Let's go - Help wanted :) (2012-10-01)


EvilDragon

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Sorry for the lack of news updates lately - those missing 20K EUR were a bit of a shock to me, as I was really awaiting that money to keep production going.


It was a bit demotivating and combined with too much work, I was a bit burnt out... and also had to do a lot of reorganization to make sure everything will continue as planned.


I just couldn't motivate myself to reply to any mails, but hopefully will continue to do so this week, as I'm recovering right now.


Okay, let's get back to the situation and what my thoughts are:


Right now, I've got about 60 more 1GHz units in stock - that's it until the new parts arrive (which should be in about two weeks).


Then the production will continue. We have parts for the next 1000 Pandoras then, that should be enough for a while :)


First off, some facts:

  • Production is running fine now, even for the 1GHz units. Once we got the parts, we can theoretically produce 250 per week.
  • Every order placed at my shop (www.dragonbox.de) will ship out RIGHT AWAY, also the 1GHz units!
    Only 1GHz orders from Craigs shop (OpenPandora Ltd., UK) have a backlog right now - and I'll do anything to help to clear this backlog.
    So no worries - if you want a 1GHz unit NOW, you can order and get it!
  • My shop is not broke, nor have I run out of funds. Nothing to worry here, production will continue as planned.



Okay, now here are some thoughts I had.


The most important thing is that we increase the sales of the Pandora - as these sales fund the remaining preorders and therefore also ensure the future of the Pandora.


There are various ways of increasing the sales...


1. Get new customers!


The Pandora right now is a bit pricey - but there are probably a lot more interested customers out there who have the money and would like to buy it and support the idea of a niche device.


However, right now, every customer has to KNOW about the Pandora in order to buy it. Therefore, without news on websites (like the one at Eurogamer), we won't get new customers.


We need to increase the Google Rankings for more common keywords (like Emulator, Playstation, etc.) so that we also get customers NOT searching specifically for the Pandora.


Luckily, I've got an online marketing expert in my company who knows how to improve these rankings - and we want to do that with new videos.


I'm already working on new videos - and you can help me, if you want...


... providing me videos recorded from TV Out.


... by letting me know which games or emulated games would be great to show.


... by providing me with the most important keywords that we need for the Pandora.


These Videos will surely help get some more interest - and sell more units. More sold units mean a faster clearing of all remaining queues.


2. Get additional funds


I've seen the idea of a donation fund on the other thread - and the idea is great. Right now, we've got 22,000 users who subscribed to the Pandora newsletter. While not all of them are probably still interested in the Pandora, if every single one of them donated only 8 EUR, I could immediately produce and ship out ALL preorders!


Of course, not everyone will donate - but every EUR is helping, so there might be some who'll help us out. Maybe I can even find some bigger supporters - I don't think so, but it sure is worth trying.


If YOU want to support classic preorders, check out this donation website :)


I WILL let you know over time how many units I was able to sponsor.


And I will use that money to also fund Craigs 1GHz queue as well as both classic preorder queues.


3. Cross-Upgrade your preorder to an instant-delivery 1GHz Pandora!


So you ordered a classic Pandora from Craig, have some more money ready and would gladly pay for an update to a 1GHz unit which will be delivered right away?


That's possible now! All you need to know is your order number and head over to my shop.


As long as there are units in stock, you can upgrade it and get it right away - promised :)


4. Lower the price


While many of you here agree that the Pandora is worth its price, it's still a bit high for a lot of interested users.


I'd like everyone to be able to afford the Pandora - however, right now we urgently need the money to be able to also fund old preorders, so I can't really lower the price until we have all preorders cleared.


When we've got all preorders delivered, a lower price should be possible - and attract more customers.


So the faster we can get the above things going, the better for EVERYONE in the community!


Okay, and here is my call for help!


While I'm working hard to keep everything going, I am only one person and have my limits.


We're a community - and we probably have a lot of talented members here. So if you'd like to help us out, it would be awesome.


As mentioned above, I could really help with doing more videos.


Some advertising (Banner, Flyer, etc.) would also help. Are there any graphic designers here that could create these?


I will provide you with everything you need.


Maybe some of you know some blogs, magazines, websites we should approach for a Pandora Review?


Could it be that anyone here knows someone who has a lot of money and tends to support small projects like this one? Please let me know - and I'll approach him.


And as you know, I'm way behind with my emails... I will set up a ticket system soon, and there should also be a section where community members could help out answering these questions.


Interested in helping out here? Let me know.


That's it for today - thanks a lot for your huge support - let's keep things going :)
 
Im op needs to get out of the pre-order situation asap.It often causes problems. It will be nice too when everyone has their pandoras. once beyond pre-orders ye should be able to turn a profit i guess. If anyone here was releasing a game or app from the pandora on android or such they could mention at the start of the game that it is ported from the pandora and provide a pic and website address. Anytime someone dowloaded the game it would raise awareness of the pandora.
 
I'll admit as I was reading this post that I was getting a little worried about my order, but I'm glad there's a way to move that forward. As far as a video, I think it would be cool to highlight the different unique projects that community members have worked on. I think too many potential buyers quickly dismiss it as an overpriced emulator, but it can do a lot more.
 
I just attempted to upgrade my old order, but failed.


Both payment options are unacceptable to me.


Bank transfers are rare in the US for purchases, and therefore difficult & expensive.


I refuse to get a paypal account to purchase anything. I don't trust them.


I have used paypal in the past as an order processing tool, when they let me pay by credit card without creating an account, but this time I did not have that option. It was either log in as a Paypal user, or bank transfer.
 
It would be nice if ED did direct credit card transactions instead of dealing with paypal / google checkout / Bank Transfer.
 
@ dap Paypal are trustworthy alright.Their busines entirely hinges on this one issue. They may have some odd rules but considering practically anything can be bought via paypal it could be worse. Or you could pay via western union.
 
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Forgot to mention I'll have credit card payments back next week.


Just moved away from Moneybookers, as they're crap.

ED, great post and glad to see you are motivated. For 1) please check your PM :)

Will do, but not right now as I'm tired and need to get up again in 3 hours :(
 
Has anyone told Notch yet about 1GHz Pandoras? Or about the iControlPad2? He donates about $4,000 to every Humble Bundle.
 
Great post ED. I am really overcommitted at the moment, but in the near future I hope to be able to help with design/advertising tasks and answering emails.
 
Great post ED! Just what I wanted to see...


The good news from my side - even though I don't have additional funds to spare at this time - I do have a lot of free time so I volunteer my services as a Graphic Designer !


Just tell me what you need and either direct me to a place I can download resources or email them to me at faeminx@gmail.com


I can start *today*!!


Also, there is no obligation to use what I make if another artist comes up with something more appropriate.


I'm very happy to make adjustments, complete overhauls or even colaborate with other artists.
 
Removed quote, totally unnecessary ~ Wally


so could I order a replacment lcd cable for my pandora? your shop says preorder and you say you have all the parts? or do you want me to send it back to you? let me know as I really can not live long with out my pandora.
 
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Before you start hardcore spreading the word, you might want to UPDATE THE WEBSITE! ;) the picture is old:


old website


Maybe you work something with Craig to get his design? IMO he did a good job on this, could save you a lot of time and also synchronize the front-facing display coming from both companies.


new website?


Of course you would need to adapt it for the less than 1 GHz Pandoras.


And I posted you a question about a potential distributor here in the 'states, incidentally that question goes right to spreading the word. I think interested distributors could help take you a long way as well, provided they are willing to invest and risk. Just having a unit or two in stock should be enough, along with maybe a poster with the website on it or something. I'm not a businessman, so perhaps my reasoning here has flaws.
 
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I have donated with a little extra. IMNSHO the Pandora and ED are worthy of support.


Just wish I could help with the marketing and PR!
 
Maybe someone could make a video with some of the GCompris educational games - this is a potentially big audience that we haven't addressed so far. Parents will buy expensive things for their children. And the Pandora is certainly a much better thing to buy for, say, a 6 year old child than a DS or something like that. 1) They can play the same games on it that their parents played when they were young, 2) They can play educational games like those from the GCompris suite, so it can actually help them learn to read and calculate, and 3) When they're a bit older (say 8 or 9), they can learn to program on it!


And the above is also a great excuse for parents with younger kids to buy the Pandora for themselves, with the intention of giving it to their child(ren) when they are old enough for it.
 
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