Prefab a 4 letter word?

[akheathen Premium Member]

well, don't say "prefab" there was one, that i know for a fact, that kept up with many custom enclosures. obcon dubbed it "godzilla box" i put 2 crossfore bmf 10's in it, hooked up the good 'ole 1100d, and hit 146.6..... in '02-03 with "weak" electrical. 1.5" mdf all around, and a real wide response range. -band-pass. the build quality was great, it looked real purdy, and all a shop would need is to demo it. problem was- sticker shock would get everybody. cheaper to go custom.

 

[IonRL205 10+ year member]

Don't see it working out

The only people who buy pre-fabs are people who don't know anything about car audio; and those people don't go to internet forums unless they have a problem with their system, and their problem is resolved then they don't come back unless another problem comes.

Anyone who knows anything about car audio is going to go custom. You would have to have a really cheap price or some serious proof to you saying your pre-fab will work better than a lot of custom boxes.

If your prices aren't cheap, like the $60 range, the public won't buy it, and if your box doesn't perform like you say it will, people on forums won't buy it either.

 

[Flastrongman 10+ year member]

I told you the truth, how am I telling you how to operate you "business"? I understand you are passionate, but allowing that to cloud your judgement will not help you earn any kind of respect or business. I'm trying to help you, taking what I say as negative or personal is your first step to not making a better and practical business decision.
I'm sorry I told you how FedEx and UPS operate, however, if you read their SOP on their site it clearly explains what I just told you.

No sir, you brought this up in another thread and it does not apply here either. The only boxes I have lined up right now will be based on weight not size. I'm not saying you don't know what you're talking about but you are treating me as if I don't. I don't need a lesson on shipping costs and it's irrelevant to this thread.

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

I'm too lazy to read 5 pages of banter, but I say go for it.

 

[Dtrom 10+ year member]

Could always do preloaded enclosures that are vehicle specific though....they would be new (other than JL or MTX).

Yes

 

[fatal192000 10+ year member]

150-200

 

[Flex68 10+ year member]

^^^ Yes, it is a 4-letter word....talking like that on here will get u bant.

Can you please start throwing some numbers out there so I can get an idea of a starting price range.

You're thinking backwards with the use of birch and 'building a better mousetrap.'

Think more along the lines of building it as cheaply as possible, cut every corner you can, and charge about 20% less than the current market. They will sell like hotcakes.

Oh, and don't worry about 'word of mouth' either: there is a buffet-style restaurant at the beach we go to that has has been in business for about 5 years. It has atrocious ratings on tripadvisor, and all the locals know it flat-out sux. Much larger and better competitors all around it, and the parking lot is still full every time we go past.

Just as they don't get return visits, you won't be selling two enclosures to the same person....but you might do okay

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

No sir, you brought this up in another thread and it does not apply here either. The only boxes I have lined up right now will be based on weight not size. I'm not saying you don't know what you're talking about but you are treating me as if I don't. I don't need a lesson on shipping costs and it's irrelevant to this thread.

If you are building enclosures that small, then what are you asking here about? In order to get under the bulk weight issue they have to be very small.

I'm telling you I have been doing this and shipping for 10 years. Shipping is what will kill you until you are on a large scale volume. I don't mean number of items shipped, I mean the $$/per week. I hate to say it but your negativity and general idea of what i am doing is horrible. I would rather have you succeed as it only makes custom enclosures sell even better and to be honest if you do make it and raise the cost of the all might pre-fab then the "custom" market goes up as well.

So think of it this way, if you make it you make me money. Trust me when I say truly 100% want you make it.

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

150-200

You are in the price range for customs with those numbers. Prefabs are much cheaper to break into the market he would $300 enclosure for about $80 shipped. If he is trying for a dealer network he needs prices down around $35-60 shipped for whole sale pricing.

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

^^^ Yes, it is a 4-letter word....talking like that on here will get u bant.


You're thinking backwards with the use of birch and 'building a better mousetrap.'

Think more along the lines of building it as cheaply as possible, cut every corner you can, and charge about 20% less than the current market. They will sell like hotcakes.

Oh, and don't worry about 'word of mouth' either: there is a buffet-style restaurant at the beach we go to that has has been in business for about 5 years. It has atrocious ratings on tripadvisor, and all the locals know it flat-out sux. Much larger and better competitors all around it, and the parking lot is still full every time we go past.

Just as they don't get return visits, you won't be selling two enclosures to the same person....but you might do okay

The prefab market is about working with a dealer network and distributors. This will lower shipping rates and make things much easier as distributors will buy a pallet or more at a time. Other wise it will be come far to difficult to compete with china enclosures. Even probox and others have had a drop out in sales and were forced to lower their prices a bit not to long ago.

 

[Flastrongman 10+ year member]

If you are building enclosures that small, then what are you asking here about? In order to get under the bulk weight issue they have to be very small.
I'm telling you I have been doing this and shipping for 10 years. Shipping is what will kill you until you are on a large scale volume. I don't mean number of items shipped, I mean the $$/per week. I hate to say it but your negativity and general idea of what i am doing is horrible. I would rather have you succeed as it only makes custom enclosures sell even better and to be honest if you do make it and raise the cost of the all might pre-fab then the "custom" market goes up as well.

So think of it this way, if you make it you make me money. Trust me when I say truly 100% want you make it.

I don't really follow how this would make the price of custom enclosure's go up? If the box is as good as I claim it might be than all it will do is make the custom builder's step their game up. I've been very successful as a custom builder so far and my prices are pretty high already.

And I'm not sure why you think I'm being so negative, I'm simply telling you, you might not know as much as you think you do.

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

I don't really follow how this would make the price of custom enclosure's go up? If the box is as good as I claim it might be than all it will do is make the custom builder's step their game up. I've been very successful as a custom builder so far and my prices are pretty high already.
And I'm not sure why you think I'm being so negative, I'm simply telling you, you might not know as much as you think you do.

If you have been in the "custom" world long enough you know there is no single magic enclosure. That will always keep "custom" the best option for the $$. As for being negative, it is how you are coming across. It's not my fault you don't like what you hear man. I see no reason to sugar coat anything here.

The value of custom enclosure would increase with any prefab that would push the price up. The reason is because again there is such thing as a magic enclosure. No matter what a custom enclosure will out perform a "prefab". I'm sorry but that is simply true. This means if you get the prefab market price range up we call can freely increase our pricing with no issues what so ever. There would not be a reason to worry about the quality of custom enclosure being better as, "if" the builder up to par, it will be already.

I have seen some very good prefabs roll around over the years. None of them stick around because the prefab market is very very hard to work with do to the low margin of profit and high over head cost. In short, you have to order from over seas or you will need a CNC or two to cut 8 hours a day 5 days a week to keep up. A good CNC is not cheap nor would a location be if you don't have on already.

The best advice I can honestly give you, is...

1. Stick with local clients(shops) and try to slowly build a dealer network that way gaining some respect if you can. This goes a long way in this industry.

2. Send out several enclosures free of charge to key people with in the distributor network. This could get your foot in the door for large quantity ordering if they feel your product will promote itself enough to carry.

3. Do not over look anyone that has an opinion while you are still in the planning phase, even if you don't want to hear it. This will get you much further in this industry then just about anything else. This is a very very small industry where we all know each other very well. I don't mean the enclosure industry, I mean 12volt as a whole.

As I said, I would love to see you make it and do very well for yourself. It would work great for you and custom builders alike.

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

I forgot another option if possible.

Hook up with a well known sub company. Do not link up with an online company though, while this may gain you a few sales from forums and such it will not get you anywhere else. You need to try and break into the market of a dealer brand.

 

[Flastrongman 10+ year member]

If you have been in the "custom" world long enough you know there is no single magic enclosure. That will always keep "custom" the best option for the $$. As for being negative, it is how you are coming across. It's not my fault you don't like what you hear man. I see no reason to sugar coat anything here.
The value of custom enclosure would increase with any prefab that would push the price up. The reason is because again there is such thing as a magic enclosure. No matter what a custom enclosure will out perform a "prefab". I'm sorry but that is simply true. This means if you get the prefab market price range up we call can freely increase our pricing with no issues what so ever. There would not be a reason to worry about the quality of custom enclosure being better as, "if" the builder up to par, it will be already.

I have seen some very good prefabs roll around over the years. None of them stick around because the prefab market is very very hard to work with do to the low margin of profit and high over head cost. In short, you have to order from over seas or you will need a CNC or two to cut 8 hours a day 5 days a week to keep up. A good CNC is not cheap nor would a location be if you don't have on already.

The best advice I can honestly give you, is...

1. Stick with local clients(shops) and try to slowly build a dealer network that way gaining some respect if you can. This goes a long way in this industry.

2. Send out several enclosures free of charge to key people with in the distributor network. This could get your foot in the door for large quantity ordering if they feel your product will promote itself enough to carry.

3. Do not over look anyone that has an opinion while you are still in the planning phase, even if you don't want to hear it. This will get you much further in this industry then just about anything else. This is a very very small industry where we all know each other very well. I don't mean the enclosure industry, I mean 12volt as a whole.

As I said, I would love to see you make it and do very well for yourself. It would work great for you and custom builders alike.

That's some legitimately good advice and I honestly appreciate it. Sorry if I seemed upset before, but I was just a little frustrated with the responses. No one seems to really understand what I'm trying to accomplish. I asked a "what if" kind of question and keep getting "it can't be done". I competed in Strongman contests so I don't like hearing it can't be done. Your comment about shipping was just the final comment to set me off. Nothing personal. But I have run businesses and I have calculated the costs for this project. A project is really all I'm aiming for here. I think you assumed I was looking to get a good sized business off the ground and make a lot of money. Not at all my goal. Like I said I'm a hobbyist in this and I really don't want to build a business out of it.

As far as a magic box for all subs, I know very well as a custom box builder that does not exist. However, just because you have not seen something done does not mean it cannot be done. My goal is not to make a box that works for every sub out there, but does work very well with a wide selection of subs. It will be geared mostly for entry level subs and some mid level subs.

Basically, no one with high end subs will buy a prefab, hopefully. Even though I see it all the time. And I know the majority of members here don't think they would ever buy a box labeled "prefab", because it implies it's generic and good results are highly unlikely. My goal is to make something in between prefab and custom that will make good results VERY likely.

For example, if you could buy a box and have a list of low priced, very common subs that you knew would have very good output, good frequency response and was pretty small and light, you wouldn't spend twice as much as a crappy prefab?

 

[Flastrongman 10+ year member]

I forgot another option if possible.
Hook up with a well known sub company. Do not link up with an online company though, while this may gain you a few sales from forums and such it will not get you anywhere else. You need to try and break into the market of a dealer brand.

I'm actually working on that right now.