Getting Boards into shops

[WorkinHardHardware]

I am the owner of a small board brand where I handmake all of my boards and presses and essentially it is a completely DIY operation. I am very confident in my product and have had nothing but positive reviews as far as my boards go coming from all levels of riders. My next step would be trying to market them to shops. My main questions arise from what the transactions from brand owner to shop looks like and how simple/complicated that relationship looks like. Any shop owners or those who have insider knowledge I would appreciate an help you can give! Boards are here if anyone wants to peep https://www.etsy.com/shop/workinhardhardware

[Violator]

I would just call up a shop I'd assume, or stop by and give them some to test out?  I really am not sure about the business side of things. I'm kind of new to AZ and I'm stoked on what you're doing so I just bought an 8.5 fishtail, looking forward to ripping it   I wish you the best of luck!!

[Woodshop]

From working in various shops over the years (from huge corporate establishments to single staff member in store) and sometimes running my own business / skate shop on the side as well.


It can be a very simple process, but it also can get very complicated very quickly too.

Emails or calls can often be taken or overlooked, in store visits can be good at the right time with the right person.

Shops need to make money (different margins here in AU compared to USA I know) but usually a shop will have to buy boards at a fairly low price in order to sell them at a reasonable price in the shop.

If the operation / business is still selling boards below that via a webstore or their own front door, some shops in a local area might not be at all keen to stock them, but to send them somewhere adds to overall costs, which usually have to be absorbed by the shop, but can be agreed on with both parties before anything happens.


As to the size and type of shop, a smaller more core skate shop is usually going to be a lot more receptive than a bigger more corporate type business, but also having something that would benefit the shop is the main thing too.  If all their customers were kids riding DGK boards under 8" having some old school blanks or similar type of boards might not be something that the shop is at all interested in as they might never sell them.  Looking into any shop you would like to get boards in is important, not just what they have in stock (online or in store) but also a little history of the shop helps too.

Having an initial order "on consignment" is often the easiest way the shop can deal with an unknown comodity, as well as giving them a board to skate and try out, which is all good and well, but then you haven't made anything and are down a board or two right from go.  Just having one or two boards in a shop might be somewhere to start, but having half a dozen or more might be better, also depending on the shop, how many boards they have, how much room they have, etc.

Being a bit too "out there" and keen can also put off some shop people, given there is a good chance that who ever is behind the counter could just as easily be the owner, or just a shop guy, so working out the right person to talk to is a must as well.

Lastly I think timing of going into a shop is important too.  If you have some boards for show and tell, going in after school or on a weekend might be busy and the last thing someone in the shop can do is afford time to talk, same as lunch time or any other busy periods, if any, for a local area or shop.

[rocklobster]

From working in various shops over the years (from huge corporate establishments to single staff member in store) and sometimes running my own business / skate shop on the side as well.


It can be a very simple process, but it also can get very complicated very quickly too.

Emails or calls can often be taken or overlooked, in store visits can be good at the right time with the right person.

Shops need to make money (different margins here in AU compared to USA I know) but usually a shop will have to buy boards at a fairly low price in order to sell them at a reasonable price in the shop.

If the operation / business is still selling boards below that via a webstore or their own front door, some shops in a local area might not be at all keen to stock them, but to send them somewhere adds to overall costs, which usually have to be absorbed by the shop, but can be agreed on with both parties before anything happens.


As to the size and type of shop, a smaller more core skate shop is usually going to be a lot more receptive than a bigger more corporate type business, but also having something that would benefit the shop is the main thing too.  If all their customers were kids riding DGK boards under 8" having some old school blanks or similar type of boards might not be something that the shop is at all interested in as they might never sell them.  Looking into any shop you would like to get boards in is important, not just what they have in stock (online or in store) but also a little history of the shop helps too.

Having an initial order "on consignment" is often the easiest way the shop can deal with an unknown comodity, as well as giving them a board to skate and try out, which is all good and well, but then you haven't made anything and are down a board or two right from go.  Just having one or two boards in a shop might be somewhere to start, but having half a dozen or more might be better, also depending on the shop, how many boards they have, how much room they have, etc.

Being a bit too "out there" and keen can also put off some shop people, given there is a good chance that who ever is behind the counter could just as easily be the owner, or just a shop guy, so working out the right person to talk to is a must as well.

Lastly I think timing of going into a shop is important too.  If you have some boards for show and tell, going in after school or on a weekend might be busy and the last thing someone in the shop can do is afford time to talk, same as lunch time or any other busy periods, if any, for a local area or shop.

I would add that shops are stacked to the rafters with hardgoods, some of them are still overstocked with decks from 2021, so clearing existing inventory will be the priority before taking on a brand from a smaller player. And these are all the popular sizes and even shaped decks - shops are spoiled for choices. So you go-to-market strategy has to be unique that isn't lower prices. Old school shapes? Unique graphics? Hydrodipped decks like Pennswood?

If the insight from the woodshop thread are true, taking on too many orders and imploding is a real possibility. AD came in hot in Oct 2021 but closed down in less than 6 months. Manage capacity carefully - maybe going smaller / bespoke as opposed to mass distribution could be the more profitable, long-term play.

[Sativa Lung]

I am the owner of a small board brand where I handmake all of my boards and presses and essentially it is a completely DIY operation. I am very confident in my product and have had nothing but positive reviews as far as my boards go coming from all levels of riders. My next step would be trying to market them to shops. My main questions arise from what the transactions from brand owner to shop looks like and how simple/complicated that relationship looks like. Any shop owners or those who have insider knowledge I would appreciate an help you can give! Boards are here if anyone wants to peep https://www.etsy.com/shop/workinhardhardware

Hey dude...so a few things...first I would maybe invest in some simple graphics just to make them look a little less like something you made in your garage. That's going to be a red flag to shops that get a surprising amount of yahoos with $75 iron on t shirts trying to get their "brand" into shops these days.

Next stop is your local shop and park. Get them on board first, but don't be surprised if they only want to take 3-4 decks on consignment. Be cool, don't be pushy and let them know you're not just trying to make a quick buck. Now you've got someone to vouch for you when you approach other shops, and you go ahead and repeat the process. Its slow and takes a lot of work but that's generally how you build a board company. Since you're in AZ I would definitely hit up Cowtown, I know they carry and promote some smaller local brands like dead Canary.

Now since you're actually pressing decks and there's still a wood shortage, don't be surprised if someone approaches you about making small runs or shop boards once your name is out there. That side of things is a little different and you'll likely be much more in demand if you're essentially working with shops rather than just selling them something. I would maybe press up a few 8.25 popsicle samples for that purpose.

Good luck!

[144p]

Everything that has been said is 100% accurate. As a buyer I have to look at my board wall real estate and think about demand and product image, are people even going to know what board it is? Do the graphics sell the product alone? Every demographic has their criteria for board purchasing, for something like what you are doing you might strictly be  direct to consumer unless you have a good friend who works at a shop. Start an Instagram account, make your content interesting and relevant to the person who would choose to be supporting diy skateboarding. Some accounts to follow
@wouldshopskates is a perfect example of a diy skateboard manufacturer.

[Sativa Lung]

Legend skates out in Cali is another example of doing it by hand in your garage but on a bigger scale if that's what you're aspiring to. He's been experimenting with shapes and materials for ages and now he makes boards for H street and others as well. Here's a YouTube clip where you can kinda see some of his shop. Great boards too.

[Woodshop]

Legend skates out in Cali is another example of doing it by hand in your garage but on a bigger scale if that's what you're aspiring to. He's been experimenting with shapes and materials for ages and now he makes boards for H street and others as well. Here's a YouTube clip where you can kinda see some of his shop. Great boards too.

I watched that and thought "Wow, I have to look him up" but it turns out I am following him on Instagram and have him on the woodshop list already.

Was good to see though, so thanks for posting that!

[FuzzGNU]

If the operation / business is still selling boards below that via a webstore or their own front door, some shops in a local area might not be at all keen to stock them, but to send them somewhere adds to overall costs, which usually have to be absorbed by the shop, but can be agreed on with both parties before anything happens.


As to the size and type of shop, a smaller more core skate shop is usually going to be a lot more receptive than a bigger more corporate type business, but also having something that would benefit the shop is the main thing too.  If all their customers were kids riding DGK boards under 8" having some old school blanks or similar type of boards might not be something that the shop is at all interested in as they might never sell them.  Looking into any shop you would like to get boards in is important, not just what they have in stock (online or in store) but also a little history of the shop helps too.

Having an initial order "on consignment" is often the easiest way the shop can deal with an unknown comodity, as well as giving them a board to skate and try out, which is all good and well, but then you haven't made anything and are down a board or two right from go.  Just having one or two boards in a shop might be somewhere to start, but having half a dozen or more might be better, also depending on the shop, how many boards they have, how much room they have, etc.

Awesome advice, thanks!

I have some smilar but different questions... I don't currently have any interest in actually pressing the boards myself. More so designing graphics and having them pressed by one of the major woodshops...

Are there any ways in which approaching the shop to get them on shelves differs in this situation?

Are there woodshops (besides BBS and PS Stix) that tend to be more sought after and more attractive to shops?

Should I approach them about their interest in the deck graphics/woodshops BEFORE getting them made, or show up with boards in-hand already made?

Alternatively, how do I go about pitching a shop deck graphic to a shop (letting them handle the B2B side of things)?

[Woodshop]

Awesome advice, thanks!

I have some smilar but different questions... I don't currently have any interest in actually pressing the boards myself. More so designing graphics and having them pressed by one of the major woodshops...

Are there any ways in which approaching the shop to get them on shelves differs in this situation?

Are there woodshops (besides BBS and PS Stix) that tend to be more sought after and more attractive to shops?

Should I approach them about their interest in the deck graphics/woodshops BEFORE getting them made, or show up with boards in-hand already made?

Alternatively, how do I go about pitching a shop deck graphic to a shop (letting them handle the B2B side of things)?

There are lots of places who now just do the heat transfers on boards they bought in from elsewhere, a new one this week in the most recent page of the Woodshop thread in a post from TwisT and link below, which really makes a lot of sense when they have the access to the wholesale skateboard supplier and you have the desire to do your own boards.

https://www.instagram.com/rgwoods.co/


As to trying to deal with the very short list of major woodshops or suppliers, unless you are willing to put up for a 10,000 deck order, they will not even talk to you, so a much smaller company like the one above is a good option, or the ones in the list at the bottom, via the link, of which there are oh so many nowdays.


Re shop and graphics, you can always take boards into shops as a sure sign you mean business, but maybe even go in to a few local shops with info and pics of board graphics you are thinking of, before actually getting anything done and asking their opinions on them, along with the question if they would stock them in the shop, just to get an idea if anyone is interested.

Same with shop boards, as there have been some pretty cool guest artist designs from some local shops I know and have seen in the last few years too.  This all started by someone just going into the shop and showing interest in the shop first, then offering services second, so not just going in and trying to sell to whoever is behind the counter.

At the same time I have seen some local brands and some shop boards that I wondered who did what and why, because some of those things were pretty average and the graphics up close were terrible - badly printed from poor editing and not having enough detail in the image sent to the printers to start with.

In going in to the shop, you could hit them up as to who they use for their own shop boards and if they are willing to talk to you about it, you could buy a board and skate it and see what it is like to give you a better idea if you want to use that wood too.


You would best talk to some of the board suppliers and places that do heat transfers to find out minimums, get samples of their boards if possible or at least information on the boards, dimensions, concave, woodshop supplier or any other info.  Some people (like the Slap people) have a very specific view of what they like and want to ride, but a good portion of the general public is much more interested in buying a board that looks cool in around the right size for them, or might not have any idea of concave, wheelbase, or other info like that.

Some businesses might have as little as 10 boards, some 20 or 30 minimum, some a lot higher too, but along with the list of woodshops, there is also the list of suppliers who can provide these services to you, many of them in the USA and probably quite a few more not on that list.


https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=120409.msg3729104#msg3729104


Go down past the main woodshops to the one that starts here:


Manufacturers / Woodshops that DO NOT make their own boards but resell others list:


Chapman, Progress, Point, etc.

[Woodshop]

Just to add to that as well, regarding a lot of shops that have boards from the big woodshops, most of those boards came through one of the "in between" print shop type businesses, so generally no one really deals with the major woodshops for small orders.

The top brands who all have long standing supplier orders get their boards and everything done in house at the woodshop / manufacturer end, with the boards being delivered to the brand distributor or associated company, before going out to other distributors or direct to shops.

Many of the smaller brands (and some shops) will go through the print shop businesses, or wholesale distributors of blanks, who usually have heat transfer machines and do all their graphics in house on the blank boards provided by the woodshop / manufacturer, so those companies can pick and choose how many, what sizes, or other options as per whatever the print shop has available to them at the time, sometimes being a few different options of wood / boards from different woodshops, or more commonly whatever they provide being the set product that you end up with and not many options besides dimensions as listed by them.  Sometimes there can be wood stain colours, sometimes other options too, depending on who they are or what they do.


Many of the smaller woodshops will have their own side business going on where you can order boards from them and get your own graphics on their boards, some even having options to make the boards specifically to what you want, but again that depends on the individual business, so as you look through the whole woodshop manufacturer list, visit their website or instagram page and see what they have, or if you are able to do business with them.

Many will answer back via instagram, some more quickly than others, while some are best to email directly.

I think that is about it, but if you have any other questions just ask, or I think of anything else I will add it here too.


Some on that list include Woodchuck and Prime, just to name a couple right now.*



* Made me think to add:

@TwisT would be best to ask about that sort of thing, as he has his own brand and does boards and stuff.

[Sila]

1. Pick up boards.

2. Carry into shop.

3. Approach counter.

4. Put down boards.

5. Walk away clean

[rocklobster]

1. Pick up boards.

2. Carry into shop.

3. Approach counter.

4. Put down boards.

5. Walk away clean

6. Send them paper and electronic invoices

7. ? ? ? ? ?

8. Profit

[frontfootimpossible]

I think you should ask yourself, can you scale your business/ output to make it worthwhile for a shop to have a good enough margin to sell your product?