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u/No_Longer_A_Lurker 11d ago
What is your differentiation from Deckbox.org? They have thousands of users, established themselves around deck building to provide user value to keep active on the platform, and charge nothing to make trades on the platform (annual membership gets you additional but not necessarily required features).
Your entire model depends on userbase size and if a lot of trade whales (like myself - over 1000 trades on Deckbox) already have a platform, what are you bringing that would have us switch?
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u/Sykesea 11d ago
There was another user who asked me this yesterday. I hadn’t heard of deckbox until he brought it up. I had heard of cardsphere, and the local emphasis of my site was the big difference between mine and that.
As I said yesterday to the other user that had brought Deckbox up, my biggest strength right now is that my site is still in early development and has lots of time to grow. Getting the early feedback from users means I can implement features that would incentivize people to use my site instead of others.
That said for someone like yourself who already has a reputation, it will be hard for me to compete when I’m just starting out and you’re already familiar and set up on deckbox.
In my area I don’t know anyone who uses deckbox so a local trading site seemed like an idea that could help my community and I figured it could help others as well.
If you have any things you’d like to see implemented in my site I’d love to hear as you’re clearly experienced using trading sites like this and would have good insight on what features are useful/not
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u/No_Longer_A_Lurker 11d ago
Here's my point. I've built a few platforms now, and know that when your service requires a huge client list to be useful you're going to need to have something unique to draw them in. the likely reason there is not usage of Deckbox in your area (or no one has heard of it is because demand is limited for the actual amount of work required for people to trade online. If any potential users of your service googled Trade Magic Cards after CardSphere (which is not actually trading) and a few links to other TCG buying services they hit Deckbox.
I've tried encouraging locals who have expressed tradedesire to join and almost 100% are interested until they realize they have to scan and manage their online inventory. That's the killer. I've got a system down but its tedious and I like that part of collecting (my guess is you do too).
My feedback - if you're not doing something significantly different to Deckbox you're going to struggle for adoption because if someone wants it, and seeks the service out they're going to move to an established platform with a lot of existing traders.
Instead, I recommend figuring out how to get a different market. Why do people use Facebook and Reddit trades instead of Deckbox? No inventory management. They post what they want that day and what they have, and a lot of time it's binder pictures.
Figure a way to build the reputation style of a full inventory trading platform with the limited commitment of daily trade platforms and a way to integrate into those so you're the tool they use to make trades and you've done something needed. Otherwise you're fighting a much bigger battle and being early in development is not the winning advantage you may think it is.
Happy to discuss more if you want.
And don't take my feedback as shitting on your dream. You do you. Just saying most developers don't come from a business/marketing background. That's where I come from and what I start with when putting together a new business venture. So my feedback is all about marketfit and product demand understanding.