The grumpy thread

[Pillock]

Vulg - You need to pick a handful of markets and hammer them. Markets with plenty of cash and a big following.

I'm an old VW head, I was growing up with Beetles when they were a few hundred quid and campers weren't much more. To see it turn into a lifestyle is a bit depressing, and nothing shouts lifestyle more than going to Bugjam, and seeing dozens of stands selling camper handbags, pictures of beetles made out of yak hair, all that stuff where it used to be loads of car parts, spares, performance mods, magazines with their project cars and stuff.

 

BUT - as depressing as it is, they go home with very little stock. They're making money.

 

Substitute Beetles and Campers with whatever you like - Land Rovers, Minis. Do it a bit different if you want, knock out some Mk1 Astras and head down to Billing one year. Then take a some Fiesta prints to a Ford show. Get a core set of designs you really like and put them on different things - prints, canvas, t-shirts, crotchless knickers and stuff. I know a guy who laughs about all the VW Tat stalls, but makes money selling similar things online.

 

It'll probably feel like you've sold out, but selling out brings in the cash - and at least you get to dictate how much you sell out. If it starts getting depressing, go back to one-offs.

[jakebullet]

^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^

 

Any old shit with a vw pic on it flies at VW shows. Have stock range for punters to buy, and sit there drawing as well. Take commissions, charge double what you normally would. Kerching.

[Captain Furious]

As an ex jap car owner I still follow a few of the clubs, and they buy ANYTHING with any sort of connection or reference to Japan.

 

You can charge JDM tax on that too so its a double winner.

[Supernaut]

Indian fucking call centres/Indian support services. I raised a support ticket saying one of the RAM modules in a server was faulty, the ticket was closed with the report "RAM fine". After many many emails and an hour of arguing I finally managed to get them to agree it was faulty. Then they told me I would need to pay for it, "no I won't" I said, "it's covered under our support contract", cue many more emails amongst themselves before agreeing that yes it is covered but it will take a while to sort out as they will need to generate a PO. It's been over a month now since I raised the initial ticket!

In contrast to that. I raised a call about a faulty switch chassis with HP on Tuesday. An Indian guy called me back within half an hour, confirmed the shipping address, and I received a replacement switch yesterday.

[Angrydicky]

Check out Redbubble too - my sister uses it and put a few designs on it, of which she gets a percentage each month from things sold. Her designs are mostly based on the X Files and Sherlock, but I know that she gets about a fiver if someone orders a T-shirt, obviously cheaper things like phone cases and posters she gets less money from. But crucially, once the designs are up there she doesn't have to do anything else except watch the money (it averages about £40 for her, but it depends how much and what kind of work you put up there) come rolling in each month.

[beko1987]

Any car marque groups on facebook you could tap into? The only issue would be not looking like you joined to just flog stuff I suppose.

 

Could you do a 'base' drawing, then scan it in and mess about with different styles? So sepia, b&w, andy warhol, sketch etc and create a load of 'stock' images from that? Then watermark it and proceed to cash in on scene tax as above?

[vulgalour]

Thank you for that, guys, that really does help.  I've got time on my side at the moment because I've got very little commission work in so I should be able to devote it to some ideas and try and get some prints and stuff set up.  I'm really not using online services to their full potential, I think I've been too focused on producing one-off pieces and the poor response to printed items (in terms of actual sales) I've had in the past.

 

I reckon Mini, Minor, Beetle and MX-5 are probably the best ones to go for at the moment and I've already got two popular Mini and Minor pieces I can use in my portfolio.  Feeling more positive about that now that I've got a new direction to explore.

[HillmanImp]

I am considering buying a commercial unit to keep all my shite in and work on it but I can't find any websites that seem to sell this sort of stuff to see if its doable as I have literally NO idea how much stuff like this costs.

 

I am looking or an industrial unit or workshop with room for storage but every website I visit is just trying to sell me a fucking business. Where can you view shizzle like this and see how much they go for?

[daveb47]

Just got renewal from coop  insurance for my 1976 Volvo 940.Its gone up from just over £300 to just under £500.

Got 8 years no claims.

Any suggestions on where to try.

[vulgalour]

1976?

[JohnDeere]

I want to get my work out to a wider audience and generate better income but I'm struggling to work out just how to do that. 

 

Could Etsy.com help?

[daveb47]

1976?

1996

[Stanky]

Just got renewal from coop  insurance for my 1976 Volvo 940.Its gone up from just over £300 to just under £500.

Got 8 years no claims.

Any suggestions on where to try.

 

give www.chrisknott.co.uk a shot, UK based-broker who I've used for several years and always come in with very competitive quotes. Saab was £290 fully comp and Nissan was under £200 from memory. I have 5 years NCB.

 

Nice people to deal with too.

[JohnDeere]

Could Etsy.com help?

 

Another thought... greetings cards.  Basically you do half a dozen designs - as people have suggested, do the scene stuff ... T2s, Beetles, Fords, blah blah.  Get them printed onto decent card stock, and flog them for £3 a time.  Find people that sell stuff at the shows and get them to sell them for you at £1 commission - leaves you with £1.50 after paying printing cost.  And then sell them direct via Facebook, Etsy, etc.

[andy18s]

I am considering buying a commercial unit to keep all my shite in and work on it but I can't find any websites that seem to sell this sort of stuff to see if its doable as I have literally NO idea how much stuff like this costs.

 

I am looking or an industrial unit or workshop with room for storage but every website I visit is just trying to sell me a fucking business. Where can you view shizzle like this and see how much they go for?

Go down to your favourite industrial estate and see which letting agency has boards up,there is usually a "preferred" company who rules the roost....

[andy18s]

Thank you for that, guys, that really does help. I've got time on my side at the moment because I've got very little commission work in so I should be able to devote it to some ideas and try and get some prints and stuff set up. I'm really not using online services to their full potential, I think I've been too focused on producing one-off pieces and the poor response to printed items (in terms of actual sales) I've had in the past.

 

I reckon Mini, Minor, Beetle and MX-5 are probably the best ones to go for at the moment and I've already got two popular Mini and Minor pieces I can use in my portfolio. Feeling more positive about that now that I've got a new direction to explore.

The wife has friends who run this sort of printing company

Can get you some details if interested?

[vulgalour]

If you can PM them over to me, that would be appreciated.

[anonymous user]

Hillman Imp, I think you will have difficulty finding one to buy, most are to rent or lease. Commercial buildings are favourite with pension companies. Even if you do find one you may have difficulty getting it off commercial rates.

[HillmanImp]

Hillman Imp, I think you will have difficulty finding one to buy, most are to rent or lease. Commercial buildings are favourite with pension companies. Even if you do find one you may have difficulty getting it off commercial rates.

I am looking at setting up a SSAS and buying it with my pension fund, leasing it to myself on a commercial basis and paying the rent into my pension rather than to someone else.

 

May as well try and make my hobby work for me rather than line someone elses pockets.

[Supernaut]

Pedestrian-only lane on campus.

 

 

 

KNOOOOOOB.

 

I actually went back to my office and got one of those horrendous* no parking stickers out of my drawer (I have a stock of proper official university ones from my colleagues in the estates department) and just as I came back to it, the guy was firing it up. DOUBLE KNOB.

 

 

 

*I mean it. They're really sticky and break up into tiny pieces when you try to peel them off.

[twosmoke300]

He's not causing an obstruction is he ? Parking in places like that on a bike is the payback for being cut up , having screen wash and fag ash flicked in your eyes and getting puss wet through .

[Pillock]

Depends if he's ridden it or pushed it there.

A pedestrians only path should have some sort of expectation that there won't be a ridden motorbike mixing with people on foot, I'd have thought.

[strangeangel]

*I mean it. They're really sticky and break up into tiny pieces when you try to peel them off.

 

Nice one, cos that would have been entirely deserved based on the massive* obstruction* he was causing

[Supernaut]

I'm going to run the risk of causing offence here, but have you considered taking up an additional hobby?

 

I think the hobby of not letting shit days at work get to me is to be taken up.

 

Having a cider now to chill out.

 

I do still see a few bikers taking the piss a bit on campus sometimes though. One guy rode through a very narrow pedestrian-only lane to avoid some traffic lights, nearly hitting me and 3 other people recently. However, it was not this bike, it was a Chinese 125cc POS.

[HH-R]

I've had my Kia 15 months now and I still stall the fucking thing 2/3 times a day. It's pissing me right off now, I think it's going to have to go.

 

I know ultimately it's my balls up but unless you're slipping the clutch, it just dies. I managed to stall it going downhill yesterday, somehow.

[Sheefag]

Just got renewal from coop  insurance for my 1976 Volvo 940.Its gone up from just over £300 to just under £500.

Got 8 years no claims.

Any suggestions on where to try.

 

Try these, like my broker, they don't even have a website -

 

Gerrard Insurance Brokers Ltd

Hornchurch Business Centre,

5-9, Station Lane,

Hornchurch,

Essex, RM12 6JL

01708 716892

[Supernaut]

I managed to stall it going downhill yesterday, somehow.

That's... impressive!

[chaseracer]

I've had my Kia 15 months now and I still stall the fucking thing 2/3 times a day. It's pissing me right off now, I think it's going to have to go.

 

I know ultimately it's my balls up but unless you're slipping the clutch, it just dies. I managed to stall it going downhill yesterday, somehow.

 

MOAR REVS M8 

[HH-R]

Me, tomorrow:

[Rocket88]

The modern AA is a financial products broker with a breakdown 'service' loosely aligned.

 

As someone who actually works for them, as a recovery driver, this isn't so.