I've started a Business! Its called WingSwap

[Oldguy]

1 minute ago, M20FanJesse said:

Good idea. I am giving it away actually! I'd rather not cold call people, but I'll talk to a few brokers about putting planes up. Thanks!

And you might reach out to some of the MSCs to let them know their clients looking to sell could list with you.

But do make sure the ones you talk with do not sell planes on their own...

[rpcc]

13 minutes ago, Oldguy said:

But do make sure the ones you talk with do not sell planes on their own...

I didn't think he was selling planes, just providing free lead generation services - who could say no to that?

Good call on the MSC guys - maybe provide free listings of service for them.

 

[M20FanJesse]

2 hours ago, rpcc said:

I didn't think he was selling planes, just providing free lead generation services - who could say no to that?

Good call on the MSC guys - maybe provide free listings of service for them.

 

Yep, a lead generation service. Also, MSC? Whats that?

Some site changes! I got rid of the Jet category, because I'm pivoting to aim more towards smaller GA crowd, where things swap hands more often. I now have a glider/ultralight section(already a duo in there!), and a Parts/other section. So you have wings, landing gear, a turn coordinator, or an engine, there's a place for it!

[Raptor05121]

Still waiting on my confirmation e-mail. Not in spam.

I like the "newer" GUI versus controller. I'm excited to help build the momentum.

[carusoam]

MSC = Mooney Service Center...   a place where Mooneys go for service, and discuss the future of their ownership...

My favorite pre-owned Mooney sales organization is AAA.

You can see AAA’s listings in controller... some of the finest Mooneys available...

See if @jgarrison can give you some insight...

 

It will be generally kind of difficult to get a business to change the way they operate.  So keep that in mind while trying to find a win-win-win situation... for the selling organization, the buyer, and yourself...

Best regards,

-a-

[M20FanJesse]

2 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

Still waiting on my confirmation e-mail. Not in spam.

I like the "newer" GUI versus controller. I'm excited to help build the momentum.

Thats weird. I looked into the mail logs. It tried to send to you three times and failed because "user deferred complaints" whatever that means. It finally sent though so check again. Regardless, I've manually approved your account.  Thank you! Exciting stuff happening soon. Now that there's some listings up, I'll focus on letting the masses know. 

[LANCECASPER]

Just noticed a typo - the spelling you have is for the country COLOMBIA, but the airplane is spelled COLUMBIA.

 

Also Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. is listed under Aircraft Brands

[M20FanJesse]

15 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

Just noticed a typo - the spelling you have is for the country COLOMBIA, but the airplane is spelled COLUMBIA.

 

 

Also Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. is listed under Aircraft Brands

Good catch! haha thank you I appreciate you letting me know. Also, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty has a plane or two I think...? Thats why I added it, because someone requested it. 

[Niko182]

15 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

Just noticed a typo - the spelling you have is for the country COLOMBIA, but the airplane is spelled COLUMBIA.

 

Also Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. is listed under Aircraft Brands

Also DHC is a type of aircraft created by de havilland. not a brand

[rpcc]

7 hours ago, M20FanJesse said:

Thats weird. I looked into the mail logs. It tried to send to you three times and failed because "user deferred complaints" whatever that means. It finally sent though so check again. Regardless, I've manually approved your account.  Thank you! Exciting stuff happening soon. Now that there's some listings up, I'll focus on letting the masses know. 

check out mailgun.com for email delivery - I've had good luck with them and their site explains what your issues could be.  

To be clear, I'm suggesting you offer these brokers additional listings  but not try to change their exiting practices - eg, stop useing controller or trade a plane any more.  Until you've built some momentum that won't happen.  You just need content - so ask them -  Would you mind if i copied your listings to my site at no cost to you?  You'll get the emails/contacts for all of the leads I generate for free - who can say no to that.   

[smccray]

1 hour ago, rpcc said:

You just need content - so ask them -  Would you mind if i copied your listings to my site at no cost to you?  You'll get the emails/contacts for all of the leads I generate for free - who can say no to that.   

That’s a good idea. The only challenge is that you have expense associated with that strategy and zero revenue. It will be very easy to get people to get you work for free.  Make sure your platform can track metrics on how many leads you generate for the brokers, or some other way to track the value you generate for the brokers to convert that free work to a paying customer.

As an individual seller I could post an ad on Controller for free.  I’m not Controller’s customer. Controller wants brokers to list aircraft on their site to pay listing fees; they allow me to list a plane for free in order to get listings, keep eyeballs, and ultimately keep broker listings that generate cash. 

When you have those conversations with Brokers, I suggest you have a couple questions you ask them about where they are dissatisfied with the current online advertising services.  After a dozen conversations a couple trends should emerge.  If you can’t identify some major challenges with the current services that will tell you something too.

As an aircraft owner, I think there’s an opportunity to simplify the parts side more so than the aircraft listing side. That looks like a different business catering to the parts suppliers rather than airplane brokers / sellers, but it depends on the direction you want to take your business. 

[HRM]

9 hours ago, M20FanJesse said:

Thats weird. I looked into the mail logs. It tried to send to you three times and failed because "user deferred complaints" whatever that means. It finally sent though so check again. Regardless, I've manually approved your account.  

I am wondering if this may be fallout from all the new privacy rules. May be coming out of your provider.

[The Other Red Baron]

I'm guessing whatever host he is using shares an IP address that sends a ton of spam email out and the big email providers have the IP on a blacklist.

[LANCECASPER]

On 5/22/2018 at 3:57 PM, M20FanJesse said:

Over the last month I've been working on creating a simple and easy to use online marketplace to post classified listings and wanted ads for aircraft! The site is called WingSwap.com, and it went live about an hour ago! As for the goal of my new business, Think of it like a replacement for the old and outdated barnstormers. Barnstormers is the most widely used marketplace for GA aircraft, and it is stuck in 1999. It has a lot of problems on many browsers and I think you'll agree is clumsy and hard to navigate. Controller is aimed at a more executive level of aircraft, so I think there's a great opportunity in this GA niche for me to come in with something modern and simple to use It's free, easy to use, mobile friendly, and built to make listings aircraft for sale simple and easy. I am aiming to become the one stop venue everyone goes to for aircraft sales!  

http://www.wingswap.com

 

https://www.flyingmag.com/california-pilot-makes-simple-aviation-marketplace-wingswap

[M20FanJesse]

20 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

https://www.flyingmag.com/california-pilot-makes-simple-aviation-marketplace-wingswap

 

Wow look at that!  

[Raptor05121]

So I listed a radio thats been in my garage for a while.

I noticed the "year" is required. Maybe another fill-in field can be used for avionics as they really dont have "years" or SMOH, etc

Also, not too terribly excited about having my phone number there. Is this website protected from google spam bots and machines that scan for auto-dialing numbers?

[M20FanJesse]

17 minutes ago, Raptor05121 said:

So I listed a radio thats been in my garage for a while.

I noticed the "year" is required. Maybe another fill-in field can be used for avionics as they really dont have "years" or SMOH, etc

Also, not too terribly excited about having my phone number there. Is this website protected from google spam bots and machines that scan for auto-dialing numbers?

The phone number is optional, you don't have to fill that out. Let me talk to my dev and get back to you! 

 

 

[M20FanJesse]

On 5/31/2018 at 5:02 PM, Raptor05121 said:

So I listed a radio thats been in my garage for a while.

I noticed the "year" is required. Maybe another fill-in field can be used for avionics as they really dont have "years" or SMOH, etc

Also, not too terribly excited about having my phone number there. Is this website protected from google spam bots and machines that scan for auto-dialing numbers?

Okay, sorry for the delay, the "year" is now optional, for items that might not need a year in front of it. Also the phone number is now optional, however my dev informs me that like Barnstormers, the exposed phone number is a fairly low risk of being picked up by phone scammer lists. 

Lots of new posts up! 

[M20FanJesse]

I'll only make a post about this once. I made a facebook business page for WingSwap, if any of you do that, please give it a like! 

www.facebook.com/wingswap

[Niko182]

Do you think you could you make it required that they have to put a useful load. Its criminal not to put a useful load for an aircraft. I was always confused why people never put it up (obviously because the useful load was shit, but in the end the useful load is gonna come out anyway.)

[M20FanJesse]

1 hour ago, Niko182 said:

Do you think you could you make it required that they have to put a useful load. Its criminal not to put a useful load for an aircraft. I was always confused why people never put it up (obviously because the useful load was shit, but in the end the useful load is gonna come out anyway.)

I'm worried adding mandatory bits of info like that will take away from a lot of the appeal that makes the website so easy to use, both for the browser, and the seller. I could make it like controller, where you have this gigantic page detailing every aspect of the thing youre trying to sell, but to me at least, that dissuades me from making the listing. Leaving a big description area leaves room for the seller to include what they want, which is who I am trying to attract the most. What I can do is include a placeholder text in the description box that reminds the seller to include the useful load, before they start typing. 

[M20FanJesse]

I'm trying to justify going to Oshkosh to give out a bunch of free t shirts and promote/meet people. But I need peoples opinion. I figure it'll cost me roughly $1k to get airline tickets/airventure tickets, t shirts, etc..to make the trip. OR I could spend that money on an emailer from AOPA pilot magazine where it will be read by approx 20k pilots, where they could simply click right to my site.
Is there another reason why I should come to oshkosh instead of spending it on online marketing I'm not thinking of that would benefit WingSwap more? Ideally I'd like to do both, but budget and all that.

I will be in an email from Flying mag in a few days, so I will see how that works out, and that will play into my decision. What do you think? 

[kpaul]

21 minutes ago, M20FanJesse said:

. What do you think? 

OSH as an aviation enthusiast is worth the price of admission. Magazine and online advertising will probably reach more people per dollar however there is a lot to be said about pressing the flesh and getting your story out face to face as well.

 

[Skates97]

On 5/31/2018 at 3:19 PM, revwatch said:

I'm guessing whatever host he is using shares an IP address that sends a ton of spam email out and the big email providers have the IP on a blacklist.

This is very likely. If you are on a shared IP (most likely unless you are paying extra from your hosting service) all it takes is a couple of bad apples on the same IP and it ends up on blacklists so anything coming from it, including your emails, are tagged as spam and don't make it through filters. They won't even get to the end users spam folder. 

[M20FanJesse]

1 hour ago, Skates97 said:

This is very likely. If you are on a shared IP (most likely unless you are paying extra from your hosting service) all it takes is a couple of bad apples on the same IP and it ends up on blacklists so anything coming from it, including your emails, are tagged as spam and don't make it through filters. They won't even get to the end users spam folder. 

I am not using shared hosting, I did pay extra for my own, and I'm using a service, Mailgun, to send emails through the website, to get a better inbox hit rate until the credibility of the site's IP is established. Seems to be working as I haven't had a non deliverable email in a week now!