Launching a backyard mechanics directory

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mals69, Sep 10, 9:53pm
What's with going from mr positive to mr negative - you having
a bad month ?
Cause trademe is an improvement - listing numbers on
autotrader a joke compared to on here.
The difference in traffic also follows suit.
Can only imagine T & E just as weak.

You go for it OP - NZ full of knockers- scared in their
wee cocoons !

intrade, Sep 10, 10:10pm
not at all the problem is with backjard name
no one in this country is allowed to even breath no more without paying taxes on that also and you can be sure all the ripoff artists will call ird and osh as soon as they spot somone on your list , and in a way its understandable as they have to obey all the rules while they seem to take away there work.
There is nothing wrong with what you try to do but backjard mechanics should not be on this list,
You claim thats not your problem well that is just as much a arrogant view as the ripoff artists mechanics have whom dont have a clue of what they do with big fancy buildings .
I dont know if you get it or not but its not meant to offend but whom knows it might do if it dont clicks in the head what i man whom knows.

kazbanz, Sep 10, 10:22pm
Not having a bad day at all.
Its just that change doesn't automatically mean improvement.
I definitely do NOT see trade me as an improvement.
Definition of improvement is sales attributable to an advertising media
that needs to be offset against the cost of advertising on that media.
Hits and fits and pings and whatever else IT guys use to try to convince you otherwise is the worst kind of smoke and mirrors.
SALES numbers and NETT profit from the sales is what counts.

mals69, Sep 10, 10:27pm
Who said it did ? You incorrect that trademe not an improvement - that is all.

kazbanz, Sep 10, 10:44pm
On what basis do you draw that conclusion?
Both are advertising media.
Both have costs payable to use that media.
The results of that advertising are able to be gauged and ARE gauged
Cost vs results (results being SALES) can be/have been assessed.
On that basis FOR ME trade me is NOT an improvement.
In fact I would say it is a HUGE step backwards for a number of reasons.
For the consumer its a different story entirely.

intrade, Sep 10, 11:00pm
umm t&e was merged with sella was merged with nz herlad and then got run in the ground and closed due to inefficiency.

mals69, Sep 10, 11:31pm
So now you have edited a previous post by throwing in
another paragraph - come on play cricket.
Who sells more cars per week Trademe or Autotrader ?

Stop yelling at me in caps I"m not blind.
Like I pointed out to you a month ago cause I
care your web presence looks amateur - Caps, wording.
Presentation is everything in sales - shows your
capabilities, could this be where you are going wrong ?

Granted harder to convert a sale these days on trademe
with folk going to other sites but it is still ingrained
in the minds of most kiwis. I want to buy a car I' ll
look on trademe like most kiwis do - autotrader who
most kiwis say, not good value for money if the majority
of kiwis don't give the sites in question a second thought
is it ?

kazbanz, Sep 11, 12:49am
mals you are missing the point again.
You can't say something is or isn't effective for a company unless you have the numbers to back up your statement.
All Im seeing is that T and E cost roughly $600 a month
Trade me cost $1500 a month.
Sales have been fairly stable numbers all those years. With the exception of the dip in 07/08 due to the economic melt down.
Even allowing for inflation say to $1000 for T and E that's an extra $6000
cost of sales per year.
Every time TM introduce a "new feature" they charge more.
Site traffic has reduced. Yet income has increased for trade me.
How do ya reckon that's happened?
Motors ie car dealers are a significant income stream for TM.
They like their predecessors have the arrogant attitude that the cash cow will keep producing.
So again--nope I don't see TM as an improvement of any sort for my company

PS-Im not yelling at ya mate. Having a discussion.-not a heated one at that either

hotrodtodd1, Sep 11, 1:50am
Im sure many mechanics do "side jobs" and Im even more sure that stuff all of them meet their tax obligations on that income.

And Im even more sure that very few of these mechanics doing "side jobs" would want the scrutiny of the Inland Revenue brought upon them by your proposed directory.

I have been a chartered accountant, and have found that mechanics doing cashies/foreigners/homers have no intention of paying tax on the money, and that if they go into legitimate business, they moan like hell about the cash job mechanics out there

mals69, Sep 11, 2:50am
Its still the 5th top site in NZ and #1 NZ site re traffic.

Think problem is you post to newbies in general terms
like you private seller then later come in as a dealer.

Well priced cars - sell on here !

dealmaker.co.nz, Sep 11, 4:30am
Them not meeting their tax obligations is not my issue, not anyone's issue but the person and IRD's.

My directory will allow mechanics to do FREELANCE work in their spare time. Currently around 28% of the workforce in NZ (34% in the USA) do freelance work and are liable for their own tax obligations.

The problem is most of you are negatively viewing the connotations associated with the word "backyard". If I called it freelance mechanic directory. its the same concept but shifts the pictures to a more pleasant one.

Though I welcome these "shoot me down" comments, I've got a commercial law firm which I consult with. There are no legal precedents that will affect the site from that angle. If they can shut me down then they'll have to shut down all the freelance sites out there.

You people need to keep up with the changing landscape of the work environment brought on by modern technology. mainly the Internet.

noswalg, Sep 11, 4:36am
So when are you launching the site? Don't worry I think I found it, is it mecPIT?

dealmaker.co.nz, Sep 11, 4:47am
That was an initial demo -- no longer the site. It's changing.

noswalg, Sep 11, 4:53am
Wow, you shut that site down in a hurry, Why? Now i'm suspicious!

kazbanz, Sep 11, 4:53am
BRO--lets agree to disagree-You aint gonna change my mind re trade me.
My opinion of IT salespeople and the IT industry in general is that they are the biggest bunch of rogues and villains out there.
This is based a great deal on my experiences dealing with the "backroom girls" at Trade me.

dealmaker.co.nz, Sep 11, 4:58am
That was a demo to be tested for bugs on proper server -- not a LIVE site for visitors. I left it there to see how my search engine optimization would perform. You found it so I guess that worked.

noswalg, Sep 11, 5:01am
It actually worked quite well, top of the page using Google. Strange that you had a mechanic listed in Onehunga on a demo site though?

dealmaker.co.nz, Sep 11, 5:04am
That was a demo "fake" listing. Instead of going "jggjfererereghj" I actually used proper terms for the demo listing.

mals69, Sep 11, 5:07am
LMFAO - As they say you never know who you are talking to.
You not heard facecloth local car marketplace the go - free is good !

Still stand by what I said - put a well priced car on auto trader and
trademe and I bet it sells on here quicker !
Autotrader.co.nz is the 805th most popular site in NZ and you think
Trademe not better lolllloll granted its specialising in cars but still
Get Real Big Boy !

noswalg, Sep 11, 5:09am
Ahhh, don't worry about me I'm a naturally suspicious person. Good luck with the end product, it's a service I would potentially use but probably more in a barter capacity.

noswalg, Sep 11, 5:15am
Out of interest and purely off topic here, but how many vehicles have you sold on Trademe in the last 12 months (no sellers feedback since 2009 so I presume you use classifieds?) and how many have you sold using Autotraders site in the same amount of time?

dealmaker.co.nz, Sep 11, 5:15am
Thanks man. Will have the site up withing a few weeks. Unfortunately Microsoft did some changes to their servers so we encountered issues delivering emails to hotmail and other MS based servers. The changes put us back few weeks.

Plus now we'll have a NZ specific site with easier search system just like TradeMe property dropdown list (but simpler).

nzdoug, Sep 11, 5:23am
A sign is always good as a large portion of your clientele will be the locals, I would presume.
Especially if rural.
My local is clogged with tractors and farm bikes.

gmphil, Sep 11, 8:51am
so this is soley for self employed or is it now just a simple directory of mechanic services ?

dealmaker.co.nz, Sep 11, 9:30am
It's mainly for mechanics wanting to do extra work outside their normal hours. The mechanic that does "backyard" work on my car works full time at Manukau but lives in Mangere. He does side jobs where he lives. As far as I know his boss doesn't care what he does outside work hours. He has been doing it for 4 years.

I guess this would be the typical case and that's the message I'm putting on the site. It's not targeted at those mechanics who solely operate from home full time (though they could list also).