Pro Show Marketplace?

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roshama

Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby roshama » Mon Jul 20, 2009 4:00 pm

I have been thinking about starting a website which would be kind of setup like istockphoto.com but with Pro Show slide styles, templates, backgrounds, tutorials, etc. It would be a marketplace for all things Pro Show where people can buy and sell. I am assuming that there are enthusiasts with custom styles and such that they would like to sell but don't want to start their own website. Let me know what you guys think, feel free to punch as many holes to this idea as you want. I would rather realize why it wouldn't work now than later. Thanks.

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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby DickK » Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:56 pm

If you're doing this as a service, go for it but don't underestimate the costs involved. If you're intending to make money at it, I'd think very carefully about it. A very small number of people are producing add-ons on a for-sale basis. They're running websites or one is selling through another's site.

Dick
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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby caganaudie » Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 am

Are you planning to offer this as a free or for profit service?
Have you done a market analaysis?
Do you have a business plan? Marketing plan?
Do you currently operate a web business?

Why do you feel you can offer a better service to Proshow users than this site currently offers?

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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby Barkingmad » Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:13 pm

caganaudie wrote:Why do you feel you can offer a better service to Proshow users than this site currently offers?

Ima


As I understood the original post, roshama was referring to something completely different to this site, and in no way inferred that he/she could offer a better service than this site. While this site is absolutely wonderful it cannot be likened to an istockphoto set up, nor is that its purpose. It seems to me that roshama's aim was more to fill the gap.. as this site accomodates those who are wanting to share things for free and also allows those who have their own web-sites for selling their goods to be known, found and linked to... whereas there may be many folks who would like to sell but do not want the hassle of a website and / or the financial payments part of it. There is a reason that stock photo agencies are so popular with both customers and photographers... and roshama is querying whether we think a similiar set up would be beneficial for all things proshow.
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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby caganaudie » Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:57 pm

Thanks for your thoughts on that one point (which is least important question posted), still would like to hear from roshama on her plans and thoughts.

roshama

Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby roshama » Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:03 pm

Thanks Barkingmad for clarifying, that's exactly the kind of website that I want to setup. It would provide a different service so I wouldn't be competing against this site. I do run a business for a living and have had plenty of business experience in the past but I have never ran a web business. This would be something on the side that would be run as a hobby. I graduated in Computer Science but haven't used it directly in my career, so that would be nice. Of course, I would do my homework and make sure I can at least break even. I am currently in the process of calculating the costs of designing and running the site. The site would run on the sales of its add-ons, basically making a commission on the styles, templates, etc. being sold. The seller can set their own price so their only expense would be if they sold something. There could be sponsored sellers who could pay a fee for first listings on searches. There could be ad revenue also. Marketing would be done through forums such as these as well as search engines and so forth. I have to admit that market analysis has always been a problem for me, it has lead to some business failures in the past for me. If you have any ideas, let me know. I was hoping to work something out with some of the other people selling their own add-ons already. I would let them sell for free or at a discount on my site if they let me know what their sales are like, page hits, and other data measuring demand. Anyway, that's my business plan in a nutshell. Hit me with your thoughts and criticisms.

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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby trulytango » Thu Jul 23, 2009 5:48 am

Hello Roshama

A one-stop-shop/co-operative for ProShow goodies was something I looked into when I first considered creating products to sell online, but time constraints and lack of knowledge worked against me :oops: I still think it's a very good idea... as part of your research I suggest you look at some of the better organised digital scrapbooking sites such as the ones below. They offer plenty of scope to search by product type or individual designer - something that would be a useful addition to any ProShow Marketplace:

http://digitalfreebies.com/store/

http://store.scrapbook-elements.com/index.php

http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/products_new.php

All of the above sites offer customers an instant download service. This was my own personal stumbling block which delayed me somewhat in entering the sales arena, but I considered it to be the most important aspect of selling online and shopped around until I found one that was fairly simple to implement - and not so cost-prohibitive as some.

I'd be happy to provide you with data if you send me your e-mail address via PM.

Regards
Iris
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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby czali » Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:38 am

I just wanted to add on another note. I had thought about a national site that allowed slideshow producers to advertise their services. It would be similar to all these wedding sites they have but few offer a "slideshow" category. As many of you know, advertising can get very expensive. It would be a pooling of funds but you would need big start-up funds. I never got very far with it but thought I would add that as an option or a add-on to your concept.

I think it could work. Anything that makes it easier for people to do shows should sell.

Good Luck!

Colleen

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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby cherub » Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:25 am

There could be sponsored sellers who could pay a fee for first listings on searches. There could be ad revenue also. Marketing would be done through forums such as these as well as search engines and so forth. I have to admit that market analysis has always been a problem for me, it has lead to some business failures in the past for me. If you have any ideas, let me know. I was hoping to work something out with some of the other people selling their own add-ons already. I would let them sell for free or at a discount on my site if they let me know what their sales are like, page hits, and other data measuring demand. Anyway, that's my business plan in a nutshell. Hit me with your thoughts and criticisms.


roshama,
There are many question marks in your post.
What other venues of advertising do you have in mind except this very forum? and why do you think that you can advertise in this forum? or other forums?
What would make your site more popular and more on demand than our own web sites ?

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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby VidQueen » Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:38 pm

As someone who owns an ecommerce store that sells templates, I think a website for uploading and sharing styles would be great. Selling? I've tossed the idea around a lot (even mentioned it to a fellow enthusiast). Unfortunately, if I were to post a slide style on Roshamas site, assuming she'd have to take a cut to cover her costs, the styles would have to be sold at a higher price for me to make the same amount of money selling for a lower cost on my own site. Not a great value for the customer. BUT....for those people who don't have thier own ecommerce stores and want to make a few bucks....it's a pretty good idea:)

I have some backgrounds listed on iStock for insanely high prices (iStock sets the prices, not me). If the people who purchased them from iStock knew I had my own website where they could get the exact same background for 1/4 the price, they'd skip iStock altogether. I don't make a living off of my iStock videos, but it's nice pocket change.

Roshama...it is a good idea. I do think that the complexities of runing a site like that are huge. Which is why I never did it myself :) Just thinking of keeping track of all of the contributors....their sales....their percentages....how do you pay them...when do you pay them....what do you do if they dispute what you tell them they sold...what do you do if they want to remove a product....who has the rights to the product...when a customer has a problem with a slide style who do they contact....(what?! customers have problems with slide styles?! Hehe....yeah. They do.)....it's enough to make your head spin.

For those of us in this business already, the Marketplace would have to have insanely high traffic to make it worthwhile. It would almost have to be run by Photodex themselves. Which I highly doubt they'll ever do;)

Jennifer

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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby mlanders » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:07 am

VidQueen wrote:For those of us in this business already, the Marketplace would have to have insanely high traffic to make it worthwhile. It would almost have to be run by Photodex themselves. Which I highly doubt they'll ever do;)

Jennifer


Hi Jennifer,

to keep the thought going on:
This is one of the key-elements - you should have a high traffic - a marketplace only makes sense to a website or plattform that is permanently known if i think of ProShow Styles or something like that.
So the right step into this direction would be if Mike and everyone (who creates Styles/Templates) from this forum creates a marketplace as a part of this forum.
This would take time to put every income into this marketplace and share it together or create a special plan how everyone who creates input for this marketplace would be paid....
Something like this could be working, years ago i and two other peolple founded a user-club for a webediting software...it was good and big...
And if everyone of you who creates input has got the will to put it together in such a marketplace it would be a real "market bomb", believe me it is a vision - but it uses this platform here:
Mikes forum as a starting point....
Only this would make sense and everyone who just creates Stlyes and templates for themselve then creates for the marketplace...but it can be growing real fast...
In three years we've got nearly 1000 members who are paying a half or a yearly fee...it was great and if you create a marketplace with just a bit like this...it is much more bigger because there are more people here in this forum who can create good content for every ProShow User

Critical points about this are:
If i create content for this marketplace: what about the rights of this created content - if i will ever leave this marketplace it has to be shure - that my rights on my content belongs still to me and i can sell them on my own...
...and as long as there is this marketplace it has to be shure that every one of the contentcreators will not work twice...one style for the marketplace and the same style for my own website...because this will work contraproductive for the marketplace...
It has to be shure that there is a big enthusiasm for this marketplace, without the fear that "my content gets lost", because:
If this marketplace grows, everyone who is involved in the contentcreation will win...and of course:
Every user of this marketplace will win because there is more power to create other more needed different content than only one person could create for ProShow users...

Michael

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Re: Pro Show Marketplace?

Postby VidQueen » Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:15 am

Great thoughts, Michael!
Here are a couple more...

If any one here has tried to add an item to iStock, you know there is an approval committee that you have to go through. It's a bit of a pain for those of us trying to get our work on iStock, but it keeps the items on their website at a high standard and, therefore, keeps thier reputation in tact. I tried this a few years ago with video backgrounds. Most of the video backgrounds that were submitted to me to put on Choice Backgrounds weren't up to my standards, so I stopped offering a contributing designer program on my website.

What about income tax forms for all contributors? What about international contributors?

I know I mentioned tech support earlier, but that is a big one. As my own site has grown over the years I am spending more and more time wearing my tech support hat rather than my Designer hat. And that's not due to complex slide styles... The #1 question I get asked is, "I just downloaded your slide style, but when I open it all I get is a .pxs file that my computer doesn't recognize when I click on it!" I get this question even though I have a free tutorial called "How to Import Slide Styles". Who is going to answer all of the Marketplace questions?

I'm putting these questions out there not to deter the idea, I think a Marketplace is a great idea, but it can't just be thrown together and I really don't think it can be run by one person. In order to work it would have to be huge. If its huge it will take more than one person to run it-full time, not just when they get a few minutes to answer some emails. In order for a few people to do this full time they'd have to get paid, either by subscription fees or taking a cut from contributors; both costs get passed onto the customer (who may want to pay a small fee for a one stop shop).

Just my thoughts:)
Jennifer

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