Yo-Yo Strings!

[Ampersand]

Hey guys.

I've been making strings for a couple weeks now, and I think I've got myself a style and a material I like. They feel slicker than Highlites, and I haven't managed to break one yet, so I imagine they're pretty strong.

I was wondering, however, how I might go about selling them? I assumed I should first get a review from a pretty reputable thrower, and see if anyone else thinks they're any good. I've sold some to my friends, and they think they're pretty awesome.

Any tips? Particularly from anyone else who makes and sells strings?

Thanks!
-Amp

[BlackZHawk]

Well one way is to do it right here on the forums. Ummm you can put them in your sig and make a topic like this one and people can come by and buy them. And yes it would be good to get them tested by someone who has like insane throws.
you could make a blog... have your own website although that's going a little far for just selling strings.

But just try and figure out something. I'm sure the community here will be happy to help in any way they can

[Paull]

Fist thing you should do is send me a ton of free samples. I'll let you know step 2 once they arrive.



 

[Zuha]

Fist thing you should do is send me a ton of free samples. I'll let you know step 2 once they arrive.



 

This guy is extremely trustable just to let you know. He once made amazing strings.

[yoyospirit]

Fist thing you should do is send me a ton of free samples. I'll let you know step 2 once they arrive.



 

This guy is extremely trustable just to let you know. He once made amazing strings.

Agree 100%.

[jackolantern]

Actually, that sounds about right. Make a bunch of them for marketing purposes. Send free samples to reputable, well-known reviewers here on the forums. If they like them and give them favorable reviews, you will likely be up and running. At that point, you could either sell them through the forums or set up an Ebay store to handle the selling details and only advertise through the forums.

On the other hand, if they don't give them a favorable review, it is likely back to the drawing board. But don't let that discourage you if it happens. Most successful products have to be retooled many times.

[Paull]

Thanks for the kind comments fellas. I was actually just joking about sending me a ton of strings. I still make them I just don't make enough to sell.

Tip #1: If you want to be good at anything in life you need to put in some hard work.

Like jackolantern said, make some free samples and give them out. When doing this I would suggest doing it behind the scene. Don’t make a post saying “I need string testers”; this will not lead to any practical results. Instead, you should select the people you would want to test your strings and then kindly ask them if they would be willing to. If you get favorable results then send out another batch asking for some reviews. If the results are mixed or not as good as you had hoped, start tweaking your strings to make them more to how you would like them to be.

Then when you have some reviews you can link to and a PayPal account to make buying easy, make a BST thread with some nice pictures of some string that you made. List the most appealing qualities like tension, longevity, color, feel, and consistency.  You should say to yourself, what makes my string worth buying? List your motivation for making strings. And, most importantly, be realistic with your pricing. You can’t sell 5 strings for $5 and expect that you will sell very many. Not because your strings aren’t quality, it’s because no one has played them yet so no one will want to take that sort of risk. Highlights are only 12 cents a string, have been played by thousands, and they play decent. So remember that you have competition and you need to set your prices accordingly.  Make something superior to highlights and you can justify why you charge more.

I hope this helps and good luck in your endeavors.

Paul