Competition?? (2 Viewers)

[Fullyautomatic]

I see International Toy Soldier Gallery just introduced a toy soldier forum.I received an email and checked it out.Funny most of the thread titles and forums are exactly the same as here. Since you guys(Toy Soldier Gallery) obviously checked this board out before starting your own, could you not at least have made it look a little different?I guess some of the other dealers are seeing a good thing and are maybe getting worried about sales.I bet they are wishing they thought or got their forum up first, ahead of TreeFrog.Once again thanks Shannon and Pete.

 

[jazzeum]

Hear, hear to that. When I received their email, I told them what I thought and I got some email, saying well this has been in the works for months blah blah. Disappointing.

 

[gk5717]

I went to the new forum and read the post, however I felt as if I was cheating on my wife.
Treefrogs is the official K&C Forum,
Gary

 

[bsager]

They copied my idea also about posting the K&C brochures and Collectors Magazine. This forum would also remain as the original for me.

Bill

 

[jazzeum]

My compliments to you and Louis for doing that Bill. I have printed out all those brochures that I didn't have.

 

[bsager]

Thanks Brad. We should have alot more coming soon. Louis and I will be talking this week and see what we are going to add next.

Bill

 

[hubby_is_maniac]

I expect this thread from my 2nd grader not grown men. I looked at International Toy Soldier Gallery's site and toysoldierschat.com. How many ways can you post the same topic? King and Country is King and Country, King and Country on Ebay is King and Country on Ebay. At least they are not self promoting.

Before you pick on them, take a look at other sites out there:
Treefrog has a new section with King and Country brochures posted, very similar to www.toysoldiersusa.com, toy-soldier.com has a discussion forum and YES it contains King and Country as a topic, http://www.walshes.net/disc1_frm.htm is another forum, along with http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thetoysoldierclub/.
www.toysoldiersusa.com has a classified section which looks just like the one posted here. I'm sure in time most toy soldier web pages will have discussion boards. It's very practical. As a consumer I will visit them all. Treefrog wasn't the first to invent the concept. They are not even the first to have a toy soldier forum. Your "childlike clicque" just happened to land here.

Please keep this site enjoyable to visit. I can reflect back to my childhood days if I want this type of discussion. If this continues I will be making sure my husband and friends (and he has a lot of them that collect toy soldiers) do not visit this forum. If each dealer does what they do best it won't matter if concepts are duplicated.

Thanks

A dissapointed "hubby is a maniac"

 

[jazzeum]

Dear hubby,

I think the disagreement about the other web site is that this is a small hobby and I don't believe that both can survive. My feeling is that International Toy Soldier saw how well this was starting to do and decided to copy it. Now, I recognize competition is not necessarily a bad thing but with this small a clientele it may be not be necessarily the best thing either.

Second, this site is monitored by Andy Neilsen, the head of King and Country and Andy has posted here or sent emails to Shannon and Pete about questions raised here so he is obviously looking. Also Louis Badalato is a member here. Louis is probably the premiere collector of King and Country in the world and has Andy's ear. Several other important collectors have posted here including Bill Sager, who owns the toysoldiersusa.com site that you refer to, which is one of the most indispensible sites for King and Country fanatics, and others like Doug Short. While this doesn't make it the "official" King and Country site, it's pretty darn close.

As you can tell from my posting name, I am a jazz enthusiast and a veteran of several jazz boards. In my experience, many boards cannot survive because of the number of hobbyists, as I mentioned, is not large. I would hate to see a site such as this suffer and disappear because it becomes unfeasible.

So, I don't think it's a question of grown men acting like second graders but born of a real concern.

Plus, to collect toy soldiers reminds me of the old baseball saying, "you got to be a man to play this game, but you have to have a lot of little boy in you."

 

[bsager]

I think what we are seeing is the next level in where the Toy Soldier web sites are going. Once an idea gets out there it starts to spread. It does not mean that it's a bad thing. Everybody wants to better themselves and this is how we do it. At least now wherever people look they can get the information they want. I think this is great. I have also visited the other sites and they all seem to be doing well. I know when I started my site I designed it because of the problems I encountered when trying to get information about the K&C line. By posting images and descriptions others became aware of what had been made in the past and what to look forward to in the future.

Bill Sager

 

[gk5717]

My comment on "felt I was cheating on my wife" was tongue and cheek.
If you will check, I registered on the other board yesterday, and yes I will go back to that board.
I agree on someone elses post that more info could be gained by having one board with every K&C collector involved.
I just feel some loyalty to this board as it was to my knowledge the first K&C board I found, and I have been looking for years. Plus I have friends who I have met are talked by phone who I feel I personally know.
Oh and by the way I,m in 3rd grade, not 2nd. (Tongue & Cheek).
Gary

 

[jazzeum]

Bill,

I don't know if this has come across but your site is great, just fantastic. I can't tell how many times I've consulted it or how many people I've directed it to.

 

[bsager]

Brad,

Thank you very much. Those are the comments that keep me going. I love this product and want to see it continue and collectors like you are what make it happen!!

Bill

 

[Fullyautomatic]

Since I'm the 2nd grader who opened this thread I feel obligated to respond.I just find it ironic that all of a sudden another dealer opens a forum exactly laid out the same as this one.Exactly!Yes there are not many other topics or titles to use but the creativety of the board could have been changed at least a little.If this was supposed to be in the works for months prior to TreeFrog's release than how could you have the same looking forum board,out of how many possibilities to use from the internet.I think most here on this board are familiar with Groundpounders previous board.It was taken over by P-51 who at least changed the look of the board.He had the cohoney's to ask permission first to and to get other collector's input before getting it up and running.
My concern is exactly what Jazz has stated.I have seen so many other boards come and go and we finally have one established with alot of great K&C collectors and other specific Toy Soldier companies making daily visits that I would hate for this one to be just another casualty.Do you really think Andy and the other top players from Britains and the other companies have the time to visit every board that discusses there product??Do you really think they want to?Can you actually, truthfully tell me that Andy visits the other boards you mentioned and responds with a personel email?
Unlike you Hubby I don't have the time to visit numerous boards for information I hope to get from just one.We have two other K&C dealers visiting here on regular occasions giving input to the board.I don't think they feel threatened that they are losing sales to TreeFrog and I don't believe Shannon and Pete are the kind of people scheming up ideas on how to swindle other K&C dealers customers their way.There has been a need for this board and they stepped up and provided it.
Hubby your more than welcome to visit and participate in this board just like everyone else.Freedom of speech. I just find it interesting that for your first post on this board you jump on this thread and respond saying I'm no better than your 2nd grader.Well if your second grader is already collecting K&C than good for him; he is definately more intelligent then me because if I would have started collecting back then I would be sitting in Margarittaville with Jimmy Buffet right now because of the profit I made selling off the hordes of Winter Stugs and Tigers I had.

 

[bsager]

I would like to add a point to you comment about dealers.

I am a dealer and in no way would I try and take away Pete and Shannons customers. I would hope that if someone were to discover this forum and want to purchase product that it would be purchased from Treefrog Treasures because they initiated this form and brought the business in. If dealers were on here to try and steal other customers away I think this forum would disappear quickly!

Bill

 

[Fullyautomatic]

I didn't want to point out your name Bill but thanks for stepping up.I, like Jazz have used your site numerous times as a reference.I met you two years ago at OTSN.We were both looking at used K&C pieces that someone had available.I think you were actually the first dealer site with a classified section on it if I recall.Like all the other dealers I have met your a class act.
I think old customers stick with the dealers they have dealt with in the past.I tried to spread things out between a couple of dealers and then moved close enough to my present dealer that I don't have to pay shipping.Sorry George and Shannon!!!With that said I agree with you and the fact about new customers.Word of mouth does alot these days to, just like in any other business.It would be interesting to see how many new customers you the dealers get from someone who just stumbles upon your site or meets you at a show and says,"Hey I think I'll start collecting this K&C stuff."I would think most have either seen a friend's collection and then become interested in the product and then ask that person where they purchased it.Hence dealer contact,possible interest and then a sale.Treated right the first time and that customer will be back.Since the product is so good then most of the weight falls on the dealer making a good impression and future sales.
Anyways with that said Bill I wasn't saying you were trying that on this board.I think we all appreciate your K&C wisdom and what you bring to this board along with Louis,Gary,Alex,Jazz and the other senior collectors(meaning your not old but have alot of K&C sets)and all us grunts.Oh you to Andy!Enoughs,enough I'm outta here...

 

[Njja]

Bill thanks a lot for posting all the brochures and information on your site. It is really quite helpful.
Njja

 

[bsager]

I appreciate the feedback. Whatever I can do to help fellow collectors and to keep this fantastic hobby moving forward I will do. Lets keep up with this and see where it goes.

Bill

 

[DMNamiot]

Have to aggree with "hubby" about some of this discussion. I do feel it is good for the other sites to have discussion forums too since this will promote the exchange of info some of us are here for.

 

[Dragoon]

My concern about the direction of this forum is that it seems totally dominated by WWII collectors. Please don't take this as a slight, it's not ment to be. There are alot of other historical periods being beautifully represented in miniature. Generally speaking, any contribution to a thread that is not WWII oriented goes flat with no response, with maybe the exception of a few Anc. Egypt posts. I hope this forum's interests open up a little or it will only become the personal chat room for a handful of collectors.

 

[DMNamiot]

Here, at last I find someone that I do agree with! Dragoon I have to tell you I dont have any WWII items either. I had a bunch of them when I was a kid Britains plastic and others but my focus has been on the Napoleonics and recently the very beautiful Dehli Durbar sets out there. I prefer the glossy parade ground look to the matte finish soldiers. If you are like some of the other collectors out there and are disapointed with Britains new look take a look at Imperial or Beau Geste or Marlborough they are among the best out there. I also wish more Britains traditionalists would get on these threads and generate some discussion.