Drag City Casting FB Post

[Sledsel]

Hopefully we do not lose another....... 

Drag City Casting

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Is anyone seeing the product posts I make EVERY day? Or, is FB succeeding in keeping these posts from all of you because I am not dropping $140.00 a week on advertising? If you are not seeing the product posts I make daily and you are one of the few people who actually follow my business page because of what I offer in resin then I would kindly suggest you start visiting the page more frequently before I am forced to shut the business down. At this rate (2 small sales in 2 weeks) through FB is not sustainable or even worth my time keeping this page up. Say goodbye to the daily random picture posts too since there won't be a reason to do that any longer either.

 

 

 

[sidcharles]

i don't think selling is allowed under current house rules, but it's being debated under new business [here]  

 

[Mike 1017]

Kieth Marks has a Photo Sharing Site where he posts his Decals and contact info. Could this work for you?

Keith Marks Decals album | Customike | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.

[rattle can man]

I don't use Face book much. When I have tried to look at a company's products, I can never find a listing or purchase info.

[Quick GMC]

It's a shame, but a lot of people have offered suggestions and solutions for him for marketing or different avenues to show his product and he has shot down every single one of them. He doesn't want to make new molds, he doesn't want to pay for advertising, he doesn't want to maintain a website, he doesn't want to do this, he doesn't want to do that. Someone will suggest something and he just says "why would I do that, it's not worth it". He has a limited offering in a new world of 3D printing and despite having great products, he's got to adapt somehow. If he wants to stick to what he's doing and the way he is doing it, there is nothing wrong with that, but going on pages and guilt tripping people into buying his stuff is just not the way to do it. This is far from the first time. If your business can't survive because you aren't getting enough attention on Facebook, then that's on you. 

[stavanzer]

If he had a Fordor that wasn't chopped, I'd be there for it.

But, I don't want a chopped kit, so no sale.

I'm sorry his business is failing.

[Can-Con]

On 9/17/2025 at 12:40 PM, Mike 1017 said:

Kieth Marks has a Photo Sharing Site where he posts his Decals and contact info. Could this work for you?

Keith Marks Decals album | Customike | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.

Well it looks like Keith is out of the decal business too. One of the members here posted last week that Keith told him that his order would be the last set of decals he would be printing.

It's a shame but that's how it goes in this hobby. If you want something get it when you see it because it might not be there tomorrow.

[Mike 1017]

2 hours ago, Can-Con said:

Well it looks like Keith is out of the decal business too. One of the members here posted last week that Keith told him that his order would be the last set of decals he would be printing.

It's a shame but that's how it goes in this hobby. If you want something get it when you see it because it might not be there tomorrow.

Very bad news

[DJMar]

8 hours ago, Quick GMC said:

He has a limited offering in a new world of 3D printing and despite having great products, he's got to adapt somehow.

I think this is a important point. The market has changed drastically over the last decade. If you've got a handful of products, are advertising on the free side of Facebook, and don't have any web presence, then someone with a decent 3D printer, some free time and an Etsy or eBay store is probably going to eat your lunch.

I have a number of Drag City hoods and tops, but I purchased them all through a vendor (mainly as add ons). Sending a PM through Facebook is not the way to do business these days.

 

[peteski]

On 9/20/2025 at 9:01 PM, DJMar said:

Sending a PM through Facebook is not the way to do business these days.

Unfortunately, many cottage industry manufacturers seem to be going that way. No website - just FB.  Websiteseem so "last decade".  I agree that it doesn't seem to be the best way to do business (I'm not on FB), but it seems to work for many of them.   Websites cost money and have to be created and maintained, where FB is free.

[DJMar]

21 hours ago, peteski said:

Unfortunately, many cottage industry manufacturers seem to be going that way. No website - just FB.  Websiteseem so "last decade".  I agree that it doesn't seem to be the best way to do business (I'm not on FB), but it seems to work for many of them.   Websites cost money and have to be created and maintained, where FB is free.

I think those who use the tired argument that websites are expensive, too much work, etc., are just parroting something they heard years ago, and are ignorant of the current state of website creation, hosting and eCommerce, especially when it comes to user-friendly, free and low-cost options.

If anyone with a business actually thinks websites are so "last decade" and that Facebook is still relevant as a "free" sales tool, then they are completely out of touch with online retailing reality. 

Also, I'm really curious to know about these "many cottage industry manufacturers" who only use FB. 

[sidcharles]

they may have real "blue cross providing" jobs and do it as a hobby.

i think $7 for a loaf of bread is too expensive.

everyone raves about DCC, but how many perfect, unbuilt models, does someone need?

when you are selling "durable goods" it's a tough row to hoe even on a sunny day. if it's your bread & butter, you need to crank out

quality, quantity, & then move product as quickly as possible. it's a bit pie in the sky to think anyone is going to lavish praise for

you research & development. they'll give it lip service, sure. but that isn't going to pay the suppliers or electric company.

it's a rare individual who can balance all the cups for an extended period of time.

my deepest respect goes to Norm Veber @ RMCM. he's honest with the timeline when you order/ delivers quality/ a pleasure to communicate with, and is an all 'round gentleman.

[krassandbernie]

On 9/20/2025 at 12:11 PM, Quick GMC said:

It's a shame, but a lot of people have offered suggestions and solutions for him for marketing or different avenues to show his product and he has shot down every single one of them. He doesn't want to make new molds, he doesn't want to pay for advertising, he doesn't want to maintain a website, he doesn't want to do this, he doesn't want to do that. Someone will suggest something and he just says "why would I do that, it's not worth it". He has a limited offering in a new world of 3D printing and despite having great products, he's got to adapt somehow. If he wants to stick to what he's doing and the way he is doing it, there is nothing wrong with that, but going on pages and guilt tripping people into buying his stuff is just not the way to do it. This is far from the first time. If your business can't survive because you aren't getting enough attention on Facebook, then that's on you. 

Cameron, I agree with many of the points you made here, but not all of them are entirely accurate or as black and white as you make them out to be. I was actually against being on FB for years until I was pressured by friends and family to give it a try. In 2018 I created the Drag City Casting business page on FB and was extremely busy with sales for quite some time. For a couple of years the average waiting time for me to process an order was 2-3 months due to the volume of sales.  Fast forward to the past year or so and I finally came to the conclusion that FB is no longer sharing my product posts with all of my 19k followers like it once did.......like it was originally set up to do. I also learned that FB is actively pushing out businesses who do not wish to pay for their advertising. I was told by others who have paid for it that it did not work for them at all........as in no sales from it. Why throw money down the drain then?

So giving people notice of the current standing of my business and telling anyone reading to "get it now while you still can before I shut down this FB page and get a regular job" now equates to guilt tripping? That seems to be a very liberal way of trying to shame or slam someone on social media these days and I'm tired of it. Those who want to bash me are quick to say things like this without putting themselves in another person's shoes. I have seen many cottage industries close up shop over the years and it never fails that everyone states (after the fact) how they wished they would have known it was going to happen so that they could have helped keep them in business longer or stocked up on stuff before it was too late. Since it is largely hit and miss with my posts on FB I've made more than one post over the past year or so letting my customers know that this was where I was headed (closing down) if things didn't change. In between those posts things might have improved temporarily and I kept plugging away until noting a huge decline in the average monthly sales again......thanks each time to FB NOT sharing my posts with my followers. I didn't know for certain that this was the main issue and had to "fish" to find out if it was FB screwing things up or if people were no longer interested in what I was offering. Many of my followers would see my posts questioning if anyone is seeing my product posts and realize that they were not seeing them much or at all up until that point........but that they once did before. They would subsequently place an order for something they would have purchased sooner had FB showed my product posts to everyone following my page.

I had a web site and an eBay store many years ago. Both cost more money to maintain than they brought in at the time so I shut them down. My FB business page is basically the same thing as a web site but without a shopping cart, and it gave people direct access to easily communicate with me through messenger. If they had a question they didn't have to wait days or a week for a response through e-mail like you do with so many web sites. Again, this was doing quite well until recently. My product has been featured in quite a few YouTube videos over the past 6-7 years, as well as a number of model magazine articles over the past 20+ years too. Spotlight Hobbies has also been selling my product for the past couple of years for those who are not on FB.......or wish to check out with a shopping cart or pay with a credit card. Modelhaus (Tires) has a web site but absolutely no way of communicating with them, and Norm Vebber is still kicking it old school with no on-line presence at all on his own accord. He is still strictly mail order for decades now in an age when everyone is shopping on-line.  There will always be people who complain you don't have a web site, aren't on Instagram, YouTube, eBay, or etsy, don't take cash app, or Venmo because they hate PayPal, or they won't purchase anything unless they can use a credit card. There are just way too many options and venues these days and everyone feels you should offer every conceivable option to them.....to suite the customer. I feel like you have to be all over the place all the time and it doesn't leave you any time to create the actual product you are selling. 

 I am still making new molds......just this past spring I stopped casting long enough to do so, and I am about to again. Not everything is worth the amount of work it takes to re-mold, especially due the rising cost of materials and demand falling off for certain cast items. The days of keeping everything you ever offered in your catalog on-line for years are long gone. It simply doesn't make sense to do that.....at least not for me. If the demand drops off I quit molding it. Molds deteriorate with time even if you are not using them. That forces you to use up your valuable time and materials producing all of the product you can out of a mold and leaving the castings sit on a shelf hoping it will sell at some point down the road.........waiting to get a return on your time and money while you scramble to make ends meet producing something else.......and you might not sell it all off. I don't have that kind of time or money for a "maybe". 

You are right in that I now have a very limited/small list of items to offer at this time. I had to phase out all of the small parts and items that were eating up my time and only bringing in peanuts. I realized that by producing bodies over parts I could (in layman's terms) produce a product valued at 3 times as much money in half as much time using the exact same amount of resin. What wise businessman would not cut out the items eating up labor and materials and not being as profitable? At the same time I started phasing out the less profitable items (which 3D printing has already been gobbling up) the help I had with master work (being created by someone other than myself) dried up. I am simply spread too thin now trying to create a whole new catalog of masters, make molds, cast/fill orders, and network on-line. Had the masters kept rolling in every so often things would likely be quite different now. I'm not blaming others here. This is simply what has taken place. I have had a few others offer up some masters but I had to respectfully turn them down since the quality was not up to par with what I offer, and what my customers have come to expect. 

As you can see there was a valid reason for me to respectfully turn down each of those marketing suggestions you listed off above that others have mentioned. What may work for others doesn't always work for everyone else. I think for me being a one-man operation is my biggest set back at this time. There simply is not enough time or energy in a day to do it all. You do have me re-thinking a web site again so that I might possibly funnel everyone to one location that I have more control over, so thank you for that!

Ed

 

 

 

[iBorg]

The sad truth is the market seems gaga over 3D printed stuff. For some things its quite good. For bodies, the traditional resin is still the best choice in my eyes.

[peteski]

16 hours ago, krassandbernie said:

There simply is not enough time or energy in a day to do it all. You do have me re-thinking a web site again so that I might possibly funnel everyone to one location that I have more control over, so thank you for that!

Now that is, IMO,  some logical thinking.  I hope you go that route and good luck!

[peteski]

23 hours ago, DJMar said:

I think those who use the tired argument that websites are expensive, too much work, etc., are just parroting something they heard years ago, and are ignorant of the current state of website creation, hosting and eCommerce, especially when it comes to user-friendly, free and low-cost options.

I agree 100%. I was just presenting some excuses I have heard from businesses that only used FB.