ATC4U

Million Dollar Question of the day!
I live up here in Alaska, and we dont have any hobby shopswithin 450 miles. My question is, if I have a business license, but choose to work from home, serving local customers, and Internet, how do I go about getting distributers to sell to me? I know there are plenty of online only type shops, how are they getting product? Horizon and Great Planes etc will only let you become a c ustomer if you have a store front establishment. So how do people go about getting sig, Goldberg, etc etc etc products, on a wholesale basis?
Thanks for any inputs you might offer.
Bryan

MHawker

My Feedback: (16)

You have to be a good salesperson and/ or have a LOT of business already. Considering you want to START a hobby shop, I'd say you better be a good salesperson.

You need to contact them and ask to distribute their product. Then you have to convince them that you are a real store and not just someone trying to get a "wholesale" price on a plane. They may have minimums, etc.

Then you need to sell like your life depended on it. With that, some luck, and some high quality people that want to work for cheap, you might survive.

Good luck.

Mike

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Start with balsa USA. They are easier to get a dealership with. All of the shops need a photo of your store front and some merchandise. You can try to get them to understand you are selling out of the back of an existing store, you might be able to send them that. I sent pictures of our store front and merchandise setups. If you are selling out of a basement room, you will more than likely not get dealerships, but I have seen it done. What one guy did is put up peg board, put a display up with stuff he had, took a pic, changed it, took another and took a picture of a store he saw in another area and called it the same name. I wouldn't suggest that. Some will understand that you are trying to start a shop and work with you. I started with great planes and used them, global, horizon and Miniature aircraft the most. The best way is call each one and find out their requirements and make sure they know you are starting a new shop, not a basement opperation.

ATC4U

Thanks guys, thats a small start. Seems like quite a bit of the business's here in Alaska start out as small cottage types out of there houses. Which is funny, because thats exactly how most hobby related businesses start too. I just found it kinda funny that now, the major distributers dont wanna deal with the cottage type businesses. Go figure. I worked in a hobby shop in Northern California for years, so Im used to dealing with Great Planes, and Horizon. How do the internet only folks get away with it?