Gear store ideas

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Chris
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Gear store ideas

Post by Chris »

I know this is probably premature, but my flying partner Barry and I were out flying today and a few product/logo ideas came to mind. Wouldn't it be cool to have a Diamond Aviators gear store at this site? I've put together a decent storefront before a few years ago using the osCommerce package (built on php/mysql) and think the same could be done here with a modicum of effort (assuming a php/mysql back-end is already available).

Some T-shirt/cap slogan ideas, combined with a good DAF logo:

Fly More / Work Less (in the same vein as Wag More / Bark less)
Why fly Tin when you can fly Diamond?
Diamond Aircraft zone, no Tin Cans allowed.
When it comes to safety, size matters [frontal plane logo showing off huge DA wingspan]
Fly safe, Diamond safe.
If you really love her, buy her a Diamond.

Other ideas?
Chris
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Kai
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Re: Gear store ideas

Post by Kai »

I love the slogans. They are quite innovative.

And also I agree that a store section is a bit premature ;) . I am not sure about the others opinion here, but I would like this to be a non-commercial site, although it would be really nice to be able to offer such gear.
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Chris
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Re: Gear store ideas

Post by Chris »

Kai wrote:I am not sure about the others opinion here, but I would like this to be a non-commercial site, although it would be really nice to be able to offer such gear.
My intention wasn't to turn it into a money-making site. At best you might be able to cover the costs of hosting the forums, but the volumes would be extremely low and my guess is that it would barely break even. My experience in the past with those sorts of things is that you only post a meager profit if you value your time at $0/hour. I just liked the idea of having that sort of gear available.

Another thought would be to use the storefront to simply track various Diamond-related products that are otherwise difficult to track down. For example, the Oregon Aero seat cushions are pretty popular, but they have several different products which don't work for Diamond aircraft, so our store would only "carry" the Diamond-compatible ones. Then members could post reviews of products on our site, but buyers would simply be redirected to the appropriate suppliers page to make a purchase.

Other examples of items we could link to: aircraft covers, 24V APUs, kneeboards, tow bars, etc. This sort of stuff shows up over and over again on DAA but you have to sift through the forums to find it. Having a section of the site devoted to products, reviews, and suppliers would make them easier to find. Also, by not being beholden to advertisers, users can post real reviews without having to worry about who might be offended by negative feedback.
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Kai
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Re: Gear store ideas

Post by Kai »

Chris, your idea is definitely a good one and we might be able to get this going in the future. Especially a link to each store which provides each product will make sure that we don't have to worry about hat sizes and other store-related problems.

For right now, the admin is a bit busier than he thought, but maybe you are interested to work something in and we put it into a subdirectory of diamondaviators.com/shop or /store. My only concern would be that any cent earned should go right into charity and we should be open about any commissions earned.

Everything I put into the DAF (hosting, time and man hours from my employed admin) is provided for free and actually it doesn't cost me anything as it's all there. I don't want any kickbacks in anyway and if accidently we do generate income, we should donate it.

Another idea would be to keep the forum format and simply open a new forum "products", where you present a product with picture, description and maybe even a price and you moderate the reviews. Any product sold with a DAL partner-ID would then generate income. phpbb has so many mods, maybe there is one already?

Nevertheless, these are only my thoughts for right now. Maybe there are other opinions and ideas?
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Chris
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Re: Gear store ideas

Post by Chris »

Kai wrote:For right now, the admin is a bit busier than he thought,
:lol:
Kai wrote:but maybe you are interested to work something in and we put it into a subdirectory of diamondaviators.com/shop or /store.
Sure, I can take a stab at something.
Kai wrote:My only concern would be that any cent earned should go right into charity and we should be open about any commissions earned.

Everything I put into the DAF (hosting, time and man hours from my employed admin) is provided for free and actually it doesn't cost me anything as it's all there. I don't want any kickbacks in anyway and if accidently we do generate income, we should donate it.
Agreed... no hidden financial shenanigans.
Kai wrote:Another idea would be to keep the forum format and simply open a new forum "products", where you present a product with picture, description and maybe even a price and you moderate the reviews. Any product sold with a DAL partner-ID would then generate income. phpbb has so many mods, maybe there is one already?
I'll see if I can find something along those lines.
Chris
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