NEW DD4H Silver Bullet Pro Questions

[gWebber]

There isn't enough money involved in what we do to get a patent. You would go broke fighting them.

Yes I agree, if you use a lawyer to do the patent. A person can with a little work file a "Provisional Patent" on their own for around $150 as I recall. Fighting a violation might be another matter, could be a simple cease and desist or a full blown court battle.

 

[McDoodle]

Yes I agree, if you use a lawyer to do the patent. A person can with a little work file a "Provisional Patent" on their own for around $150 as I recall. Fighting a violation might be another matter, could be a simple cease and desist or a full blown court battle.

Provisional patents are only good for a year. It's the difference between patent pending and patent. You need to fIle a non provisional patent within the year. Theyre used to put a date on whatever you are trying to patent.

 

[gWebber]

A Better Business Model.

Maybe it's not my place as a newbie, but I'm just gonna' toss this out there and hope for the best.

As an artist I have tons of "competitors" some better than me, some below me. I'm friendly with a good many of them and often promote their products ... And sometimes they promote mine. Sometimes we help each other with "tips" and ideas ... And while it can happen, we avoid fighting.

How this relates is, if I was a Derby Racer of note (lots of wins) selling a product, I'd be trying to work with others to sell their products on my site too.

Why?

Because the consumer decides what's best for them and what they are willing to spend and that can be influenced.
Generally starting racers (myself included) are not well enough informed to know the difference between a $20 jig and a $200 jig other than the cost and will generally buy the one they find first, i.e. The one best marketed, we know who that's is, right.

So as a smart seller I'd be selling products from company "A", "B" and "C" as well as my own, giving reasonable explanations as to why one item is or maybe better than the other for the consumer.

The logic is this, if three or four small companies want to compete with the predominate big company, they have to do it together to even get noticed in the market. We all know if you google pinewood derby it's not the small companies that come up first.

So, if I'm selling everyone's tools and parts that I can and letting the consumer decide what they want and can afford, I win as long as they are buying something I sell or get a percentage of, I'm winning. Not winning against the "competitors" but winning a sale.

Granted, it's not a sure thing it works every time, but it's the only way to get noticed in social media and get a bigger market share away from the big companies.

Think of it like NASCAR, even with all the racers competing (and sometimes fighting admitadly) everyone wins because everyone is making money.

Another example (and you can watch the movie) is drag racings "Snake" and "Mongoose", two top competitors that worked together to make more money than they could individually.

It's all marketing my friends and it's the fans that decide where the dollars go.

 

[Kinser Racing]

You cant get a Whopper at McD's.

 

[letmrun]

You cant get a Whopper at McD's.

And I can't get an axle bender at DD4H.

 

[txchemist]

You can see this on Netflix

American Genius / American Genius / Farnsworth vs. Sarnoff

Inventor Philo Farnsworth dreams up the idea for television, but chaos ensues when businessman David Sarnoff, founder of RCA, goes after his patent.

It has only gotten worse for those without deep pockets.

Now for a little more of the real world. SOME bigger companies can put unbelievable pressure ( both legal but dishonest and also plain restriction of fair trade) on many to crush the sort of happy marketplace were everyone gets to put what they sell on the shelf at a store that you imagine.
For example: If you do try to sell parts from my competition, I will mess you over on inventory requirements, return policy, volume pricing, and I will also haul you into court in a lawsuit when I claim infringement on my pathetic patent. This works because the small store will be out of business even if the lawsuit gets tossed. Most are required to sign up as a "distributor" to get any product at all, and the fine print will say- as my distributor, you can not sell stuff from my competition. I have been on both sides of this many times. There is no "fair"- just wits and bob and weave. When my company was on its own and small- we got hammered and lost 100% of the time. After many years of being bought and sold to bigger and bigger companies, I had the lawyers and Patents to squeeze the whey out of anyone who didn't give us 100% of their business for my products. Many were the same companies that hosed us years earlier. We have jobs to put food on the table- and if you blink, someone will take it away from you.

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

And I can't get an axle bender at DD4H.

My point exactly but, what was the first site to sell the axle bender? I can tell you that me not being able to buy enough was not the issue. I have witnesses of being told I was going to have to find a new supplier because they couldn't keep up with my demand. So what does a person do? You find a new supplier and you learn a hard lesson not to trust a damn word anyone tells you.

I sure wish we would have gathered everyone together at Nationals and had this discussion. I will gladly do that ANY TIME. Easy to give someone a story one to one over the phone but with every one present is an entirely different story.

 

[speed bump]

My point exactly but, what was the first site to sell the axle bender? I can tell you that me not being able to buy enough was not the issue. I have witnesses of being told I was going to have to find a new supplier because they couldn't keep up with my demand. So what does a person do? You find a new supplier and you learn a hard lesson not to trust a damn word anyone tells you.

I sure wish we would have gathered everyone together at Nationals and had this discussion. I will gladly do that ANY TIME. Easy to give someone a story one to one over the phone but with every one present is an entirely different story.

. Like I said earlier sorry for the BS. I did not know anything just asked about full length version that I thought was a cool idea. Never seen or heard of it. Who made the first hamburger? Don't give a crap just order on and go one or yet order chicken. Thanks John.

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

. Like I said earlier sorry for the BS. I did not know anything just asked about full length version that I thought was a cool idea. Never seen or heard of it. Who made the first hamburger? Don't give a crap just order on and go one or yet order chicken. Thanks John.

No problems Speed!

Axle benders coming soon! This one will definitely be cheaper!

 

[gWebber]

You cant get a Whopper at McD's.

But I can get a burger and cute girls at Hooters /images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif

 

[True North Racing]

But I can get a burger and cute girls at Hooters /images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif

I heard that they have great wings also.

 

[True North Racing]

Let me say that I received my new Silver Bullet Pro in the mail today and although I have not drilled anything with it yet (I was on my lunch break) it looks and feels like it was worth every penny I paid! Including the extra money I spent to have it expressed mailed to me. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU John! I have my jigs made (thanks Bulldog) and now I have my Silver Bullet Pro in hand. Guess what I am going to be doing tonight and tomorrow on my day off? If you guessed building PWD cars, you are correct!

 

[gWebber]

. We have jobs to put food on the table- and if you blink, someone will take it away from you.

I know it can get ugly and deep pockets tend to win.

Still, if I go to the super market, there's more than one brand of soup and no matter which I buy the store makes some money. And yes, I know it isn't really this simple.

Still, I think three or four small companies could do better by working to the same goal rather than ripping on one another which only helps the big company get bigger.

 

[gWebber]

I heard that they have great wings also.

"Great" might be a stretch ... But I still eat them /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif

 

[Mister B Racing]

My point exactly but, what was the first site to sell the axle bender? I can tell you that me not being able to buy enough was not the issue. I have witnesses of being told I was going to have to find a new supplier because they couldn't keep up with my demand. So what does a person do? You find a new supplier and you learn a hard lesson not to trust a damn word anyone tells you.

I sure wish we would have gathered everyone together at Nationals and had this discussion. I will gladly do that ANY TIME. Easy to give someone a story one to one over the phone but with every one present is an entirely different story.

For the most part all of this "PWD Drama" that is being posted happened before my time racing. I don't know anything about what went down between vendors or racers and the stuff I hear and read I truly don't know if it’s accurate. It's all most like that game we all played in grade school, the first person whispers something to the person next to them and they do the same, and by the time it gets to the last person, what they hear is completely different than what was whispered in the beginning.

If I remember correctly when I joined this board in 2013, racers would post questions, ideas, and search for info to try and get faster and other racers may not have answered your question directly but they at least pointed you in the right direction to get info and seemed to get along. Now 3 years later it seems like all any one wants to do is "B*tch and Moan" about anything and everything PWD related. I am guilty of this too and I apologize for that! I do hope that one day everyone can settle their differences because I don't like the Pinewood Drama! I just want to race!

 

[gWebber]

I just want to race!

Im for that /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

Im for that /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif

Me too! I would rather get work done rather than baby sit the board. Things usually get slow this time of year but I am buried again! Thank you to all those that have supported me through thick and thin. I never dreamed this would be my profession but I am lucky for it. The hundreds of emails and pictures I get of people dominating their pinewood derby makes it worth dealing with a few forum warriors.

 

[gWebber]

Ok, so much for yesterday's news, let's get some building and racing done ladies /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif

 

[McDoodle]

John have you ever considered putting ads on the forum?

 

[Kinser Racing]

John have you ever considered putting ads on the forum?

Have you looked at the top of the page to the left and seen the new product announcements?