I've finally made a difference and started a business at 17! :)

[Impact1993]

Hello everyone,

as you all might've known from my previous topics that I've been seeking help to run my own business well now I've done it. I run a video game business where I can buy new titled games on Xbox360 & PS3 and I sell them brand new for a cheaper price than the RRP! I've designed a logo to put it on my facebook fan-page and I send invites to people I know and anyone I know who just wants to get hold of a game easily, they'll get it cheap off me and I deliver for free. So what do you all think of that for starters? what can be improved to make a good success out of this?

 

[Pocket Money Designs]

What's your business called so I can find it on facebook?

 

[Impact1993]

What's your business called so I can find it on facebook?

Mosses-Play'N'Trade Co. if you type this in the toolbox it should come up but as you're aware I can't post the link up!

 

[Pocket Money Designs]

Considering your only 17 its a great start. How do you manage to sell new for less than RRP?

I'd recommend upgrading your logo as your business grows

 

[Indigo Cherry]

Hello everyone,

as you all might've known from my previous topics that I've been seeking help to run my own business well now I've done it. I run a video game business where I can buy new titled games on Xbox360 & PS3 and I sell them brand new for a cheaper price than the RRP! I've designed a logo to put it on my facebook fan-page and I send invites to people I know and anyone I know who just wants to get hold of a game easily, they'll get it cheap off me and I deliver for free. So what do you all think of that for starters? what can be improved to make a good success out of this?

Firstly, congrats on getting the business off the ground! Never easy!

but if you want to make this business a success (and I'm guessing you do) you will need more than just a few Facebook sales! In fact, you will probably struggle to cover costs on Facebook sales alone.

Have you considered a website and eBay account etc...?

 

[Impact1993]

Firstly, congrats on getting the business off the ground! Never easy!

but if you want to make this business a success (and I'm guessing you do) you will need more than just a few Facebook sales! In fact, you will probably struggle to cover costs on Facebook sales alone.

Have you considered a website and eBay account etc...?

Yeah I've thought of a website, but that might have to be done around xmas when I have my holidays! and all my friends are letting everyone else know by word of mouth about it and thanks, you're right had to start a business at some point and since I know the prices and what games are selling well I thought I'd met my sector!

 

[Business1Solutions]

A bit of advice:

1) Try and make the content short and too the point

"Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - PS3 and X-Box 360 - IN STOCK NOW"

(Also state how much you are selling them for)

2) Facebook ads could be a massive use to you, as you can target people who like PS3 and X-Box 360 as well as the games you are selling.

3) Ask your friends to suggest the page to all their friends.

4) Join pages such as PS3 and X-Box and write some good content on there (not spam).

Not great advice, but good luck

 

[Ste Hughes]

been there done that!

there is naff all money to be made unless you are a big seller (think £3-4 per game...) even less if selling at less than rrp with free postage + Ebay fee's!!!!

i don't know what sort of money you are making but honestly just don't loose money - it sucks

i did this at college and it soon came to light i would not make money - i just came to the conclusion it will pay for my own games with a little left over

 

[Impact1993]

A bit of advice:

1) Try and make the content short and too the point

"Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - PS3 and X-Box 360 - IN STOCK NOW"

(Also state how much you are selling them for)

2) Facebook ads could be a massive use to you, as you can target people who like PS3 and X-Box 360 as well as the games you are selling.

3) Ask your friends to suggest the page to all their friends.

4) Join pages such as PS3 and X-Box and write some good content on there (not spam).

Not great advice, but good luck

I appreciate this alot, cheers. p.s number 4 will come in very handy

 

[Impact1993]

been there done that!

there is naff all money to be made unless you are a big seller (think £3-4 per game...) even less if selling at less than rrp with free postage + Ebay fee's!!!!

i don't know what sort of money you are making but honestly just don't loose money - it sucks

i did this at college and it soon came to light i would not make money - i just came to the conclusion it will pay for my own games with a little left over

Hey,

I'm making at least 5 quid for a game sold, and am not looking to go into the Ebay market because of the fee's when I can advertise on fb and design a website! I never sell anything at a lost I've sold a few games recently and everyone is satisfied with the service such as willing to travel to sell the game and the price am offering aswell!

 

[Indigo Cherry]

Just a quick question,

Why do your buyers only get their game delivered if they live in London?

 

[simbathedog]

Well done
Just make sure you don't get anyone stitching you up, example:
saying they didn't receive the game you sent out!
You could try some ads in Adtrader or Freeads?

 

[genuinegraphics]

Congrats on the business mate. Hope it works for you. I started my first biz at 17 aswel selling ebooks and wrote about 3-4 myself and sold them on. 18 now and changed it coz I got bored so make sure that don't happen to you! lol

I got a design biz now and hoping to set up a much larger one soon and also trying other stuff like iphone apps etc Does feel good when you make that money though lol

Try Twitter as well, FB is a great choice as you'll definately get atleast one customer from there. Also maybe flyers or business cards ccould be used around your local area on shop windows where the teens 'chill at the corner shop' lol

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

 

[Indigo Cherry]

FB is a great choice as you'll definately get atleast one customer from there

Well that should keep him going right through to his retirement then! lol

 

[Impact1993]

Just a quick question,

Why do your buyers only get their game delivered if they live in London?

Well the business just started a week ago and I can't travel around the UK delivering games. I'm thinking of using paypal and sending games off in the post!

 

[Impact1993]

Well done
Just make sure you don't get anyone stitching you up, example:
saying they didn't receive the game you sent out!
You could try some ads in Adtrader or Freeads?

Thanks, yeah I know what you mean. I deliver face-to-face at the moment anyway but m hoping to do UK deivery but I need to know how to set up a paypal account on a website which am looking to design in a few weeks hopefully!

 

[genuinegraphics]

Well that should keep him going right through to his retirement then! lol

lol haha I meant in a advertising type of way to get his exposure out there

 

[Impact1993]

Congrats on the business mate. Hope it works for you. I started my first biz at 17 aswel selling ebooks and wrote about 3-4 myself and sold them on. 18 now and changed it coz I got bored so make sure that don't happen to you! lol

I got a design biz now and hoping to set up a much larger one soon and also trying other stuff like iphone apps etc Does feel good when you make that money though lol

Try Twitter as well, FB is a great choice as you'll definately get atleast one customer from there. Also maybe flyers or business cards ccould be used around your local area on shop windows where the teens 'chill at the corner shop' lol

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

Oh right, that sounds interesting and thanks for the advice

 

[movietub]

Well the business just started a week ago and I can't travel around the UK delivering games. I'm thinking of using paypal and sending games off in the post!

How is delivering in person, in London, cheaper than sending anywhere in the UK via Royal Mail?

Are the games £5 below RRP, or £5 cheaper than most high street retailers? I know £5 is a lot in terms of video game profit.

All legitimate???

 

[Impact1993]

How is delivering in person, in London, cheaper than sending anywhere in the UK via Royal Mail?

Are the games £5 below RRP, or £5 cheaper than most high street retailers? I know £5 is a lot in terms of video game profit.

All legitimate???

Yeah so far £5 below RRP, but am willing to drop the price a little soon! I can get around London for free, trust me but I am willing to deliver to the UK if people from Britain join my fan-page

 

[Indigo Cherry]

Well the business just started a week ago and I can't travel around the UK delivering games. I'm thinking of using paypal and sending games off in the post!

It must cost you more in petrol to get from one side of London to the other! For the cost of around £1.50, just post it to anywhere in the UK!

I seriously can't believe you are hand delivering these games! lol

 

[Indigo Cherry]

Yeah so far £5 below RRP, but am willing to drop the price a little soon! I can get around London for free, trust me but I am willing to deliver to the UK if people from Britain join my fan-page

But Game/Gamestation/Play/Amazon etc... sell games with a bigger reduction than that! I can't see how you are making this work to be honest.

 

[movietub]

Yeah so far £5 below RRP, but am willing to drop the price a little soon! I can get around London for free, trust me but I am willing to deliver to the UK if people from Britain join my fan-page

Eh? Are people from London not British anymore? Has London finally buggered off and declared itself a seperate state?

Getting around London is not free at all, for anyone. Your time costs money too, as you could be earning more on a min wage job than by delivering by hand.

Am I the only one that senses a degree of dodginess about this???

To clarify, all retailers are probably £5 below rrp, do you mean rrp, or are you actually cheaper than play.com etc?

 

[Allan123]

Last thing I would do is post £40/50 games via Royal Mail with a Large Letter Stamp.

Recorded or Special Delivery only (add the price onto the cost of game obviously).

 

[Lee Jones Jnr]

Im afraid this isn't a business, at best it is a long winded way to earn a bit of pocket money but if you put any value on your time then you are wasting it. Of course you also need to get your tax affairs in order at some point.

 

[Indigo Cherry]

Last thing I would do is post £40/50 games via Royal Mail with a Large Letter Stamp.

Recorded or Special Delivery only (add the price onto the cost of game obviously).

Recorded wouldn't make a difference! You are covered for £41 with or without it and £5.50 for Special delivery would his profit out.

 

[ChrisAITY]

As I was saying in a different thread, I am a registered business seller on Ebay, and I looked into video games before, and it is extremely difficult to even make a £1 profit, as if you buy in such small volumes, you will be paying virtually the RRP. I can't see how you could be making £5 profit on each game.

Regarding the delivery, it's crazy to think you would hand deliver these. All you have to do is, get a Jiffy, write the address, go to your local Post Office, say to them "Can I send this First/Second Class", get a PROOF OF POSTING and pay around £1.30 for delivery.. So much easier surely??

I am extremely curious to the supplier of these games..........

 

[Indigo Cherry]

I commend you for getting your backside into gear and doing something where most 17 year olds are drinking and sleeping!

But I have to say, this really isn't a viable business! Unless you can keep your retail price down to £3-5 lower than Play/Amazon/Game etc... no one is going to buy from you! And those that do, you are HAND DELIVERING to??? This is just crazy!

If you want to make a serious business out of this, you need a wensite, you need a payment gateway and you need to find a cheaper supplier so you can lower your prices!

AND YOU NEED TO OFFER DELIVER UK WIDE! By postage and no bike!

 

[ChrisAITY]

I commend you for getting your backside into gear and doing something where most 17 year olds are drinking and sleeping!

But I have to say, this really isn't a viable business! Unless you can keep your retail price down to £3-5 lower than Play/Amazon/Game etc... no one is going to buy from you! And those that do, you are HAND DELIVERING to??? This is just crazy!

If you want to make a serious business out of this, you need a wensite, you need a payment gateway and you need to find a cheaper supplier so you can lower your prices!

AND YOU NEED TO OFFER DELIVER UK WIDE! By postage and no bike!

It would be difficult to challenge Play.com, especially as they also do FREE UK delivery!!

 

[Gavin-Design-Right]

So people buy from you at £5 below RRP and you go around hand delivering games?

I'm sorry but this really does sound like some school playground business. £5 profit per game is then getting deducted from running costs of petrol etc etc...The even setting up paypal they will take a % will they not.

Good luck though but making £5 a time and hand delivering will not make a business.

 

[14A]

The £5 you make from each game, is this with or without your delivery cost (i.e fuel)?

Seems a hard way to make money.

 

[Indigo Cherry]

It would be difficult to challenge Play.com, especially as they also do FREE UK delivery!!

Exactly, so where are you going to shop? Play.com selling Call Of Duty:Black Ops (RRP £54.99) at £42.69 on PS3 with FREE delivery or a Facebook page offering the same game for £49.99 with free 'delivery' but only if you live in London??????

 

[ChrisAITY]

Remember the OP can get around London for FREE, "believe me", so he would much prefer to do this..................................

Video games are extremely difficult unless you find the right supplier and have a heck of a lot of money to invest in stock.. otherwise I would forget it..

 

[Gavin-Design-Right]

Don't tell me he takes the cycle bike :O

 

[Esk247]

As i've said before. The world works in mysterious ways, I don't understand it, but if the fella is making a profit..so be it.

I just hope it's all above board. You never know, people may like the personal touch or maybe he can get hold of games that are no longer in stock at the major shops?

 

[ChrisAITY]

As i've said before. The world works in mysterious ways, I don't understand it, but if the fella is making a profit..so be it.

I just hope it's all above board. You never know, people may like the personal touch or maybe he can get hold of games that are no longer in stock at the major shops?

Based on his Facebook page, he is only dealing in brand new releases.. and besides, major shops will have virtually every game, whether it would be in there retail store or online..

I would be extremely interested in knowing how he gets his stock..

 

[movietub]

I too have looked at the video game market. It seemed like an easy product to stock, shift and handle. But the margins require massive scale and commitment to compete - not to mention near 100% efficiency in the business model.

My problem with all of this is the £5 profit. I'm sort of assuming that tax is yet to be taken into account, but even putting that aside, the £5 is a good margin per game for even a large chain supplier.

The rrp thing is nonsense, no one sells games at rrp unless supply is very short. Generally, a 44.99 rrp game will hit the shelfs at a blanket 35-40 quid.

I can't see how it is possible, even if 'not declaring' for a start up to sell for less than the high street and bigger online players, whilst maintaing what the rest of the industry would consider a good margin.

The business as the OP describes it, should not be possible. There has to be a dodgy element.

 

[ChrisAITY]

I too have looked at the video game market. It seemed like an easy product to stock, shift and handle. But the margins require massive scale and commitment to compete - not to mention near 100% efficiency in the business model.

My problem with all of this is the £5 profit. I'm sort of assuming that tax is yet to be taken into account, but even putting that aside, the £5 is a good margin per game for even a large chain supplier.

The rrp thing is nonsense, no one sells games at rrp unless supply is very short. Generally, a 44.99 rrp game will hit the shelfs at a blanket 35-40 quid.

I can't see how it is possible, even if 'not declaring' for a start up to sell for less than the high street and bigger online players, whilst maintaing what the rest of the industry would consider a good margin.

The business as the OP describes it, should not be possible. There has to be a dodgy element.

Well said.. I completely agree!!

 

[Indigo Cherry]

These games aren't by chance being sourced from China are they?

 

[ChrisAITY]

We shall just have to wait for his reply tomorrow..