CustomFlix: E-Store or Amazon?

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dwnsthballer

Well-known member
Hey guys,

I'm looking into potentially releasing my next season of sketch comedy shows on DVD next year and I'm wondering which option would you guys choose for distributing your stuff through CustomFlix?

Would you go the Amazon route, which exposes it to potential millions of Amazon.com users and will allow customers to trust their purchase more (since everyone knows Amazon.com). It sounds good, but 45% on top of the $4.95 per unit is crazy. A DVD for $20 would only return $6.05 per sale. Plus, even with the exposure of potential millions to the DVD, what are the chances of any of them buying it (or even finding it for that matter).

The E-Store only takes 15% with a $4.95 per unit charge, so a $20.00 DVD would return $12.05. This options sound great, but people would really only know about it through my spreading the word around (which I would do anyways). Less potential for exposure. Also, people may not be trusting of the E-store and may think it's a scam to get their money and no DVD.

I know it might seem obvious to go with one, but each has its benefits and disadvantages. Which do you guys see to be the best option?

If it helps, I do have a decent fan base of my shows, a few thousand to be exact, so out of those few thousand, I think 1/3 would actually buy the DVD (more would trickle in later through word of mouth, stumbling upon, etc), but that's the initial amount I'm predicting.

Anyways, advice is welcomed and appreciated!
 
I've been thinking about this as well - if you are going to with amazon, your marketing is partially done for you - I'd still push as many to the site obviously but I look at movies at Amazon all the time - I might see yours and buy it having previously not known about it.

however if you want to do all of the marketing or are selling only to people you know, then go for the e-store. In my case I'm going to have a series of dog videos specifically marketed to other dog clubs - no one else will care. so we're going e-store.

I never really thought of the e-store as not having the reputation of amazon, so you may have something there. I'm a pretty trusting guy though and trust Visa to back me up in the event of a problem. Others may be less trusting though. I'd go for the e-store if you already have a fan base and just market yourself into oblivion - mass emails to everyone you know, flyers, ads in the paper etc. I would build a website for the movie that is official looking and have that link to the e-store. then just send everyone to www.yourmovietitle.com (not a real link...) in your emails, flyers, newspaper ads. To me the cost advantage sways me to the e-store. I would guess that most that buy arent random browsers.
 
After reading again the CustomFlix page, I am a bit confused.

Can you opt to have your DVD on both Amazon AND the E-Store, or can you only choose one?

If you can choose both, then the problem is solved. :D
 
You can choose to do both with CustomFlix and Amazon, or just CustomFlix. Also, don't confuse a search engine result on Amazon as marketing - it is not. marketing is a campaign to raise awareness - Amazon is a trusted and known fulfillment service. In either case, as is with all of these types of sites, marketing will be up to you.

Michael
 
actually putting your video on amazon IS marketing - if its there and I find it while I'm looking through the comedy section at Amazon I'd say thats raising awareness. Of course theres still alot to do. Wouldnt rely on the random passer-by to make your film profitable.

seeing as how you can do both I think that pretty much solves itself. Do both and send people to your e-store only. If you get alot of resistance because of site security (doubtful) then mention its on Amazon as well. I wonder if you can price it higher on Amazon... Thats what I would be doing. I'd mark 20 to $25 on amazon and stay at 20 on the e-store if they'll let you. Just enough to drive people to where the profits are better.
 
I pulled my title off CustomFlix! It all sounded and looked good when I first found out about them but I never received any checks for DVD's that were sold. You had to sell up to a certain amount for you to start getting checks and these idiots raised the rate right when I was supposed to start getting checks! After several nasty phone calls and emails that I wrote I decided to pull my title off their website. They also get you with the Amazon thing too. They tell you your title will be seen by more people if you add Amazon to your account which is true because its added to their library as well, BUT it cost money to do this! So Customflix gets a cut of your sales and then Amazon will get a cut of your sales and you end up with "CHUMP CHANGE" unless your selling a boat load of DVDs!

Just something to think about...

What I plan to do is build me a website, and have a PAYPAL link attached to it and folks can by my DVD and I will retain all of the profits! I will have to do all the marketing and promoting on my own as well.
 
Dwnsthballer,

Check this site out www.brightcove.com

...Apparently if you sign up for Professional services it gives you some options to think about! I am told its like YouTube but with more features and options. Its Free for a personal account but Professional I think is fee based.
 
As far as sales go, it really doesn't matter which one you use since no one is going to know it's on there unless you tell them. It is going to be up to you to get the word out and pique peoples' interest. When was the last time you bought a DVD (particularly for $20) without knowing ANYTHING about it?
 
Blaine raises the point I was saying. Accidentally coming across a title while on Amazon is still not marketing. Getting people to go to Amazon and enter your title by name is marketing - When was the last time you went to CustomFlix to buy your entertainment?

I did the color correction and mastering for a feature a couple years back with several Sopranos stars. 35mm, very good production value, etc. It has been on CustomFlix and Amazon for a while. Based on the number of copies sold and if the production company kept 100% of the revenue, it would take then 325 years to break even. Has anyone run across this one? Have you heard of it? And if you did run across it, would you buy it?

That is marketing.


Michael
 
so you dont think point of sale stands work in grocery stores? Thats marketing too. LIke you said - who goes to customflix to by entertainment? You still need to sell your product but thats not the whole thing - if the product isnt out in the marketplace then it wont sell.

I have no clue where your sopranos arguement was going, I've never said you dont have to do any marketing by selling it on amazon. having it on amazon will allow more people to see your product. customflix wont. thats marketing. Even if they dont buy it then, seeing it may peak their interest enough to find out more about it. Now if its just on customflix I'm guessing few to none will be browsing there and no interest will be peaked.
 
Agree with the marketing comments, it is difficult.

Other ways to get your product out, by pay download. I have learned that you can do so by:

Tradebit
Hungryflix

I do not know the details, and can not comment. Just other options to explore, if you have a market to tap into. Good luck!
 
Hey guys,

Thanks for all your input. Knowing that I can do both solves everything now. I was more interesting in finding out which way I should send my customers. The reputable Amazon.com which is easier to remember if I were to tell someone about it on the street or through messages, or CustomFlix.com, which takes less percentage but may be hard for the average person to just remember (beleive me, people forget stuff). I guess that's all part of marketing though to keep them remembering, huh? I think I'll send people to my E-Store that are part of my fanbase and through my own marketing and then let Amazon.com just handle the people who stumble upon it. My fanbase is pretty trusting and loyal, so maybe they won't be bothered. Who knows. I guess I'll find out!

As you can see, I ask and answer my questions alot, but I love to hear opinions from others.

I do plan on doing a huge amount of promoting and marketing myself. I am relying on my fanbase to buy my DVD, and then more buy it through word of mouth. I wasn't going to be relying to heavily on people stumbling upon my DVD.

It's going to be a season DVD of our shows with bloopers, behind the scenes, etc. Like I said, I have a pretty big fanbase, and I realistically expect 1/3 to buy it in the beginning, but you never know.
 
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All I am saying is that if you do all your marketing and get people to realize there is a DVD out there that they want to buy - then customflix and amazon are fulfillment solutions to get that done. Of course I agree that Amazon has millions more casual viewers "browsing" and might come across your title. I may have a stricter definition, but that to me is a distribution strategy, not a marketing strategy. All of it is good in order to get a DVD sold. The same with the grocery store concept (Redbox). If one was able to get a DVD into that, it is distribution. But if I ran across it at the store and just saw the cover - why would I rent it over the one next to it that I have heard about? That's the marketing side.

Where I was trying to go with the mob comedy with Sopranos actors was that even with its placement on Amazon, on YouTube, on MySpace, no one here has ever heard of it. come across it, or even know what title it has. It has even one audience awards at several middle size festivals around the country. And with all that, it is selling a handful of copies per month. As a return of monies to the investors since I know what the budget was... will take a very long time.

If you have a fan base, a targeted audience that can be reached through mailing or otherewise that you already own, you have a built in marketing and execution plan - if that is the case, then selling them yourself via PayPal will give you higher returns. Just keep track of all the paperwork for Uncle Sam.


Michael
 
well crap Michael I think for the most part I agree with you. I still think what shelf you get that DVD on is a big part of marketing - but like you said you do have to make me want to buy it with promotions, movie posters, a flashy cover, etc.

I see what you're saying on the Sopranos thing (what was the name of it anyways - just curious).

Anyways like the OP said - you can do both and that sounds like the best thing to do in my opinion. I would investigate further the thing about getting your money from them that DVX100shooter mentioned.
 
On your site, have links to both Amazon & E-Store with the prices listed. But have the price lower on E-store so people believe they're getting a deal if they dare buy from an lesser known store. In actuality, you're getting a better percentage of the profits if they choose e-store. Otherwise they choose Amazon and you still get the sale. Setup the Amazon Unbox while you're at it. I know my Tivo has Unbox built in and I wouldn't think twice about renting a film I read about here.
 
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