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CoasterCrate Subscription Boxes

Burbs said:
Do people really want merchandise from parks they haven't been to??
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DiogoJ42 said:
See, the trouble is, that a lot of people feel they have to "earn" the merch by going on the ride....if it's a park I like, I've already got the merch.
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The quotes above pretty well sum up my approach to theme park merchandise. I won't get merchandise for a park I haven't been to or a ride I haven't been on, and even if I have experienced something, I have several criteria that the merch needs to meet for it to be worth buying:
  • Do I like the park or attraction enough to really want this item?
  • Is it decent quality or just tat? As an example, t-shirts with plasticy or rubbery printing that'll just fall apart are generally best avoided.
  • If the item can be worn, I will essentially be promoting the place it's from to whoever sees it. Am I going to be happy to recommend it to them if they ask me about it?
Also, everybody in theme park enthusiasm starts off inexperienced and having only been to a few places, and by and large I'm not very confident and am hopefully seen as a fairly humble person. I do however occasionally find a bit of petty enjoyment in wearing something that makes me feel a bit "look at this less well known place I've been to!", or can be used to rub a better park or ride in the face of a similar but lesser one (e.g. wearing a Europa Park t-shirt at Heide Park). I'm well aware that this is ridiculous. I'm not actually that well travelled myself, and at best people either don't notice or care and at worst people comment on it in another language I'm bad at (e.g. the guy at Toverland last year who assumed I was German after seeing my Blue Fire bag and the Wodan t-shirt I was wearing to troll Troy). I have no doubt however that this has influenced one or two of my merch buying decisions.

All of this means I've got a lot more picky about what I buy in the past few years, particularly as I've gained more experience of parks and coasters and my standards have risen. On a recent trip taking in fourteen parks, nine of which were new, I only bought three items and just one was a t-shirt.

Anyway, as by now you'll no doubt have gathered, receiving a box of coaster merch every couple of months isn't for me. I do however think this forum is quite different in membership to some of theme park and coaster enthusiast sites and online communities though; there are undoubtedly very passionate people out there who love visiting any kind of park and always buy merch, so there's surely a market of some size out there for you. I wish you the best of luck!
 
Cheese said:
I do however occasionally find a bit of petty enjoyment in wearing something that makes me feel a bit "look at this less well known place I've been to!", or can be used to rub a better park or ride in the face of a similar but lesser one (e.g. wearing a Europa Park t-shirt at Heide Park).
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I have a rule: When visiting a park, always wear a ride T shirt from a different, unrelated park (that I have been to). The further away and more obscure the better. Oh how I wish Galaxyland sold Mindbender T shirts! But, alas, it was not to be. :(
 
I'm sure some people would want to have tat from parks they've never visited, but much like Diogo, if I've been there I have the merch (and I do go all out on that, Baron 1898 soap is by far the weirdest piece of tat I've purchased)...

I think that for the amount of people who would do this, and the likelihood of a good number of parks joining in makes this venture unlikely...
 
Have you actually worked out a costing and approached parks? Or is this all hypothetical? I can't see this being asked yet. If you have approached parks, what was the reaction? It's all well and good saying you'll attempt to but you won't get any serious orders if you can't get the exclusives which are your USP.
 
Cheese said:
The quotes above pretty well sum up my approach to theme park merchandise. I won't get merchandise for a park I haven't been to or a ride I haven't been on, and even if I have experienced something, I have several criteria that the merch needs to meet for it to be worth buying:
  • Do I like the park or attraction enough to really want this item?
  • Is it decent quality or just tat? As an example, t-shirts with plasticy or rubbery printing that'll just fall apart are generally best avoided.
  • If the item can be worn, I will essentially be promoting the place it's from to whoever sees it. Am I going to be happy to recommend it to them if they ask me about it?
Also, everybody in theme park enthusiasm starts off inexperienced and having only been to a few places, and by and large I'm not very confident and am hopefully seen as a fairly humble person. I do however occasionally find a bit of petty enjoyment in wearing something that makes me feel a bit "look at this less well known place I've been to!", or can be used to rub a better park or ride in the face of a similar but lesser one (e.g. wearing a Europa Park t-shirt at Heide Park). I'm well aware that this is ridiculous. I'm not actually that well travelled myself, and at best people either don't notice or care and at worst people comment on it in another language I'm bad at (e.g. the guy at Toverland last year who assumed I was German after seeing my Blue Fire bag and the Wodan t-shirt I was wearing to troll Troy). I have no doubt however that this has influenced one or two of my merch buying decisions.

All of this means I've got a lot more picky about what I buy in the past few years, particularly as I've gained more experience of parks and coasters and my standards have risen. On a recent trip taking in fourteen parks, nine of which were new, I only bought three items and just one was a t-shirt.

Anyway, as by now you'll no doubt have gathered, receiving a box of coaster merch every couple of months isn't for me. I do however think this forum is quite different in membership to some of theme park and coaster enthusiast sites and online communities though; there are undoubtedly very passionate people out there who love visiting any kind of park and always buy merch, so there's surely a market of some size out there for you. I wish you the best of luck!
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Thank you Cheese for your honest and detailed feedback - I completely understand that CoasterCrate isn't for everyone!

MattyH said:
Have you actually worked out a costing and approached parks? Or is this all hypothetical? I can't see this being asked yet. If you have approached parks, what was the reaction? It's all well and good saying you'll attempt to but you won't get any serious orders if you can't get the exclusives which are your USP.
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We're in the process of arranging all of the points you mentioned above. Till we get confirmed items we can't work out a cost but are aiming for £20. Yes I totally agree with you regarding the exclusives and that's why we're working so hard to get them!

I understand we don't had a lot of information to give away at the moment but we just wanted to get CoasterCrate out there and get some opinions!
 
If only this was a guaranteed method of culling the UK from the idiots who wear nothing but Smiler merch to school, work, to bed, in the shower, to a wedding or funeral (all whilst failing to wash them).
 
Danny said:
If only this was a guaranteed method of culling the UK from the idiots who wear nothing but Smiler merch to school, work, to bed, in the shower, to a wedding or funeral (all whilst failing to wash them).
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How about a box with Smiler branded washing powder? ;)
 
I have removed some posts from this thread and edited the ones that remain.

Post owners will be aware of why without the need for any elaboration. Please remember this is a public forum! Any questions please do get in touch.

KINDEST regards.

With reference to the premise of a merch box, having ordered TS badges in bulk I know full well the cost comes out of your pocket first and foremost, and the only way to get a reasonable price that YOU pay is by ordered a large amount of pieces. You'll struggle to find enough buyers IMO to balance out a cost effective programme of securing goods vs. selling them for a reasonable price as a package.

As with other feedback, aside from ride manufacturer pins and Disney trading pins, I've not ever bought "souvenirs" from parks I haven't visited. Souvenirs by their dictionary definition "a thing that is a reminder of a person, place or event. A keepsake. A memento". Sooooo... It's a nope from me :)
 
£20 is a bit to ambitious. Most decent merch exceeds that price easily, and the only thing that comes to mind that's "cheap" (do not read as good value) is pin badges, and I can't see many people willing to pay that price for pin badges when most parks have an online shop, and even parks that don't will sometimes send them out to you if you email them. In fact, lots of parks offer online stores anyway, so I could get merch from parks I've never been to quite easily if I really wanted. I also echo what others have said in that I wouldn't want merch from parks I haven't been to.

I'd be interested to see any exclusives, but unfortunately, I really don't see any parks collaborating on that, especially for that price. Maybe try again once/if any parks respond, but no one's going to go for it when it sounds unrealistic, and is offering things that I don't see happening.
 
Sazzle said:
I have removed some posts from this thread and edited the ones that remain.

Post owners will be aware of why without the need for any elaboration. Please remember this is a public forum! Any questions please do get in touch.

KINDEST regards.

With reference to the premise of a merch box, having ordered TS badges in bulk I know full well the cost comes out of your pocket first and foremost, and the only way to get a reasonable price that YOU pay is by ordered a large amount of pieces. You'll struggle to find enough buyers IMO to balance out a cost effective programme of securing goods vs. selling them for a reasonable price as a package.

As with other feedback, aside from ride manufacturer pins and Disney trading pins, I've not ever bought "souvenirs" from parks I haven't visited. Souvenirs by their dictionary definition "a thing that is a reminder of a person, place or event. A keepsake. A memento". Sooooo... It's a nope from me :)
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Thanks for the feedback!

Leah said:
£20 is a bit to ambitious. Most decent merch exceeds that price easily, and the only thing that comes to mind that's "cheap" (do not read as good value) is pin badges, and I can't see many people willing to pay that price for pin badges when most parks have an online shop, and even parks that don't will sometimes send them out to you if you email them. In fact, lots of parks offer online stores anyway, so I could get merch from parks I've never been to quite easily if I really wanted. I also echo what others have said in that I wouldn't want merch from parks I haven't been to.

I'd be interested to see any exclusives, but unfortunately, I really don't see any parks collaborating on that, especially for that price. Maybe try again once/if any parks respond, but no one's going to go for it when it sounds unrealistic, and is offering things that I don't see happening.
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We've found that most parks don't offer any sort of online store whilst researching (granted some do, but most don't). £20 is our starting point and is not a confirmed price :)
 
In hindsight it probably was a bit far, I apologise if it upset anyone. My serious comments still stand in regards to getting parks on side and what value of items can be placed in these boxes for £20
 
I can't say I like the responses I've read in this topic? What happened to the supportive community we have here?

This person has a genuine idea and what happens? Mockery, pessimism, p**s taking, un-constructive taunts and general arrogance.

Very few of you have offered any real suggestions or indeed support towards the idea. Apologies for being so blunt but this topic annoyed me.

I think it's a great idea but I believe it will be a tough uphill battle on margins. You may get somewhere if you were to include discounts and trips to the actual parks with extra perks that others may not get. You would have to approach with knowledge of the market size, maybe do some survey's across enthusiast sites? Also look into Loot Crate's business and how they operate and their margins. I know many were saying about the cost of T-shirts but nearly every Loot Crate comes with a T-Shirt each month. It's all about bulk buying.
 
CoasterCrate said:
We're in the process of arranging all of the points you mentioned above. Till we get confirmed items we can't work out a cost but are aiming for £20. Yes I totally agree with you regarding the exclusives and that's why we're working so hard to get them!

I understand we don't had a lot of information to give away at the moment but we just wanted to get CoasterCrate out there and get some opinions!
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I can't help but fear you've shot yourself in the foot with this £20 figure you keep mentioning.

The main business model in this area is obviously Loot Crate, which charge about £22.50 a month for the crates. Rather than getting big things to being with, try starting with the small things and building your supply network, as the amount of money coming in increases so can the amount of money you are spending on these. On the same theory, as the supply network increases, the likeliness of getting bigger exclusives also increases. It's an interesting idea on paper but I fear you've got a lot of hard work ahead of you before you begin to send the boxes out.

Hope this helps you out.
 
Spike said:
I can't say I like the responses I've read in this topic? What happened to the supportive community we have here?

This person has a genuine idea and what happens? Mockery, pessimism, p**s taking, un-constructive taunts and general arrogance.

Very few of you have offered any real suggestions or indeed support towards the idea. Apologies for being so blunt but this topic annoyed me.

I think it's a great idea but I believe it will be a tough uphill battle on margins. You may get somewhere if you were to include discounts and trips to the actual parks with extra perks that others may not get. You would have to approach with knowledge of the market size, maybe do some survey's across enthusiast sites? Also look into Loot Crate's business and how they operate and their margins. I know many were saying about the cost of T-shirts but nearly every Loot Crate comes with a T-Shirt each month. It's all about bulk buying.
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Thanks so much for your support. We knew not everyone would love the idea - but contstructive feedback is certainly welcomed. We're in a position where everyone's feedback can shape CoasterCrate.

Yes, we certainly expect some parks may wish to add discounts or other benefits in the boxes which we don't see as an issue so long as the merch is of a good quality.

We've looked at LootCrate and many other subscription models and have experienced being a customer of them too.

MattyH said:
I can't help but fear you've shot yourself in the foot with this £20 figure you keep mentioning.

The main business model in this area is obviously Loot Crate, which charge about £22.50 a month for the crates. Rather than getting big things to being with, try starting with the small things and building your supply network, as the amount of money coming in increases so can the amount of money you are spending on these. On the same theory, as the supply network increases, the likeliness of getting bigger exclusives also increases. It's an interesting idea on paper but I fear you've got a lot of hard work ahead of you before you begin to send the boxes out.

Hope this helps you out.
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Yes that's definitely the way we want to work. Our first box will be a limited run and then we will be in a position to assess feedback from customers, including contents, price and overall satisfaction which will help us shape further boxes.

We didn't think this was going to be easy but it'll be worth it all in the end!
 
CoasterCrate, I didn't mean to cause any offence, was just having a little joke :p Being serious, I think it's a decent idea on paper. I am one of those people who prefers to have some merch of a ride I've ridden. But I think your service could be useful for those who didn't actually get an opportunity to buy merch when they went to a park. For example, when I went to Scandinavia, I wanted some shirts from Liseberg, Kolmarden and Grona Lund, but didn't get any as I had a sense of paranoia about missing my flight and saving money for a new one (yeah really!). So I did want a T Shirt of Wildfire, Helix etc, I think your service could be useful to people who have been through what happened to me (but not as such in a stupid manner :p)

I also think there's collectors out there who just love collecting theme park merch, but they know realistically they might never get a chance to visit that park. There is a market out there for you, I think you just have to keep looking for people interested and you'll get this kickstarted more easily and sooner. I wish you the best of luck! :)
 
TedTheHuman said:
CoasterCrate, I didn't mean to cause any offence, was just having a little joke :p Being serious, I think it's a decent idea on paper. I am one of those people who prefers to have some merch of a ride I've ridden. But I think your service could be useful for those who didn't actually get an opportunity to buy merch when they went to a park. For example, when I went to Scandinavia, I wanted some shirts from Liseberg, Kolmarden and Grona Lund, but didn't get any as I had a sense of paranoia about missing my flight and saving money for a new one (yeah really!). So I did want a T Shirt of Wildfire, Helix etc, I think your service could be useful to people who have been through what happened to me (but not as such in a stupid manner :p)

I also think there's collectors out there who just love collecting theme park merch, but they know realistically they might never get a chance to visit that park. There is a market out there for you, I think you just have to keep looking for people interested and you'll get this kickstarted more easily and sooner. I wish you the best of luck! :)
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No offence taken! We want our boxes to contain a mixture of merchandise from old favourites and perhaps some from parks you are yet to discover!

We've generally had very positive feedback so far and we can't wait to start compiling our first box!
 
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Benzin said:
Anyone who thinks pin badges are cheap need to visit Disney...
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So true. Went to dlp in May and on the last day bought some pins of my favourite rides I went on.

Must of spent about €50-60 on about 5 pins. Crazy when you think about it, but they are good to look at

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 
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