GoodBuyGuys Blog

We don’t actually have a store front, but occasionally we do have walk in customers and they are always welcome. We have been discovered by the local “hooping” community and several of our customers drop by to get tape for their custom made hoops.

Today, one of our favorites, a local hooper named Julia dropped in to get some tape. Julia is well known in the hooping world and works both as a teacher and performer. I’ve been particularly interested in following her career since finding out about her trips to Haiti and how much the children she works with there enjoy what she does.

She posed a question that got me to thinking. Most of the products we sell are not intended for long term exposure to your skin, nor are they intended to be used by children. Julia wondered if we had any information regarding whether the vinyl tapes she purchases from us could be potentially toxic to a hooper. I regret to say, I had no idea.

I’ve written before about the problems with the quality of counterfeit Chinese batteries, and, while our electrical tape would not be considered counterfeit, it is an import and may not be subject to the same sort of quality controls that domestic products face.

So far my research has led me to the 3M web site (they are probably the largest manufacturer of vinyl tapes in the world) and the MSDS (material safety data sheet) for their premium vinyl electrical tape indicates that there are no safety issues related to its use. I realize that this is not the final answer but it is a start.

Its great when a different type of customer opens up new sales opportunities, and if we are going to serve the hooping community, we want to do it right.

Check back here for some follow up information.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

I have written before about counterfeit Duracell batteries, but I had no idea how big the problem really was.

Gillette, the division of Proctor & Gamble that makes Duracell Procell batteries is involved in a daily struggle around the world to try and keep these products off the market. It’s a daunting task. Gillette reported recently that in a span of only one week they seized 1,000,000 counterfeit batteries in two provinces of China. In addition, they also found hundreds of thousands of razors and tooth brushes made with their brand names.

The problem with batteries is particularly vexing, as the problem of lost revenue is just the beginning. The safety concerns over unstable battery chemistry and the potential damage that can be done to the device in which the battery is used make it difficult to know the real cost of this problem.

The blog posting that referenced Gillette’s battle against counterfeit batteries made an interesting point that I had never considered. That is that the international sale of counerfeit goods is at least partially run by organized crime and terrorist organizations that are able to raise money through these sales. Apparently there have been seized Al Qaeda training manuals that recommend the sale of counterfeit merchandise as a funding source.

Our Duracell Procell products come directly from the manufacturer and we stand behind them with a “Satisfaction Guaranteed” promise.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Look to us first to meet your microphone accessory and battery needs.

After years of involvement in the concert production industry, I gave it up several years ago. I went from seeing several shows a week to seeing none and thought that I really didn’t miss it.

Much to my surprise, my son Kevin gave me a couple of tickets to see the Allman Bros. Band in Raleigh for Father’s Day, and I had been looking forward to it all summer. The Allman Brothers had been one of my favorites since I was in college and they had had a major influence on my musical tastes.

Well, Saturday finally got here and we made our way to Walnut Creek Amphitheater. These guys were as good as they had been in 1972. It was amazing to see that a band (including three of the original members) could still be so tight. They were terrific, and the sellout crowd had a great time.

In addition to the original members (as well as a couple of others who have been with the band for years) the Allman’s now feature Derek Trucks on guitar. This wunderkind has already made a name for himself and is bringing new life and vigor to the jam band format. His contribution was understated and fit right end with guys twice his age. We’ll be hearing lots more from him.

Before Saturday, I had convinced myself that supplying major tours was all the involvment with this industry that still interested me. Maybe its time to reconsider that decision.

Thanks Kevin. I had a great time!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. All the supplies a major entertainment tour needs.

As someone who has owned and used wireless microphones for years and now sells lots of batteries for them, wireless mic folklore has been part of my work life for years. Recently, I had a chance to examine something that I assumed was unfounded, but turned out to actually be true.

We have sold Duracell Procell batteries for a long time and our largest user base is wireless mic owners. People had told me for years that one reason they preferred the Procell over Energizer’s Industrial line is that the Duracell Procells were slightly longer, and thus made better contact with the battery clips in the microphone transmitter.

I am holding examples of AA batteries from both manufacturers in my hand, and this is absolutely true. My assumption that all AA batteries are the same size was wrong and our customers absolutely knew what they were talking about.

We are in negotiations with another battery manufacturer now, and one of the criteria we will use when considering whether to offer their AA and AAA batteries at Buybattery.com will be how long they are.

I never cease to be amazed at what can be learned from listening to our customers.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Look to us first to meet your microphone accessory and battery needs.

Its become way too easy to keep track of what the competition is up to. If you are interested in what is being written by or about a competitor or supplier, you need to start monitoring the blogs.

Jump over to a site like Technorati and you’ll be amazed at what you might find. Sites that index blogs (like Technorati) are great equalizers. If the blog posting you are looking for has been keyword enriched, then the writings of a small-time blogger will get the same attention as someone who writes for The New York Times.

We are currently tracking the news regarding the possibility that Protor & Gamble will sell its newly acquired Duracell division. What happens here will have a big impact on our battery sales.

The speculation that P&G will spin off this brand is getting lots of notice in the news and the blogosphere has much speculation about what might happen. Its time consuming to subscibe to blogs and newsfeeds, but Technorati lets you use simple search technology to find what you need when you have time to read.

If you want to know what customers or contacts might be saying about your company in their blogs you can quickly search your own name to see if you have gotten any mentions. There is probably no quicker way to preempt some bad information to to respond to a customer issue than to be able to quickly respond to a blog posting.

Another good source for blog searching is Googles Blog Search.   Just enter the same sort of search criteria you would place in a regular Google search field, but your seach will look at blog postings instead.  You’ll get different results than Technorati but both blog search engines return lots of interesting results.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Look to us first to meet your microphone accessory and battery needs.

If you carry a cell phone, you know how easy it is to receive calls, no matter where you are. Your phone number works all over the country. Folks who use VOIP phone services like Skype and Vonage can plug their internet phones in almost anywhere in the world and get calls on their local phone number.

Justin Timberlake’s Future Sex/Loveshow has taken the concept of staying connected to a new level. As reported in the July 2007 edition of PLSN magazine, the Timberlake summer tour is saving thousand of dollars on telco costs by carrying its own internet based phone system.

WANetics LLC is providing the hardware and technical expertise that lets the Future Sex/Loveshow skip the costs of having the venue provide expensive temporary phone service and hardware. Not only do they not incur local telecommunications expenses, but details like phone and fax number remain unchanged, regardless of where the tour is performing.

Each of the tours five departments (promoter, production, accounting, crew and tour management) has its own dedicated road case that accomodates phones, cables, a fax machine, batteries, wifi and an ethernet switch. All voice and data services are provided through a broadband internet connection and then distributed on a frequency that will travel well throughout the production area of the venue and will not interfere with WIFI frequencies.

According to the PLSN article, the tour reported that voice quality was excellent and that overall service was good even in venues where internet quality was less than perfect. Best of all, the whole system worked no matter what part of the world they were in. The system even provided special phone capabilities like voicemail and conferencing.

Personally, after having paid lots of these telco bills myself while working as a promoters rep, I’m not shedding any tears for the local phone companies that will lose this revenue stream. They consistently overcharged and underperformed.

Look for this service to become the standard for large touring organizations of all sorts in the near future.

Want to know more about WANetics tour support? Here’s the link!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. All the supplies a major entertainment tour needs.