Donations welcome - nay, needed!

[landsendlynda]

Jon,

How about leaving some of the sale items at Land's End?  I would be glad to sell some items for you and I think I might be easier to find than your pit!  I end up taking donations for Save the Salt, so it wouldn't be an inconvenience for us.  Besides, when some of the guys buy passes, find out they didn't need them and want their money back,  I have to rely on their integrity to stop and share that money with you and StS!  Mostly, they make it to the "Salt" trailer, but seem to miss you!  I don't mind buying their passes back, but I have asked that they at least donate half of the price to  either cause.   Never did get high marks for being subtle!
   

Anyway, it's a thought, so...would you think about it?

Lynda

[floydjer]

Slim.....You could auction off a signed shirt........................ :cheers:J.B.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Great Idea, Jerry.  I'll send a shirt or two to you so you can autograph them.  I think we've got your addy on file, right?

[floydjer]

"Sigh"...................(walks away slowly,  shaking his head)

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Yes, I know this isn't going to be about "donations" per se, but sorta. . .

An anonymous collector of things related to our kind of racing has offered to sell to landracing.com - his collection of all sorts of memorabilia.  He'd sell it to me at a pretty decent price, he says, and it'd be low-cost enough that I could then resell it on the site either in a "store" or as auction items.  The question is -- would you folks support my investment - as your opportunity to collect some things?

There are old Hot Rod magazines, each (he says) with some direct to Bonneville -- whether an event report or an article on a car or photos or records and other speeds.  There are old posters and t-shirts - some still in the original packing so therefore in mint/collectible condition.  Bonneville pins, rulebooks from years gone past, and so on.  Stuff covers (mostly) the period of 1950's through the 80's, I believe.  I haven't seen it yet so please don't hold me to exact descriptions.

It'll be a substantial investment for the website (read:  ME!), so I'm not going to simply buy it all and hope to heck that you'll take time to read the descriptions and buy some of the stuff -- at least enough to help me recoup my costs.

There's then the issue of whether to do it with auctions or with an on-line store. My thinking leans toward a store with perhaps an auction now and then, especially with really cool stuff.

What do you think?

[Glen]

Jon, go with the store. It will work better then an auction for collectables.
 

[desotoman]

What do you think?

Jon,

It is really up to you. Do you have the spare time needed to sell that type of stuff? How long will it take for you to recoup your investment before it starts to make you a profit for the website? Maybe a better way to do it would be to ask the person to put the stuff up for sale on the website and give you a percentage of the total sale price. Just some thoughts on the subject.

Tom G.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Thanks, you two.  I know pretty much the responsibilities and chances I'd be taking, that's for sure -- having run a couple of small businesses for the past 20 years.  What I'm still trying to learn is if there's likely to be a market for this stuff.  I could eBay it, no doubt, but hey -- since it's all related to LSR I'd rather give all of us first crack at it.  I've thought about - and asked - having the current owner sell it himself and donate some $$ to the website, but he's in such a position and age that he doesn't want to be burdened by anything more than shipping it to me and receiving the $$.

I know it's going to be a major undertaking to catalog, photo, price, and display all this stuff.  The question remains -- is there enough lsr interest to make it at least somewhat worthwhile?

I look forward to more comments.

[NS_Rider]

Jon,
I appreciate all that you do with this website, and would love the to see a LSR Store on here. One option could be,  if something seems to be sitting be too long in the store,  then put a last chance memo on the item. If it still doesn't move then try to sell it on eBay. I know people who often search eBay for all things Bonneville or Land Speed related items.
Thanks again,
Craig

[JonAmo]

Seeings how I have first hand knowledge of a store front on the website I would offer these suggestions. If this person has all the pictures done, cropped and large picture and small picture already sized and ready to go, that is half your battle.

Just think what some of this old stuff could possibly do for your engraving business. Might be something interesting. There always has been a market for LSR items - it just takes the right person to look and want.

The easiest way to catalog the items is with a csv file. Almost every webstore software support csv bulk uploads. That inlcudes name of item, description, shipping costs and pictures. You make all the shipping a flat rate - for small stuff one price - for larger items this price it just makes it easier that way instead of weighing each item.

Some people who give donations to the website may rather purchase something from the store to support the website. Having an equal amount of customers here stateside and overseas the store remains open 24/7. People overseas seemed to be more frequent just for the fact that this type of material is not available overseas. Look at your site stats for the revolving 12 months you will be astonished on the overseas visits. Britian, Japan and Austrailia seem to lead the pack.

Use paypal exclusively for payments by credit card. This is much much easier then trying to setup a credit card system on the storefront. I had both - Paypal is cheaper and easier.

Having memorabilia I think is key to adding value to the website. This is where you get information to update pages. For example the old hot rods gave very good information on records set during that year. Old programs give you information about the pre entries. Use this information to build new pages to the website. Now we are adding historical value to the website, and strenthening the position of the website as being the elite source of Land Speed Racing information, new or old.   Old books bring about good information to read, people now rely on you for information new and old. I found I had to learn the history is almost more important then the current information.

have extra T-shirts from Salt Talks, store front place to sell them, Landracing.com items will also sell. It just would be the full package. Income then is steady from month to month along with the donation drives.

[Richard 2]

Jon, I'll buy. I think a Store would work well and maybe you could put your engraving items in there too.
Richard

[Seldom Seen Slim]

While I remain busy trying to decide if I will set up an online lr.com store -- I've been offered a deal on some photos - by Larry Ledford, a/k/a blackhorse.  I'll include a couple of thumbnails here, after I tell you what he's suggesting.

First of all, we'll start with the two photos of Charles Nearburg's "Spirit of Rett".  That's the car, as you probably remember, that broke the Goldenrod's 45-year-old record this past September at the Shootout.  One is a big (36w x 24 tall) poster-size really great photo of the car, taken in late afternoon sun.  The other is an 8 x 10 of the car in the measured mile of the course -- when it was, therefore, booking right along around 415 - 420 or so.  Both of these thumbnails are watermarked with Larry's mark - so the bad guys don't steal them (or, if they insist, they'll get kinda low quality and the watermark, too).  Anyway, he's offered a number of the sets to be sold here as a fund raiser for the site - and to make a buck or two for himself while getting his name and skill as a photographer some publicity.  (By the way, he's also taken shots of the Ack Attack bike and even got one of the Speed Demon having some "troubles".  I don't know if he's going to sell those, or what -- just letting you know some of his work).

Back to selling these.  The first set I'll auction off, starting at $100 for them both.  Then I'll sell the rest - using the auction price for the now-established sale price.  Sounds okay to me.  Will somebody please start the bidding?  If you've got questions I'll either give you some kind of answer - or get one that's probably more accurate from Larry.

[hotrod]

Thanks Jon, as mentioned the first print is a poster size display print photograph.
I have a print of the same shot in my living room, and I am very pleased with the shot.

It was taken after the awards ceremony as the sun was setting and a full moon rising in the background behind the car.

The smaller 8x10 photo was shot during the cars record return run, very early in the morning, just as it entered the speed traps on the second run. I am not aware of any other still photo of the car at speed on its record passes (there were only about 6 people in the spectator area when the record was set).

for the record minor correction --- name is Larry Ledwick blackhorse photo


Larry

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Well, Larry -- I was kinda close on your name, wasn't I?  I apologise for the error.

Back to the auction:  I guess I should put a start and end time/date.  It's started as of my post a little while ago, and I'll let it run through 9PM this Sunday.  I don't necessarily want to run it that long, save to give the weekend-only Forum folks their chance to see it.  And 9PM will be Eastern Standard Time -- the time zone Nancy and I are in.  For the record and so you can synchronize your clocks and calendars -- I'm posting this at 9.23PM EST on Tuesday.

G'night.

[Beairsto Racing]

Well someone has to bid first, so here goes...

$105.00