In the process of selling signs, I have experimented with a variety of products. What might sell on the website? What have I tried to sell without success? What products have such low margins that they are not worth keeping on the website? As I have evaluated these various products, I am sometimes also told a particular product is no longer available. Such was the case with the Pink Gorilla Robot.
As I am looking for opportunities to fill the void in my work day, I have tried to find products I might have an exclusive on. The Gorilla robot was on its downward slide when the manufacturer contacted me 3 years ago. I posted it and related products on my website, ebay, and I posted a few times on Facebook etc. For whatever reason, (it was a little pricey-er than my other signs) I didn’t have much success with the robots. So, when I got the call from the manufacturer he was discontinuing the product, I was not horribly surprised. We had some dialogue about what it would take for me (my company) to take the robots on. He told me the many steps he went through on physically building the robot frame, creating the hands and face to look life-like, and all of the work done on a sewing machine to stitch it all together. At that time, the production of the robots sounded far more daunting than I wanted to consider.
Earlier this week, I emailed him again to see what he was up to. After the few minutes of “This is what I did for awhile and this is what I am doing now”, he told me of how he would change the gorilla robots to reduce cost, time, and produce a quality product. As he made these suggestions, I realized how the pink gorilla really was a “Frankenstein-ish” creation. All that mattered is what you saw on the surface–the stuff under the costume really didn’t matter. Steel or wood was just a decision the manufacturer made to create a product most positively received by the customer. He was very encouraging if I wanted to “start it up again” and “take it over”. He also is “certain” he knows how certain eBay results will make Google like your eBay store more. It sounded a little conspiratorial, but I am rarely surprised anymore.
Although I have not closed this door, I am doubtful the Gorilla Robot will ever see life again by my hands. Even though I have gotten a few calls over the past few months due to lingering Facebook postings etc, the number of calls would seem to be below the threshold necessary to convince me these things are my ticket to easy street. The robots have been around for a number of years. They have been manufactured by a couple of different companies, and the person who last manufactured them is still sitting on the sidelines despite the occasional calls I am sure he also receives. I realize I am not going to be handed a product/service to fill the void my business needs to fill. However, it would just seem foolish to hang my hat on a product that seems to have moved to the twilight of its existence. (In its prime, hundreds were sold a year.) If anyone reads this and wants to get a gorilla robot, I would be happy to have my opinion changed….really!
