Would you buy this product??? (automotive)

I would not, and here's why:

I'm addicted to Starbuck's creme Frappacinos. That means that I spend a couple of hours a week at Barnes and Noble reading magazines, and so I end up browsing though every automotive/flying mag by the time the month is over. I do usually end up buying several, including Evo and Octane and Classic Car.

You may be able to target people who don't have a decent newsstand nearby. Alternatively, try magazines that aren't available everywhere, such as the three I mentioned above, Tuningwerks, Old Skool Rodz, and other niche mags.

 

I feel your idea is a good one if you can buy the magazines cheap enough to make a profit. Keep in mind that you will need to advertise. With advertising (Radio), your business idea can grow. Your idea is the same model as used by the company that sends beer from around the globe as a gift subscription.
If you cannot afford to advertise, you may spend more time kicking the business off than is worth of what you take in.

You may want to draft a detailed business plan and present it to venture capital groups that will fund it for a share of the action. The idea is a sound one if excecuted in a proper manner.

One other thought: If you grow this to a substantial base of customers, you may be in a position to sell the customer names in your sales base to ALL of the magazines that you distribute on a monthly basis.

 

My .02

Places like Magazines.com Magazines4less.com etc are doing quite a brisk re up on subscribers (now as a magazine guy I they are the devil to me) when they charge $35 I only see $12 the more obscure or rare and not readily available ones are now easy (relitivly) due to the Net, so I don't know if this idea has the ability to do anything but become a marginal logistical nightmare. our processing center that does the mailing is also a good thing but the postage is purchased in bulk so you would have to have a valid way of getting the mags out. Profit margins as a publisher are pretty thin and we don't really make anything on subscribers so i don't know... Just isn't really ringing a bell for me

 

John,I voted no but I think the idea is sound it"s just not for me as I tend to buy car mags on impulse and for what is in a particular month,as an example I bought auto mag today just for the article about the guy who bought MS F1 winning car,even though I did see it on fifth gear.
Dave Mc

 

I would probably go for it. I like trying a bunch of different car magazines. My preference, though, would be to try reading those that I wouldn't be able to find at my neighborhood newstand (e.g. European or Aussie magazines in the US).

 

I didn't vote. I get 10 mags sent to me for 12 bucks a month. Mostly car mags, UMM {Very nice this month, uummmmmmm Beyonce!}, Time {Canadian Edition} Mcleans and 2 for the g/f. I would be interested if I didn't have any coming in and it was "cost effective". I too buy a mag for an interesting story or picture. As for shipping them out, do you have any friends that deal with couriers or postal services? I have an old boss who allows me to send and receive shipments on a regular basis. It helps keep his rates low {the more he sends the better the deal}. Good Luck.

 

I voted no, for one simple reason, 12 months is way too long. I usually read and check out a bunch of mags, pick 2-3-4 that I really like, and stick to these.
I do realize I can go get myself a subscription once I've read a mag I like (and keep getting a new one every month), but 12 months still freaks me out! A bi-weekly delivery would be perhaps more adequate, IMHO.

You should perhaps have a "mass-test option", 24 mags dropped at your door for 50$!

 

My thoughts,

First, 12 months is far too long for me to review and find mags I enjoyed.

Second, if I wanted to review a magazine I can just request a subscription and usually canel after the first issue if I don't like it and I can do it all in 1 month.

I wouldn't......

 

No.