What do you look for in an online retailer?

[armiller]

As others have said: two things for me. 1) pictures of discs (a must for discs like dyed, and a plus for regular discs so you really know the color and stamp color); and 2) reasonable and preferably free shipping, at least after a certain price.

 

[dekdo]

Actually, nothing. I pretty much give up on online ordering. I'm batting around 50% in purchase satisfaction so it actually costs me more in the long-run than buying from a brick and mortar shop.

Got a box full of discs that are of no use to me;
DX Roc that's as soft as a Vibram disc
Star Orc that's harder and slicker than any Champion disc I have ever handled
Polecat with the biggest dome I've ever seen on a disc
Z-Comet that's puddle topped
River with a flat top
And the list goes on......

Not worth the quest to save a few dollars anymore. I pretty much have everything I need now anyway, so browsing in shops is just about buying backups or the occasional try of a new mold.

Yeah I dont really order discs online anymore unless they arent available in a store. However, there are certain molds that I know are consistent enough that i don't need to pick them out in person.

 

[INTP]

Good search function and reasonable shipping costs (that are explained/calculable without having to register, add to cart, etc first)

Can't stress the importance of a good search function. If you can figure out an efficient search function that can operate with 2-letter search strings, it would be immensely helpful since there are many discs like the SL, TL, P4, M4, etc that are only 2 chars long.

Shipping costs are also very high on the list. I can do my research and figure out info about discs across numerous sites, but the one that gets my money is the one that comes out cheapest. Offering free shipping over X amount usually upsells extra discs to get to that total. Clearwater has it set at $45, which is a reasonable order size of 3-4 premium discs.

 

[BuzzzChief]

As others have said: two things for me. 1) pictures of discs (a must for discs like dyed, and a plus for regular discs so you really know the color and stamp color); and 2) reasonable and preferably free shipping, at least after a certain price.

Agreed, I used to shop at the bigger online retailers a lot. Now most of my business goes to smaller retailers or individuals on DGCR or Facebook, because I can see actual pictures of the discs and don't get railed on shipping.

 

[Hyzer Ale]

Copy what Infinite Discs is doing. Pictures of every single disc. Good filters for research. Highlight what's new and cool.

Cheap and/or free shipping is also huge for me.

Point or other loyalty gimmicks are not important to me.

I do almost all of my online shopping with infinite now. Their shipping is so fast, and I love knowing what the disc looks like before I receive it. Would be awesome to have a profile pic too, but that might be too time consuming. I actually have 3 discs showing up from them today :clap:

 

[eric40817]

I prefer going to the store but when I order online, I order from Marshall Street because they weigh each disc. Theres no "enter the preferred weight" and you'll get as close to that as possible, or pick a weight range. I also appreciate that I can contact them about my order and have them pick out something specific if need be - highest plh you can find, grippiest one on the shelf, etc etc. Also, shipping costs are very fair. After those two things, I look for the checkout button.
I like supporting the locals so I buy 75% of my discs from MS. The other 25% are from people on DGCR :thmbup:

 

[DinosaurThunder]

This is my what I look for/what I think sites should do wish list.

-No weight ranges and no color preferences - I want to know exactly what I'm buying.
-Shipping deals on multiple discs
-not up charging for "swirly" discs
-intuitive search functionality - i.e. if you search "DD" I like the DD from Discmania to show up, not every result that may have DD hyphenated for Dynamic Discs
-intuitive browse/filters on the left hand or top: Discs->Manufacturer->Type->Results
-Combining plastic options within a disc - I dont need star teebirds and champion teebirds separated within results
-Periodic "deal's of the week" (or month etc)
-Flight chart on the product detail pages - ability to compare would be a bonus
-Fewest number of clicks for check out
-Suggestion banners based on shopping and disc choice habits
-Email blasts notifying when new stock is in - perhaps "email me when available"
-If you have limited releases, limit purchase quantity amounts - Stop the upselling trend!
-Run information - 3rd run PD or 6th run PD, what am I buying?

 

[Broken Shoulder]

Previous posts have covered the majority, but above all else I want good, prompt customer service, such as provided by Justin at Community Discs. His way of dealing with issues and being genuinely appreciative of his customers makes me want to shop there first.

 

[ODRB]

Color and weight.
Good Millennium stock.
Shipping not more than what I pay to ship discs.

 

[LukeButch]

I am pursuing the idea of opening up a new disc golf online store and would like some feedback from the community.

!

from a business standpoint this is a terrible idea. the top online retailers have years of building brand recognition and growing a loyal customer base. Unless you have a novel idea that would set you far apart from them, you won't be very successful.

sure you can show a profit doing it, but it will hardly be worth the time you put in, as well as the capital you will need to maintain a full stock.

 

[Halcón]

from a business standpoint this is a terrible idea. the top online retailers have years of building brand recognition and growing a loyal customer base. Unless you have a novel idea that would set you far apart from them, you won't be very successful.

sure you can show a profit doing it, but it will hardly be worth the time you put in, as well as the capital you will need to maintain a full stock.

I too am a realist, but I wouldn't rain on his parade so fast. As far as the OP, the thread has given you a great idea of our needs. Good luck!

 

[sumo21]

Unless someone is running a big sale, I typically only buy from Hyzer Farm on eBay. Communication is important. If I have to wait 3 days to hear back during normal business days, you don't want my money.

Scott and Jeanne are awesome people to deal with. You can never go wrong with Hyzerfarm.

And the waiting game, I cannot agree more. If you're a seller, you need to stay on top of everything. Otherwise, the buyer may think that you're blowing them off and take their business elsewhere.

I sell odds and ends on ebay and every day or every move that I make, I let my customer know what is going on with their order. This is how I'd like it to go down, so I practice what I want in return.

 

[SD86]

Most of this has been said, but I'll add my $0.02: Almost all of my online buying has been from either Disc Golf Center (DGC) or Infinite Discs.

DGC has a grid of weight and color and it's usually pretty good, maybe an occasional pink actually being purplish, etc. DGC also adds to the price, but has NO shipping costs (if you order over $12 worth). They also have the percentage discount, and I'm either happy or sorry to say I've reached the full 10% discount.

Infinite has a picture of every disc, which is great. They have X-Outs and Factory Seconds for sale at some measure of discount. They charge less per disc, but they do have shipping, and for two discs it's $3.99, and $1 for each disc after... so buying in quantity is where it begins to save over DGC. I comparison-shop those two frequently. Infinite also has the reviews, which I find to be helpful.

Both DGC and Infinite have good websites that are easy to navigate, easy to place orders, and both have good customer service.

I've gone to other places from time to time, but none have been as good as the above two. I have looked at Marshall, and if they ever have the colors (very important to me), weights, and the discs I want, and I can get the order over $50 to kill shipping costs, I'd give them a shot. Shipping is a killer for me not ordering more from the Innova Proshop (and of course, they only have Innova/Discmania there).

So there you go. If you start up your business, let us know, and good luck with it!

 

[zendragon]

Previous posts have covered the majority, but above all else I want good, prompt customer service, such as provided by Justin at Community Discs. His way of dealing with issues and being genuinely appreciative of his customers makes me want to shop there first.

Community is awesome. Their website has also improved and now they have a rewards program that makes shopping there even cheaper.

I've shopped at Infinite, DGC, and a few others listed here. I would learn as much as I could from Community above all the others. Infinite has some good advantages, but is also a bit pricier on some discs. I have spent the extra $1 there just to know I was getting exactly what I wanted, but I prefer Community for most discs.

 

[gradus]

I'd be willing to pay slightly more per disc if the site gave me all of the following:

1. Each disc individually weighed
2. I pick exact weight and color
3. Free shipping
4. Large inventory

This. Basically discgolfcenter.com or discgolfstore.com.