Peter Reuss
2nd Lieutenant
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2005
- Messages
- 3,775
Lately there have been a flood of posts about how this hobby is dying, how collectors are getting older, how this can't last much longer, how manufacturers are going to start dropping like flies.
This narrative hasn't changed since Shannon and I got into the hobby in 2001. While we heard the doom and gloom stories...our own sales increased. We found new customers for the hobby. We expanded operations.
Even today, amid the doom and gloom, Richard Walker and I have been working to find creative ways to get toy soldiers in front of potential new collectors. The world abounds in people who have never heard of a toy soldier...yet get hooked when they find them.
I do realize that the hobby is changing. Because of the internet toy shows have lost some appeal. Toy soldier magazines can no longer bring people 'the latest.' Changes don't mean death. Change can simply mean change. New methods must be found to find new blood. Many collectors enjoy their figures but don't feel a need for the social side of the hobby. As an internet business, we have many great customers we've never met. They prefer to quietly order online and quietly enjoy the hobby. That's their right.
Shannon used to always say, "In business you are either innovating and moving forward or you are declining." As one who has a wee bit of access to a toy soldier dealer's balance sheet, I'm excited about where things are going. It'd be one thing if all our new customers came from other dealers...but that's not the case. We have new people ordering from us all the time. Our task is to help the one time purchaser become a long term collector.
Like I said, I've heard about the death of this hobby for 15 years now. Back in those days it was just Shannon and I working out of the basement. Now I need three full time staff (with some part time help) to keep things going. Doesn't look like death to me!
This narrative hasn't changed since Shannon and I got into the hobby in 2001. While we heard the doom and gloom stories...our own sales increased. We found new customers for the hobby. We expanded operations.
Even today, amid the doom and gloom, Richard Walker and I have been working to find creative ways to get toy soldiers in front of potential new collectors. The world abounds in people who have never heard of a toy soldier...yet get hooked when they find them.
I do realize that the hobby is changing. Because of the internet toy shows have lost some appeal. Toy soldier magazines can no longer bring people 'the latest.' Changes don't mean death. Change can simply mean change. New methods must be found to find new blood. Many collectors enjoy their figures but don't feel a need for the social side of the hobby. As an internet business, we have many great customers we've never met. They prefer to quietly order online and quietly enjoy the hobby. That's their right.
Shannon used to always say, "In business you are either innovating and moving forward or you are declining." As one who has a wee bit of access to a toy soldier dealer's balance sheet, I'm excited about where things are going. It'd be one thing if all our new customers came from other dealers...but that's not the case. We have new people ordering from us all the time. Our task is to help the one time purchaser become a long term collector.
Like I said, I've heard about the death of this hobby for 15 years now. Back in those days it was just Shannon and I working out of the basement. Now I need three full time staff (with some part time help) to keep things going. Doesn't look like death to me!