else I would care to say.
    Ms. PatientLady, it was very nice meeting you, but I am afraid that I won't be posting on this forum any more, as patience is not one of my virtues, and the atmosphere here is a bit too stale for my taste.
    If anyone is interested or would like to discuss the Nothing Exchange idea, they are more than welcome to use the website's "Contact us" page, otherwise, I bid you all farewell.
     
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  • #13
    Fiend said:
    There is nothing more I can say here without sounding like a troll. Or at least nothing else I would care to say.
    Ms. PatientLady, it was very nice meeting you, but I am afraid that I won't be posting on this forum any more, as patience is not one of my virtues, and the atmosphere here is a bit too stale for my taste.
    If anyone is interested or would like to discuss the Nothing Exchange idea, they are more than welcome to use the website's "Contact us" page, otherwise, I bid you all farewell.
    Click to expand...

    Crying invisible tears
     
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    garyk

    Free Member
    Jun 14, 2006
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  • #16
    I just dont see how it can work. The site mentions its like commodity trading. Its nothing of the sort, trading commodities or currencies via derivatives means you are betting on the outcome that

    a) No-one knows the future value of
    b) Has an intrinsic value

    So if go long on gold in 3/6 months time my gain/loss is the price I paid plus/minus the price at the contract expiry. The gold rate is trackable and has an actual value (although I dont own it).

    Your underlying asset has no value!

    Money moves the market and increases demand, will there be more demand for nothing???
     
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    D

    Deleted member 157241

  • #17
    I don't really know about the concept but I do think that the tone of your website is rather unattractive and a bit too smart-arsey: the comments about kittens and lesbians, for example. I, for example, got on your website because I googled 'nothing exchange'. To be sneered at on your home page was a touch off-putting!

    If it's a genuine experiment, then I think you ought to describe it as such, very clearly and thoughtfully. Explain exactly what you're trying to do and how it will work. Especially make it clear that it is not a scam, because at the moment it does rather look as though you are aiming to collect 1 million euros with no real suggestion that they will do anything other than go into your pockets.
     
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    B

    businessfunding

  • #19
    Very studenty, so I guess it could appeal to the student market.

    Could raise in interesting contractual discussion, since there is no sale contract for nothing.

    Your site gives no indication at all of who you are which is both illegal and off-putting.
     
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    J

    john616

  • #22
    Essentially you are creating "money"
    Money is an abstract concept based on nothing. The pretence that it is
    based on gold went out of the window a long time a go.
    So called "austerity" practices should be replaced by a simple "reset" of the system
    and no one would then be harmed. (Thats a short form explanation before you jump in but it does work and has previously done so)

    Actually I really like the idea expressed but dont know about the web site.
    It does sound fun though.
    A closer analagy might be the derivatives market rather than "commodities"
    Derivatives trading I feel should be a criminal offence on every single occasion.
    Commodities is a necessary practice based ultimately on supply and demand for physical goods. (The only genuine market in fact)

    I suspect in order to make this go "viral" you really need what most other "viral"
    things did ... i.e. a lot of secret investment and decietful behaviour by large corporations and gangs of individuals.

    The notion that anyone can get rich quick on the internet is as false as all the other get rich quick schemes. It doesnt really happen that way.
     
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