The Wholesale Forums

[hardwareheroes]

With the recent poor performance of the article voting debacle, I got to thinking how a forum with over 16,000 members could produce so little votes. It would appear that many people sign up to this wonderful resource thinking starting a business is EASY and that information or assistance should be offered in abundance for free. When it doesn't turn out like that, they wander off bored never to return.

As most of the regulars already know, this is clearly not the case and I thought it would be a good idea if a sticky were to be put in the introduction section which might go some way to explaining the nature of the forum and how, if people were to stick around and participate more, everything would become clear.

I found, when I joined the forum, a first impression of a small community which, although friendly, after reading a few of the current posts and doing a couple of searches, appeared to have little to offer. I could not have been more wrong - it's not friendly AT ALL!

Spending time on these forums and participating in various threads brings out more information than a simple search will ever produce. Information on sourcing product, dealing with suppliers, marketing strategies, ways to make a profit, pitfalls to avoid etc etc all come up in unrelated threads more often than not and would be difficult to find if one is simply browsing thread titles.

So, my signature reflects my belief that you should be patient - you WILL find what you are looking for. You will be given the assistance you crave (maybe not in the spoon fed fashion you think, but in a way that is beneficial to all).

Best of all, you are among like-minded individuals who understand more than anyone else who you are, where you are going and, even, where you've been! Shut your eyes, fall back and we're there for you. HONEST

[Pete]

I've got a small members only forum for customers of a specific dropshipper. Just 600 or so members.

Before that, I was the admin of the company owned forum that they shut down suddenly due to too much negative comments. Couldn't stand the heat. That had 13,000 members.

It's amazing how many members NEVER post, never participate in any way, other than to lurk.

With both of those forums 90% or more will never post more than once. The active posters, those with say 50 to 100 or more posts are in the wee small percentage of members.

It might be interesting if Anthony would do a "sort by posts" listing of his members here. I'm sure things would be about the same. Probably 5% or less accounting for 95% of the activity.

So many are afraid to post. On this forum in particular, I've seen enough negative replies when someone uses poor grammar or has poor spelling, that I can understand folks with less than good communications skills being hesitant to post. No one enjoys ridicule.

And a lot seem reluctant to share negative experiences, even though "don't do as I did" can be a more meaningful post than a "10 things to avoid" or "21 tips for success". Personal accounts always make a point.

We need to do more to encourage people to participate, not do what we can to drive them off......
.

[greedyboy]

It's amazing how many members NEVER post, never participate in any way, other than to lurk.

I joined after 18 months as a part time lurker. I not normally the geeky anorak forums type of person. The only time I use forums is when I need some information from experts.

[Pete]

That's a direct quote from millions worldwide.........

[geosamm]

I am a little confused.... Im not sure if the posts by Hardware and Pete are in agreement, in opposition or in tandem from a different perspective, with each other. Most of whats been said in them I am in agreement with, some points I would push a little further and others I stand on the opposite side of the fence to.... but thats the whole point I suppose... different views from different perspectives from different people with different experiences.

I am a little concerned at the type and level of help some people ask for. Is it help to tell someone what to buy, where to buy it from, at what cost, what margin to implement, how and where to advertise, what to call it and what to spend the profit on?.... I dont think thats help... somewhere along the line they have to start thinking and doing for themselves... making their own decisions based on the information they obtain given their own circumstances and situation. If they want to stand up in the business world they have to take or avoid the knocks and pitfalls.... deal with the mistakes... turn things around and push forward again.... you cant do that wrapped in cotton wool.

Most of the questions asked are dump questions.... by that I mean they are dumped and left to see what answers come forth... simple questions with several hundred possible answers.... all needing work and time by someone else to give what maybe the required answer..... this is usually followed by another question and several answers ... and on.... and on
Other questions are just feeble and laughable.... eg "this guy is selling 24ct bullion at 50p a ton, is it a con?".... thats a slight exaggeration of the premise but you know the type of question I refer to.... its not possible to help someone to get common sense...... their own greed blinds them to reality.


GB.... you may have started that way but now people look to you for the expert advice... and you give it as you see it..... zip the anorak GB its going to be a long run up to Xmas

[greedyboy]

It's all new now. Online, ebay, amazon etc. This has bred a new kind of seller, a new kind of business man and a new found 'mail order business'. A new kind supplier, a new kind of customer and a new kind of scammer. If you spoke to a Chinese ot Taiwanese supplier 10 - 12 years ago, they would be on the phone begging for your business in the nicest possible way!

Despite buying and selling virtually all my life, I made my money in the 90's when I started a 'mail order business' from my bedroom in my parents house. In those day before the internet, you had to beg borrow and steal to get a 'customer not present' credit card mail order facility (now they give them away like MOTM awards ). In fact when I first started I relied on cheques being in posted, which was quite common then.

The internet transformed my business, being one of the first adopters, when freeserve launched free dialup my business when into over drive. By the late 90's my little bedroom business had grown to a multi-million pound business and the seccond largest independent in the UK before I was out of my 20's. The internet helped but I still to use skills get me into the position. It's wasn't the internet that transformed my business, I was in a good enough position to capitalise on it, not rely on it.

Which ultimately encompassed a call centre, warehouse, offices and retail shops (which were closed in the late 90's as we were a mail order business primarily and retail just seemed simply too much like hard work ). I am not in that business anymore and now kind of enjoy my freedom from my hard work back then. I am now pottering around when compared to those levels!

Back to my original point.

The same as back then, it is just as hard or even harder to ,do mail mail order'. The competition is a billion times more. Back in the good old days, you'd simply buy some stock from a UK warehouse, put an advert in a related magazine and wait for the phone to ring. The competition was a handful of similar companies selling similar products. Now you have to compete with billions upon billions of websites from around the world.

If I was to start the exact same business in todays internet environment, would it have grown the same? The same question I ask myself! My current online businesses are doing pretty well. But I am in no rush, I don't have a destination whee I have to be, like I was in the 90's. I like to be kept busy and make a few quid to buy my fags and booze.

Ultimately the principles are the same, I can see my businesses as a carbon copy, I do all the same things, apply my very limited skill, and it all seems to turn out OK.

The emphasis here is 'skills'. You can't just buy stock, open a website, or list on ebay and become a millionaire. If you can't even get to the 'buy stock stage' you are in the wrong business. As I keep saying, if you need to ask the simplest and most basic quations such as 'what shall I sell' you are in the wrong business.

Now I am knackered and my brain seriously hurts!!!!

[geosamm]

bloody hell GB............ thats got to be the longest post Ive seen you write.... articles excluded

I envy your recollections of the 90's..... mine start way back in the 60's Im sorry to say..... sorry because their is more behind me than in front.... thats life eh.

[A-Geraghty]

I am new to this, i just want to soak as much infomation as posible i am know 26 and been wanting to do somthink like this for along time. know i am ready, am always thinking of ideas puting then in a joter.listening to you srory ia inspiering to me, hope to speek to you some time. Yes my spelling isant the best i am learning in an out of collage.
Thanks for listning

Anthony

[hardwareheroes]

Originally Posted by A-Geraghty

I am new to this, i just want to soak as much infomation as posible i am know 26 and been wanting to do somthink like this for along time. know i am ready, am always thinking of ideas puting then in a joter.listening to you srory ia inspiering to me, hope to speek to you some time. Yes my spelling isant the best i am learning in an out of collage.
Thanks for listning

Anthony

Welcome Anthony - why don't you introduce yourself in here http://www.thewholesaleforums.co.uk/...duce-yourself/ and tell everyone a bit about yourself. (Start your own thread and sit back)

Kind Regards!

[demon-clothing]

Hi there,

Yes this is a interesting thread. I have also seen on another forum it might not have been here that some of the other members where saying that people join the forum post a only a couple of posts, please note that these posts are just hi and pimping there site or just agreeing to other posts just to build up there postings on the site and then leaving and not coming back. Just so that google can find more references to their site.

So its all swings and round abouts?

From
Doug