A very confusing thread

[johnmaloney]

Well as you can imagine I didn't come prepared but here is the thing:

 

we want you to have a decked out macro tank if that is your goal

we want to save you some cash

we need to keep the lights on to do it

we have bag limits

 

So...I have been thinking of all these different ways we can get you what you want and get you a discount and then I figured it out:

 

Start a Macro Club! We toyed with this idea last year but never came up with pricing plans. So instead of one simple and brilliant scheme like we came up with for our group buys ( ) I have a different approach:

 

Multiple Confusing Pricing Schemes -

 

a.) Pay me $25 cash money (via paypal) and I will give you BOGO macro algae for the June, July and August collecting season.

b.) Compile a list of macro algae you want from us. (I will post our entire yearly inventory soon). As I can fill orders I ship it to you. You are billed only for the items filled. Shipping with Priority Mail is free no matter how many shipments we send. For the delicate algae we will try to get it all in one shot, you only pay a pro-rated portion for the delicates we send that day.

c.) Give us the bulk dream list, and we come up with a per item quote and we fill it like in B, but you pay a one time shipping charge of $9.50 or $28 if your list contains delicates. We will bill you $9.50 for the first macro installment if it is sent Priority, and then the difference when we charge when/if the delicates go out. (For example, "I need the sandbed of a 65 filled with oar and shoal grass with some cactus caulerpa, about 1 quart of grape caulerpa, a mixture of different gracilaria species, probably like 8 plants total of them etc...")

 

The only thing is - you will have to be patient. The core items make it hard for us to quickly fill bulk orders. These species live far apart etc...If we are running around to fill these orders we cant offer a price break. Let me know what you think, would want tweeked above, (dont be shy!!!!!), and we can go from there. I will update with a new thread when we get it hammered down.

[rocko52286]

Cool ideas. Could you define BOGO

 

I like the idea listed in B. Basically what I am looking for is to get as much diversity as possible in my tank. Would it work kind of like an autopay?

 

What about a VIP mailing list. Charge a fee per month, and members get an email of upcoming macros before they are posted for the general public. VIP members could also be set up like B or C.

 

Edit: BOGO= Buy one get one?

[SbCaes]

i would rather do something like. give a list of current macros and make it a pack of your choosing? @ a fixed price. ie best of season pack that you can pick 6-10 algaes for like 65-70 bucks or something like that. and i you pick less you can just get "more of the rest" kind of deal. and doesnt apply to "rare" algaes

 

and you can only pick X(1-3) amount of "rare/delicate" per shipment or

and pay the "fee" to tack extra rares to the orders.

basically you get the stock algaes. plus a few rares

 

2nd option for those of us with algae tanks already is to do rare macro pack of like 3-5 of the rares for like 50-80 bucks. (i know how difficult it is to find the rare stuff)

 

and pricing is just and example. could go higher or lower up to you.

but id def be one of those ppl in the rare pack catergory. =)

 

btw last shipment was AWESOME.

[porksoda]

John you are always up at night or early morning! lol

 

Interesting......I may consider doing this.

[Weetabix7]

Hmmm, must ponder this.....

[johnmaloney]

rocko-yep, BOGO is Buy one Get One - I wouldn't want to cherry pick or play favorites but I could do the rest. I was thinking something like that is a good use for Twitter, or RSS. I don't want to email everyone when something comes in....

 

sbcaes - that is our best of season sampler. I bet if you find the old thread with this conversation you will see you talking me into the best of season sampler which I felt went well....still...this is more fun b/c of the confusion factor and we will also do the best of season sampler from time to time.

 

porksoda - yeah I just keep odd hours. Woke up at 11pm, this is late at night for me right now.

 

 

Warning - long and confusing discussion follows:

 

 

Okay so maybe I should shoot out an example of what I was thinking for option C :

 

"Hey John, I am getting a new 10 gallon macro display. I was thinking of going for the grown in jungle look. I wanted to get:

 

3 or 4 different species/variations of the red gracilaria

1 tall and 2 short codium

I want Caulerpa prolifera in the back, probably like a quart

a grape caulerpa

a halymenia

3 tall pencil caps and 30 short ones, I was going to use the tiny guys in front of the rocks.

1 mermaid fan, a money plant and a halimeda monile

oar grass for the foreground, about 20 square inches worth

flame algae

liagora

pink galaxy"

 

Current (sale though) price on this would run something like:

 

3 or 4 different species/variations of the red gracilaria - $20 (I can get 4)

1 tall and 2 short codium - $17

I want Caulerpa prolifera in the back, probably like a quart - (That is like 5 the way we sell it - $35)

a grape caulerpa - $5

a halymenia - $5

3 tall pencil caps and 30 short ones, I was going to use the tiny guys in front of the rocks. (33 x 4 = $132)

1 mermaid fan, a money plant and a halimeda monile ($15)

oar grass for the foreground, about 20 square inches worth ($60)

flame algae ($7)

liagora ($10)

pink galaxy ($12)

 

Grand total = $184 + pencil caps = $316 I don't want to do that.

 

Under Option C, I would reply:

 

I priced everything out, and this is what I came with as an itemized package for you:

 

3 or 4 different species/variations of the red gracilaria - $10

1 tall and 2 short codium - $10

I want Caulerpa prolifera in the back, probably like a quart - $20

a grape caulerpa - $5

a halymenia - $5

3 tall pencil caps and 30 short ones, I was going to use the tiny guys in front of the rocks. $30

oar grass for the foreground, about 20 square inches worth $20

1 mermaid fan, a money plant and a halimeda monile ($15)

flame algae ($7)

liagora ($10)

pink galaxy ($12)

 

New price = $146

 

I can fill the following for you now:

 

3 or 4 different species/variations of the red gracilaria - $10

1 tall and 2 short codium - $10

I want Caulerpa prolifera in the back, probably like a quart - $20

a grape caulerpa - $5

a halymenia - $5

3 tall pencil caps and 30 short ones, I was going to use the tiny guys in front of the rocks. $30

oar grass for the foreground, about 20 square inches worth $20

 

It would be $100 + $9.50 for Priority Mail (except that priority mail would be free, so it would just be $100) The rest I would have to get to you at a later time. Is that okay with you? (Priority Mail shipping would then be free on all future packages. If you need Express on a future package, it would be $19.50 instead of $28 because of the Priority Mail Credit)

 

---At this point you can say yes or no depending on how you felt about it. No pressure, you aren't billed in advance, etc...make sense?

[rocko52286]

For simplicity, I think the BOGO is the best one. That way you wont have to work any harder than you already have too .

 

I really do like option B though. Good balance of simplicity and confusuion lol. How would we be billed for it though?

 

I want to send you money john, just tell me how!!

[johnmaloney]

For simplicity, I think the BOGO is the best one. That way you wont have to work any harder than you already have too .

 

I really do like option B though. Good balance of simplicity and confusuion lol. How would we be billed for it though?

 

I want to send you money john, just tell me how!!

 

 

it does seem easier...and I was thinking if I didn't have two of something (BOGO can be an inventory nightmare), I can just give a 50% discount on the item, or offer a substitute. The BOGO idea or something like it will happen for sure, that will be like the Sam's Club Card to be honest. (Sorry to borrow your idea Sam!) Maybe just a discount code....hmm....

 

in any of b or c, I would send you a quote when I have enough of your order ready and then if it is a good time for you, we setup a shipment date and send a paypal invoice. Otherwise you just say 'not now John, 1st of the month and you call me... Where were you last week? Call me in the middle of the month" We go from there. Patience will be key with this thing though...

[SbCaes]

hmmmm best of season sampler.... yummmy.... lmk if anything pops up on your radar. =) hopefully i can get some nice pictures up tonight. found the camera.

[rocko52286]

it does seem easier...and I was thinking if I didn't have two of something (BOGO can be an inventory nightmare), I can just give a 50% discount on the item, or offer a substitute.

 

in any of b or c, I would send you a quote when I have enough of your order ready and then if it is a good time for you, we setup a shipment date and send a paypal invoice. Otherwise you just say 'not now John, 1st of the month and you call me... Where were you last week? Call me in the middle of the month" We go from there. Patience will be key with this thing though...

 

Both good ideas.

 

On the BOGO, how bout the one you pay for and one of equal or lesser value? Im sure that is an inventory nightmare as well though. Im not sure if you would benefit profitwise in the long run from this though. That 25 bucks could get eaten up pretty quickly, and I would be afraid it would just start turning into a 50% off sale.

 

I vote B, but I would do an enrolment charge for it. This will give you a little extra dough for having to keep track of the customer's "wish list" as well as creating and sending invoices. Seems fair on both ends to me.

[johnmaloney]

BOGO is hard, but match for something else would be even harder. B or C are the easiest for me, I think A is the easiest to understand, but what if you don't need 2 of something? X% discount clears that up...until inverts are added. Many of our inverts are priced based on shipping. (Urchins costs $6 to ship b/c it weighs a pound,so we would rather not do the discount there..)

 

pics please sbcaes or it didnt happen

[rocko52286]

BOGO is hard, but match for something else would be even harder. B or C are the easiest for me, I think A is the easiest to understand, but what if you don't need 2 of something? X% discount clears that up...until inverts are added. Many of our inverts are priced based on shipping. (Urchins costs $6 to ship b/c it weighs a pound,so we would rather not do the discount there..)

 

pics please sbcaes or it didnt happen

 

Cool...I vote B all the way.

[johnmaloney]

ok cool. i think that helps people who want "this", but are waiting for "that". Because I bet when "that" is in season "this" is out of season.

[got2envy]

I am in for the rare schtuff fo' sho'

I like plan B

[animalmaster6]

I vote B. Awesome idea John

A actually seems real confusing to me lol.

 

 

Can I do the list for my in sump display refugium for B and you'll give me a quote?

[star27624]

I like B as well. I have been waiting and waiting for everything I want to be in at the same time.

[johnmaloney]

nr has spoken - ok cool guys. to be honest this stuff is so seasonal that the free shipping thing works best...it is light anyway. ok cool. now to get you a photo list of all our stock. B it is, forget the rest actually. (thanks rocko, A would have been a problem I didnt think about it until your post...) Will have a new thread that will make sense and have pics.

[animalmaster6]

Looking forward to the photo list!!!

[johnmaloney]

you already saw it I think right?

 

well here is the full list of species we sell through the site:

 

http://reefcleaners.org/components/com_goo.../googlebase.php

 

I will edit it down for the thread..

[animalmaster6]

Oops Yes I did. Gonna go see it again, I like it

[rocko52286]

[gregowen420]

A. don't like it,

 

b. not bad

 

C. i like, i would want to pay all of it up front though, i can see a few headaches coming from installments.

[rocko52286]

I'll make mine easy for you. One of each macro please

 

After that I will order as it comes out

[Mudfish]

John, you are a damn riot, for sure, and ABSOLUTELY THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE available on the web today!

 

I hope you guys are able to stay in business and succeed for a long, long time! Thank you for your hard work.

[steviejitsu]

John, you are a damn riot, for sure, and ABSOLUTELY THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE available on the web today!

 

I hope you guys are able to stay in business and succeed for a long, long time! Thank you for your hard work.

 

word.