Belt Buckles
A belt buckle is something unique and easily fitted that individualises any outfit. They can be inexpensive and fun, or expensive and classy; and on the whole they are a unisex item. I have a big Union Jack one at home and must confess to having been tempted by some more novel ones except for my wife having a strong view about walking around town with a guy wearing a Batman Emblem on his belt!
This is the kind of item where novelty counts, you may well be able to drive traffic to a website, or create a cult following on Ebay simply by having the most novel stock. It is up to you whether you buy ready made designs from developing countries, or have someone manufacture your own designs.
Once you establish the source of your stock you can set about marketing your product, I would look at the following approaches: -
Networking
Ebay
Website
TV and Magazine promotion
Fashion related shops
Clubs and Organisations
Open a shop
Networking is always the easy place to start, friends, family, business colleagues, guys at the golf club etc. These are all people that we are happy to talk to. Start wearing a different buckle each time you go out and ask people what they think. Get a bit of a buzz going about what you are doing and build some interest. Carry stock in the trunk of your car, or your briefcase and be ready to show people who are interested.
Ebay is great for this kind of product, as shown by the 10,000+ items listed under a search for belt buckle. Admittedly you will struggle to get your designs seen, and the pricing is competitive but there is clearly a demand there. Post regularly, set up an Ebay store to keep the cost of advertising down and you will start to make sales.
Having a website is almost less competitive than posting on Ebay, with only 1.5 million results in Google. It should be relatively easy to get onto the first page and with some work into the top ranked results if you engage strong optimisation techniques. You are more likely to generate interest in your site through strong promotion, on and offline however. Try to get the social network groups talking about you, use forums, chat rooms, and www.myspace.com to generate a buzz and drive traffic to your site.
Getting yourself into a magazine or on TV is not as hard as you think and will do wonders for your business. I am not talking about advertising, but good old fashioned self promotion. It is unlikely that you will find yourself on Oprah, but there is a string chance you could make a local interest story on your local cable channel, or get featured in a fashion magazine simply by writing in and explaining about your product, who you are and what makes you or your business special. If famous people are wearing your buckles mention it (even if you gave them the buckle free), and don’t be afraid to give away a buckle or two in search of this kind of promotional opportunity. There are a number of good books about getting free publicity, read up on it and have a go.
Fashion related shops such as independent clothing, or accessory shops are a great place to sell your buckles. Offer them on a consignment basis and supply them with a catalogue or flip book of photo s of your other designs in case their customers are interested but kind find what they want. I would aim primarily for anywhere that is selling Jeans and is not a part of a chain.
Many clubs and organisations exist that have a strong link to a brand or logo. If you can get orders from them to produce their specific buckles then you have a captive market, every time a new member joins you are likely to get a referral. Try to find out who runs the club/organisation and offer them a free buckle. Providing they wear it, the other members are likely to ask where it came from, how they can get one etc. A good example of the kind of club I am talking about might be the Star Trek fan club.
If you have access to enough designs and can afford the stock then opening a little outlet could be a great way to take this business forwards. I am thinking of those stands that you find in the middle of the walkways I shopping malls, rent and set up costs are cheap and you can staff the outlet with 1 or 2 trusted individuals. Opening a shop is never as cheap as you think but you will learn a lot from a small outlet like this and will definitely attract impulse and present buyers.
Alibaba.com has over 2300 results for belt buckles. All of these kinds of sites will have numerous suppliers. Start emailing them to find out prices, minimum order sizes, shipping terms etc. When you find some that you are comfortable with then order some samples before you commit to a big order.
If you are not ready for importing then you can source from Ebay initially by finding the stores and ordering in bulk from them. The bulk order discounts will enable you to make a profit even if you re-post in Ebay as you can save money on shipping by buying domestically.
This is a surprisingly competitive business online, but offline it remains a novelty. Focus your efforts on offline promotions.
This is a fun business and allows you to express yourself through the buckles you choose to wear, as well as the stock you choose to carry.