splash0321

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Posts posted by splash0321

  2. Posted

    Located in Florida. After years of having fun growing a nice little side business I have decided to venture toward building up my other business and am looking to sell my vehicle graphics business. Would be a good deal for anyone wanting to add to an existing business.

    Would include all equipment purchased in February 2022. (HP Latex 700W, Graphtec FC-9000-160, Rollsroller flatbed worktable 11'2" in length).

    Also includes vinyl inventory which would be sufficient to run this business for a couple months without the need to reorder. 4 heavy duty vinyl storage racks on casters. Each rack holds 16 rolls of vinyl so total storage on racks up to 64 rolls.

    Last year's revenue (99.9% online sales) was just shy of $120k and profit margins for me range from 40-60% depending on the product. I did this while working full time teaching at a university. I put in roughly 4 hours a week into fulfilling orders and shipping. These numbers were before purchasing the new equipment this year which has greatly expanded the opportunity for growth. Unfortunately, I dont have the time to put into it and am pursuing my other business venture as it doesnt occupy as much space at home as this one does. 

    This business is completely relocatable as I operate it from home out of my 600 sq ft home office room. Im guessing that if you have space (minimum 13' width) around 450 sq ft you could operate as I do.

    At the end of june we were at just over $70k in revenue year to date and the majority of this year we have not stocked or sold on amazon which was our biggest source of revenue over the last 5-6 years. We've had just over 40k views on our products through the first 6 months this year. Again, this is all working 4 hours a week up until we purchased the printer. Adding in printed products has increased labor and revenue.

    A good portion of my designs were "first to market" and still have very little competition due to the niche they are in. I still have many designs that I have started and not followed through with completing due to time constraints. They would be finished and included with the sale which offers even greater possibilities to the purchaser.

    I am open to offers. Looking for someone to buy all the equipment, inventory of vinyl, and my designs for a steal of a price of $80k.

    I would be willing to split the equipment up to buyers and sell the digital assets (designs) to another interested party.

    The HP latex has extremely low hours on it and I'd be looking for $20,999 for it. Extremely low hours on the graphtec as well and I'm looking for $5,899 for it. Rollsroller Entry Flatbed Applicator has very low use, looks new (as does all of the other equipment) and Id like to see $16,000 for it. Offers considered but Im not hurting for money so no low balling, please.

    The real value is the opportunity of turn key designs. If you have a cutter that has a cutting width of at least 48" you could easily make your money back in a short period of time.

    Pictures available upon serious inquiry.

  3. Posted

    On 1/13/2022 at 1:17 PM, slice&dice said:

    Hi Hotrodz,  my advice is to make an organized consolidation of your workflow & utilize jobsheets (I put them into plastic sleeves as soon as a 50% deposit is paid, and that is my way of knowing the work has transformed from "quote/proposal" to a full-fledged in-progress production job). Also, a whiteboard will assist in keeping track of the stages you are at on each project. Create a 'spreadsheet' on it, with each step listed so you can view where you're at with just a glance.

    Here is a jobsheet I've been using for years, you can tweak it for your own needs.

     

    Job Worksheet.doc

    Thanks. Fortunately Im almost 100% online-based so there arent too many quotes. The few custom quotes I do still end up in the form of invoicing sent to the customer and if they are agreeable they pay it and it ends up as an order just like all of the others. One thing that would be helpful is utilizing the 50% deposit on those orders. I have never done that and have had my fare share or ordering a roll of a very specific color just for a local client and they end up bailing so Im stuck with unsellable material and lose out on the cost of it. Im going to require 50-100% payment before I order vinyl from now on. Your input is much appreciated. Thanks for the job worksheet.

  4. Posted

    On 1/13/2022 at 11:40 AM, Dakotagrafx said:

    back 5 years ago the downside to the latex was getting parts after 2-3 years was hard and they had very low resale value like the eco solvents - so keep it busy and pay it off quickly, planning for future upgrades.   I am out of printing now and order what I need from companies that produce the products quickly and cheaper than was worth my investment and effort.
    Wishing you well in your new adventure 

    Thanks for the input. It may very well end up with me selling the printer if things dont go as planned. I guess this is one of those things I know I'll regret if I dont give it a try.

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    On 1/13/2022 at 10:30 AM, Wildgoose said:

    hotrodz0321 my biggest advice is have a good tax accountant help you stay out in front of the tax burden. You will probably see a significant jump in earned income through your new venture. Also if you have not been collecting sales tax (assuming your state does that like most) be prepared to toe the line.  I almost went down the first year I got some big contracts. With new equipment purchases you have a great write-off but after this tax season you may find yourself surprised how much money uncle sam takes if you don't have significant purchses to write off next year set some money aside. Most tax accountants can work you a forecast and you can and should pay quarterly estimates if it will be a lot of money. Not sure what Florida tax laws are like so gettting some sound advice from a good tax man would be smart. 

    I can't give you much help on the printer. I've talked myself out of them several times just due to the need to keep them busy. My business model has shifted away from sign vinyl and I do primarily aparrel work now so the need for a printer has dropped.

    Thanks. Fortunately my sister in law is an incredible accountant and she got me straight a few years back. Almost all of my sales are eCommerce through my website, etsy, ebay, and amazon. Collecting sales tax is a breeze as I can export transactions and easily remit sales tax monthly.

    Like you my biggest deterrent to purchasing the printer is the maintenance. Fortunately the HP latex is lower maintenance than other types of printers and I should be able to run it enough to minimize issues caused by lack of use. I appreciate the input.

  6. Posted

    After more than 18 years of strictly cutting vinyl as a side gig I am taking the plunge and have ordered some equipment to upgrade. After several years of research and putting it off I have decided to purchase an HP Latex 700W, a rollsroller work table, and am upgrading my current cutter (graphtec fc7000-160) to a new FC9000.

    Its all been ordered and within a month I should be up and running.

    I am seeking advice from members of this forum who have done something similar. I prefer to learn from the mistakes of others so if you have encountered "newbie" struggles when making large purchases and care to share your experience I would appreciate it. Theres going to be a learning curve because I've never printed on vinyl...are there any resources that will help flatten this learning curve?

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    Well, its just as everyone says. If you can even get a response from any of these companies they want proof that you have a substantial online presence. By substantial I mean your revenue is 7 figures or above and have monthly traffic numbers in the 5 digit range. They are looking to partner with companies rather than provide opportunities for a smaller company to boost sales.

    Just as Wildgoose stated, you might be able to form an agreement with a company who is licensed already...the problem with that is I feel I make a better product and would outsell the products they make so it isnt likely they'd agree to something like this unless you sold completely different products.

    I have learned that dealerships have licensing that allows them to use the specific manufacturer's logos on products and advertising. I'd need to look in to that more but that might be a potential loophole to this whole thing. I have relationship with local car dealers already so I might start talking to them about what their licensing allows. 

    • Like 3

  9. Posted

    So, my company is growing at a manageable rate but one thing I have wanted to try and incorporate into my product line was offering officially licensed products (GM, Ford, Jeep, etc.). I see companies that appear to be at my level and they offer the officially licensed products....how?

    I've sent in inquiries and applications multiple times with no reply back....I havnt gotten any denials, I just dont even get a reply back from them. Do any of you have advice on how to accomplish this? I've ordered several officially licensed products from these people to install for a customer or a friend and the quality is identical or inferior to what I already offer so it would be nice to be able to increase sales by adding OL products. Any advice would be appreciated.

  11. Posted

    Here: https://rolanddga.sharepoint.com/sites/dealers/SupportDocumentation/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2Fdealers%2FSupportDocumentation%2FGX%2D24%5FUSE%5FEN%5FR4%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2Fdealers%2FSupportDocumentation&p=true&originalPath=aHR0cHM6Ly9yb2xhbmRkZ2Euc2hhcmVwb2ludC5jb20vOmI6L3MvZGVhbGVycy9FZktlSTVodkxnbFBuWlJqV2NwR3FaTUJCR3RhakR4S1g4aW9PT3NIU1ltdElnP3J0aW1lPVlwVzNpTVpOMkVn

    or see attached

    GX-24_USE_EN_R4.pdf

  13. Posted

    Hey MrJoel...have you made any progress with your DC4? Ive been looking at these for over a year now and just cant bite the bullet. Ive looked for youtube videos that would give me a better idea of what im getting into but there just isnt enough out there for me to feel comfortable buying one yet. Theres always a learning curve but Im hoping to hear from you that the curve isnt steep or long. That would go a long way in convincing me to buy one myself. Let us know what progress youve made with it.

  15. Posted

    Hey everyone, Im not requesting anyone give me anything. I simply need a couple sources (paid sources are fine) for high quality vehicle templates/images like the following example. Im just looking to superimpose different versions of certain graphics on vehicles instead of having to install them individually on a vehicle. Is there a company that offers these from all different views of the vehicle (top, sides, rear, etc.)

     

    image.png.12f12804a1333034289bc99105a72939.png

  17. Posted

    I figured I'd offer this up here before I list it on eBay. $1750 OBO. Local pickup preferred, can arrange to meet or deliver if within a reasonable distance and the price is right. Shipping would be freight and expensive but that would be entirely up to you. My zip code is 34442

    I purchased this used last year to help supplement some of the small tasks I was doing but in reality my big cutter does just fine keeping up with the amount of work I do. im realizing buying this was just an impulse buy. I can say that for about 10 years I had been using low end cutters like the mh series...cutters like these caused me to question whether or not i wanted to continue trying to make money in this industry...i finally upgraded to a big graphtec. To say it was a life changer would be an understatement. On a daily basis I do long runs (i.e. 10 copies of an 8' long graphic) and i dont have to worry about alignment. I set it and it crosscuts after each copy and drops it into the carrier basket. This is something I could never do with a lower quality cutter.

    If all you need is a 24" cutter and you have been considering an upgrade....this is it. The only time I actually waste vinyl now is due to user error like forgetting to change blades or the cutting force. The two graphtecs I have never mess up and always produce incredible cuts. Its quiet...low end cutters sound like nightmares. This one runs and you cant hear it in a room next to it.

    Highest cutting force in its class: 600gf maximum cutting force for cutting wider variety of materials.
    Fastest cutting speed in its class: 1485mm/s maximum cutting speed for the higher productivity.
    Reliable long-length tracking: Stronger internal structure for improved media handling. The Optional flange set, new designed media basket and 3 different pressure push rollers provides more control on long length cutting for guaranteed 50 feet tracking.

    fc8000-60a.jpg

    fc8000-60b.jpg

    fc8000-60c.jpg

  18. Posted

    Just now, eprcvinyls said:

    Since its part time for you and you enjoy doing online, how do people local to you find out about you to want stuff done? That seems to be my issue is no one knows I do it here in my town. 

    Well, it has all been word of mouth. Online sales is a different story....I just recently opened a website and that takes money to market and advertise. Ebay (and I assume amazon) are set up to show the "best match" items first by default. This is their way of making sure their top sellers show up first in searches. To get there you have to be consistent with increasing sales, set goals to increase those sales each month and add new products (even if its only adding 1 or 2 new products each week). In one year's time you'll have built up your listings significantly. You'll see that after 3 months of doing this, shipping on time, having little to no returns, etc... you get triple or quadruple the views on your items than you were seeing before. This will be because ebay is showing your listings higher in the search results and you are getting more views...more views equals more sales.

    If you are wanting sales to happen "in person"...you have to advertise in your home town. My first few installs over a decade ago came from listing my service on craigslist. When I come up with a new decal design for a specific vehicle I offer it to a local person as long as I can take pictures of the install afterwards.

    You just have to decide what your hustle is going to be....then work your hustle. It didnt happen for me until I got up and started doing making it happen.

     

    One last thing, my success has come from listing items that are vehicle specific...not just a generic decal that fits everything. If i make something that will fit different makes/models...i still list them individually because people search for their vehicles and I want to show up high in their search results. I stay away from making any new products that are for vehicles more than 1 body style old (ie. 2015-2018 f150 body style is current...2009-2014 is the previous body style...I wont design anything new for a 2008 or older). People are buying for new/newer cars...not near as many people are pimping out their busted up old rides.

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    15 hours ago, MZ SKEETER said:

    Are you talking to me hotrodz0321?  If so,, I am plenty busy, I have over 1500 ads up, mostly big stuff.  I did my 30 year career elsewhere. This is a part-time job for me.  I don't want to be any busier than that. I have turned down contracts and BIG orders.  

    Sorry, I meant to quote eprvinyls. 

    This is my part time gig as well. I am a college nursing professor so I don’t want to give that up but I really enjoy building this decal business and I am happy with it not being a full time job. I turn down just about every job offered to me here in town because I just like the way online sales work now that I have it figured out. I’m glad it’s working out for you!

    • Like 2

  20. Posted

    Just now, haumana said:

    You must be a wicked fast weeder! :lol:

    Well, yes and no. I intentionally only make easy weeding designs with very little interior weeding needing to be done to it. My cutter has a crosscut feature and it cuts off the decal when done and just starts on the next. It’s faster than me but not by much. When you weed 30 copies of the same design one right after the other...you get really good at it. I don’t offer text in my designs either...that’s too much custom work and customers these day have a “return” mentality and will just “change their mind”. With eBay you are stuck with that bill as the seller so I don’t do custom.

  21. Posted

    3 hours ago, MZ SKEETER said:

    Uline sells any size box you need.  You figure the shipping and supplies in with the price, is the best option.  

    There is plenty of vector clipart out there. You need to invest in designs.. Not sit there  and spin your wheels.  Just because it may look close to someone else, doesn't mean it won't sell  for you. Change it to suit you.  It's a vector after all.  Change the color,   change the size. Only buy vector clipart, that you have permission to use the design.  Tons out there,  You must not be looking.  It not not matter, it you buy from a designer who sells to everyone one. You have the license to sell it also, as long as they are a legal seller of the designs. You won't own the designs, You have a license to USE the designs.. You could never sell their designs.  (clipart).  Go to Vectorstock and many other sites and look.  They have millions of images. 

    Why is that cutter a pain over 3 ft.?  And I sell many 3 ft and less designs for over $40.. Many people on here use an SC  and SC2 for big designs. 

    If you would start making over $60 an hour like I do.,  (decals only) you would be saying "BRING IT ON"  !!!  I created my own business,  in 2006, before I ever knew of this forum,  and I just keep adding to it.  Big decals are so much faster and easier to do then those little ones. 

    With eBay you can search what has already sold recently...not just what people are selling. Search for sold & completed listings in the category you sell in and set the criteria to a dollar amount higher than 30$. You’ll see what people are buying and current trends. 

    The two things that were a game changer for me was investing in a professional cutter (Graphtec fc) and borrowing vehicles from friends and making decal templates off of their car. I make kits in bulk for a few hours and have them prepackaged about a month in advance so as they sell I just grab it on my way out and take them to the post office. 

    The cutter is amazing. It’ll cut 15’ and I don’t have to worry about tracking. I used to have to babysit my low end cutter but now it cuts as fast as I can weed so it really streamlined my process. 

    It took work to get where I am but it was worth it. 

    • Like 1

  22. Posted

    13 hours ago, eprcvinyls said:

    WOW, guess im glad id iddnt try amazon, I just started trying on Ebay and no luck yet, I guess its all these people who are selling decals for $1-$3 i don't understand how there making anything off them. I already know min charge for me to ship is $3.50 just dont get how people can sell and ship free shipping.

     

    Get out of the small decal biz. That’s for the scrapbooking moms with craft cutters. Find a niche selling decals for 40-100$ bucks a piece and say goodbye to making a couple bucks each sale.

  23. Posted

    Looking to buy a Graphtec ce6000, fc7000/8000/8600, or their craft cutter. Just need one that’ll cut rolled vinyl and can be as small as 15”. Let me know what you have...I’m getting a friend started in the business and have fallen in love with Graphtec since switching to them from my MH. 

  24. Posted

    It is a huge pain. I see ton of people selling decals but I question if they are actually doing it by the books. I imagine if most of them actually went through the process I am going through they would have turned elsewhere to sell. Ebay is good but they dont care about their sellers. I have idiot customers who mess up an install and send back the decals in a mangled mess after they peeled them back off of their car. Even though my disclaimers say professional installation required and no returns if install is attempted...ebay will let them do whatever they want. Ive had a couple customers claim I only sent them one side of the vehicle kit and send it back to me. Even with all of the proof in the world ebay sides with the buyer. I wont give up ebay because it brings in so much revenue but Amazon has got to be better for sellers...

    Who knows...I guess i'll find out once I am able to get it started.

  25. Posted

    Ive been selling on eBay for over a decade and am working on getting into Amazon. The process is completely different. I think you could sign up and start selling on ebay in a matter of minutes. On amazon (in the automotive category) its a completely different story. You have to have a UPC code for all of your products. Thats fine if you arent "making" the products yourself.

    What do you do to sell on amazon? I am only interested in legit ways. I once purchased UPC codes but amazon now verifies that they are registered. This leaves you with two options. Buy your own registered UPC codes and use them (pretty costly), or go through amazon branding using your trademarked brand. This allows you to bypass the UPC codes but you have to have a registered trademark which is a lengthy process.

    What the heck are you all doing to get on amazon? Is it worth the effort to get on amazon?