RTBB Payment Options etc..

[Boots]

I don't think not having Paypal is a disadvantage really.

What would be handy is auto freight calculation.

That would speed up the process and save time for Nino???

How does that work on other sites?
How does it work it out the correct postage?

[Caveoftreasures]

Nino, some very honest feedback.

I never used RTBB in the past because it did not offer credit card or PayPal.
Any business in 2015 must be modernised or you will lose business hand over foot.

Secondly, after running my own business for the past 25 years and turning over millions of dollars per annum in the good years, my advice is that you MUST hire staff and grow for both RTBB and your Aust Pinball Restoration business because being a one man band in any business is a recipe for disaster in both efficiency and profit as well as gross turnover. Letting go and getting in help, contractor paid or salary will be an instant smart decision the moment you do it. Then u will say it was the best decision or decisions you ever made.

Start by getting a contractor in a few days a week then move to full time employment.
Delegating and teaming up is the most successful way to keep a business alive and growing.

I can only speak from 25 years of running my own businesses in highly competitive environments and being profitable and at the top of the game cause I took advice from people who had more experience than me in the early years.

I hope to see your two businesses succeed.
I never had a backlog and I never turned away a customer from day one cause I took the plunge and trusted others to work with and for me.

Staff will fix all your issues.
If I didn't think my advice wasn't helpful to anyone starting out in business I wouldn't be sincerely offering what I feel is honest advice or feedback. Hope it helps.
For the record, I am proud of what you have already achieved with APR and RTBB. Well done mate.

Where do I start ?

Money is no measure of success, unless you are driven by greed or ego.

The largest pinball parts supplier on the planet does not offer Paypal or Credit Card. They don't seem to be disadvantaged in any way.
I can't be losing business as every month just keeps getting better. There has been a steady increase in order and new customers. The most respected dealers, restorers and hobbyists buy from RTBB. That means more to me than profits.

I think you entirely miss the business model I have adopted. I'm not interested in turning over billions, I'm not interested in becoming an ego driven and self promoting pinball personality. My closest pinball friends know my financial situation. I don't need to big note myself or grow either business to earn respect. I measure my success on the completed machines, the genuine parts we supply, and the smile on the face of the pinball collector.

APR will not employ another pinball restorer. That will never happen. The moment I do that, I'm just another dealer - and I've been avoiding that stigmata since I started. You know what, I constantly have currently employed techs at other business' asking to work for me. I'm not interested in growing APR or RTBB. I worked for 24 years in a highly technical IT role at the height of the IT boom. I've put all that back into APR and RTBB. When you enter my building, EVERYTHING not owned by customers is owned by me.

I will run APR the way that is working for me - Yes - I'm behind - I have well over 4 years of CUSTOMER restoration work - You know what - people WILL wait.
I will run RTBB the way Greg ran it - with honesty and integrity - and providing the pinball community with genuine product and realistic prices.

My customers (RTBB and APR) are happy. We have business relationships with the best people in the industry. That's what makes me happy.

I gave u honest friendly advice and you made some suggested and implied personal personality put downs.
I felt that was poor form.

If u think people are going to wait 4 years and not go elsewhere and spend their $ with other companies, well that's certainly an opinion but a dellusional one to me in utmost respect.
That's not business success to me or providing a service, because as it stands, a company 2 or 4 years behind is not providing or able to provide a service at all to anyone.

If your idea of running a business is staying a one mand band forever, then that's your choice. Go for it.
But you might as well have a email auto direction and a answering machine that says "sorry, we can't help you, ring back in 4 years".

The pinball company overseas that doesn't take PayPal or credit card is a joke to me because they have never got a cent from me in 7 years cause they are not modern and won't take customer feedback. It's 2015, not 1970.

Good luck with RTBB and APR.
My last point. Business isn't always about making huge profits. Business is about making customers happy.
You can't make people happy if they don't accept outdated payment non options and you can't make people happy with 4 year waiting lists.
JJP ruined their name forever because they were so far behind and being patient is one thing, but turning into a skeleton is another thing.

Ferrari is seen as the best of the best when it comes to beautiful top end cars.
But even Ferrari doesn't only employ only one person worldwide.

I felt I gave you honest respectful advice to help.
I didn't think I got a respectful reply.

I am sure I won't lose any sleep and I am sure you won't lose any sleep either.
Hope it all works out for you Nino.
No use us debating the issue. It seems you have everything totally under control.

[Cow Corner]

I have always had a very positive experience dealing with RTTB.
Thanks Nino for continuing the good work Greg started.

[Boots]

I gave u honest friendly advice and you made some suggested and implied personal personality put downs.
I felt that was poor form.

If u think people are going to wait 4 years and not go elsewhere and spend their $ with other companies, well that's certainly an opinion but a dellusional one to me in utmost respect.
That's not business success to me or providing a service, because as it stands, a company 2 or 4 years behind is not providing or able to provide a service at all to anyone.

If your idea of running a business is staying a one mand band forever, then that's your choice. Go for it.
But you might as well have a email auto direction and a answering machine that says "sorry, we can't help you, ring back in 4 years".

The pinball company overseas that doesn't take PayPal or credit card is a joke to me because they have never got a cent from me in 7 years cause they are not modern and won't take customer feedback. It's 2015, not 1970.

Good luck with RTBB and APR.
My last point. Business isn't always about making huge profits. Business is about making customers happy.
You can't make people happy if they don't accept outdated payment non options and you can't make people happy with 4 year waiting lists.
JJP ruined their name forever because they were so far behind and being patient is one thing, but turning into a skeleton is another thing.

Ferrari is seen as the best of the best when it comes to beautiful top end cars.
But even Ferrari doesn't only employ only one person worldwide.

I felt I gave you honest respectful advice to help.
I didn't think I got a respectful reply.

I am sure I won't lose any sleep and I am sure you won't lose any sleep either.
Hope it all works out for you Nino.
No use us debating the issue. It seems you have everything totally under control.

Plenty of companies thrive without Paypal, only starts to become an issue when selling overseas
PBR don't accept Paypal probably because they don't have to, I am sure they are quite happy with the huge American market and not too fussed about a few sparse orders to a few skippys.

[Strangeways]

Nino, some very honest feedback.

I never used RTBB in the past because it did not offer credit card or PayPal.
Any business in 2015 must be modernised or you will lose business hand over foot.

Secondly, after running my own business for the past 25 years and turning over millions of dollars per annum in the good years, my advice is that you MUST hire staff and grow for both RTBB and your Aust Pinball Restoration business because being a one man band in any business is a recipe for disaster in both efficiency and profit as well as gross turnover. Letting go and getting in help, contractor paid or salary will be an instant smart decision the moment you do it. Then u will say it was the best decision or decisions you ever made.

Start by getting a contractor in a few days a week then move to full time employment.
Delegating and teaming up is the most successful way to keep a business alive and growing.

I can only speak from 25 years of running my own businesses in highly competitive environments and being profitable and at the top of the game cause I took advice from people who had more experience than me in the early years.

I hope to see your two businesses succeed.
I never had a backlog and I never turned away a customer from day one cause I took the plunge and trusted others to work with and for me.

Staff will fix all your issues.
If I didn't think my advice wasn't helpful to anyone starting out in business I wouldn't be sincerely offering what I feel is honest advice or feedback. Hope it helps.
For the record, I am proud of what you have already achieved with APR and RTBB. Well done mate.

Where do I start ?

Money is no measure of success, unless you are driven by greed or ego.

The largest pinball parts supplier on the planet does not offer Paypal or Credit Card. They don't seem to be disadvantaged in any way.
I can't be losing business as every month just keeps getting better. There has been a steady increase in order and new customers. The most respected dealers, restorers and hobbyists buy from RTBB. That means more to me than profits.

I think you entirely miss the business model I have adopted. I'm not interested in turning over billions, I'm not interested in becoming an ego driven and self promoting pinball personality. My closest pinball friends know my financial situation. I don't need to big note myself or grow either business to earn respect. I measure my success on the completed machines, the genuine parts we supply, and the smile on the face of the pinball collector.

APR will not employ another pinball restorer. That will never happen. The moment I do that, I'm just another dealer - and I've been avoiding that stigmata since I started. You know what, I constantly have currently employed techs at other business' asking to work for me. I'm not interested in growing APR or RTBB. I worked for 24 years in a highly technical IT role at the height of the IT boom. I've put all that back into APR and RTBB. When you enter my building, EVERYTHING not owned by customers is owned by me.

I will run APR the way that is working for me - Yes - I'm behind - I have well over 4 years of CUSTOMER restoration work - You know what - people WILL wait.
I will run RTBB the way Greg ran it - with honesty and integrity - and providing the pinball community with genuine product and realistic prices.

My customers (RTBB and APR) are happy. We have business relationships with the best people in the industry. That's what makes me happy.

I gave u honest friendly advice and you made some suggested and implied personal personality put downs.
I felt that was poor form.

If u think people are going to wait 4 years and not go elsewhere and spend their $ with other companies, well that's certainly an opinion but a dellusional one to me in utmost respect.
That's not business success to me or providing a service, because as it stands, a company 2 or 4 years behind is not providing or able to provide a service at all to anyone.

If your idea of running a business is staying a one mand band forever, then that's your choice. Go for it.
But you might as well have a email auto direction and a answering machine that says "sorry, we can't help you, ring back in 4 years".

The pinball company overseas that doesn't take PayPal or credit card is a joke to me because they have never got a cent from me in 7 years cause they are not modern and won't take customer feedback. It's 2015, not 1970.

Good luck with RTBB and APR.
My last point. Business isn't always about making huge profits. Business is about making customers happy.
You can't make people happy if they don't accept outdated payment non options and you can't make people happy with 4 year waiting lists.
JJP ruined their name forever because they were so far behind and being patient is one thing, but turning into a skeleton is another thing.

Ferrari is seen as the best of the best when it comes to beautiful top end cars.
But even Ferrari doesn't only employ only one person worldwide.

I felt I gave you honest respectful advice to help.
I didn't think I got a respectful reply.

I am sure I won't lose any sleep and I am sure you won't lose any sleep either.
Hope it all works out for you Nino.
No use us debating the issue. It seems you have everything totally under control.

Groundhog day..

OK - point out where I "made some suggested and implied personal personality put downs". I have no idea what you are talking about. In addition - to whom ?

"If u think people are going to wait 4 years and not go elsewhere and spend their $ with other companies, well that's certainly an opinion but a dellusional one to me in utmost respect.
That's not business success to me or providing a service, because as it stands, a company 2 or 4 years behind is not providing or able to provide a service at all to anyone. "

I'm delusional ?

Are you questioning my business ?

You know NOTHING about the way to run a successful Pinball Restoration business. People do wait, and many of them are on this forum. Many of them bring me games that were "fully done up" by so called "professionals". Many of them brought me "Christmas pins" that were rushed out and looked like they were shopped out by back packers. What is "successful" by your measures is nothing even close to what reality is.

"You can't make people happy if they don't accept outdated payment non options and you can't make people happy with 4 year waiting lists. "

That is laughable. Just because you don't want to do business with them, they are "outdated". As I've explained over and over, people ARE waiting years. They know EXACTLY what they are getting. Better to wait 4 years than have a machine that has 4 years worth of faults.

No use in debating, but I'm sure you will continue.

[Strangeways]

I have always had a very positive experience dealing with RTTB.
Thanks Nino for continuing the good work Greg started.

Thanks for the kind words. I just finished off this weeks backlog, and now I need to sit down and order more ramps 

[Caveoftreasures]

Fair point Boots.  That company has been going for decades and he gets by on his old customer base.

But if PRB started as a brand new company today, they would certainly and dramatically fail with their outdated business model.

If you can't pay with a few clicks, then it just becomes too hard for new customers.

In order to pay PBR, you have to study a dozen forum posts and you are still left scratching your head.
Most of my customers pay by credit card and some PayPal. It really is fast for both sides of the transaction.
It's also very secure for both parties.

[Strangeways]

I gave u honest friendly advice and you made some suggested and implied personal personality put downs.
I felt that was poor form.

If u think people are going to wait 4 years and not go elsewhere and spend their $ with other companies, well that's certainly an opinion but a dellusional one to me in utmost respect.
That's not business success to me or providing a service, because as it stands, a company 2 or 4 years behind is not providing or able to provide a service at all to anyone.

If your idea of running a business is staying a one mand band forever, then that's your choice. Go for it.
But you might as well have a email auto direction and a answering machine that says "sorry, we can't help you, ring back in 4 years".

The pinball company overseas that doesn't take PayPal or credit card is a joke to me because they have never got a cent from me in 7 years cause they are not modern and won't take customer feedback. It's 2015, not 1970.

Good luck with RTBB and APR.
My last point. Business isn't always about making huge profits. Business is about making customers happy.
You can't make people happy if they don't accept outdated payment non options and you can't make people happy with 4 year waiting lists.
JJP ruined their name forever because they were so far behind and being patient is one thing, but turning into a skeleton is another thing.

Ferrari is seen as the best of the best when it comes to beautiful top end cars.
But even Ferrari doesn't only employ only one person worldwide.

I felt I gave you honest respectful advice to help.
I didn't think I got a respectful reply.

I am sure I won't lose any sleep and I am sure you won't lose any sleep either.
Hope it all works out for you Nino.
No use us debating the issue. It seems you have everything totally under control.

Plenty of companies thrive without Paypal, only starts to become an issue when selling overseas
PBR don't accept Paypal probably because they don't have to, I am sure they are quite happy with the huge American market and not too fussed about a few sparse orders to a few skippys.

Direct Deposits can be in the RTBB bank account same day. Only one issue in hundreds of payments where a buyer paid into the wrong account by accident.
Paypal - Already had 2 customers claim they had paid into my Paypal account - but nothing was there !
Credit Card - Only been asked once or twice. Less than 1% of customers seem to want to use this payment option.

[Caveoftreasures]

Nino. Don't worry about it. We must have misunderstood each other.

As I said in my first post, I am proud of what you have done so far with RTBB and APR.
We just do things differently in business and probably always will. No big deal.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

Cavey, you want to help Nino?
Stop waisting his time on this forum

If Nino had to cut back, he could close this forum down, or restrict it to the technical and restoration sections

[pinnies4me]

... or restrict it to the technical and restoration sections

Believe me Pete, we have often discussed this very thing. Would likely resolve a lot of issues.

[tonyt]

Good on you Nino for running YOUR businesses the way that you want to and the values that you see are important. Like you say, your customers know what they get with you and they are prepared to wait and in the case of RTBB, use the payment methods offered.

I don't employ anyone in my business apart from my brother and our wives and don't take on any new clients (as my clients are regulars) Some would say I am crazy for not employing more and taking on more clients, but do I care?, no because I run my business the way I want to.

[pinsanity]

"Staff will fix all your issues"

Yes like raising the overall cost of doing business, which will inevitably have to be passed on to the end consumer in the form of price increases on goods.

There is a fundamental reason that both PBR in the US and RTBB in Aus consistently have the most competitive prices on parts in their respective countries and that is they keep the overhead costs of doing business as streamlined as possible.

Keep running your business as you see fit, Strangeways. I for one, hope the model you have adopted doesn't change in the foreseeable future.

[pinball god]

I can think of a case of having to wait and I think the organization has a few staff but maybe they can help our unemployment situation by employing all of them.....NBN......I don't have it.......but then again Optus, Voda, mr everyone else offering adsl (forget about adsl2) who do not offer me such a service.....they must be on the way out.......oh maybe such services aren't around in outback places like mine.......wait I'm only 20mins from melb cbd????? I don't think these guys mind missing my biz.....after all I am only one in 24mil and I don't think I'm that important to the world really.

Hey Nino how's your internet?

[Retropin]

With all due respect Nino, I think the cavemeister may have some valid points.
The payment options may well have worked in the past but this is 2015 and you do have to move with the times. Paypal is great.. as a supplier it is even better. Anyone that doesn't receive their goods instantly can make a claim against you ( instead of talking directly). Paypal will instantly freeze your Paypal account and all its funds until you manage to get the buyer to email them and state categorically that they do actually have the goods. Signed signatures as proof of delivery are useless in this instance... only direct communication from the buyer will see your funds released a couple of days later.
Come on man.. move with the times!

Now then.. 4 year waiting lists for restoration work. Of course this is totally unacceptable. Only top end USA restorers have these kind of waiting times. Im sure I don't have to remind you that this is AUSTRALIA. A quick check of the world map on your part would address this issue.
So how do you cut down waiting times?.. Its very simple.
 You do need staff and a process to restore these machines. Once you have streamlined the process to a semi mass production level, then you wont have to stress over the quality too much. Substandard work is totally acceptable in this instance.
Take a look at Stern ( or even Toyota!).. they are massive and have been making machines for a few decades now. They have issues with the clear coat process, but remember... this is mass produced and as such we, the customer, fully accept that standards will drop once the process is streamlined. Stern are top of the pile Nino - you really should follow their lead my friend.
Owning the premises and all within it... very poor business move on your part. Again, we could take Sterns lead here and acquire a larger factory. The costs of this and the extra office staff can be directly passed onto the customer and remember, if you drop your standards a bit to move these machines out the door then its like making profits on profits! Win win situation!... what business wouldn't want to do that?

Business advice is given freely here and your refusal to adjust your model to suit says more about your personality than anything else. I am not kidding when I tell you that there are people on here who have made MILLIONS over the years and have bought at least 50 PINBALL MACHINES with the money!!... all at sub market value due to great business acumen.
How many machines do you own Nino? What price did you pay? Are you operating them 24/7 365 days a year? Are they making $10 trillion dollars a day for you?

All food for thought my friend...  don't choke will you?