Hi everyone,

I don't post much on forums much, so if you don't recognise me that's why, although I do lurk and have been known to pop up in the chat on TIG.

I was just wondering if anyone had any experience or knowledge, ideas about how to open a small vintage star wars shop AND make it a profitable business?

Could you buy on places like ebay and online forums as a reputable trader/buyer etc then sell to make a profit in a store?

Anyway, any thoughts welcome - maybe it's just too darn hard to even think about

Dan

Hi Dan,

When I was younger collectible shops and comic shops were all over the place, one or two in every town but back then things were cheaper, not only to stock your shop but to pay the rent and bills.

As time has gone on and ebay being a cheap way to shift items it has killed off many small shops unfortunately.

If you were to open a shop in this day and age you would need a lot of money to cover your first few months - you would need to be stocked well with great items (all at cost to you) and have a location where you get business on a regular basis.

I think the hassle of opening a collectible store in 2011 is not worth it unfortunately however much I love them.

The only places that manage to keep selling toys and comics etc are normally shops that work inside other shops, there was a shop in Essex that had records at the front, skater clothing at the back and at the top was an instrument shop and a little toy store, it was one location but 4 different guys in the same building, probably mates- it worked because there was always people coming in and out looking for *something* and being distracted by something else.

Hi Dan and welcome here ,

i think there is a vintage shop opened pretty recently in boro? hunters toys i think. He trades on ebay as well, maybe drop him a message through ebay and see how he went about getting set up etc

cheers

Andy

There is a shop in worcester (videodrome) that sells vintage (VERY expensive tho) and he also sells other toy lines also new and used DVDS.
I think if you stuck to just vintage SW it wouldn't work but selling other lines would go a long way to helping it be a sucess.

Oh he also sells autographs, and has in person signings from people like Dave Prowse & Warrick Davies.

In fact if the videodrome didn;t exist i'd of been very tempted to do something like this myself.

A cheap way to try it out is by opening an Ebay shop. It's cheap and the buying crowd is massive. If you can't make it on Ebay then you proboly would not make it IRL .

I have thougt about the idea myself . But have let it go myself. Just thinking about how much stuff i had to sell to make my income as it its now. Killed it for good and it did not even think about rent , taxes etc.

But if it's your dream then go for it mate

I like to her how it turns out , so keep us postet

Probably wont help you much overseas but in the US people set up "shops" in local flea markets (markets that sell all kinds of different stuff). The SW sellers around here have a shop set up with SW and other collectibles. Usually stuff they have bought on ebay and are trying to flip for an outrageous amount. I think it would be hard to have enough capital income to front opening an actual store. At least here in the US.

The other option would be to rent a unit at a antiques centre. There are a few around where I live (in fact heading to the one in Gloucester tomorrow for my birthday).

I am sure the costs vary across the country but I looked into it around this way and you pay a set rate per week and the centre provide the staff and look after your unit.

At least this way you can carry on working and have less risk.

If you set anything up let us all know and I am sure you will get plenty of visits from the members here.

Steve

Hey guys

Thanks so much for your responses, I really appreciate that. Yeah it's a difficult thing to consider opening a shop, as any small business it would be a risk and have a lot of work to do. I've thought of it before, if I come into money one day I might consider it seriously, or, when I have enough credit with my bank, apply for a business loan etc, as you can see at the moment it's just an idea.

geordie wrote:

i think there is a vintage shop opened pretty recently in boro? hunters toys i think.

I didn't know that, I'll have to check it out - I live off near Saltburn so a trip to boro isn't far for me, I'll find out, would love to just go along and see what he's got and have a look anyway, especially if he sells vintage!

Del wrote:

I think if you stuck to just vintage SW it wouldn't work but selling other lines would go a long way to helping it be a sucess. Oh he also sells autographs, and has in person signings from people like Dave Prowse & Warrick Davies.

You're right, that's something which is up for debate and would be on the tabel if things progressed, maybe you could invest in stock which is solely vintage of other toy lines, or specialise in star wars vintage and modern with some other lines, there's a lot up for discussion, but I guess looking at other toy shops in other areas would give you good ideas I love the signings idea though, would be definately worth budgeting for!

soren wrote:

A cheap way to try it out is by opening an Ebay shop. It's cheap and the buying crowd is massive. If you can't make it on Ebay then you proboly would not make it IRL .

But if it's your dream then go for it mate

I like to her how it turns out , so keep us postet

Thanks Soren

That's what I'm going to do Soren - after thinking about it, I want to do something a bit different so I'm considering getting a full set of loose vintage with original weapons (referenced here on TIG) with C9 figures etc, maybe venture into POTF but basically sell a loose set on ebay, having compiled the figures myself, I dont' know, just an idea, then maybe I'll expand with a shop. Although (another debate entirely) U grading is a big earner apparently, though I don't have the heart to destroy the MOC that's out there, having MOC myself.

Sith Noob wrote:

Probably wont help you much overseas but in the US people set up "shops" in local flea markets (markets that sell all kinds of different stuff).

Some 14, 15 years ago in the mid to late nineties there was a flea market where I went to Uni, and I remember visiting a mainly star wars shop in the market, I still remember it, all the MOC on the wall, comic books, loose figures in long glass cases, it was excellent. I think after an online venture, this would be something to consider first, maybe there's less of a strain on rent and expenses etc.

Anyway, thanks for all the comments guys, really appreciated, it's giving me food for thought. It might not come to anything, but you never know, I might have my own business one day!

Dan,

maybe drop Gandalf (Lee ) a pm,

im pretty sure he knows / is mate with the guy who opened the shop in boro

Andy

Hi Dan.

Well I got a some thought like yours. Or in a way my project has been luched because I got a corner in the collectibels shop my mother in law is opening in a few months. But I will at first keep it very down scaled. I have some vintage figures and some modern figures some ships and so on. And try to see if there is a interest for the stuff. In a way it's a easy way and a none risk opertynaty to try selling the toys. I will make a post when the project is finish. That will be late march I think.

Btw I would't dare to open a shop only selling Star Wars toys. Maybe it can be a part of a shop but here in Denmark I realy scour that you can't only sell the SW toys.

Cheers Michael