*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 29, 2024, 02:51:10 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 1686663
  • Total Topics: 118120
  • Online Today: 815
  • Online Ever: 2235
  • (October 29, 2023, 12:32:45 AM)
Users Online

Recent

Author Topic: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops  (Read 7949 times)

Offline Elbows

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9452
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #60 on: May 28, 2019, 10:01:11 PM »
As a consumer, it's very simple.

Unless I see a reasonable picture of your product - I'm not buying it.  If I'm very interested in X, Y or Z and I can find pictures of it on google or a well done YouTube review, you may get a pass - but I'd likely send along an email heavily suggesting you change the way you showcase wares.

If you're fortunate enough that I've bought numerous things from you in the past and you simply haven't added pics of the "newest" item, maybe you'll get lucky and I'll go on faith.  I know some historical gamers who own hundreds or thousands of minis from certain sculptors - and they'd likely jump on a blank listing because they know the quality of the sculptor and are comfortable with that risk.

As someone with a couple thousand eBay sales under my belt, I have massive folders full of thousands upon thousands of images I've taken of everything I've ever sold on eBay.  Using a decent camera or my phone, and basic backdrops.  There isn't much to it at all.  If you need to ink/wash minis...that's part of your job.  Your sales are directly tied to how much work you're going to put in.  If you're established enough to run off reputation - good for you.

I've seen websites and companies all over the spectrum.  The worst are ones with no images.  The second worst are the ones with poorly painted miniatures as the only image - this is damaging to the company.  Just as paint can hide all kinds of flaws, a shit paint job will just as soon ruin the quality of miniature.  Both are things that'll turn me off from buying minis.

For large ranges (for instance, if you sell 30 different French Old Guard miniatures...etc.) at least provide close inked pictures of 5-6 with a note "there are 30 poses, similar to the above" so we at least have an idea of what you're selling.  I don't need to eyeball each infantry figure in a massive regiment, but I want to see what the quality of the sculpt is before I spend any money.

It's less and less a problem nowdays, but there are still some companies out there just ignoring money.
2024 Painted Miniatures: 166
('23: 159, '22: 214, '21: 148, '20: 207, '19: 123, '18: 98, '17: 226, '16: 233, '15: 32, '14: 116)

https://myminiaturemischief.blogspot.com
Find us at TurnStyle Games on Facebook!

Offline Fighting15s

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 226
    • Fighting 15s
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #61 on: May 29, 2019, 06:52:25 AM »

It's less and less a problem nowdays, but there are still some companies out there just ignoring money.

Which shows that you’re missing the point. As I wrote earlier: “I appreciate that in a money-driven culture that some people cannot understand why a business does not want to grow above a certain level of income and work, but none the less that's the basis on which a number of one-man bands work: a sufficiency of work and income to keep one fully occupied.”
Ian
Fighting 15s
Gladiator Miniatures, Fighting 15s Flags, Martian Empires and Flashing Blade Miniatures
https://www.fighting15s.com

Offline FramFramson

  • Elder God
  • Posts: 10681
  • But maybe everything that dies, someday comes back
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #62 on: May 29, 2019, 05:51:36 PM »
Last update 2010😵

The Yahoo Groups link is especially hilarious.  ;D


I joined my gun with pirate swords, and sailed the seas of cyberspace.

Offline Shahbahraz

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1425
    • A Lead Odyssey
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #63 on: May 29, 2019, 07:24:19 PM »
The Yahoo Groups link is especially hilarious.  ;D

Don't knock it, email lists are still a good push tech, especially for digests. Think of it as a newsletter :) I'm still on quite a few yahoo groups that I use exclusively via email. For folks with intermittent or slow connectivity they are great.
Wargaming since the dark ages...

---https://aleadodyssey.blogspot.com/---

Offline Elbows

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9452
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #64 on: May 31, 2019, 05:34:20 PM »
Which shows that you’re missing the point. As I wrote earlier: “I appreciate that in a money-driven culture that some people cannot understand why a business does not want to grow above a certain level of income and work, but none the less that's the basis on which a number of one-man bands work: a sufficiency of work and income to keep one fully occupied.”

Nope, not missing the point at all.  I know full well a lot of hobbyist companies are afraid of gaining more business than they can manage.  But unless you're stating that on your website or page, my default assumption as a consumer is simple: this company exists to sell products and make profit.  That is absolutely the default assumption anyone makes.  If your website clearly states "Hey, this is my hobby, I do it for fun and some extra cash, so shoot me an email if you have questions" - then awesome for you.

It's not a clever excuse to not promote your wares if consumers don't know that.  They just assume the company is poorly run or advertised, etc.

Offline jetengine

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 675
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #65 on: June 01, 2019, 06:46:33 AM »
- look at Navwar as an example.

You mean the website where I was 100% interested in purchasing ships from but immediately decided against as soon as his website revealed it was from the dark ages ?

How so you ask ? Well It had....
No pictures.
No paypal
No E-mail address
NO TELEPHONE
If you wish to order you have to post or fax everything.

I'm sorry this isnt the 1980s. So he didnt get my money.

Offline Ultravanillasmurf

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9307
    • Ultravanillasmurf
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #66 on: June 01, 2019, 12:51:36 PM »
Well this thread is evolving...

The original thread concept seems to have split between those who expect professional photographs of every item no matter what on super hi-tech websites because everyone should aspire to be the Norweb Federation, and those that understand the "hobby" scale of some suppliers and that technical skills can be a limit.

I can understand the annoyance of the former, and the exasperation of the latter with the former.

The only answer is that the former can vote with their money, going on about it is not going to change attitudes.

I'm sorry this isnt the 1980s. So he didnt get my money.
That web site is certainly an outlier, possibly it is a first generation site (I have to admit to not being interested enough to look).

What you have to consider is the target customer, will they be happy with what they see? How do they expect to interact and pay for the goods?

In another hobby environment, one of the most successful traders in O Gauge model railways has used a very simple but comprehensive website for twenty odd years.
http://www.tower-models.com/
It does have photographs of new products, but there are plenty where it does not.
If you want a Parkside kit of a LNER ex NBR JUBILEE COAL WAGON, you probably know what it looks like.

They are successful because their prices are cutting edge, the advantage is that most items are a lot more expensive than your average wargame item(even Forge World).

Their chief mode of interaction is by telephone. Their customers are happy and comfortable with this mode (they also do old fashioned mail order and accept cheques).

As more and more people become comfortable with on-line ordering, then companies that do not offer that service may find it harder to be profitable. However, those companies are likely to retire ranges, but they are likely to be happy with that.

Evolution is survival of the fittest, those that best fit their environment. When that environment changes,  then those that do not have the capacity to meet those changes will suffer.

Offline Fighting15s

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 226
    • Fighting 15s
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #67 on: June 03, 2019, 07:15:06 AM »
Nope, not missing the point at all.  I know full well a lot of hobbyist companies are afraid of gaining more business than they can manage.  But unless you're stating that on your website or page, my default assumption as a consumer is simple: this company exists to sell products and make profit.  That is absolutely the default assumption anyone makes.  If your website clearly states "Hey, this is my hobby, I do it for fun and some extra cash, so shoot me an email if you have questions" - then awesome for you.

It's not a clever excuse to not promote your wares if consumers don't know that.  They just assume the company is poorly run or advertised, etc.

You are still missing the point. It’s not being afraid of taking on more work than can be managed, it’s about having a sufficient amount of work to be occupied to the extent that the owner wants to be occupied. And that can be done quite easily on a profit basis. As I’ve said before, the concept that someone will work on the basis that they have sufficient money coming in is difficult to comprehend in a money-driven society. But in essence, it’s about work-life balance. It's more complicated than polarizing the approach of people into either a full-on drive for profit or being laid-back hobbyists.
« Last Edit: June 03, 2019, 09:53:48 AM by Fighting15s »

Offline Dent

  • Student
  • Posts: 11
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #68 on: June 03, 2019, 02:58:56 PM »
When I started this thread I was thinking that as a min, something like the old 25mm cat available on the minifig site, a line of figures with the code under them, I wasn't expecting an award winner, though the higher quality the better. 
« Last Edit: June 06, 2019, 06:45:12 AM by Dent »
Quad licet jovis non licet bovis!

Offline Elbows

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9452
Re: Missing product pictures in online miniatures shops
« Reply #69 on: June 04, 2019, 05:42:04 PM »
You are still missing the point. It’s not being afraid of taking on more work than can be managed, it’s about having a sufficient amount of work to be occupied to the extent that the owner wants to be occupied. And that can be done quite easily on a profit basis. As I’ve said before, the concept that someone will work on the basis that they have sufficient money coming in is difficult to comprehend in a money-driven society. But in essence, it’s about work-life balance. It's more complicated than polarizing the approach of people into either a full-on drive for profit or being laid-back hobbyists.

I'm afraid you're continuing to miss my point.

As a consumer, I don't care about "why" you do something.  By the way I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm giving you a bluntly honest and pragmatic approach from a consumer.  I have no idea who you are or what you even make.  As I stated above, the default assumption of every consumer is that a company wants to sell things - or else, why would it exist?  Our default assumption is not "They probably only want to sell X, because that's enough for them."  No one assumes that. It's not about some cultural bias about making money, it's just the defacto status of being a business.  You exist for profit.  Our assumption is that you'd probably like to sell as much as you can.

Our default view is not "Well they're probably making enough to satisfy themselves and that's why they don't have pictures of the items they actually sell on their web-page".  That's not what goes through any consumer's head.

It has nothing to do with being too noble to not chase additional sales, etc. etc.   As a consumer I don't know you (for the purposes of this argument "you" is not directed at you, but rather any business, regardless of scale), and I don't much care.  I'm looking for a product and you're in a competing market.  That's all I see.