as we have a good trip, it’s actually cheaper for us to deliver goods than it is to send them, even with the cost of diesel. That’s why we started doing the two day ones. The other reason is seeing customers. We’ve dealt with the same people for nine years in some cases and it’s always nice to see them. The other thing is, when you bring a delivery, you also have a load of stock to show on the van. It’s all well and good doing the website, and mail order flyers but nothing beats seeing a product for yourself. We’ve such a breadth of stock now and we’re established enough that deals get offered to us pretty regularly. Stock on Sale Or Return, a profit-share distribution agreement, clearance stock... it’s a nice position to be in. So seeing our customers face to face is really important for us. You have a chat and some banter, and often, extra sales off the back of a visit. It helps us keep our ear to the ground as well. We’re in a good position to know what’s going on with the industry because we’re out there, seeing them, every other day. If someone asked me what’s happening in any given town we visit, I’d be able to tell them what’s a seller there and what’s not, and what the general situation’s like. That insight helps us, and helps them. It’s about keeping everyone happy and all of us in business, at the end of the day.” The Love-Sex-Toys site has been running almost a
year, and it benefited from a new look in January. “It’s still a new thing for us,” said Mike. “There are a lot of toy sites out there and we’ve built that business up mostly through cross-promotion from the All Amateurs and shoe sites and social networking. We’ve a Facebook group for the shoes, and a Twitter stream, and they’ve been going for a while. We drop the odd link in there - nothing too graphic, maybe the odd bullet. You don’t really want to be waving a 10” dildo at your shoe customers saying ‘Do you want one of these?’ With a Facebook group covering shoes, boots, lingerie and clothing, something discreet is OK.”
I’M READY FOR MY CLOSE UP, MR MCGEE
With sexting and webcams, it’s clear some people like to share intimate moments with friends, or even strangers, but it seems a big step from that to being on a DVD. We wondered how difficult it was for the McGees to find their amateur performers. With a grin Mike said: “It’s actually not a problem. We always explain about release forms early on, so they understand why we need proof of age, and confirmation that we’ve the right to use that content. If they can’t or won’t show ID and sign a release form, then there’s no point in pursuing things. If they have a change of heart after doing the scene, but before we’ve done the editing, that’s OK, we won’t use the footage, but they won’t get paid. But to be honest, it’s OK. We’ve had couples send us stuff after seeing our movies and say, so long as they get a copy if we put it on a DVD, we’re welcome to use it. They didn’t want paying. It’s an exhibitionist thing, which is what makes
“Our trade business will always be a
big part of our plans and we do our best to keep our customers sweet.”
amateur stuff special. Professionals are making porn for the money. Amateurs do it for the love of it, for the kick they get out of it and for a laugh. Before we were known, we used to get names from contact magazines and papers we advertised in but with the Internet, they come to us. We get a couple of genuine enquiries a week and if it’s the right sort of thing, we buy the rights to use it. Depending on the couple, there might be a couple of hundred in it for them, but sometimes it is just for a copy of the film.” Still on the subject of DVD production economics, Mike added: “The BBFC taking a big slice of the pie is definitely a problem now. When we made our first
53
DVD we had 3,500 of those pressed for the first batch, and reruns afterwards. Now, for a new title, we’re lucky to do a thousand. It makes the BBFC’s charges very unreasonable, per unit. Also, your unit price into shops isn’t what it once was, so it’s a squeeze. At least we’re our own distributor, so we’ve taken a link out of that chain. When we do distribution deals, it has to be for exclusive rights, otherwise you just end up in a price war and the profit vanishes because there are that many people fighting for business. We’ll set a price and, depending on what it is, there may be deals to be done, but for some things the price is the price. If you don’t like the price, I’m sorry. For some titles that’s £6.95, but when we know that’ll retail for £25, it’s not unreasonable. It’s a similar situation with the toys. We offer a generic budget range and a higher- end selection, from brands like ToyJoy, Doc Johnson, Perfect Pleasures, Fun Factory and so on. The bargain range isn’t going to be right for everyone, but there’s a market for it, just as there is for a premium product. We’re in a position to kit someone’s store out for them, at the right money, depending on what they want and the sorts of margins they are aiming for. We’ve a vibe and three-sleeve pleasure kit for £2.50 that they could sell for £14.99 to £19.99. We premiered the cheaper toys at the ETO Show last year and they’ve been a success story for us. We took a chance and it paid off.”
Doing business with DVM is very straightforward. Mike explained: “If they’re not on our delivery network, it’s basically mail order, with shipments via one of the carriers we have an account with. We tend to get money up front on the first order, and with the people we deliver to, we pick up payment when we’re with them. Too many people have been stung for us to offer credit these days, and I’m sure we’re not alone in having lost money over the years that way. COD means everyone knows where they are, no one’s
getting into debt buying stock they can’t afford. We can offer free delivery, when we’re coming past. So long as it’s a sensible sized order, and our customers are good at placing a regular order ahead of our visit to their area, then there’s no charge for dropping the consignment off. It’s rarely happened that we’ve paid a shop a visit and it’s not been worth our while as well as theirs. For shops off our routes, or ones in a hurry who can’t wait ‘til we’re next passing, next day delivery is £6.95. We do get to see most of our customers every month though, so keeping on top of restocking is not a problem. There was a time when trade was so manic that you needed to see people more often, but every four weeks works OK now. It also gives us time to have some new products to show them every time, hopefully. It keeps business fresh. Looking forward, we want the shop to keep doing well, and the websites, and we’d like to add another unlicensed shop at some point, maybe back in Derby, perhaps next year, possibly a shopping-centre sort of a location, with a focus on shoes and clothing - with an edge, but not too edgy. Our wholesale business is ticking along. Apart from adding more new products there’s not an enormous amount we’d want to change about it. Our trade business will always be a big part of our plans and we do our best to keep our customers sweet. The wholesale side has been our bread and butter for years and we’ve made some great friends in the industry. That’s one of the reasons why we’re happy to do the ETO Show as it’s always nice to see everyone there, including the people we do business with in Scotland, who we might not otherwise get to meet. But they’ll get down to Birmingham and we’ll see them once a year, at least.”
For further information about Heelz Adult Shop or DVM’s wholesale side contact Mike McGee on 07788 164061 or email
mike@all-amateursdvd.com
Erotic Trade Only June 2012
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