Thoughts on subscription boxes?

[Nat]

I've been talking with someone for several weeks about product/monetization options. We've juggled the idea of a niche subscription box. I've always figured subscription boxes would be both a huge pain to pull off & something that will quickly go out of style. However, we've got a good idea that could use the 'subscription box' model.

Before I start really looking into this, I thought I'd ask if anyone has first-hand experience or pointers for minimizing the learning curve. Is it worth looking into CrateJoy?

 

[eliquid]

you can do it without cratejoy, but they are an easy way to dip your toes into it

 

[Nat]

you can do it without cratejoy, but they are an easy way to dip your toes into it

The more I've looked into it, it seems like a no-brainer. A monthly flat fee of $39 and transaction fees of 1.25% + $0.10 + credit card fees seems extremely reasonable considering how many features they offer. The transaction fee jumps to 10% to list on their marketplace, but that seems like a no-brainer if it helps you reach a new audience.

 

[secretagentdad]

There's a lot of very high long term customer value potential in this niche. A lot of the sub verticals are crazy crowded though.

Anyway, this thread gave me a dumb idea.

I grabbed a whole load of the obvious KEYWORDsubscriptionbox.com emds before the trend got huge. (in the hundreds to low thousands exact searches per month range now)
I realized I'm to lazy to develop them but if you're reading this and have made a few posts on this forum that don't scream problematic personality + pinky swear you read all the sticky's I've got a cool deal for you.


You Get

Your pick of what ever subscription box domains I've got unclaimed + hosting.
An hour or 2 of my blow hard advice every month.
An initial vendors budget of 500$. * I get a veto over blatantly stupid bullshit.
Some sort of unnecessarily generous follow on investment option framework. (TBD)
Access to my vendor and employee resources after demonstrating a basic level of consistent commitment and problem solving abilities.

Provided that you.

Make a thread documenting your progress. (Updated Weekly) Must include HARD numbers.
Cut me some kind of royalty once revenues exceed a 1000$ a month. Subject to negotiation. )- you can detail the negotiation in your thread though just for fun.
All deals will include buy out and claw back provision. ( After X earnings you can have everything free and clear. If you fail to do anything with the property I can take it back and give it to someone who will to do the work.)

Limit of 5.

 

[stackcash]

I attempted this 3 different times. All three attempts were halted by not being able to get costs low enough to compete. There were opportunities to really niche down into a smaller market and dominate, but then the profit potential didn't seem as worth-it.

Like anything else, you'll have to go all-in to make a buck, and it seems that all the "big wins" have been accounted for already.

 

[CCarter]

and it seems that all the "big wins" have been accounted for already.

That type of thinking would have us still lighting candles and riding horses to get around town instead of having electricity and cars. Spotting new opportunities is hard but it requires constant practice. If it was easy everyone would be doing it.

 

[stackcash]

That type of thinking would have us still lighting candles and riding horses to get around town instead of having electricity and cars. Spotti h new opportunities is hard but it requires constant practice. If it was easy everyone would be doing it.

eh, not really. It's opportunity cost. My time is better spent not digging into a subscription box for a big win. I have more opportunities to scale my existing businesses or choosing one of the many other business ideas on my list...instead of trying to work uphill and find a needle in a haystack in an already saturated business model.

If I lived in a vacuum and my only option for exchanging my time for money was operating a subscription box company...then sure. But, that's not the case. The world is large and opportunities are vast.