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This sounds super interesting, I've found the same thing in my interactions with various remote social apps. I'll DM


I created a card game that I sell on Amazon. I have it manufactured in China and sell it though Fulfillment by Amazon.

Quite a change from my day job working in software but I enjoy the diversity.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PJKCXJC


Mind talking some about how you do it?


+1

I've been trying to understand the full remote supply chain, going directly from the offshore supply chain directly to FBA.


Its difficult to completely automate the supply chain as incoming FBA shipments expire 30 days after they are created. If you're shipping heavy freight from China this is cost prohibitive. I currently "touch" my inventory one time in-between the source and FBA. I'm working on streamlining that part though.


Be sure that your mfgr isn't running off extra for AliBaba, free markets or other channels. Contract mfgrs are notorious about ripping off IP and product.


How is it possible to be sure of that, though? If they're a contract mfg then by definition they've already signed a contract that says they can't do that, so if they do it, they've broken the contract.


Check these guys at www.forestshipping.com - they can ship direct to FBA from your factory and do labeling services if needed.


I'm happy to answer some questions... can you be a bit more specific?


Well, what kind of companies do you work with—a printer, and a distributor? Any others? How did you find the ones you work with—and how did you know that they were the right ones? What have you done for marketing—gone to trade shows, paid for advertising, giving samples to the right people, or what? How well is it doing? Have you sales been steady, increasing, or was there a big burst at the start, and a trickle since? Um... that's what I can think of off the top of my head.


I work only with a printer... Amazon is my distributor. I found them on Alibaba.

I'm starting to ramp up my marketing but to date I've done some adwords and advertising on Amazon.

Sales are steady, I don't reach $1000 every month but the holiday season more than makes up for it when you average it out.


Thanks for the info :-)


Roughly how much did you have to invest in the first couple of sets? Most manufacturers have a minimum order, and I imagine that would be the case for you considering you were getting something custom made.

Thanks!


I don't know exactly but it was no more than 3k and a decent amount of my time.


Good job! Which card manufacturer are you using?


Would you mind sharing the name of the manufacturer in China? Cheers!


Keep has no relation to Google's app keep or the keep shopping app that is also in the app store. We realize that there are other apps that use the word keep but we decided that we wanted to go with it.


That's great to hear... The feature that we are currently working on will allow our users to move money between their accounts.


On one hand I agree with blueyedlion, but on the other hand the cost of too many small transactions could be overkilling.

It makes more sense, imho, something that collects till a goal and then makes a single bigger transaction. The goal can also be useful for motivation (3 more coffees and you reach your 100$).


That's an interesting idea... As we get further along in the process of making payments real in Keep we may discover that batching transactions is the best way to move forward.


And what happens when that isn't an option?


I think this is one danger of an app like this... If I was "considering" making a purchase when is it appropriate to say that I should "save" it and when would I have not purchased it anyway?

Either way, I think it is a tool that can be used for good as long as that assumption is understood upfront.


We are looking into that aspect of the app and will likely add some mild forms of gamification to make it more engaging over time. If you don't mind sharing, did you have anything particular in mind?


Off the top of my head:

- sub-goals ("you have already saved x% towards paying of your debts")

- smaller awards (Amount: "$5 saved", Frequency: "3 taps a day award", Time: "you saved something every day this week")

- a ranking (not sure how that would work)

This would not only provide incentive to save, but it would also increase usage, which makes the app harder to forgot/uninstall.

Good luck!

PS: On your website, add a subscribe via e-mail box. Then you can capture people (like me) who would be interested to sign up when you build a native app.


Thanks for the bug report, we are looking into it.


Awesome video, thanks for sharing! Looks like we aren't the first ones to build something for saving in the moment.


I love MMM... his blog has created some inspiration for this app!


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