Crafters Needed

"phil" wrote in message ...
> Kevin:
>
> I truly wish you the best of luck. I hope you can make your business a
> profitable go. Unfortunately, I have seen too many brick and mortar
> business with your same idea of selling good quality crafts go under. At
> least in the upper Mid-West, the customers are not there to support the
> stores.

The road to hell may be paved with good intentions, but the road to Arkansas
this past weekend was paved with failed businesses (many arts and crafts),
and brand-new, permanently built fireworks "warehouses" (not "stands") in
place thereof ... perfectly reflecting a dumbed down culture and the
insatiable need for the important things in it: whiz, bang, and flash.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/15/04

On Wed, 16 Jun 2004 01:27:12 -0500, Kevin Sawyer, General Manager <> wrote:
>
> We have been providing Internet services, hosting, and consulting since 1995
> and presently host over 100 e-commerce sites. We are involved in several
> joint-ventures that help companies and individuals bring their products and

Yeah, we saw your commercial several times already. Give it a rest, eh?

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 22:21:20 -0500, Kevin Sawyer, General Manager <> wrote:
> I thought it would be smart to give more details. I'm not willing to sell
> any old stuff. It has to be great stuff. I have to see pictures of it. I
> have to get to know the person who makes it and feel that they have gotten
> to know and understand me. Where did my original post throw you off?

Since you asked...for me, it was the slicky-boy sales pitch that did it.

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 23:17:11 -0500, Kevin Sawyer, General Manager <> wrote:
> Hmm... OK. I was just trying to be professional. I think I've been pretty
> "personable" since then...and now I have a much better feel for this group.

Well, that's why I'm still reading your posts, I suppose. If you had
kept coming across like the guy selling knives at State Fair or
something, it'd be different, y'know?

On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 11:18:43 -0500, Kevin Sawyer, General Manager <> wrote:
> So you don't wanna buy my knives at the state fair this weekend then?
> Damn... Actually, they're made by a guy in KY and he'll drop-ship them
> directly to you.

I'm just saying, the sales pitch came across the same way.

By the way, we didn't work together at one point, in the IT industry
by any chance, did we?

On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 21:58:55 -0500, Kevin Sawyer, General Manager <> wrote:
> Your name doesn't ring a bell, Dave, but then again I've never been that
> great at names. Did you work in the St. Louis, MO region?

Nope, I was thinking a French Canadian who I worked with in the Milwaukee
area, who shares a name with you. I'm, er, glad you're not he. Him.
Whichever.

Hoyt Weathers <[email protected]> wrote...

Just hang up your continued verbiage. I, for one, am tired
of it. Enough is enough from you. IMHO, you are speaking to
a deaf house. Go elsewhere to find some who may be more
sympathetic to your spiel - God help them.



Jeez. If you're going to read enough of the thread to get anoyed and
post a 'directive' to someone to go away because no one is interested,
at least
read enough of the thread to see there apparently are some who are
interested.

This thread isn't offensive, vulgar, or baiting, and now you obviously
know what it's about, so if you don't want to read it, ignore it.

People who think they control usenet with arbitrary rules and who
think they know what other people are looking for while ignoring the
posted response indicating exactly the contrary are as bad as the
trolls who do post offending, vulgar, or baiting threads.

You're just like the 'locals' who've been living here for 10 years or
less who complain about the sound of firearms on Saturday morning, or
about the dust when the farmers plough their fields, then who turn
around and complain about the 'outsiders' who move here and want to
change things.

Get a life and get over it!

Tillman

"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:

<unwanted drivel snipped>

Just hang up your continued verbiage. I, for one, am tired of it. Enough is enough
from you. IMHO, you are speaking to a deaf house. Go elsewhere to find some who may
be more sympathetic to your spiel - God help them.

Hoyt W.

"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:

<snip>

> I want to BUY from you so that I can SELL to people that you are not
> reaching now and will probably never reach

<snip>

If that were really true I would have thought your original post would have read
something like:

"Hi, I'm interested in purchasing hand crafted products to sell on my web
site..."

but it didn't.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:

> I thought it would be smart to give more details. I'm not willing to sell
> any old stuff. It has to be great stuff. I have to see pictures of it. I
> have to get to know the person who makes it and feel that they have gotten
> to know and understand me.

For the last 20 years I've been selling and repairing computers as a side line.

I also have to evaluate products before offering them to my customers. I have
to purchase these products I want to evaluate. I also have to maintain an
inventory, pay shipping expenses and deal with the "losses" incurred with
shipping damage, market fluctuations, etc. I'd love to be able to drop ship as
it would put all the risk and the majority of the expenses on the suppliers.

> Where did my original post throw you off?

Fortunate your original post didn't throw me off at all.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:

> There are several big distributors who will drop-ship to your clients.
> They'll even put your logo/name on the shipping label and ticket and most of
> them will give you free or discounted shipping. Names that come to mind are
> Tech Data, Ingram Micro, Synnex, D&H Distributing...

Ingram Micro has one of their distribution centers in Williamsville, NY, a
suburb of Buffalo. Years ago I looked into using them as a supplier. At that
time they wanted a guaranteed $20 K yearly order volume from anyone wishing to
do business with them. I was not about to agree to $20 K not knowing how they
were to do business with. Their terms seemed to me to be a one way street, but I
do believe they would be willing to drop ship.

> One of my companies is a Microsoft Certified Partner, Microsoft OEM Systems
> Builder, and Intel Product Dealer (among other things).

Would this be "Applied Personal Computing, Inc."? A "Google" search shows this
company associated with the name Kevin Sawyer and other phrases such as "Make
Money Fast" and "mail-bomb attempts".

http://www.theargon.com/articles/other%20publications/security4.txt

I see that the Doom newsgroup users also had a few comments on APCi.

> So what woodworking do you do most?

I prefer to make larger items such as case work, dining and kitchen tables, etc.

> What product would you be most likely to reproduce to sell?

To date all of my woodworking has been "one off" originals designed to meet my
clients requirements. I hate production work.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:

> I don't care for Ingram Micro, either. I use Tech Data most of the time...
>
> Yes, APCi is one of my companies. I'm president/CEO there and it's where I
> spend the majority of my time. I'm confused about your references to "Make
> Money Fast" and "mail-bomb attempts." I've neither done nor offered to do
> either one. :-) Care to explain?

If you looked at the link provided it point to a document that explains how to
determine where a spam message originated. The example used is a "Make Money
Fast" spam message. The author states he received over 600 messages inside of
one minute. That message was designed to appear as if he sent it to himself.
That message has your name in the header and shows the originating organization
of APCi but the extended header show the actual sender was elsewhere.

The message I'm now replying to appears to come from Kevin Sawyer of
CraftsDirect, has a message ID from APCi.net, but is posted through Giganews via
usenetguide.com. I took note of the similarities is all.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

Bruce Barnett wrote:

> If you are going to accuse someone of spam/mailbombing, you should
> double-check the facts. Doing a half-assed job is worse than doing
> nothing at all.

I haven't accused Kevin and my thoughts were actually just the opposite, originally
thinking that "Kevin" may not be actually sending these messages.

1. "Kevin" is soliciting for vendor for "Crafts Direct", "America Crafts Direct" and
"USA Crafts Direct" none of which appear to have a web site. I do find a
"CraftsDirect" that has a web site and is located in Waite Park, MN but it does not
seem to be Kevin's. I suspected this site might be hiding behind a false address.

http://www.craftsdirect.com/

Kevin operates a computer company that also provides internet service along with
domain hosting.

http://www.apci.net/

I see now that MetroEast.net (indicated in Kevin's email address) most likely is a
test server for APCi.net.

I'm probably overly skeptical but something seemed odd to me since APCi is a domain
host but none of the "Direct Crafts" Kevin refers to have a web site.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

Please forgive the mistype. The e-mail address is "Crafts Direct at Metro
East dot Net" not "Quality Crafts at Metro East dot Net" as previously
specified (although that address has now been created...so both are
functional at this time).

We have been providing Internet services, hosting, and consulting since 1995
and presently host over 100 e-commerce sites. We are involved in several
joint-ventures that help companies and individuals bring their products and
services to the web. I would be happy to provide more details in a private
forum.

I have a few close friends and relatives who are craftspersons and who have
tried to sell their crafts on the Internet with little or no success. They
can not afford to pay someone to develop a site/store nor can they afford to
pay someone to promote it. After much discussion it was my idea to leverage
knowledge and experience to promote and sell their crafts online in a manner
that is mutually beneficial in the purest sense (all parties have natural
incentives to perform as expected and no one wins unless all participate as
agreed). However, I'm not interested in selling junk or trying to sell
crafts of inconsistent quality. I will dedicate the resources (servers,
bandwidth, programming, merchant accounts, payment processing, customer
service before/after the sale, etc.) only after I have found enough
craftspersons who are willing and able to perform as expected. I intend to
have close relationships with each craftsperson and help them in every way
possible so that they can focus on their crafts. They are welcome to set
their wholesale prices after which I will determine what I feel is a fair
retail markup. If we don't both make money, we'll both lose. It's that
simple.

Please e-mail me directly and I'll be happy to answer any questions you may
have.

Thanks, and sorry again for posting an incorrect e-mail address.

Kevin Sawyer, General Manager
American Crafts Direct * Handcrafts Direct * USA Crafts Direct

PS - You won't find anything in Google until we are up and running. If
you'd like to know a little more about me and one of my Internet-related
companies, check out http://www.apci.net.

"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" <Crafts Direct at MetroEast dot Net> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...
> We are hand-picking American crafters (USA only please) who are willing
and
> able to produce and ship their quality crafts in the USA. We are *not*
> looking for mass-production factories that crank out useless trinkets and
> widgets. If so, we'd just import from China and Taiwan. Instead we want
> only genuine, top-quality handcrafted items made right here in the USA.
> Here's how it works:
>
> + If you haven't already, make samples of your handcrafted items.
> + Take quality pictures of them.
> + Send us the pictures (mail, e-mail, or post online and e-mail the URL).
> + Send us a brief narrative about yourself, your crafts and your
commitment
> to quality.
>
> If we are interested in you and your crafts, we will follow up via e-mail
> and/or phone call so that we can get to know you better. If you are
> selected, then here's how it works:
>
> + We negotiate wholesale prices (what we'll pay you for your crafts).
> + We gather required information (turnaround time, photos, descriptions,
> dimensions, weight).
> + We add your crafts to our website(s) and promote sales.
> + We process secure retail orders from our customers.
> + We immediately forward a copy of the order to you including our
official
> invoice to be shipped with the product.
> + You fulfill the orders (pack and ship with our invoice/label).
> + We pay you immediately (wire transfer) upon shipping confirmation.
>
> The idea here is that you get to do what you do best -- quality crafts --
> and we get to do what we do best -- online promotion, sales, order
> processing and related customer service. The only "business activities"
you
> perform is checking for orders (daily) then packing and shipping. We can
> help you obtain the appropriate shipping materials. In some cases we may
> even provide them. There will be no paperwork to do except for printing
our
> final invoice and the shipping label. Depending upon our relationship we
> may even decide to provide you with the resources required to generate the
> invoices and labels. We might even provide you with an entire PC,
printer,
> and internet connection. We may even be willing to pre-pay for your
crafts.
> These benefits are all negotiable once our relationship has been
> established. We'll do whatever it takes to ensure that 99% of your time
is
> spent working on your crafts.
>
> There's no catch. It's this simple. As long as you produce quality items
> and ship them in an acceptable time frame, we'll live happily ever after.
> You have absolutely nothing to lose. We both have everything to gain from
> doing what we are supposed to do and anything else we can think of to help
> each other. If either of us are less than satisfied for any reason, we
> simply terminate the relationship.
>
> Please respond via e-mail and include your preferred e-mail address, phone
> number, best time to call you, and any information you are willing to
> provide about your crafts. Please reply to "Quality Crafts at MetroEast
dot
> Net" (remove the quotes and spaces and replace words with the appropriate
> characters -- we've listed it this way to make it harder for spammers to
> pick up our address here in the newsgroups).
>
> All aspects are open for discussion and therefore your thoughts and
comments
> are always appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.
>
> Kevin Sawyer, General Manager
> American Crafts Direct * Handcrafts Direct * USA Crafts Direct
>
> PS - Feel free to forward this message to other crafters.
>
>
>

So skeptical! I had no idea I'd be ruffling feathers here.

No, I don't want you to work your butt off for nothing. No, I don't want to
"steal" your plans/ideas. I want to provide you with a way and means to
profit from the sale of your crafts and I want to profit from providing the
service. Win-win is the only thing that will work here.

If it takes you 50 hours to make something, hopefully it is something that
people are willing to pay enough for so that you can afford to do it. If
not, then you're better off doing it as a hobby and to make gifts for your
friends and family.

I think there's a market for quality handcrafted items online. Some things
will obviously sell best in a brick-and-mortar environment, but I'm sure
there are *lots* of items that will sell online and at a much lower price.

If you want to develop your own online store that features only your crafts
or pay someone to do it, then go right ahead. You can deal with the
customers, pay for the hosting, pay for the maintenance of the pages and
databases, have a merchant account and process credit cards (if you think
people are going to mail you a check then you're missing the whole point of
online shopping...quick and easy). Even then you won't make a dime unless
you can drive traffic to the site. For the past six years or so I've
watched businesses and individuals take a "field of dreams" approach and
spend big bucks on putting up a web site in hopes that people would find it
and buy their stuff. Many of them have used one of my companies for
Internet services and hosting. We even built custom sites for a few of them
but after that we were out of the loop and they were on their own to promote
it and keep it up to date (few ever did so). It's just not a good model
from my experience.

Please...let's keep this discussion going!

Kevin Sawyer, General Manager

"John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> You are reading too much into it.
> He simply wants you to put 50 hours into something, and pay you $75 for
it.
>
>

I guess you're already selling your crafts online and meeting and exceeding
all of your expectations... Please point me to your site! :) OK, I'll
stop being a smart-ass now...

I guess you could consider me a middleman, but you could just as easily
consider me someone who wants to buy from you regularly and is willing to
pay you according to whatever price you feel is fair. If it's too high, we
won't be able to sell it and we'll both lose. The process really regulates
itself quite naturally. We could just buy from you and have you ship to us
and have that be the end of it as far as you're concerned. But, we have no
desire to waste money on stock (warehousing) and additional shipping. Why
ship it to us so that we can sit on it until it sells after which we ship it
again? That's a great way to make money for the shipping companies. The
added costs drive prices up and profits down. It makes a lot more sense for
you to make them as they are needed (or shortly before) then drop-ship them
to the end consumer.

If you think you can reach those consumers on your own and service them on
your own, then you should already be doing it and you have absolutely
nothing to gain from someone like me. People want to purchase from a very
nice-looking, well-performing site with lots of different crafts (not just a
few items from one craftsperson) where their satisfaction is guaranteed.
They must be able to click "add to cart" and enter their credit card number
on a secure page then wait a week or two for the product to arrive an live
happily ever after. The number of these consumers is growing exponentially.

Kevin Sawyer, General Manager

"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I don't need a middleman. Thank you
>
>
>

Thanks for your feedback. I'm not making any assumptions whatsoever. And
not all woodworking is furniture. I'm not asking anyone to hire me. I'm
asking them to sell to me. Perhaps you're confusing me with someone who is
offering to promote products for a fee regardless of results. I'm trying to
structure this so that I don't make money unless you do. That's basically
the opposite of "hiring" someone to promote your products.

I'm not really here to "sell" as much as to see if there is any interest.
So far I have received a lot of great feedback from my recent postings.
There have only been a few people who have been negative or overly
skeptical. Either you're interested or you aren't. But enough "defensive"
commentary...

I'm looking for people who want to work together. I'm not trying to force
some turn-key service down anyone's throat but rather am trying to work with
people and their ideas about how this could/should work. If we can't find
the win-win, then we don't work together. It's that simple.

I've been in the technology industry for 15 years. I've successfully
operated several small businesses and employed many others over that same
period. I have the unique benefit of being extremely technical while also
being a "people person" who loves to communicate and interact with others.
I've been in the Internet and related services industry for 9 of the last 15
years. My employees and I currently manage servers, networks, security, web
sites, and other technology for many very satisfied customers. Only
recently have I decided to try to put all of my knowledge and experience and
other resources together in the manner described in my original posting.

EBay will give you the framework for a storefront after which you are on
your own. They aren't going to manage it. They aren't going to promote it.
They aren't going to merge it with other similar/complimentary stores so
that you can benefit from the added traffic exposure. They aren't going to
accept all responsibility for the customer before and after the sale. They
aren't going to handle payment processing (merchant services) and the
associated liability. EBay Stores is to online as retail space is to
brick-and-mortar. I'm certainly not knocking it. I've both used and
recommended it in the past and it definitely has its purposes.

If you want to work on crafts, ship them, and get paid for doing it (and set
your own prices) then we should talk. If you are so cynical that you just
can't believe that anyone would actually want to help you and work with you
then it's best that you continue to do things on your own. I'm willing to
earn your trust. If you need to wait until I'm up and running with other
crafters so that you can see that it works, that's fine. At the same time,
you have an opportunity to be one of the first crafters and help define and
design the relationship and the systems that make it work profitably for all
involved.

Thanks again for your response.

Kevin Sawyer, General Manager

"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" <Crafts Direct at MetroEast dot Net>
wrote:
>
> > I guess you're already selling your crafts online and meeting and
> > exceeding
> > all of your expectations... Please point me to your site! :) OK, I'll
> > stop being a smart-ass now...
>
> You are making the erroneous assumption that there is some vast pool of
> woodworkers just dying to sell their stuff online. Price good handmade
> furniture and find out how many pieces a good craftsman can make in a
year.
>
> Incidentally, if you want people to hire your services as a salesman then
> you need to demonstrate that you can actually sell something. So far
> you're doing a piss-poor job of selling your service to _us_ so why would
> we believe that you could sell out product to anybody else?
>
> > I guess you could consider me a middleman, but you could just as easily
> > consider me someone who wants to buy from you regularly and is willing
to
> > pay you according to whatever price you feel is fair. If it's too high,
> > we
> > won't be able to sell it and we'll both lose. The process really
> > regulates
> > itself quite naturally. We could just buy from you and have you ship to
> > us
> > and have that be the end of it as far as you're concerned. But, we have
> > no
> > desire to waste money on stock (warehousing) and additional shipping.
Why
> > ship it to us so that we can sit on it until it sells after which we
ship
> > it
> > again? That's a great way to make money for the shipping companies.
The
> > added costs drive prices up and profits down. It makes a lot more sense
> > for you to make them as they are needed (or shortly before) then
drop-ship
> > them to the end consumer.
> >
> > If you think you can reach those consumers on your own and service them
on
> > your own, then you should already be doing it and you have absolutely
> > nothing to gain from someone like me. People want to purchase from a
> > very nice-looking, well-performing site with lots of different crafts
(not
> > just a few items from one craftsperson) where their satisfaction is
> > guaranteed. They must be able to click "add to cart" and enter their
> > credit card number on a secure page then wait a week or two for the
> > product to arrive an live
> > happily ever after. The number of these consumers is growing
> > exponentially.
>
> So where is this "very nice-looking, well-performing site with lots of
> different crafts"? What do you offer that ebay doesn't?
>
> > Kevin Sawyer, General Manager
> >
> > "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >> I don't need a middleman. Thank you
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
> --
> --John
> Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
> (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

I certainly appreciate your comments. As I read the posts here I am
learning more and more about the community of which you spoke.

I don't expect for one moment that people will get excited and jump at the
chance based on one simple posting to a newsgroup. I was hoping to start
constructive discussions about my ideas and earn the trust and respect of
the community with my candid responses.

I would love an opportunity to meet face-to-face. What all of you do is
very personal and I know this from first-hand experience (friends, family,
myself). I would never dream of selling any of your products until we've
had a lot of correspondence and spoke on the phone. If feasible we would
certainly meet face-to-face.

I, too, am good, honest, and work hard for what I have. I wouldn't have it
any other way.

--Kevin

"JAW" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Kevin;
> Obviously you have ran across a group of people, some just starting like
me, others with a lot more experience ,that
> have seen or have been burned by other inquiries that look, sound and
smell like a scam. Though you may be honest in
> your dealings, I believe you have picked the wrong approach to promite
your ideas. Remember this group of fine
> gentlemena and ladies love to work with their hands and minds, sometimes
making true works of art. This pride and
> craftsmanship can not be easliy won over via a quick message on a
newsgroup.
>
> The people here, for the most part, are good and honest and work hard for
what they have. You will find that if you
> come across in a manner that seems to smack against this lofty values, you
should expect a LOT of resistance. I believe,
> and maybe someone needs to counter me on this, that if you took a more
traditional approach to offering your services (
> clubs, conventions, face to face dealings, etc.), then you will have
greater success.
>
> HTH
> Jerry
>
>
> Kevin Sawyer, General Manager wrote:
>
> [snip]

MetroEast the St. Louis area East of the Mississippi River (about a 30 mile
radius) in Illinois (about 4.5 hours South of Chicago). Unfortunately, that
includes East St. Louis which is a wasteland. However, once you get about
10 miles East of the river you are back in very nice civilization...an area
that is growing very rapidly. Nice neighborhoods, great schools, a growing
but stable economy, high technology yet a very reasonable cost of living.
If only it weren't so damned humid during the summer months! One of the
best things about the Internet is that it really doesn't matter where I am.
By the way, there are a LOT of craftspersons in this area.

I'm not sure I understand your question about "protection" for a particular
design/product. Can you elaborate? Are you talking about copyrights and
such? I guess I can see where that might be a concern. We could certainly
structure the relationship legally so that I can't "steal" or otherwise
leverage your ideas. Then again, anyone who buys one of your crafts can
decide to try to duplicate it. That's inevitable. It is not, however, part
of my interest here. I have no desire to try to sell ideas or to try to
produce the crafts or hire someone to produce them. I want the real deal
from the source.

As for having been stung...anyone who has ever been willing to trust and
take a risk has been stung. I've been stung quite badly a few times, but
I'm getting smarter! :-) I've learned to build trust through constructive
interaction (communication) and by taking only small calculated risks at
first.

As far as products go, so far I have quite an array of interesting crafts
put together. Pottery, blown glass, quilts, jewelry.... I'm interested in
almost any quality hand-crafted items. I'm sure it will take some
experience to learn what sells best (and what doesn't sell at all)...and the
best way to sell things. Like I've expressed before, I'm not looking to get
rich quick here (or even to get rich off of this one venture). I'm already
doing quite well but I'm looking for other fun and interesting ways to
profit from my knowledge and experience.

I'm finding that there are a lot of crafts that people just crank out and
sell or give away as gifts as the opportunities arise. I'm also finding
that there are a lot of crafts that aren't even really started until someone
has an order, either because they are extremely custom or just too expensive
to do in hopes someone might want it someday. I'm interested in everything
in between and finding ways to make it all work as well as it can.

Perhaps I'm dead wrong, but I've chosen to believe that there are people
like myself as well as my friends and family who actually have good taste
and value quality craftsmanship and especially truly unique crafts.
Unfortunately I think that people like me are few and far between so if you
must depend on geography to get them to you, you're in trouble. That's why
I think the Internet is the perfect medium for this. If it is done
correctly, the products are available to lovers of quality all over the
nation, not just whoever happens to walk by your booth at the mall or craft
fair.

--Kevin

"Ron Magen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm listening to this 'discussion', in the background.
>
> While I've been 'stung' before, I'm still foolish enough to remain open
> minded.
>
> Where is 'MetroEast' located ?
>
> What particular products are you expecting, and what 'protection' does the
> 'crafter' have for a particular 'style' or unique design / product ?
>
> Regards,
> Ron Magen
> Backyard Boatshop
>
>
> "Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" <Crafts Direct at MetroEast dot Net> wrote
> in message news:[email protected]...
> > I certainly appreciate your comments. As I read the posts here I am
> > learning more and more about the community of which you spoke.
> >
> > I don't expect for one moment that people will get excited and jump at
the
> > chance based on one simple posting to a newsgroup. I was hoping to
start
> > constructive discussions about my ideas and earn the trust and respect
of
> > the community with my candid responses.
> >
> > I would love an opportunity to meet face-to-face. What all of you do is
> > very personal and I know this from first-hand experience (friends,
family,
> > myself). I would never dream of selling any of your products until
we've
> > had a lot of correspondence and spoke on the phone. If feasible we
would
> > certainly meet face-to-face.
> >
> > I, too, am good, honest, and work hard for what I have. I wouldn't have
> it
> > any other way.
> >
> > --Kevin
> >
>
>

Did someone piss in your grits this morning?

--
Think thrice, measure twice and cut once.

Sanding is like paying taxes ... everyone has to do it, but it is
important to take steps to minimize it.

There is only one period and no underscores in the real email address.



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

I thought they tasted funny... :-)

--Kevin

"Mo' Sawdust" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Did someone piss in your grits this morning?
>
> --
> Think thrice, measure twice and cut once.
>
> Sanding is like paying taxes ... everyone has to do it, but it is
> important to take steps to minimize it.
>
> There is only one period and no underscores in the real email address.
>
>
>
> -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
> -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

Yes, SOME may like that. Any why wouldn't you want your crafts to be
available to them? Do you really think one of your current customers would
ever say, "Gee, Leon, I really like your stuff, but you don't have a web
site, so I'm not going to buy anything!" Of course not. The people who
want to buy from a web site have absolutely no idea who you are and probably
never will.

And again I'll say, if you're perfectly happy with how things are for you
now and have no desire to sell more of your crafts, then I can't imagine why
you would even bother to respond to me here.

I want to BUY from you so that I can SELL to people that you are not
reaching now and will probably never reach (unless you are willing to do all
that I am willing to do to reach them). It's a win-win any way you look at
it... Unless increasing your sales by reaching a new segment of the market
will make you unhappy for some reason.

--Kevin

"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> And again I'll say, I don't need a middleman. Thank you
>
>
> Some may like that. So far none of my customers have required for me to
> have a web site to buy from me.

I thought it would be smart to give more details. I'm not willing to sell
any old stuff. It has to be great stuff. I have to see pictures of it. I
have to get to know the person who makes it and feel that they have gotten
to know and understand me. Where did my original post throw you off?

--Kevin

"Nova" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> > I want to BUY from you so that I can SELL to people that you are not
> > reaching now and will probably never reach
>
> <snip>
>
> If that were really true I would have thought your original post would
have read
> something like:
>
> "Hi, I'm interested in purchasing hand crafted products to sell on my web
> site..."
>
> but it didn't.
>

Hmm... OK. I was just trying to be professional. I think I've been pretty
"personable" since then...and now I have a much better feel for this group.

"Dave Hinz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 22:21:20 -0500, Kevin Sawyer, General Manager <>
wrote:
> > I thought it would be smart to give more details. I'm not willing to
sell
> > any old stuff. It has to be great stuff. I have to see pictures of it.
I
> > have to get to know the person who makes it and feel that they have
gotten
> > to know and understand me. Where did my original post throw you off?
>
> Since you asked...for me, it was the slicky-boy sales pitch that did it.
>

Kevin,

Just to set the archives straight and to avoid any
misunderstandings, my response was directed at Hoyt,
not yourself.

Good luck on your endeavours in life.


--
Think thrice, measure twice and cut once.

Sanding is like paying taxes ... everyone has to do it, but it is
important to take steps to minimize it.

There is only one period and no underscores in the real email address.



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

There are several big distributors who will drop-ship to your clients.
They'll even put your logo/name on the shipping label and ticket and most of
them will give you free or discounted shipping. Names that come to mind are
Tech Data, Ingram Micro, Synnex, D&H Distributing...

One of my companies is a Microsoft Certified Partner, Microsoft OEM Systems
Builder, and Intel Product Dealer (among other things). Like you we have to
evaluate our new components and suppliers and take some losses. But, we
have found that focusing on quality and value-added services puts us way
ahead of just trying to keep it "cheap" for everyone. It also means that we
only evaluate and use name-brand components (no Korean white-box stuff).
There are little mom and pop computer shops all over the place that sell
dirt cheap computer systems. We repair and replace them all the time. :)
By the way, I'm Microsoft Certified (officially on 2000 and SQL) and can
still be seen getting my hands dirty ripping the guts out of a system from
time to time.

So what woodworking do you do most? What product would you be most likely
to reproduce to sell?

--Kevin

"Nova" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:
>
> > I thought it would be smart to give more details. I'm not willing to
sell
> > any old stuff. It has to be great stuff. I have to see pictures of it.
I
> > have to get to know the person who makes it and feel that they have
gotten
> > to know and understand me.
>
> For the last 20 years I've been selling and repairing computers as a side
line.
>
> I also have to evaluate products before offering them to my customers. I
have
> to purchase these products I want to evaluate. I also have to maintain an
> inventory, pay shipping expenses and deal with the "losses" incurred with
> shipping damage, market fluctuations, etc. I'd love to be able to drop
ship as
> it would put all the risk and the majority of the expenses on the
suppliers.
>
> > Where did my original post throw you off?
>
> Fortunate your original post didn't throw me off at all.
>
> --
> Jack Novak
> Buffalo, NY - USA
> (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
>
>

So you don't wanna buy my knives at the state fair this weekend then?
Damn... Actually, they're made by a guy in KY and he'll drop-ship them
directly to you.

:-D Just kidding! :-D

"Dave Hinz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 23:17:11 -0500, Kevin Sawyer, General Manager <>
wrote:
> > Hmm... OK. I was just trying to be professional. I think I've been
pretty
> > "personable" since then...and now I have a much better feel for this
group.
>
> Well, that's why I'm still reading your posts, I suppose. If you had
> kept coming across like the guy selling knives at State Fair or
> something, it'd be different, y'know?
>

Your name doesn't ring a bell, Dave, but then again I've never been that
great at names. Did you work in the St. Louis, MO region?

--Kevin

"Dave Hinz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 11:18:43 -0500, Kevin Sawyer, General Manager <>
wrote:
> > So you don't wanna buy my knives at the state fair this weekend then?
> > Damn... Actually, they're made by a guy in KY and he'll drop-ship them
> > directly to you.
>
> I'm just saying, the sales pitch came across the same way.
>
> By the way, we didn't work together at one point, in the IT industry
> by any chance, did we?
>
>

I don't care for Ingram Micro, either. I use Tech Data most of the time...

Yes, APCi is one of my companies. I'm president/CEO there and it's where I
spend the majority of my time. I'm confused about your references to "Make
Money Fast" and "mail-bomb attempts." I've neither done nor offered to do
either one. :-) Care to explain?

I'm sure there's all sorts of fun stuff in the old Doom newsgroups. APCi
was once known for a software product that enabled PC users to dial into a
BBS and hook up with other users for 4-player online Doom play. This was
well before the Internet was used for multiplayer 3D first-person shooters.
APCi licensed about 400 units in 26 countries. It was a ton of fun and a
great experience. 10 years have gone by way too fast!

I'm not sure I'd be all that keen on production work. I love change. If
things stay the same too long, I get stir crazy for sure. But, if I found
something that I really enjoyed doing (and I'm lucky to have found that in a
few areas of my life) then I'm generally satisfied to repeat it with perhaps
some minor permutations.

--Kevin

"Nova" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:
>
> > There are several big distributors who will drop-ship to your clients.
> > They'll even put your logo/name on the shipping label and ticket and
most of
> > them will give you free or discounted shipping. Names that come to mind
are
> > Tech Data, Ingram Micro, Synnex, D&H Distributing...
>
> Ingram Micro has one of their distribution centers in Williamsville, NY, a
> suburb of Buffalo. Years ago I looked into using them as a supplier. At
that
> time they wanted a guaranteed $20 K yearly order volume from anyone
wishing to
> do business with them. I was not about to agree to $20 K not knowing how
they
> were to do business with. Their terms seemed to me to be a one way street,
but I
> do believe they would be willing to drop ship.
>
> > One of my companies is a Microsoft Certified Partner, Microsoft OEM
Systems
> > Builder, and Intel Product Dealer (among other things).
>
> Would this be "Applied Personal Computing, Inc."? A "Google" search shows
this
> company associated with the name Kevin Sawyer and other phrases such as
"Make
> Money Fast" and "mail-bomb attempts".
>
> http://www.theargon.com/articles/other%20publications/security4.txt
>
> I see that the Doom newsgroup users also had a few comments on APCi.
>
> > So what woodworking do you do most?
>
> I prefer to make larger items such as case work, dining and kitchen
tables, etc.
>
> > What product would you be most likely to reproduce to sell?
>
> To date all of my woodworking has been "one off" originals designed to
meet my
> clients requirements. I hate production work.
>
> --
> Jack Novak
> Buffalo, NY - USA
> (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
>
>

On several occasions my return address has been forged on spamming. The
most recent was actually a virus doing the spamming. If you take a look at
the Acceptable Use Policies at APCiNet you'll not that we take spam and
other network abuse very seriously.

--Kevin

"Nova" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:
>
> > I don't care for Ingram Micro, either. I use Tech Data most of the
time...
> >
> > Yes, APCi is one of my companies. I'm president/CEO there and it's
where I
> > spend the majority of my time. I'm confused about your references to
"Make
> > Money Fast" and "mail-bomb attempts." I've neither done nor offered to
do
> > either one. :-) Care to explain?
>
> If you looked at the link provided it point to a document that explains
how to
> determine where a spam message originated. The example used is a "Make
Money
> Fast" spam message. The author states he received over 600 messages
inside of
> one minute. That message was designed to appear as if he sent it to
himself.
> That message has your name in the header and shows the originating
organization
> of APCi but the extended header show the actual sender was elsewhere.
>
> The message I'm now replying to appears to come from Kevin Sawyer of
> CraftsDirect, has a message ID from APCi.net, but is posted through
Giganews via
> usenetguide.com. I took note of the similarities is all.
>
> --
> Jack Novak
> Buffalo, NY - USA
> (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
>
>

You're correct, craftsdirect.com is not mine. I have USACraftsDirect.com,
AmericanCraftsDirect.com, and HandCraftsDirect.com, none of which have been
launched as of yet because I'm still rounding up my initial group of
products and craftspeople (which is also why I haven't listed them here thus
far).

I didn't feel that you were accusing me of anything but I was certain that
some might jump to that conclusion so I asked for clarification. You gave
it and I believe it was quite satisfactory.

MetroEast.net has been functional for a long, long time but is primarily for
e-mail and some high-end wholesale Internet products (T-3s).

--Kevin

"Nova" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Bruce Barnett wrote:
>
> > If you are going to accuse someone of spam/mailbombing, you should
> > double-check the facts. Doing a half-assed job is worse than doing
> > nothing at all.
>
> I haven't accused Kevin and my thoughts were actually just the opposite,
originally
> thinking that "Kevin" may not be actually sending these messages.
>
> 1. "Kevin" is soliciting for vendor for "Crafts Direct", "America Crafts
Direct" and
> "USA Crafts Direct" none of which appear to have a web site. I do find a
> "CraftsDirect" that has a web site and is located in Waite Park, MN but
it does not
> seem to be Kevin's. I suspected this site might be hiding behind a false
address.
>
> http://www.craftsdirect.com/
>
> Kevin operates a computer company that also provides internet service
along with
> domain hosting.
>
> http://www.apci.net/
>
> I see now that MetroEast.net (indicated in Kevin's email address) most
likely is a
> test server for APCi.net.
>
> I'm probably overly skeptical but something seemed odd to me since APCi is
a domain
> host but none of the "Direct Crafts" Kevin refers to have a web site.
>
> --
> Jack Novak
> Buffalo, NY - USA
> (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
>
>

That was my first thought.

"John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> You are reading too much into it.
> He simply wants you to put 50 hours into something, and pay you $75 for
it.
>
>

I'm listening to this 'discussion', in the background.

While I've been 'stung' before, I'm still foolish enough to remain open
minded.

Where is 'MetroEast' located ?

What particular products are you expecting, and what 'protection' does the
'crafter' have for a particular 'style' or unique design / product ?

Regards,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop


"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" <Crafts Direct at MetroEast dot Net> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...
> I certainly appreciate your comments. As I read the posts here I am
> learning more and more about the community of which you spoke.
>
> I don't expect for one moment that people will get excited and jump at the
> chance based on one simple posting to a newsgroup. I was hoping to start
> constructive discussions about my ideas and earn the trust and respect of
> the community with my candid responses.
>
> I would love an opportunity to meet face-to-face. What all of you do is
> very personal and I know this from first-hand experience (friends, family,
> myself). I would never dream of selling any of your products until we've
> had a lot of correspondence and spoke on the phone. If feasible we would
> certainly meet face-to-face.
>
> I, too, am good, honest, and work hard for what I have. I wouldn't have
it
> any other way.
>
> --Kevin
>

I don't need a middleman. Thank you

"phil" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> For some reason, and believe me I wish I knew, art and crafts of high
> quality (high $$$) does not sell.


I think it is our X-Mart society. If a genuine good craft item is selling
for a fair price of $50, the big box store will have a crappy knock off for
$5 made in China and people will grab it, use it for a week and toss it out.

Too many people with poor taste.

"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" <Crafts Direct at MetroEast dot Net> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...
> I guess you're already selling your crafts online and meeting and
exceeding
> all of your expectations... Please point me to your site! :) OK, I'll
> stop being a smart-ass now...

Actually selling on line would probably push my work week beyond 40 hours.
So far, work of mouth keeps me as busy as I want to be.

Snip

>
> If you think you can reach those consumers on your own and service them on
> your own, then you should already be doing it and you have absolutely
> nothing to gain from someone like me.

And again I'll say, I don't need a middleman. Thank you

People want to purchase from a very
> nice-looking, well-performing site with lots of different crafts (not just
a
> few items from one craftsperson) where their satisfaction is guaranteed.
> They must be able to click "add to cart" and enter their credit card
number
> on a secure page then wait a week or two for the product to arrive an live
> happily ever after.

Some may like that. So far none of my customers have required for me to
have a web site to buy from me.

Hmmm.... Tried doing a search on all the company names he listed and found
zilch....must be *very* new...

How about listing where your companies are located, telephone numbers, web
site URL's, are they incorporated or just DBA's ?

Bob S.


> Please reply to "Quality Crafts at MetroEast dot
> Net" (remove the quotes and spaces and replace words with the appropriate
> characters -- we've listed it this way to make it harder for spammers to
> pick up our address here in the newsgroups).
>
> All aspects are open for discussion and therefore your thoughts and
comments
> are always appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.
>
> Kevin Sawyer, General Manager
> American Crafts Direct * Handcrafts Direct * USA Crafts Direct

You are reading too much into it.
He simply wants you to put 50 hours into something, and pay you $75 for it.

"Sounds like a good proposition to me. I have been involved in a couple of
these and one worked until the site went out of business (he paid up front
and made some bad investments) the other I get maybe one or two orders a
year from but comercial vendors do well on the site, a third started
charging 300% of whole sale and went out of business. I would like more
information such as fees turn around time ability to withdraw items and add
new items etc.

Kevin;
Obviously you have ran across a group of people, some just starting like me, others with a lot more experience ,that
have seen or have been burned by other inquiries that look, sound and smell like a scam. Though you may be honest in
your dealings, I believe you have picked the wrong approach to promite your ideas. Remember this group of fine
gentlemena and ladies love to work with their hands and minds, sometimes making true works of art. This pride and
craftsmanship can not be easliy won over via a quick message on a newsgroup.

The people here, for the most part, are good and honest and work hard for what they have. You will find that if you
come across in a manner that seems to smack against this lofty values, you should expect a LOT of resistance. I believe,
and maybe someone needs to counter me on this, that if you took a more traditional approach to offering your services (
clubs, conventions, face to face dealings, etc.), then you will have greater success.

HTH
Jerry


Kevin Sawyer, General Manager wrote:

[snip]

"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" <Crafts Direct at MetroEast dot Net> wrote:

> I guess you're already selling your crafts online and meeting and
> exceeding
> all of your expectations... Please point me to your site! :) OK, I'll
> stop being a smart-ass now...

You are making the erroneous assumption that there is some vast pool of
woodworkers just dying to sell their stuff online. Price good handmade
furniture and find out how many pieces a good craftsman can make in a year.

Incidentally, if you want people to hire your services as a salesman then
you need to demonstrate that you can actually sell something. So far
you're doing a piss-poor job of selling your service to _us_ so why would
we believe that you could sell out product to anybody else?

> I guess you could consider me a middleman, but you could just as easily
> consider me someone who wants to buy from you regularly and is willing to
> pay you according to whatever price you feel is fair. If it's too high,
> we
> won't be able to sell it and we'll both lose. The process really
> regulates
> itself quite naturally. We could just buy from you and have you ship to
> us
> and have that be the end of it as far as you're concerned. But, we have
> no
> desire to waste money on stock (warehousing) and additional shipping. Why
> ship it to us so that we can sit on it until it sells after which we ship
> it
> again? That's a great way to make money for the shipping companies. The
> added costs drive prices up and profits down. It makes a lot more sense
> for you to make them as they are needed (or shortly before) then drop-ship
> them to the end consumer.
>
> If you think you can reach those consumers on your own and service them on
> your own, then you should already be doing it and you have absolutely
> nothing to gain from someone like me. People want to purchase from a
> very nice-looking, well-performing site with lots of different crafts (not
> just a few items from one craftsperson) where their satisfaction is
> guaranteed. They must be able to click "add to cart" and enter their
> credit card number on a secure page then wait a week or two for the
> product to arrive an live
> happily ever after. The number of these consumers is growing
> exponentially.

So where is this "very nice-looking, well-performing site with lots of
different crafts"? What do you offer that ebay doesn't?

> Kevin Sawyer, General Manager
>
> "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> I don't need a middleman. Thank you
>>
>>
>>

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

CW wrote:

> That was my first thought.
>
> "John" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>You are reading too much into it.
>>He simply wants you to put 50 hours into something, and pay you $75 for
>
> it.
>
>>
>
>

Don't be ridiculous, the $75 is retail, you get $37.50, unless he buys more
than 1, and the bulk discount kicks in:-)
Joe

Nova <[email protected]> writes:

> "Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" wrote:
> Would this be "Applied Personal Computing, Inc."? A "Google" search shows this
> company associated with the name Kevin Sawyer and other phrases such as "Make
> Money Fast" and "mail-bomb attempts".
>

I didn't see any mention of Kevin Sawyer in the news.admin.net-abuse.email
newsgroup. Googling for "Kevin Sawyer" and "Applied Personal Computing"
didn't come up with anything like what you mentioned.

> http://www.theargon.com/articles/other%20publications/security4.txt

In this article is the quote

>From: [email protected] (Christopher D. Reagoso)
>Subject: Re: Make Money Fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>Date sent: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 22:42:12 GMT
>Organization: Applied Personal Computing, Inc.
>
>Notice my name in the "From:" block, and the name of my Internet service
>provider in the "Organization:" block. It would appear that whoever sent
>this bomb intended it to look as if I had sent the six hundred duplicates
>of the message to myself.

First of all, it happened 8 years ago.
Second, Reagoso was a customer of APCI (Kevin's company), and the VICTIM!
The mailbomber came from marietta.edu.


If you are going to accuse someone of spam/mailbombing, you should
double-check the facts. Doing a half-assed job is worse than doing
nothing at all.


--
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail to this account incurs a fee of
$500 per message, and acknowledges the legality of this contract.

Nova <[email protected]> writes:

> I haven't accused Kevin and my thoughts were actually just the
> opposite, originally thinking that "Kevin" may not be actually
> sending these messages.

You said :

>Would this be "Applied Personal Computing, Inc."? A "Google" search
>shows this company associated with the name Kevin Sawyer and other
>phrases such as "Make Money Fast" and "mail-bomb attempts".


While you didn't accuse anyone, this above phrase is constructed to
allow someone to jump to the wrong conclusion.


--
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail to this account incurs a fee of
$500 per message, and acknowledges the legality of this contract.

"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>>> Hmmm.... Tried doing a search on all the company names he listed and
found
zilch....must be *very* new.<<<

Hmmm again, could it be he would like pictures of your ideas so he could
cash in on them.
Think I'll Hmmm again.... RM

Kevin:

I truly wish you the best of luck. I hope you can make your business a
profitable go. Unfortunately, I have seen too many brick and mortar
business with your same idea of selling good quality crafts go under. At
least in the upper Mid-West, the customers are not there to support the
stores.

For some reason, and believe me I wish I knew, art and crafts of high
quality (high $$$) does not sell. Ask most of folks at you mid-range craft
shows on why they make and offer, and I assure you it is because at craft
fairs the crafters make and offer what sells. Period. (of course there are
exceptions like the high end arts & craft shows you find on the East Coast.
This is the 80-20 rule, 80% of the profits are made by 20% of the people.)

The tried and true market for high end craft work today, as in the past few
decades, is the same: Interior Decorators. It just seems that over some
undefined dollar amount, few people will invest in hand made craft (or art
items) without getting confirming opinions from someone else. And if you
have the money to invest in expensive $$$ craft item, paying for the advise
from an interior decorator seems plausible. In any case, over this
undefined dollar amount people will seek out the opinion of those whom they
consider to be knowledgeable or have opinions that are trusted in Art (with
a capital A.)

Now, if you had a way to focus your marketing to interior decorators or
other "opinion leaders" in the purchase of art-sy craft items, then
providing an expedited purchase channel would make sense. But as you will
find out, EVERYBODY, wants to target market the interior decorators. You
will be just another voice in the background.

Again, I truly wish you the best of luck with your venture.

GraybeardPhil

"Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" <Crafts Direct at MetroEast dot Net> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...
> Please forgive the mistype. The e-mail address is "Crafts Direct at Metro
> East dot Net" not "Quality Crafts at Metro East dot Net" as previously
> specified (although that address has now been created...so both are
> functional at this time).
>
> We have been providing Internet services, hosting, and consulting since
1995
> and presently host over 100 e-commerce sites. We are involved in several
> joint-ventures that help companies and individuals bring their products
and
> services to the web. I would be happy to provide more details in a
private
> forum.
>
> I have a few close friends and relatives who are craftspersons and who
have
> tried to sell their crafts on the Internet with little or no success.
They
> can not afford to pay someone to develop a site/store nor can they afford
to
> pay someone to promote it. After much discussion it was my idea to
leverage
> knowledge and experience to promote and sell their crafts online in a
manner
> that is mutually beneficial in the purest sense (all parties have natural
> incentives to perform as expected and no one wins unless all participate
as
> agreed). However, I'm not interested in selling junk or trying to sell
> crafts of inconsistent quality. I will dedicate the resources (servers,
> bandwidth, programming, merchant accounts, payment processing, customer
> service before/after the sale, etc.) only after I have found enough
> craftspersons who are willing and able to perform as expected. I intend
to
> have close relationships with each craftsperson and help them in every way
> possible so that they can focus on their crafts. They are welcome to set
> their wholesale prices after which I will determine what I feel is a fair
> retail markup. If we don't both make money, we'll both lose. It's that
> simple.
>
> Please e-mail me directly and I'll be happy to answer any questions you
may
> have.
>
> Thanks, and sorry again for posting an incorrect e-mail address.
>
> Kevin Sawyer, General Manager
> American Crafts Direct * Handcrafts Direct * USA Crafts Direct
>
> PS - You won't find anything in Google until we are up and running. If
> you'd like to know a little more about me and one of my Internet-related
> companies, check out http://www.apci.net.
>
> "Kevin Sawyer, General Manager" <Crafts Direct at MetroEast dot Net> wrote
> in message news:[email protected]...
> > We are hand-picking American crafters (USA only please) who are willing
> and
> > able to produce and ship their quality crafts in the USA. We are *not*
> > looking for mass-production factories that crank out useless trinkets
and
> > widgets. If so, we'd just import from China and Taiwan. Instead we
want
> > only genuine, top-quality handcrafted items made right here in the USA.
> > Here's how it works:
> >
> > + If you haven't already, make samples of your handcrafted items.
> > + Take quality pictures of them.
> > + Send us the pictures (mail, e-mail, or post online and e-mail the
URL).
> > + Send us a brief narrative about yourself, your crafts and your
> commitment
> > to quality.
> >
> > If we are interested in you and your crafts, we will follow up via
e-mail
> > and/or phone call so that we can get to know you better. If you are
> > selected, then here's how it works:
> >
> > + We negotiate wholesale prices (what we'll pay you for your crafts).
> > + We gather required information (turnaround time, photos,
descriptions,
> > dimensions, weight).
> > + We add your crafts to our website(s) and promote sales.
> > + We process secure retail orders from our customers.
> > + We immediately forward a copy of the order to you including our
> official
> > invoice to be shipped with the product.
> > + You fulfill the orders (pack and ship with our invoice/label).
> > + We pay you immediately (wire transfer) upon shipping confirmation.
> >
> > The idea here is that you get to do what you do best -- quality
crafts --
> > and we get to do what we do best -- online promotion, sales, order
> > processing and related customer service. The only "business activities"
> you
> > perform is checking for orders (daily) then packing and shipping. We
can
> > help you obtain the appropriate shipping materials. In some cases we
may
> > even provide them. There will be no paperwork to do except for printing
> our
> > final invoice and the shipping label. Depending upon our relationship
we
> > may even decide to provide you with the resources required to generate
the
> > invoices and labels. We might even provide you with an entire PC,
> printer,
> > and internet connection. We may even be willing to pre-pay for your
> crafts.
> > These benefits are all negotiable once our relationship has been
> > established. We'll do whatever it takes to ensure that 99% of your time
> is
> > spent working on your crafts.
> >
> > There's no catch. It's this simple. As long as you produce quality
items
> > and ship them in an acceptable time frame, we'll live happily ever
after.
> > You have absolutely nothing to lose. We both have everything to gain
from
> > doing what we are supposed to do and anything else we can think of to
help
> > each other. If either of us are less than satisfied for any reason, we
> > simply terminate the relationship.
> >
> > Please respond via e-mail and include your preferred e-mail address,
phone
> > number, best time to call you, and any information you are willing to
> > provide about your crafts. Please reply to "Quality Crafts at MetroEast
> dot
> > Net" (remove the quotes and spaces and replace words with the
appropriate
> > characters -- we've listed it this way to make it harder for spammers to
> > pick up our address here in the newsgroups).
> >
> > All aspects are open for discussion and therefore your thoughts and
> comments
> > are always appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.
> >
> > Kevin Sawyer, General Manager
> > American Crafts Direct * Handcrafts Direct * USA Crafts Direct
> >
> > PS - Feel free to forward this message to other crafters.
> >
> >
> >
>
>