Tantus has a question for bloggers- Alumina

It cools, too.

There is a difficulty in marketing higher end products.

Regarding Njoy- Because they are friends, I know they kept their day jobs and it took years for the Wand to make enough sales to support them. NobEssence likewise has a paycheck which allows them to build their business and support it while they try to make it profitable.

Since these businesses wouldn't even support one employee, it's hard to justify a line that doesn't make a profit (or at least break even) where you are meeting payroll for 20+ people and their families are all dependent on the success of the products you've invested in.

I wonder about the health of businesses that are dependent on high technology- the Lelo's, Jimmy Jane's and JeJous... there is a lot of money in development and stock for these companies to fund.

Aluminum doesn't have the widespread education as silicone- but neither did silicone when I started Tantus. In fact I spent years educating the market place- my first industry trade show, every store buyer was smelling it because they hadn't had soft toys that didn't smell.

My favorite toys of all time are Ray Cirino's Inner Space. The brand is gone and no longer available but Ray is still a friend and I know he suffered for years trying to produce US manufactured high end products (acrylic and steel). He had two things working against him- one was that other companies wanted and tried to steal all his designs, second it was prior to the networking revolution. On the other hand, Penthouse paid him to make custom toys for their centerfold pictorials and back in the day they had quite a budget.

I think I'm rambling sorry.... but taking myself out of the situation (which is hard but necessary) and looking at it as an overall business problem I'd conclude that higher end products need to be made overseas to cut costs and raise profitability.

I'm curious, Don't you think that going overseas could compromise the quality of your product? I've just always been of the opinion that products made overseas are not as good as American made.

I think she answered one of these questions previously, that it would be more expensive to separate the pieces.

About the O-ring, I have the Revolve and even if I could get past the O-ring when inserting, it would just feel like extra texture. Nothing that would catch on the vagina or anus. It doesn't complicate the cleaning process whatsoever, because it's completely separate from the two halves, you can clean it all by itself. Good question though.

Oh, derr, I got it now.

Interesting prospect. I found it so innovative and ingenious to have them separate, I think it would be like talent lost if the toys were one piece. It did cross my mind earlier however when reading this thread that beginners would just shy away from the alumina line because there are too many features!

She would.

I get all of the R&D spending - but those are sunk costs at this point. Dropping the product now ensures you'll never get a payoff. As long as you make a little on each transaction, you'll continue to off-set the R&D.

Mass marketing is all about making a small profit on a large number of items. I'll admit high-end adult toys may not be mass market - but the market is big enough to support dozens of suppliers and hundreds of products.

Make the price attractive and move some volume - unless it's not possible to make even a small profit vs. manufacturing costs - then it's better to kill the products now rather than lose money on each sale. Just leave 'sunk' costs out of the current profit estimates.

Only at a price! LOL. We actually had plans for that- but it doesn't look feasible.

BTW The costs are sunk in $$ packaging and we have more Alumina we'll sell anyway but because it is made in the US it wasn't an investment of 5000 pieces or each design. It just has me a little timid to do what we otherwise would have which is go further out with other ideas... but such is life.

And thanks Backseat Boohoo I love that your my our corner.

You can find them on Amazon for $37 - happy hunting!

Wait...if a lot of the cost goes in to packaging, would it be possible to just use the plastic bags I get my Tantusinc.com dildos in? I love nice packaging as much as the next ninny, but if it'll save on the costs, I say go with the plain old bag!

What about targeting a different niche market? Most shoppers on sites such as these are fairly set on the 'usual' sex toys. By that I mean singles, straight, and gay couples purchasing fairly normal items such as vibes, plugs, light/moderate bondage items, nipple clamps, books, vids, etc...

Even though the product is *sort of* traditional, it still is new and edgy enough to crossover. Try tapping into more "extreme" fetish markets and sellers. You can still maintain markets such as Eden but there are vendors out there committed to more extreme products. Because Aluminum is still a fairly new concept (when compared to something like steel), the fact that it's lighter, interchangeable, etc. may hit a note with people who favor things like stuffing, extreme insertions (both anal and vaginal), and the like. People looking for unique or more bizarre items have generally crossed traditional thresholds and are more open to finding new uses for specialty items.

You could also aim for a younger market. Not tweens or illegal age or anything, but try making the product more appealing to younger women (early college age) by switching up the packaging and the focus a little. It might cause a much needed stir. I envision things like Twistys.com girls or viewers who enjoy sites with a similar 'feel'. I call it the "bubble gum girl" style porn. All things cutesy, pink and colorful... Send some ads and some toys for a few of the girls to play with!

Maybe even go for a techie geared sex market. People who favor "sexbots" or machine sex. The item is very industrial and has a mechanical feel to it.

Another might be anime fans. Transform the line into anime marketed items, the anime and strange characters in Hentai are often alien/robot like and have unusual mechanical appendages or use unusual items. Think Sailor Moon versus a double ended wand... Who knows!

The market is out there, somewhere! Move what you have and if it takes off, your problem is solved. If not, revisit the drawing board.

One last thought... Market towards committed lesbian couples. Make it a "unity" type toy. One side for each partner to keep. Sort of like the ultimate 'closeness' gift to share between lovers. Each lover holds a half. Would make a unique, sentimental, neat gift idea for same sex couples shopping this holiday season! Alumina Unity!

Your ebay connection is taking a loss on the product. They are selling it below what they paid for it.

Huh? Sorry, I'm a bit confused by your post. Were you trying to quote someone else? Or am I missing something here?

She is replying to Lifted Up, who apparently bought an Alumina toy for $40 from an outside source.

Umm... I AM LiftedUp, and I did NOT buy an alumina from an outside source for $40... nor did I buy one at all?!

That is exactly why I am confused! Lol!