# Your top 10 puzzle recommendations?



## KenBrace (Dec 2, 2015)

I'm starting a new speed cubing store and would like to know what your top 10 recommendations are.

Currently I'm stocking the following items...


Dayan Zhanchi 3x3
Dayan Guhong 3x3 V2
MoYu WeiLong 3x3 V2
MoYu AoLong 3x3 V2
Fangshi Shuang Ren 3x3
MoYu Aosu 4x4
ShengShou 4x4
ShengShou 5x5
ShengShou 6x6
ShengShou 7x7
DaYan Zhanchi 2x2
Sheng Shou Pyraminx
DaYan Megaminx
Sheng Shou Mirror Cube

Are there any items in particular that you think every puzzle store should have that I did not list?

Thanks in advance!


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## MoyuFTW (Dec 2, 2015)

KenBrace said:


> I'm starting a new speed cubing store and would like to know what your top 10 recommendations are.
> 
> Currently I'm stocking the following items...
> 
> ...



ShengShou 5x5 should be replaced by Yuxin 5x5. SS 4x4 replaced by Yuxin 4x4 or CB 4x4. Where's your store? It may not be worth it if it's in America or something


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## KenBrace (Dec 2, 2015)

MoyuFTW said:


> ShengShou 5x5 should be replaced by Yuxin 5x5. SS 4x4 replaced by Yuxin 4x4 or CB 4x4.



Good point. Thanks for the recommendation.


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## shadowslice e (Dec 2, 2015)

Does the mega have ridges? I think that would be a good selling point.


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## KenBrace (Dec 2, 2015)

shadowslice e said:


> Does the mega have ridges? I think that would be a good selling point.



I'm getting all colors with and without ridges.


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## Isaac Lai (Dec 2, 2015)

Qiyi Thunderclap, square-1 and skewb would be cool.


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## KenBrace (Dec 2, 2015)

Isaac Lai said:


> Qiyi Thunderclap, square-1 and skewb would be cool.



Any recommended brands for square-1 and skewb?


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## Aaron Lau (Dec 2, 2015)

KenBrace said:


> I'm starting a new speed cubing store and would like to know what your top 10 recommendations are.
> 
> Currently I'm stocking the following items...
> 
> ...



thunderclap,yuxin 4&5, moyu and qiyi pyra, and yuhu


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## Aaron Lau (Dec 2, 2015)

KenBrace said:


> Any recommended brands for square-1 and skewb?



square 1 qiyi, skewb moyu and qiyi


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## KenBrace (Dec 2, 2015)

Aaron Lau said:


> thunderclap,yuxin 4&5, moyu and qiyi pyra, and yuhu



Awesome. Items have been added.



Aaron Lau said:


> square 1 qiyi, skewb moyu and qiyi



Thanks!


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## Isaac Lai (Dec 2, 2015)

KenBrace said:


> Any recommended brands for square-1 and skewb?



Oh I meant Qiyi for all three.


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## shadowslice e (Dec 2, 2015)

If you want people to buy stuff more than one cube at a time you might want to get some more accessories like lube or spring/screw sets as well. A small stock of miliput may not go amiss either.


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## Berd (Dec 2, 2015)

KenBrace said:


> I'm getting all colors with and without ridges.


All colours?


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## Calamity Strike (Dec 2, 2015)

Maybe a MoYu Tangpo or an Aolong GT, alot of people are going to be wanting those.


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## K3lpBoy (Dec 2, 2015)

Definitely stock the MeiYing.


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## rj (Dec 2, 2015)

All Qiyi cubes, all Yuxin cubes. All Moyu 3x3s, and Moyu 2-7. Toss in CB for luck, and I'll buy.


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## DGCubes (Dec 2, 2015)

MoYu 2-7, YuXin 3-5, the YJ/MoYu/Cong's Design 3x3s, TangPo, DaYan 2x2, Gans357 and 356, QiYi Pyra, QiYi Skewb, QiYi Square-1, some MoYu shapemods (like the crazy fisher, crazy windmill, and wheel of time), Megaminxes (YJ, SS, and DaYan), some cuboids, and that's about it for me.


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## MoyuFTW (Dec 2, 2015)

Where is your shop going to be? If it is in, say Australia, we don't have anywhere to buy stickers here so that might be a good idea for Australia. Look around at any other stores and see what they don't have


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## KenBrace (Dec 5, 2015)

MoyuFTW said:


> Where is your shop going to be? If it is in, say Australia, we don't have anywhere to buy stickers here so that might be a good idea for Australia. Look around at any other stores and see what they don't have




Good suggestion. 

I'm located in the US but my goal is to branch out into Australia, UK, etc. During checkout the shopper could select a branch to ship from. I'd have to find business partners from those areas that would be interested in making daily product shipments for a salary or revenue percentage.


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## KenBrace (Dec 8, 2015)

As soon as I launch the store I'll be holding a grand opening sale with super awesome prices on all items.

If you're in the market for a cube or three then now is the perfect opportunity so let me know what your looking for and I'll stock the item/s if possible.

I'm going to be placing my order from the supplier here soon so let me know ASAP.


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## Goosly (Dec 8, 2015)

I really wonder what your plan is. There are a lot of great cubeshops in the US already, who stock all new cubes (instead of the 15 you proposed in your first post).

*Why would someone buy from you* instead of from the currently existing stores?


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## stoic (Dec 8, 2015)

^Seems a bit harsh, that. 
It's clear that the OP has spent some time working on this, and is planning a reasonable investment. 
There's plenty of room in the market for some competition. 
Personally, I welcome this approach - rather than the type of threads we usually see around these parts by people with absolutely zero knowledge or acumen, and barely enough funds to gather up half a dozen 3x3s to get started.


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## Goosly (Dec 8, 2015)

stoic said:


> ^Seems a bit harsh, that.
> It's clear that the OP has spent some time working on this, and is planning a reasonable investment.



I was simply asking why he thinks people should buy from him, I did not mean to offend anyone.

I have read the entire thread, and he never mentions how many puzzles he is going to stock, how much money he wants to invest or how much time he has been working on this, so I don't know how anything is "clear".


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## stoic (Dec 8, 2015)

Sorry, it was mentioned in another thread that he plans to buy hundreds and potentially thousands of cubes. 
And it seems to me that he's thought about it more than most.
The obvious thing would be to compete on price and/or service, but I'll let the OP speak for himself on that.


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## KenBrace (Dec 9, 2015)

stoic said:


> Sorry, it was mentioned in another thread that he plans to buy hundreds and potentially thousands of cubes.
> And it seems to me that he's thought about it more than most.
> The obvious thing would be to compete on price and/or service, but I'll let the OP speak for himself on that.



My eventual goal is to spread out into other areas of the world that are lacking a good puzzle store. 

For now my primary objective is to offer the best prices available. Most cube stores charge more than they have to. I can charge low enough prices to make a notable difference while still earning enough profit for it to be worthwhile.

I also have some interesting offers in mind. Some bulk packages with special deals, discount credits for returning customers, frequent coupon giveaways, free puzzle giveaways when stocking a new item, etc.

The inventory will be somewhat small to begin with but that is the case for any store. The first order will contain roughly 250 items in case you all are curious as to my upfront investment. I have a couple grand reserved for startup costs.

The site's revenue will all go completely towards inventory growth until we supply virtually every puzzle related item on the market. I want to expand to other areas of the world that are in need of a good puzzle store as well. That will take some time however. I'll need to save up enough money for the creation of separate store locations as well as finding business partners who I can trust. I would need to find someone who is responsible, honest, and reliable on a daily basis. No 12-year-old kids that just want a bunch of cubes shipped to their house in other words. This may turn out to be an unrealistic venture but I won't know for sure until I've given it a shot. There's nothing wrong with a challenge.



Goosly said:


> I really wonder what your plan is. There are a lot of great cubeshops in the US already, who stock all new cubes (instead of the 15 you proposed in your first post).
> 
> *Why would someone buy from you* instead of from the currently existing stores?



If you're in the US?

Because my prices will be better and you'll get special offers that may not be available elsewhere.

If you live outside of the US?

When/if I expand to other countries, they will buy because there will be very little if any good cube stores in their country.


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## shadowslice e (Dec 9, 2015)

Just out of interest, do you intend to live off the store in the long term or will you keep it as a supplement income rather than your main source?


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## KenBrace (Dec 9, 2015)

shadowslice e said:


> Just out of interest, do you intend to live off the store in the long term or will you keep it as a supplement income rather than your main source?



If the store grows to a level where I can live off the income then that would be great but I'm not counting on it. 

Even if it does become a top level store with hundreds of order per day then I still have other projects that I'm involved in. So it will never be my sole investment project/source of income. 

I thoroughly enjoy running businesses and investing my time & money into projects related to my interests (chess, cubing, forums, etc). So I will always have a multitude of projects requiring my attention regardless of how much money they make. I almost enjoy running a business more than I like the income it brings.

I operate on a polyphasic sleep cycle and only need 4 hours of sleep as a result. So I have more time on my hands than most people. Just thought I'd throw that in there in case you're wondering how I have the time for all of this lol.


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## Calamity Strike (Dec 9, 2015)

The YuXin timer might be a good item to stock as well, its a lot cheaper than the speedstacks one, and better from what i hear.


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## TanglongOnly (Dec 9, 2015)

Im getting an order for my Birthdayu from the cubicle, and I was wondering what Megaminx I should get; the Dayan with ridges or without? (Also black, white, or stickerless)


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## KenBrace (Dec 10, 2015)

Calamity Strike said:


> The YuXin timer might be a good item to stock as well, its a lot cheaper than the speedstacks one, and better from what i hear.



Good advise. I have the YuXin timer in stock so it's nice to hear the confirmation that it will likely be a popular product.



TanglongOnly said:


> Im getting an order for my Birthdayu from the cubicle, and I was wondering what Megaminx I should get; the Dayan with ridges or without? (Also black, white, or stickerless)



I prefer stickerless with ridges myself. I'd rather not have to replace megaminx stickers and I definitely prefer having ridges because it really helps my grip during the solve.


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## biscuit (Dec 10, 2015)

Sounds like you have a good plan. What are you going to use as your website? I think that is a critical part, as or more important than prices. I already have a couple of projects, so can't promise that I be able to do stuff at a high speed, but I might be able to make small modifications to the site or whatever if you are ever interested (although sharing code of this kind may not be the best idea handling money.) If you are ever interested or just want some feedback, I'd be willing to help. When do you plan to start selling? 

Good luck with the store!


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## KenBrace (Dec 10, 2015)

biscuit said:


> Sounds like you have a good plan. What are you going to use as your website? I think that is a critical part, as or more important than prices. I already have a couple of projects, so can't promise that I be able to do stuff at a high speed, but I might be able to make small modifications to the site or whatever if you are ever interested (although sharing code of this kind may not be the best idea handling money.) If you are ever interested or just want some feedback, I'd be willing to help. When do you plan to start selling?
> 
> Good luck with the store!



Awesome, thanks for the offer. I'm a bit of a web developer myself but I ever have issues fixing something then I'll definitely drop you a note.

I'm using Wordpress with woo-commerce. Downloaded a pretty nice looking theme. 

As far as when I will start selling? I need to finalize my other with the supplier, finish updating my inventory, tweak the site's appearance to perfection, and then announce the site's opening. That will likely take a couple of weeks or so. Basically the store will be open before 2016 if things flow smoothly.


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## Calamity Strike (Dec 11, 2015)

KenBrace said:


> Awesome, thanks for the offer. I'm a bit of a web developer myself but I ever have issues fixing something then I'll definitely drop you a note.
> 
> I'm using Wordpress with woo-commerce. Downloaded a pretty nice looking theme.
> 
> As far as when I will start selling? I need to finalize my other with the supplier, finish updating my inventory, tweak the site's appearance to perfection, and then announce the site's opening. That will likely take a couple of weeks or so. Basically the store will be open before 2016 if things flow smoothly.



I will definitely be looking forward to this, especially if you have fairly low prices like you say.


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## KenBrace (Dec 11, 2015)

Calamity Strike said:


> I will definitely be looking forward to this, especially if you have fairly low prices like you say.



Awesome! 

I will post updates here regularly regarding the progress of the store until it launches.


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## KenBrace (Dec 15, 2015)

Puzzle order has been finalized and paid for.

I'm now waiting on the supplier to verify the order and have it shipped.

Meanwhile I'll be working on the website.


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## KenBrace (Dec 29, 2015)

Order is set to arrive 12/31.

Store will launch on New Year's day.


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## stoic (Dec 29, 2015)

Best of luck, KB.


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## KenBrace (Dec 30, 2015)

stoic said:


> Best of luck, KB.



Thanks!


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## KenBrace (Dec 31, 2015)

Store will launch in exactly 24 hours!
*
1/1/2016 - 12:00PM EST*


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## Eme (Jan 1, 2016)

Good luck indeed, kind fellow. ^^


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## KenBrace (Jan 1, 2016)

Site launches in one hour!

We'll be having a one month grand opening sale with super awesome prices!

*QiYi Thunderclap* - $4.99

*MoYu AoLong* - $9.99

*MoYu 5x5 *- $24.99

*MoYu AoSu 4x4* - $17.99

*YuXin Timer* - $10.99
*
& much more...*

FREE shipping on orders over $50.


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## KenBrace (Jan 1, 2016)

Site has been launched! 

PuzzleSupply.net

Grand Opening Sale!

FREE shipping on orders over $50!

Time to get this show on the road. :tu

Official thread has been submitted to the "Puzzle Shops" forum. Currently awaiting moderator approval.

Happy New Year everyone!


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## KenBrace (Jan 3, 2016)

An official PuzzleSupply.net thread has been posted in the "Cubing Shops" forum and the required payment has been sent. The thread now awaits moderator approval. Once it's been approved, we'll be posting all of our updates there regularly (sales, coupons, new products, announcements, etc.).

PS: Congratulations to our first customer who ordered on our first day of operation! To say thanks we'll be throwing in an extra puzzle for free. Enjoy!


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## DELToS (Jan 3, 2016)

hey, just wondering, where did you get the money to buy your first stock items?


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## KenBrace (Jan 3, 2016)

DELToS said:


> hey, just wondering, where did you get the money to buy your first stock items?



Lots of hard work. 

My cousin owns a swing & furniture business and I worked with him for several weeks.

Some of it came from a house renovation project that I worked on.

I also own a forum posting service that has brought in part of that chunk.

I do freelance programming jobs whenever I have the time so that's yet another source of income.

Basically just a bunch of different jobs and projects that all added up.


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## DELToS (Jan 3, 2016)

Ok, thanks. Also, how did you decide how many of each cube to buy?


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## KenBrace (Jan 3, 2016)

DELToS said:


> Ok, thanks. Also, how did you decide how many of each cube to buy?



I just worked with my budget to create a good balance between variety and quantity. More variety means less quantity of each. More quantity means less variety. There was no inventory algorithm or anything. I just picked what I thought would work best.


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## nalralz (Jan 3, 2016)

Moyu Tangpo and Qiyi Sail 3x3.


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## KenBrace (Jan 3, 2016)

nalralz said:


> Moyu Tangpo



http://puzzlesupply.net/store/2x2/moyu-tangpo-2x2-2/ 

Price is $6.99.



nalralz said:


> and Qiyi Sail 3x3.



Good suggestion. I'll add this to our next order.


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## nalralz (Jan 5, 2016)

Yup! No problem.


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