Something That Might Sell

[Bruno Ogorelec]

Larry, how about T-shirts?

Look, some of us will in all probability travel to Bovingdon, England, next February to have fun at a DIY jet engine festival. I think the presence of the pulsejet crowd among all those turbojet fans would be greatly enhanced with properly lurid T-shirts.

At least in the pub. I don't think many people wear T-shirts in England in February.

[larry cottrill]

We MUST have a Kazoo poster!

I agree, and almost posted this myself. We need a good Kazooenstein running shot, and we need a good Rosscodyne picture!

Come on, guys, give me pics [or links to pics] I can use with your permission, and let me see what I can come up with ...

L Cottrill

[larry cottrill]

That's a good idea. I mean Larry's a fiery guy, but... I don't think you could make the poster too busy. Hell, put 2 pics of it running in opposite corners.

Actually, I was going to also make a "Five Dollar Pulsejets" poster with both the Elektra I and Elektra II featured, though I never did get a shot of the EII running. I thought this one should be the pure 'ad shot' with the color engine pictures as an alternative choice. I'll post it as soon as I can put it together.

What do you think?

L Cottrill

[Mike Kirney]

Sounds good. If I were you I would make a few copies of 3 different posters and hold off on the others for a while to see how those first ones sell. If they go pretty quick you could get 3 new ones made up and see how those sell, then if all 6 are strong sellers you could make up a larger batch and have a mix'n'match deal (any 3 for $14.99 or something). You could build up your menagerie to maybe a dozen different posters after a while and see which ones get the most orders then package those ones together and eliminate the others so you don't have a bunch of dead stock sitting in your office and you no longer have to pick'n'pack the orders as they come in, you just tube'em all on a Saturday afternoon and wait for the people to click 'Buy It Now', then do mass mailings twice a week.

[larry cottrill]

All right, guys - here's what I came up with for the combined Elektra I and Elektra II poster.

L Cottrill

[larry cottrill]

By popular demand, now revised to "Let's make some noise!"

What do you think now?

L Cottrill

[Bruno Ogorelec]

YES! Yes! I want one.

[Mike Kirney]

I like them. Make a 4-pack and I will buy one for 20 bucks US plus Air Mail.

[Mike Everman]

We MUST have a Kazoo poster!

I'm honored. My photos suck at the moment. I'll be bringing the good camera next test, and see if I can get a candy orange shot!

[mk]

I REALLY like it now!

Looks good!!

[larry cottrill]

YES! Yes! I want one.

I like them. Make a 4-pack and I will buy one for 20 bucks US plus Air Mail.

Gentlemen -

All right, somehow I've got to rein this in and start handling it like a business. I can't do that by having everybody bid their own price, customize their own shipping, etc. I have to do something that's consistent and manageable.

Now, that doesn't mean I can't be good to my friends! I WILL offer special pricing to anyone who became a member of these forums on or before December 1, 2004. And, I'll even get the ball rolling on printing before you pay me, BUT you'll have to do things my way so I don't get utterly confused and end up wasting a lot of time and money in the process.

For the rest of the world, here's how it's going to work:

First - It will be PayPal, at least at first. Why? Because they offer everything I need to get it working, including a decent-looking 'shopping cart' system. And, I'm already signed up to use them - I just haven't ever sold my own products before. They offer the only reasonable way to quickly get set up on a Web sales page, right now. I can probably add some other ways to pat later.

Second - The posters will be shipped rolled in a tube. They should be pretty easy to straighten out. They are about the thickness of a manila envelope. I will ship one, two, three or four posters in a tube, so an order will constitute one to four posters. They will be shipped USPS ["The Post Office"] so I can make use of online tools like Stamps.com and Click 'n' Ship. They will be shipped priority mail with confirmation - NO EXCEPTIONS- so I can track them and know that they got delivered [this does NOT require you to be there to sign for them]. Total packaging and shipping cost for a tube with a single poster is around $6.50 US. Each added poster bumps the package up an ounce. Priority mail will get them delivered in 48 hrs maximum to US destinations - I have no idea what happens when they cross the border or fly over an ocean to get to you, we'll just have to find out as we go.

Third - I will ship within two weekdays of getting an online order with payment. That will give me time to print short lots if I run out of a poster. Obviously, I am not going to warehouse thousands of these.

Fourth - Posters will be individually numbered, and there will be an ABSOLUTE LIMIT on the number of each printed. I'm thinking 2000 as an absolute max. That should satiate the known world's design for pulsejet posters, I would think. Some will be way more popular than others - that's just the way the world is, so we are not going to profit the same from every poster. Posters are 11x17 inches, printed area approx. 10x14.5 inches, printed on heavy bright white acid free stock.

FORUM MEMBERS - Here's the deal for you:

First - If you have submitted a picture and I use it to make a poster, you earn half the net profit on sales of that particular poster. Net profit means what's left over after all production expenses have been taken out. This will end up being a few dollars per poster.

Second - If you have submitted a picture and it becomes a poster, you get one copy of the finished poster free, including shipping. That's ONE - NO EXCEPTIONS. This will be done automatically as soon as I get the first print run of each poster. You will need to email me with your FULL MAILING ADDRESS - email me at editor@jetzilla.com for this purpose.

Third - I am not going to keep seeking pictures forever. The Year of the Valveless series should have, I think, ten or twelve different offerings, max. I will entertain a few more outside that series, for sales later. Right now, I want to concentrate on the valveless series. We can keep working out the look of the posters on this thread, if Kenneth doesn't get fed up with it.

Fourth - I will offer forum members who signed on before Dec 1, 2004 some special pricing on posters. [Obviously, this lowers the net profit we can split from those sales!] I will sell established members the following prices to US destinations:
1 poster - $5.00 US + $7.00 S&H
2 posters - $9.00 US + $7.50 S&H
3 posters - $13.00 US + 8.00 S&H
4 posters - $16.00 US + 8.00 S&H
On foreign destinations, I will have to calculate it based on your mailing address, and get back to you.

Fifth - To order posters, cut and paste this form for each order of UP TO FOUR posters, maximum, and edit in the quantity and price:

[start of form]
____________________________________________
Forum Members Pulsejet Poster Order Form

Hot FWE [Short Lady] - QTY:
Hinote Kentfield Engine - QTY:
Elektra I & II Engines - QTY:
Marten's K-PT Engines - QTY:
Let's make some NOISE! - QTY:

Total number of posters [ 4 MAX ]:

Total price for posters:
Total S & H:
Live in Iowa, USA? Add 6% sales tax:
_____________________________
TOTAL REMITTED:

[Remit by Cashier's Cheque or Money Order only,
payable to Cottrill Cyclodyne Corporation -
mail to:
Cottrill Cyclodyne Corporation
Pulsejet Posters
11905 NE 110th Ave
Mingo, IA 50168-9500]


Where I want to receive my poster order -
i.e., MY COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS:



_______________________________________________
[end of form]

Sixth - If you live outside the US, when I get your order form by email, I will calculate the total S&H cost and get back to you via email. You don't need to send anything until you get the exact amount from my reply. I will still ship your posters as soon as I get your order, unless you add 'PLEASE HOLD' or something to your order form.

Any questions? email me at editor@jetzilla.com or ask here. I monitor the forums a couple of times per day, generally.

L Cottrill

[steve]

I just recieved my copy of the "rocket scientist" poster and I must say that I am very impressed. I wasn't expecting it to be as large as it is, I was imagining it to be about the size of a standard sheet of paper. The print quality was very good and the handwritten serial number-date-etc. at the bottom was a nice touch. It is definately something that might sell well on Ebay, especially in sets of several diferent posters.
In short- very professional looking.

I also recieved my builder's certificates for the construction and testing of both the FWE and Elektra1. These were almost unbelievabely official looking and looking at them you would never be able to tell weather Cottrill Cyclodyne corporation was a multi-billion dolar business or just one guy working out of his house. They really look that good- I may even frame them!

The whole package was a very nice birthday present (I turned 18 on Dec 1) THANKS LARRY!!!

[larry cottrill]

Steve -

You're very welcome - and thanks for the kind words! Remember that at Cottrill Cyclodyne,

"QUALITY Is All We've Got To Offer."

Glad you liked the goods - you earned them!

I really should put together an Annual Report - that would be hilarious, with off-topic dissertations on optics and jewelry-making, photos of me in goggles and sound muffs doing my research, and these teensy fractions for revenues and expenses, presented in 'Millions of US Dollars', naturally ...

Makes me chuckle just contemplating it.

L Cottrill

[Anthony]

If you need my Photoshop skills to do some posters, I'd really enjoy it!

[larry cottrill]

YES! Yes! I want one.

Bruno -

If you really want one, just send me an email with the 'cut-and-paste order form' above and a comment describing what payment method will work best for you. I'll get back to you with the total after I figure out the right way to ship it. Probably, the only thing I'll really miss is that I probably won't end up being able to track it to you, as I would to a US destination. I don't really need the payment in my hand before I ship to you, so a check or money order or whatever by regular mail would be fine.

I will be having a few printed Monday, or Tuesday at the latest.

L Cottrill