Starting a mail order, what are do’s and don’ts?

[Minus1]

Well, I guess I'm a visual person! I won't respond well (or at all) to a list. (And in fact - I shop where the images are!)

Clearly I have no clue about doing this, but my 2 cents (and we round down in Canada!) would be:

Make sure that everyone who is needed to support such a venture fully understands exactly what it is! ie It ain't Disney.

[NocturnalLibrary]

Yes, there will definitely be images in my mail order. On the subject of what to stock it looks like there's especially interest in US labels since some releases are harder to get here in The Netherlands / Europe. I'll get some releases from Helicopter to start with but what other labels / artists you'd like to see specifically in my mail order? Just investigating what people would like to get and is currently less available around here.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

But don't (hilariously) hide the "naughty" ones, like discogs / rym.

I would say the opposite. Many stores lost their electronic payment options due graphics or even titles. I think it is the real album that is the ART. List is just a list of things and I would expect anyone to be smart enough to find sustainable way of running distro and not getting kicked out of their store system and funds frozen just because insisting free expression. Hah... it is the album itself that matters. No need to have explicit things visible for random windowshoppers or even rats.
It seems all very much gamble. Biggest dealers get away posting full frontal nudity to meta social media or selling items genocidal items. Small dealer may see himself booted out instantly.

Yikes. Forgive my naivety, but who plays god here? Financial institutions? I mean, this isn't Disney. It's Noise/Experimental/etc.

If one is using external services like indeed, financial institutions, webstore services, social media, etc. It all is vulnerable. Any notion of "free speech" or "artistic freedom" is void of meaning if some of these decide to kick you out simply for putting wrong kind of album cover with their company name on same page or check out processing includes all sorts of flagged words, that may indicated into forbidden content. Our arguments about "its just art" are usually useless, if terms of services flat out bans something you are doing. I have seen so many times people losing accounts, sites, stores, online payment systems, and it seems odd that how they would have not had little cautiousness and sort of self sabotage from beginning. You know, even as independent as SI forum is, there has been attempts to shut it down simply because it allows any types of noise being sold or discussed and not everybody likes that.

[Goat93]

But don't (hilariously) hide the "naughty" ones, like discogs / rym.

I would say the opposite. Many stores lost their electronic payment options due graphics or even titles. I think it is the real album that is the ART. List is just a list of things and I would expect anyone to be smart enough to find sustainable way of running distro and not getting kicked out of their store system and funds frozen just because insisting free expression. Hah... it is the album itself that matters. No need to have explicit things visible for random windowshoppers or even rats.
It seems all very much gamble. Biggest dealers get away posting full frontal nudity to meta social media or selling items genocidal items. Small dealer may see himself booted out instantly.

Yikes. Forgive my naivety, but who plays god here? Financial institutions? I mean, this isn't Disney. It's Noise/Experimental/etc.

Actualy as long People don't send Money via Letter or visit the Store to buy directly, any kind of Financial Transactor can easily close your Business and there are enough People around trying to close it, cause it has some Stuff they don't like.

[SCHEDELWEISS]

...what other labels / artists you'd like to see specifically in my mail order?

easyridersnoise

[NocturnalLibrary]

...what other labels / artists you'd like to see specifically in my mail order?

easyridersnoise

Thanks, I'll check that out.

[NocturnalLibrary]

My new mail order has been running for a bit with releases from Helicopter and SSSM but unfortunately I notice that it's not picking up a lot in terms of sales of new releases it's disappointing. Combined with the recent EU custom costs madness I've already been forced to scale down ordering more mail order stock towards closer to home labels.

What are your tips to promote this mail order better, share it to interested people? I've still got a good mix of many releases from my private collection up for sale so things could get better but for now it's a bit hard.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I would estimate it takes most of all time. Mailorder is something that cumulates over the years and returning customers - if they feel worth returning. Easy to fuck up that. In times like this, when it seems hard to estimate what will be state of underground in next.. 5 years? Gamble of how much and what to "invest" when usually it does take years and a lot of losses before all the deadstock problems may (or may not) start to resolve itself.

As for promotion, I would guess it is the only actual challenge, that is very hard to solve. No matter what size company or band you'd ask, everybody is struggling with challenge how to get word out there and how to be visible.

[NocturnalLibrary]

I would estimate it takes most of all time. Mailorder is something that cumulates over the years and returning customers - if they feel worth returning. Easy to fuck up that. In times like this, when it seems hard to estimate what will be state of underground in next.. 5 years? Gamble of how much and what to "invest" when usually it does take years and a lot of losses before all the deadstock problems may (or may not) start to resolve itself.

As for promotion, I would guess it is the only actual challenge, that is very hard to solve. No matter what size company or band you'd ask, everybody is struggling with challenge how to get word out there and how to be visible.

That makes sense, in the end I think it's about not giving up and remaining hopeful as much as it sometimes seem to take forever for things to get moving so it remains fun and eventually rewarding.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

In some music genres, being last guy to have album may seem like failure. Even many UG music styles, releases get dated soon. A lot of current indie and punk/hc, I've been told, becomes 100% unsellable just about when band split up or stop doing gigs.

With noise, it is actually GREAT to be distro who has the last pile of SSSM tapes or handful of Helicopter CD's. It usually means, those customers who try to find physical copies, might be your new customers. Such experience may also lead into recommendation to others. At least that is what I see every now and then. I get order for release that came out decade ago. In next weeks I get 1-5 more orders for same item. It appears clear someone told somewhere that this place has old pressing still in stock. I realize not everybody is prepared to keep UG items for sale for next decade, but I don't mind. I have no intentions to quit anytime soon.

[NocturnalLibrary]

In some music genres, being last guy to have album may seem like failure. Even many UG music styles, releases get dated soon. A lot of current indie and punk/hc, I've been told, becomes 100% unsellable just about when band split up or stop doing gigs.

With noise, it is actually GREAT to be distro who has the last pile of SSSM tapes or handful of Helicopter CD's. It usually means, those customers who try to find physical copies, might be your new customers. Such experience may also lead into recommendation to others. At least that is what I see every now and then. I get order for release that came out decade ago. In next weeks I get 1-5 more orders for same item. It appears clear someone told somewhere that this place has old pressing still in stock. I realize not everybody is prepared to keep UG items for sale for next decade, but I don't mind. I have no intentions to quit anytime soon.

Good point. What makes me wonder however is to which degree it's good to keep releases from established well-known projects  more than lesser known or obscurities that I find worthwile in order to be able to justify getting more different releases so to say. It's not my intention to make the selection diffuse and too similar to other distros but carrying the big names starts to become a bit of a point of reliance as others pointed out earlier in this thread.