So let's start a business doing ecomods

[FordFiestaS]

Anyone have any interest in doing ecomods for profit?

Seems like a no brainer.

Everyone, well most folks, would love to save money. What easy things could be marketed for profit?

Just a thought.

[UltArc]

It is a bit difficult to make modifications cost efficient, quickly.

So one has to make a modification that is paid within 15,000 miles, and has to be made cheaper than what THEY, and made by use for time and energy (supplies).

Now, prices can have less profit if we can get it to a lot of people. That means marketing, developing to fit like OEM, and knowing enough people will buy it to make it worth the investment.

There's a LOT to it.

[brucey]

Never gonna be profitable unless we make eco-mods cool first.

[darcane]

There are at least a couple users on here who has been trying to get a product to come to life. Bondo has been working on an aerocap for a truck, there is a new user making an aerodynamic front bumper, and I recall someone selling simple, aerodynamic wheel covers.

Most mods on this site are low-cost and have minimal development cycles (typically one...) and are a long ways off from being marketable.

Once you start getting into for-profit products, you need to start researching applicable standards and codes to verify you are not bringing an illegal product to market. This can be an onerous process especially if you are not familiar with what standards and codes would apply. I'm not sure what all would apply, but at the very least you would have meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

I've thought about it myself but don't have the time or money to invest in developing a product and I know very little about running a business. My thoughts are that you would have to start with parts that are relatively universal (like wheel covers) to get a wide enough market for the numbers to pan out.

[tvbd56]

The way I think about it is that most drivers wouldn't want something on their car that makes it look odd or out of the ordinary, so that takes out some ecomods.
If you were to sell an ecomodded product to someone I could see a response of them claiming "It hasn't improved my mpg" because most drivers wouldn't track their mpg. Not only would some say that but they may want their money back because they haven't seen proven results with their own car even though they are probably just driving like an ass and making their own mpg worse.

[mcrews]

Ecomodders are cheap.
They are DYIers.
There is NOT a market for selling eco-mods.

[mcrews]

more thoughts:
60% of economy comes from adjusting the nut behind the wheel.
Consumers will expect a 'bolt-on' to cure bad driving.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by mcrews

Ecomodders are cheap.
They are DYIers.
There is NOT a market for selling eco-mods.

I wouldn't say there "is NOT a market for selling eco-mods". I'm sure it's there.... just small.

If someone were to make wheel covers that were just like all the other wheel covers out there except smooth like moon discs and sold for $25-$30 (typical Amazon.com price) as set, I bet most everyone here would opt for those over pizza pans and zip ties.

But, you'd have to sell several hundreds of sets before you even recoup the cost of the mold. Or price it higher, which would reduce sales.

Market eco-mods as being a green product that helps the environment and it would probably sell better. Many seem to care about the image or protecting the environment more than whether they are actually doing anything meaningful.

[2000mc]

Any guesses how many sets of covers, in a given diameter, would be needed in a group buy, for an aftermarket company already producing hubcaps, to make a smooth hubcap?

[darcane]

Originally Posted by 2000mc

Any guesses how many sets of covers, in a given diameter, would be needed in a group buy, for an aftermarket company already producing hubcaps, to make a smooth hubcap?

Rough guess? Probably 200+ at $30/set.

Estimates:
$2500 for a mold. After cost of materials, labor, packaging, and shipping to a distributer they might hit $15 profit. 167 sets before they break even, would need a few more to even consider doing it.

That's assuming they are all one size. Obviously a 14" cap won't fit on a 15" wheel...