How can we sell a quality
gold plating system for so little money?
There is a better way to ask
this question.
American Gold / SMC would like to know why other Gold Plating system suppliers charge so much for what little they offer
in their Gold Plating Systems?
American Gold / SMC provides a list showing
all of the individual components of our Gold Plating system and price each item
separately.
You know what you are getting from American
Gold / SMC.
Plus we sell
the system on a Satisfaction Guaranteed or your MONEY BACK basis.
WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW
BEFORE YOU BUY A GOLD PLATING SYSTEM
OR
WHY DO WE
SELL "OFF THE SHELF" PRODUCTS?
OR
How can we sell
a Quality System for so little money?
This page has grown out of the
ever changing stories that are passed on through people at Trade Shows, Business
Opportunity Seminars, Craft Shows, Internet, Web Sites, and so on.
There are facts you need to know
before you purchase a Gold Plating System from anyone.
Some of the sales stories passed
on at Trade Shows, Business Opportunity Seminars, Craft Shows, Internet, Web Sites, and so
on, are intentionally misleading.
Plus the so-called stories keep
changing.
This web page is the best place
we have to give you the most up to the minute responses to such misleading information.
As to why we sell what we sell
is really a simple matter to explain but it takes a lot of text.
We suggest you print this Web
Page and use it as a reference.
The biggest challenge for you
will be to sift through a mountain of information and so-called advertising claims, some
of which seems to be conflicting, from different sources, on why you should purchase a
gold plating system from one source or another.
Advertising hype or Sales Claims
sure seem common enough these days. I personally wondered how everyone could claim they
are;
The Best.
The Fastest.
The Biggest.
The Longest.
The Strongest.
And so on.
And expect
people to believe the advertising hype.
Obviously, everyone can not be the best, the
fastest, the biggest, the longest, the strongest and so on.
Speaking of advertising hype, it
reminds me of when I passed a sign on the Interstate Highway in an area designed for
Tourists. I am sure you may have seen a sign similar to the one I am talking about.
The
sign announces a so-called "Mystery Spot."
The idea of the "Mystery
Spot" is where they build buildings off square and out of plumb to
intentionally confuse the senses of people who pay to go inside.
The result is simple, when you
are inside of the buildings and look at the walls and items inside, the image
you see makes your
mind figure you are leaning to one side, while your sense of balance conflicts with the
image you get to see with your eyes. This is all done because the building is
intentionally built off square and out of plumb to intentionally confuse you. It
is no real mystery.
This so-called "Mystery
Spot" is where it is entertaining for young children but not anything to confuse
you because you know better.
In this, you know better because you can see the
buildings from the outside and know there is no mystery.
It is also a little like
watching the guy working the crowd at a Carnival. The Carnival BARKER has to fill you
with tempting words to get you into their tent to watch the show. Pulling you into the
tent is what they do. To make money, they must pull you in.
Or a Carnival Game Joint WORKER
where there is a so-called test of skill and or a game of chance. The "Carnival
joint" WORKER can
do the trick, because they know the secrets of the game, and the tricks, that are involved
in running the game. That simply means they have the skill and you
have little chance.
At least it is a form of entertainment, and
fun too, that should not cost you a lot of money.
If you do not know facts or the
secrets, assorted sales stories may sound good to you.
Going to a Carnival is an
entertainment experience and it is only a minimal cost.
Making a substantial purchase
should not be the same as playing a game.
There may be a different way to
explain this challenge. While we know the Gold Plating business, we are not likely know
your area of business near as well as you do, where you have experience and know what is
right and wrong.
If a person within your industry was passing on a story that may be
called "slightly embellished to make it sound better for the teller"
( read "lie" ) you would
automatically know it.
As a person that is
inexperienced within your industry, we would not know that the story was "embellished
to make it sound better for the teller" or if it were the truth,
although you would know because you are involved in that industry.
We might be taken in by
misrepresentation where you would know better.
Since I know that makes sense to you,
tell me how
could you go about providing me with the correct information so it is communicated
to me and sound like a bad response to the story?
The problem is, anything you do to
attempt to explain a false story me, might be taken wrong. This is why I wrote the paragraph
above that states;
"The biggest challenge for
you will be to sift through a mountain of information and so-called advertising claims,
some of which seems to be conflicting, from different sources, on why you should purchase
a gold plating system from one source or another."
Dealing with misinformation
within an industry you have experience in is similar to dealing with the off square and
out of plumb building in a so-called "Mystery Spot" since it is no mystery to
you. Since you know better, the slightly embellished story does not mislead you.
The result of this potential for
confusion developed into a simple idea to level the playing field and to give you
confidence in the company you are going to do business with. In simple terms, it is right
to have claims backed up.
We see all sorts of extremely
optimistic income potential passed out by some companies who offer to sell an expensive
gold plating machine / system and claim that you to can make $60,000 - $100,000 - $120,000
a year in Gold Plating with their system.
Some claims state that $1,000 a day is not
possible.
The reality is that $1,000 in a day is
technically possible and potentially achievable. What it requires is that
you have 4 or 5 gold plating jobs ( at $250X4 or $200X5 ) for a given day.
However, that does not mean that you can line up 4 to 5 gold plating jobs every
day of the week, although the story passed on implies you can do that.
We expect these income claims
are logically unrealistic, based on years of actual experience within the gold plating
industry.
So, if a company is claiming you
will make, say, $60,000 a year gold plating items such as bathroom fixtures, or whatever
else, they should be willing to offer you a 100% money back guarantee if you are not able
to make at least $10,000 in net profits in the first 3 months.
If the claim is $120,000, then
the money back guarantee should be that you get your money back if you do not make $20,000
in net profits in the first three months.
If they are not willing to give you a
100% money back guarantee, then you know the value of their so-called income
claims.
Why is this important? Several
reasons.
It is important to you if you
have to pay a lot of money to buy the equipment and supplies to be able to gold plate and
then not make the promised high income levels.
You would develop the talent
of gold plating but you still will have to work within the natural limitations of the
marketplace, meaning a limited amount of sales.
It is important when you can
get a top quality gold plating machine and gold plating system for less and start making
profits sooner.
Also, if the
so-called EXPENSIVE Gold Plating system does the same work as the affordable
gold plating system, it only stands to reason that you will make your
investment back quicker if you purchase the affordable system.
Worse yet, if you get
involved in some expensive lease plan where you are required to pay back an
expensive lease over many years when far less expensive equipment will do
the work.
If you are being lured into
buying a high priced system based on supposed high income level, you need to have
assurances to protect you when you pay a lot of money and do not make the high income
level.
What about gold plating
equipment from American Gold?
We
will give you an absolute guarantee.
Our most popular system is our 30 amp
mobile Gold Plating system which we currently sell at $895, plus shipping.
The average RETAIL price of a
gold plating job on a vehicle is $200 to $250.
If you purchase our 30
amp mobile Gold
Plating machine and system, and you do 5 jobs at a minimal retail price of $200, you will
earn $1000 which will cover your entire initial equipment and supplies purchase.
Plus, you will still have enough gold solution and other supplies to gold
plate approximately 35 more vehicles. 35 vehicles at $200 is $7,000 in gross
sales, most of which is profit.
If you purchase our 30 amp mobile Gold
Plating machine and system, and you do 4 jobs at a minimal retail price of $250, you will
earn $1000 which will cover your entire initial equipment and supplies purchase.
Plus, you will still have enough gold solution and other supplies to gold
plate approximately 35 more vehicles. 35 vehicles at $250 is $8,750 in gross
sales, most of which is profit.
If you purchase our 30 amp mobile Gold
Plating machine and system, and you do 3 jobs on a large Sport Utility Vehicle
at a minimal retail price of $350, you will
earn $1050 which will cover your entire initial equipment and supplies purchase.
If you do some
vehicles at $200, and some at $250, and a few Sport Utility Vehicles at $350, you are still sure to make a lot of money.
And, after all, making money is the reason people go into gold plating.
The American Gold "absolute
guarantee" is simple and clear.
5 gold plating jobs at $200
RETAIL, you will have your money back.
4 gold plating jobs at $250
RETAIL, you will have your money back.
3 gold plating jobs at $350
RETAIL, you will have your money back.
We can not tell you how fast you
will earn back the money but we know that it will take place on the 4th job at $200 per
job. From what our customers tell us, they do it on us.
Typically, our customers tell us
they learn and do 4 gold plating jobs before they run out of the one ounce of Gold Plating
solution included FREE with our system. That is why we started to call it our LEARN &
EARN Gold Plating Solution.
This means you will still have
the 8 ounces of gold plating solution for about another $8,000 to $10,000 in income (based
on $200 to $250 per retail sale) before you even need to reorder supplies.
While at the AAIW '99 Show (
also
known as the SEMA Show ) in Las Vegas, I got to hear a gold plating system vendor tell a
prospect that they have offered systems for 10 years, That sure sounds good. However,
since the automotive brush plating industry was introduced in 1992 at the SEMA Show (
that
was only 7 years earlier, not 10 years ) it makes the statement sound less credible if you know the facts.
Plus, 10 years ago the company who was making the claim was not in business. Since I knew
the facts, I could be better able to tell the amount of factual information versus other
types of promotional puffing that was being passed on.
I noticed a number of people who
were gold plating coins. This is like a simple magician's trick. It is easy to do gold
plating on a coin but it is not, in any way, representative of anything special
of any gold plating system, or a realistic way of
making money. All of the gold plating systems can do the work. It is about the same as a
simple magic trick. Every magician knows the simple tricks but if that is all they
know, they will not make money doing it. Likewise, although it is easy to gold plating a
coin with any gold plating system, it does not mean you can make any money gold plating
coins.
As a side note, consider
COSTS. The COST of a script is EXPENSIVE so a gold plating demonstrator would
prefer to use a COIN from your pocket. You provide the coin so there is no
script to waste. Also, the gold plater does not want to gold plate just a part
of the script because it looks better when the gold plate the entire script and
the part of the script that had the chrome stripped but did not get gold on it,
will not oxidize.
Also, during the AAIW '99 Show
in Las Vegas, I had a chance to talk with the Chief Executive Officer of
PlateCorp.
These are the people who
chrome plate alloy wheels.
He simply shook his head as I
asked for his comments on the so-called ability of the mobile brush plating systems, from
any source, being able to do chrome plating.
As he put it, you can not skip
a step and expect to get acceptable results. We agree. We cover this in a separate FAQ.
We also know the capabilities and the limitations
of the mobile brush plating systems, from any source.
Other companies at the AAIW '99 Show were claiming
they were the only company who makes the gold plating solutions and everyone else buys
from them and repackages the chemicals. Their reasoning there is that you should buy
direct from the real manufacturer, THEM.
Even if everyone did purchase from one source,
which, by the way, is not true, why would the so-called master producer want to Cut
Off business to their distributor customers by selling direct to their customers customer?
If they
really were attempting to sell direct to their distributors customers, the distributors would stop purchasing from them, unless of course
they get you to believe there is only one true supplier.
Actually, there are a number of suppliers.
After saying there are a number of suppliers, it is
important to add that there are a number of ways to formulate the gold plating solution.
Being fair, I do expect that there are some people
who purchase gold plating solutions and then repackage them. We do not do
that. We mix our own sold plating solutions.
We also expect there are some other vendors who
purchase the base chemicals and mix up their own formulations like we do.
However, we do not know who does what beyond knowing that we mix our own
gold plating solutions.
Also, be wary of people who invoke that their
product meets some so-called Military Standard. The so-called standards are never quoted
exactly because the standard does not apply. Even if they explain so-called
MIL-SPEC, the MIL-SPEC is not relevant and you can expect that all of the other suppliers
would logically meet the same standard.
However, claiming that a product does meet a
Military Standard sounds good. Even if every gold plating system meets the standard too.
Although the implication is that only the system offered by the company making the claim
meets the standard.
I suspect it is like "caffeine
free water." I expect all water is caffeine free but that would not
stop a person from making the claim they offer caffeine free water.
If you did
not know all water is caffeine free, the idea of caffeine free water might make
it sound as if the vendor was offering something special.
Like I said
earlier, a person really has to watch and be ready to question some of what they
read on the Internet.
Shopping on the Internet is a challenge.
Look a lot, learn before you buy, not after you
have spent money.
People ask us, "ARE THERE
ANY LIMITATIONS?"
Or refer to "NOT WANTING TO
BE LIMITED TO WHAT THEY CAN GOLD PLATE."
For all practical purposes there
are, and there are not, the same limitations on all gold plating systems from all
suppliers. The only way to answer the question is to explain it.
Since all of the mobile brush
type gold plating systems operate on the same basic principle, they all have the same
potential.
It also means they ALL have the
same limitations. This includes ALL systems from ALL manufacturers and or
distributors at ALL price points.
Brush plating is done by working
with electricity (typically 12 volts DC) and chemicals. That combination of items is why
the gold plating process is called an electrochemical process.
To get the chemicals to the
piece you expect to work on, you need a way to carry the chemical as well as to run
electricity through the chemical.
The chemical contact to the
piece you would plate is done with one basic item. A soft cloth device to go on the end of
the electrode that carries the electricity. Typically, people use the synthetic anode
wrap. These are also called "booties" or "bunny feet" and other
similar names. I prefer "woolly booties" because the name is the best
description of the best design. Some people simply use cotton from a roll wrapped on the
end of the electrode. The average size of the synthetic anode wrap, or the size of the
cotton wrapped on the tip, is about the size of your thumb from the tip of the thumb to
about the first knuckle. The following is an image of the synthetic anode wraps we
provide.
As you note the pieces above,
realize the average synthetic electrode cover is about 1.5 inches long. As you see this, you
will begin to understand that the plating work is done in small areas. This is true of our
system and it is true of all other mobile / brush type gold plating system. This explains
why all systems have the same potential and same limitations. The various electrodes are
put into these synthetic anode wraps and then secured by wrapping the open end with the
rubber bands.
In the image below, you
can see the size of a synthetic electrode cover on a dollar bill. This will give
you a quick idea of the size. Since all systems use essentially the same size
synthetic electrode cover, they all have the same ability and inability.
The diameter of the electrodes
is usually 1/4 th of an inch. We do offer 1/8 th of an inch electrodes for some customers with
older and specialized systems. However, the average seems to be 1/4 th
of an inch.
The electrodes with the
synthetic anode wrap attached to the electrode is dipped into a chemical. The liquid
contact between the synthetic anode wrap and the electrode it a part of the electrical
circuit that makes the plating process work.
PLEASE NOTE: Because of the
need of the gold plating operator to get into crevices and such, we prefer the woolly
booties as shown above.
Once the synthetic anode wraps
are wet with whatever chemical is being used, they are excellent conductors of
electricity.
Since the use of the synthetic
anode wrap is universal with all of the mobile / brush type gold plating systems, you will
understand how there is no noticeable difference in the plating results.
All this means is simple.
Whatever one system can do,
another system can do.
Clearly, no gold plating system
is essentially any different than another, since they all use the same processes and
essentially the same type of synthetic anode wrap to do the gold plating.
Although the amount of AMPS can
make a difference in chrome stripping We have always suggested a minimum of 25 amps
to strip chrome.
If one gold plating system
claims they can gold plate the tail of a newborn Armadillo, the other gold plating systems
can do the same job.
They all use the same concept of
the synthetic anode wrap and the electro chemical process.
However, I am sure that the
Mother Armadillo will not pay you any money for gold plating the tail of her child.
So, the point is not CAN YOU DO
IT, the point really is, CAN YOU MAKE ANY MONEY doing the gold plating work!
There are other limitations,
which apply equally to all gold plating systems, because of the nature of the item a
person attempts to gold plate. It is the item that is a limiting factor, not the Gold
Plating System from any manufacturer. A larger item can be plated by any machine, it is
not a matter of a more expensive system being a powerful one as opposed to another not
having enough power. The actual demand for high power is in the chrome stripping step. The
nickel activating step and the gold plating step does not take much power. The issue
is the size of the area that a person is doing the work on. If every system uses the same
basic sizes, they all have the same basic potential.
The best way to explain it is to
draw the comparison to finger painting.
It is almost impossible to
have a perfect uniform coloration on a large surface with finger painting.
It is reasonably easy to get a
very good and uniform coloration on a small item with finger painting.
Right now you may be asking yourself,
"If all of the units work essentially the same, why is there such a big difference in
price?" Keep reading, you will find the answer below.
The focus of our Web Site, and
the goal of our company, is not just to sell you a gold plating system. We want to point
you in the direction of where we know you will make money.
We hope our Web Site gives you a
lot of information so you can make an intelligent purchase decision.
As a bonus, we offer a MONEY
BACK GUARANTEE with the Gold Plating systems we sell.
To help you with making a fair
comparison on Gold Plating Systems, we offer a MONEY BACK - SATISFACTION GUARANTEE. We
explain that in greater detail on another page in this Web Site. The point is that you can
send it back if it does not do what we say it will do! No one has returned one to us yet!
We do not know a better way to
convey to a potential customer the quality and value of our Gold Plating System and our
support of our customers.
How we can sell a top quality
Gold Plating System for so little money is simple.
We operate on a LOW OVERHEAD,
and because of that, we are able to provide top quality components at fair prices.
So you are aware, all of the
mobile brush type gold plating systems operate on the same basic principle.
All of the mobile brush type
gold plating systems take 110 Volt AC and convert it to 12 Volts DC. Basically, the
systems all use 12 Volts DC to do the plating work.
From our experience, it takes a
minimum of a 25 amp system to do a decent job of chrome stripping, which is necessary in
the automotive gold plating market. A 25 amp system ( or any system with less than 25 amps
) can be referred to as a hobby type brush plating system. Although a 25 amp system will
work on Automotive items, we consider our 25 amp gold plating system to be a hobby system
because of the limited number of amps available. If you are not doing chrome stripping and
are just depositing gold, the 25 amp system is OK since the actual process of depositing
gold only takes a few amps.
We prefer the 30 amp mobile Gold Plating system for
Automotive Aftermarket Gold Plating work since it offers the additional amperage when
necessary for chrome stripping, all controlled automatically. All you do is set the
voltage and the amperage is automatically adjusted by the "state of the art"
electronic power supply. Even the 30 amp system used a small amount of amps to deposit the
gold because that is what, and all, it really takes.
Having made that statement, it
is fair to say that the assorted mobile brush type gold plating systems are essentially
the same, although some may come with different looking boxes and or assorted numbers of
wires, with a wide assortment of prices.
Why should you buy from one
source over another?
Price is one factor. You need
to know what you are going to get for your money.
We provide a price comparison
list on this Web Site so you can look up, and add up, the individual parts of the Gold
Plating system we sell. We want informed customers and work hard to keep our customers
informed.
What makes Gold Plating work is
the plating process at 12 volts, using different chemicals, which is simple to do. It is
appropriate to tell you here that with our system you set the voltage and forget it. the
power supply automatically adjusts the amps for you.
The different types of plating
simply require different chemicals.
Or, whatever one machine can
do, another can do.
All it takes is different
chemicals to do different types of plating processes.
Our systems can do all sorts of
plating. However, because making money is typically the reason our customers have for
buying a Gold Plating system, we work to focus our attention on the Gold Plating System
for the Automotive Aftermarket applications because that is where the majority of the
money is made. We are driven by our customers desire and need to make money.
If you want to gold plate a
chrome bathroom fixture, for example, our systems will do the work.
If you want to gold plate
chrome office desk accessories, our systems will do the work.
If you need to plate almost
anything, we can get you the different chemicals so our systems will do the work.
Remember, since every metal surface can be different, gold plating, or any plating, on
different metals, may require different chemicals and added steps in the process. Often
times the extra costs and time it takes to do the work properly, is not a good use of your
productive time.
All you have to do is figure
out how to make money doing the work. Very few people, working as an individual with a
mobile brush type plating system ( or "hobby tank system" ) make any real money
outside of the Automotive Aftermarket.
If you want to do other types
of plating such as plating on copper, plating nickel and so on, the system we offer can do
the work. However, each of these types of plating require additional processing steps,
including buffing and polishing and result in more physical work and less profitable
ventures. As mentioned above very few people, working as an individual with a mobile brush
type plating system ( or "hobby tank system" ) make any real money outside of
the Automotive Aftermarket. This is why we attempt to focus your attention on areas where
we know you will make money and not attempt to provide overly optimistic income potential
on unknowns, even though our Gold Plating System can do the work. In simple terms,
why do the work unless you are going to make money?
The KEY INGREDIENT is your being able to make
money at doing the plating work.
You can, and will, make money with a Gold
Plating system doing the Gold Plating in the Automotive Aftermarket.
If you figure you are correct on your
business plan and figure you are going to make $50,000 doing brush type gold plating on
assorted plumbing fixtures, you have the same potential of income with our Gold Plating
system, based on the accuracy of the market potential in your business plan.
The difference is not the GOLD PLATING
SYSTEM, it is a difference of market potential.
If your evaluation of the market potential is
correct, you will make as much money in the market with any Gold Plating system. I you
purchase a top quality system from us at an affordable price, guaranteed to gold plate for
you, or your money back, you will be profitable sooner,
We are well aware of the actual profit
potential in the automotive aftermarket. We are also aware of the actual profit potential
in other areas.
Accuracy of the research of the market
potential is what is important.
To save you money, and to let us
offer you the best value for your money, we START by using STATE OF THE ART "off
the shelf" ELECTRONIC components to save us money, as well as other commonly
available "off the shelf" components so we can still make money and keep our
prices realistic, and low, which saves you money.
This is what is commonly called
DC Plating.
This is also commonly called
TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY and the TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY works all the time.
There is some talk about
TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY causing FADING of the Gold finish, which is simply not true. We
cover FADING GOLD in another FAQ and in another spot on this page too.
Curiously, this talk comes from
people offering the PULSE TECHNOLOGY and the so-called NEW ULTRA FAST PULSE TECHNOLOGY.
This may be the place to address
the PULSE technology.
Pulse technology is a realistic
value in the ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY.
If you open a BUSINESS to
exclusively do gold plating within the electronic industry, you will benefit from PULSE
technology.
However, outside of the
ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY, common DC PLATING, which is what our systems do, is the right
equipment for the work. Common DC plating is used Worldwide for quality results.
If you are looking to make money
by Gold Plating decorative items, like chrome scripts on Cars, Sport Utility Vehicles,
Trucks, Vans, Boats, Airplanes, Guns and so on, the DC PLATING systems will do an
excellent job for you at minimal cost.
If you are within the
ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY and want to gold plate electrical contacts, and so on, this site, and
sites like it, are not for you. Please e-mail us at smcauto@dmci.net
and we will redirect you.
The idea of the three step DC
plating process, also know as the TRADITIONAL PROCESS is identical to the TANK PLATING
processes which is acknowledged in the plating industry as the best quality and best
uniformity available. Going with a 3 step brush plating process that is identical in steps
to the tank plating process gives the best results in brush type gold plating.
WHAT ABOUT TRAINING?
We provide a complete Gold Plating Manual,
along with a Quick Start Guide. This has given our customers basically all they needed
over the years.
We do provide a FREE 800 number for ongoing
Technical Support. However, since the Gold Plating system we provide is so easy and simple
to use and so reliable, the only time we hear from customers is when they need to order
more Gold or other supplies they can not get in their local area.
A few customers had questions at first, but
they quickly got the process going and started to make money.
We will provide you with FREE "Hands On
Training" at our facility if you are in the area, or want to spend the time and money
it will take you to come to Reading.
On the other hand, you will probably figure
out that it is far less expensive for you to get the system, read the manuals, and start
Gold Plating. Our typical customer is gold plating within a short time after they get
their system. It is that easy to do.
There is talk in the industry
about GOLD FADING. To clear that up for you, we have the following information.
What causes faded gold is the
wearing of the gold.
A gold plating application using
a standard DC plater in the so-called TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY or in the so-called PULSE
TECHNOLOGY, and or in the so-called ULTRA FAST PULSE TECHNOLOGY process, is basically the
same. All of these different technologies deposit and molecularly bond 24 K to the exposed
and activated nickel surface on scripts and emblems.
It is important to point out
claims of suppliers say that pulse plating puts on less gold which is acceptable in the
electronics industry. However, plating less gold means it can wear off quicker which is
not acceptable in the decorative gold plating industry.
The differences between the
TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY and the so-called PULSE TECHNOLOGIES are previously explained.
In short, in the electronics
industry, pulse plating has an advantage. In all other plating, no meaningful benefit has
ever been demonstrated for pulse plating or ultra fast pulse plating. although it sure
sounds like a good story.
WHAT IS FADED GOLD?
Gold is a soft metal. All gold
is subject to wear.
24K gold is pure gold and is the
softest gold as opposed to an alloy of gold and other metals, such as you will find in
rings and the like at 14K gold which is an allow of 14 parts gold and 10 parts of another
substance to make the gold strong enough to hold the shape of a ring.
The gold applied in TRADITIONAL
TECHNOLOGY or the so-called PULSE TECHNOLOGY, and or the so-called ULTRA FAST PULSE
TECHNOLOGY will all wear off at essentially the same rate.
NOTE: Since the actual claimed
amount of gold applied in the pulse manner is designed for electrical conductivity in the
electronics industry, the actual amount of gold deposited on items outside the electronics
industry may be less, and, therefore, wear off quicker. After all, thinner gold should
wear off quicker. Clearly, less gold will not last longer in a wear condition. In another
view, electrical, or computer circuit boards are not designed to go through Car Washes
with brushes. They are designed to have excellent conductivity meaning letting electricity
pass through the connections inside electrical component boxes, like the ones inside
your computer.
When the thickness of the gold
is all the same, the differences in wear depends on the location of the gold plated item
on the vehicle.
As an example, Car Wash Brushes
typically strike the front and sides of the vehicle with greater force than the car wash
brushes strike the back of the vehicle. This is why you will find greater wear on the
front and side mounted scripts as opposed to the rear scripts mounted on the rear deck.
That is quite obvious in concept and you can back it up by watching a car wash in action.
I know the action since I sold Car Wash systems.
When the gold wears, the
underlying layer of nickel starts to show through. In a microscopic view, it looks sort of
looks like Swiss cheese with all of the small holes showing through. In a gold plated
surface, the wearing spots typically develop where there are microscopic wear holes that
allow the nickel to be exposed to the air and the nickel oxidizes. It is not the gold
turning color, it is the exposed nickel oxidizing and turning a darker color. So, it is
the wearing of the surface over a prolonged period of time, or during repetitive
trips to a car wash with brushes that wear down the gold, not the Gold Plating system
or the gold plating application to get the gold onto the surface.
It is a lot like watching paint
wear through on a banister railing after thousands of people have run their hands over the
painted banister railing. This wear is because of the stream of hands running over the
surface causing microscopically small wear, not poor paint adhesion. Although I bet you
can find a person to disagree with this point. However, how often do you see the paint on
the bottom of the banister hand rail wearing off?
Again, it is not a question of
proper adhesion, it is a matter of wear.
The same is true of gold fading.
It is not because of poor adhesion as often as it is the result of wearing.
Poor adhesion of the gold to the
surface is most often caused by improper surface preparation. This includes the so-called
2 step or 1 step gold plating systems. Lifetime Gold, Quick Gold, Slick Gold, Trick Gold
or whatever other name some person and or persons come up with.
Proper surface preparation gives
a top quality result.
No matter how good the engine is
or how new the tires are, if you do not have the step of engaging the transmission, you
are not going to get the desired end result. You need to do it right.
When you do it right, everything
comes together and it works.
When you do the simple and
proper surface preparation before you do the gold plating step, everything comes
together and the gold plating looks good and lasts.
There are a lot of BUZZ WORDS circulating
about the GOLD CONTENT in gold plating solutions.
The facts are fairly simple, there is no way
an average person can tell what the actual gold content is in any gold plating solution.
The purple color is the most common color of
the base mixture of Gold Plating Solution. After producing the base mixture, the gold is
added. The addition of the gold, in any realistically used level, does not alter the
coloration of the purple solution.
The reference to a realistically used level
only means, and refers to, how the gold is typically mixed with the base solution.
Obviously, if you take only one ounce of the base mixture and add in 2 ounces of gold, the
large amount of gold, in the form it comes in, would have an impact on the coloration.
Since this is not how it is done, It does not matter because it is not a realistically
used level.
You can not even use the referenced example
of a gallon of purple paint and X amount of ounces of white paint since the gold is not in
a form that is a color separation and the gold actually dissolves into the base mix of the
gold plating solution.
It might be a fairer comparison to state a
gallon of purple paint and a few ounces of clear paint. The clear paint would mix with,
and be absorbed by, the purple paint. The result of the mixing is so slight a coloration
difference that you would not see a difference and that is how it is with the gold going
into the base mix.
Further, there is no Federal, State or Local
law that states that a vendor must disclose the content of the gold in the gold plating
solution.
Gold Plating solutions are not a FOOD ITEM
where you can see the contents stated on the outside of the box.
Gold Plating solutions are an industrial /
commercial / business type item, not a consumer item.
If you were to check the M.S.D.S. paperwork
on gold plating solutions, you will commonly find the gold in the gold plating solution is
stated in a percentage range. It is not illegal to list a wide percentage range on the
M.S.D.S. and only ship the lowest listed percentage. It is not illegal, although it is
misleading.
There is a law that states a supplier of
JEWELRY must mark the JEWELRY for the K grade, such as 12K 14K, 18K and so on. However,
this law does not apply to the quantity of gold in a gold plating solution.
Since the quantity of gold in the gold
plating solution is what counts and it is a solution, not a piece of jewelry, there is no
law requiring any disclosure or any reason or need to pass on the ingredients.
Particularly since you do not have a way to test yourself and the industry is not
regulated, and or monitored, by anyone in any official capacity as to gold content in the
gold plating solution.
So there is a law, but it does not apply.
Why do we not list the amount of gold in the
Gold Plating solution? Obviously because you have no way of knowing if it is true or
not and because there is no requirement to do so. Plus, whatever we announced, others
could, and would, claim they offer more. Particularly since people in the industry know
you do not have a way of telling.
We believe if a vendor of gold plating
solution were to say they put 8 ounces of gold per litter or per gallon, all of the people
selling the gold plating equipment would know that you could not tell if that is right or
wrong. Then, by going on the force of selling on commission, a large majority of gold
plating solution sellers or vendors would adopt the story of "We put 8 ounces of gold
per liter or per gallon" or suffer a potential loss of business. We do not have
anyone on commission and never have had any working on commission. We have always wanted
our people to help our customers.
The sales story that says "We put 8
ounces of gold per liter or per gallon" sure sounds good, anyway, particularly when
they know you can not tell.
As a result, we do not state how much gold we
put in, and, since 1989, we never had anyone working on commission. The salaried sales
person is less likely to make over blown statements, just to make a sale, so they can make
money.
If you were buying 3.5 inch floppy disks, you
could identify the name of the manufacturer and know the quality level, and tell how many
you buy by checking the number listed on the box and then cross checking it by counting
the number in a box. After you have that detailed information you can make a buying
decision based on price. Since you can not do that type of checking on the amount of gold
in the solution, getting into a discussion over it is, regrettably, meaningless.
How can you tell a quality gold? The more
actual gold in the gold plating solution the faster it will work and the further it will
go.
If the mix is 1 ounce to a gallon (128
ounces), it solution will gold plate.
If the mix is 4 ounces to a gallon (128
ounces) the solution will gold plate faster and plate quicker, as well as the solution
will last a lot longer.
The difference means, to get the same ounce
of gold out of the solutions, one will take a whole gallon (128 ounces) and the other will
only take 1/4 of that, a quart (32 ounces).
Obviously, it will take you a lot longer to
get the gold out of a gallon (128 ounces) than it will to get the same amount of gold out
of a quart (32 ounces). At least 4 times longer.
You can expect to pay more for more gold in
the solution.
If you already have
a gold plating system, we have an offer for you.
To let you try our
GOLD PLATING SOLUTIONS, we have an offer you can not refuse.
You can purchase ONE OUNCE of our
Middle Grade AA and ONE OUNCE of our BEST Grade 4AAA, including packaging for only
$65 plus UPS Ground
Shipping in the US.
These two ounces of Gold Plating
Solution should Gold Plate, on average, 45 script / emblems. At 5 script / emblems per
vehicle, that means you would have enough gold to gold plate 9 vehicles.
At a wholesale price of $100 per
vehicle, the 2 OZ will make you $900.
At a RETAIL SALE of at least $200 per
vehicle, the 2 OZ will make you $1,800 to $2,000 or even more.
This is a WIN - WIN - WIN deal for
you. You get to try our Gold Plating Solution and you get to make a lot of money as
you are experimenting.
As you look to make comparisons to assorted
concepts in Gold Plating, there are two basic types of Gold Plating. Tank Plating and the
Mobile Brush Type Gold Plating.
It is commonly accepted by experienced Gold
Platers that the best quality and most thorough / even plating finish is done when the
item being plated is under the surface of the assorted chemicals and rinse baths involved
in the gold plating process. The uniformity of the assorted plating steps is better, and
therefore, the overall quality is better in TANK PLATING.
The TANK PLATING system is commonly referred
to as a THREE STEP system.
1. Strip the chrome and
rinse.
2. Activate the nickel and
rinse.
3. Deposit and molecularly
bond 24K gold to the exposed and activated nickel.
Tank plating is most commonly used in the
Automotive aftermarket for large pieces.
We prefer to use brush type plating for the
smaller scripts and emblems because you do not have to worry about breaking a script,
having it lost in shipment, and or dealing with hand cut backings that can detract from
the overall look of quality.
Doing the brush type gold plating on the
chrome script while it is on the vehicle does a fine job, providing you use the proper
chemicals.
After years of experience and constant
experimentation with "so-called" new formulations and "so-called"
modern ways of Gold Plating, we find the best, and most consistent results come from using
the same three step concept in Brush Plating. Strip the chrome, activate the nickel and
deposit the gold.
There are "so-called" ONE STEP gold
plating processes where the gold is deposited directly onto a chrome finish, which we have
some experience in. They do work... to a point. We ARE NOT excited, and not impressed,
with the results. We prefer the three step concept.
There are "so called" TWO STEP gold
plating processes where a single chemical does the chrome stripping and nickel activating,
which we have some experience with as well. They do work too. However, we ARE NOT in favor
of using such high concentration levels of acids and or corrosives in chemicals as they
can, and do, occasionally, cause a problem on or about the vehicle.
WE PREFER THE THREE STEP GOLD PLATING
PROCESS.
The three step process works all the time and
does a great job on the pieces.
If there is GOOD NEWS about the so-called
one-step gold plating solutions, it is that they do not strip off the chrome plating. They
do rough it up some so the gold can stick but they do not remove the chrome. This means
when you get to one of these poor quality jobs, you can use out GOLD STRIPPER POLISH to
remove the so-called one-step gold finish and do the job properly in the three step
process.
As you look over our Web Site, you will find
where we list the separate components of the Gold Plating Systems and the prices of the
separate components. We even provide a price check form linked at the top of every page.
Our Gold Plating Systems come
complete with everything you will need to start Gold Plating. There is a packing list that
shows this as well as the price check form linked at the top of this page.
Some of the components do not have prices on
our REorder forms because you can, and should, get local replacements.
As an example, when we put in the box of
cotton, we even leave the price sticker on the box. You can get a replacement at a drug
store in your area. Another example is the latex gloves. the prices are on the box. You
can find replacements for them at the same drug store. We find them in Wal-Mart, you can
too.
These items
are common every day "OFF THE SHELF" type items that do the job.
Occasionally, but not very often, people
wonder why we put what we do in the systems. We put the common items in the
systems
simply because you do not know what to get on your own to get started. Since we collect
the items, we know you will have them when you get started and know you will get
replacements, whenever you need to, in your local area.
This should give you an idea of how we are
able to price our products COMPETITIVELY.
Buying right and selling right makes sense.
So does common sense.
Since we do not have a concern
over secrecy or to try to keep you from knowing all about the Power Supply components of
the Gold Plating System, we no not have to produce specialized boxes to hold, or hide, the
electrical components and so on.
We even provide a wiring diagram
of the most popular Pyramid model, the PS36KX (35 amp model) on our Web Site. Because the
image is a large graphic image it takes some time to load. It is up to you. If you want to
see the wiring diagram CLICK HERE.
We believe that wherever
possible, using TOP QUALITY "off the shelf" components is the smart, and
affordable move.
Exactly what are TOP QUALITY
"off the shelf" components?
The idea of "OFF THE
SHELF" simply means there are a large number of other applications for the product.
Being able to make an existing product work in more than one application saves individual
and overall costs.
For openers, we provide one of
several Power Supplies depending on the system. The newest is the reliable 30
AMP dual voltage Power Supply we supply to our customers in the USA and to
International customers who need dual voltage capabilities. The 30 AMP Power
Supply is ideal for portability since it only weighs 4.5 pounds. We can purchase the
30 AMP Power Supplies 1 at a time, 5 at a time, 10 at a time, 25 at a time, or how ever
many we need, whenever we need them, right "off the shelf" of the Distributor.
This keeps our cost of inventory low so we can pass the savings on to you.
For our other Gold Plating systems, we use
PYRAMID Power Supplies where appropriate. PYRAMID offers 14 different POWER
SUPPLIES we know about. PYRAMID is a well known company who provides POWER SUPPLIES as
well as a broad based number of consumer AUDIO COMPONENTS. While the large (or small) size
of any company does not mean it will remain in business, it seems as if PYRAMID will be
able to serve the dealers who sell their products for a long time. We can purchase the
PYRAMID Power Supplies 1 at a time, 5 at a time, 10 at a time, 25 at a time, or how ever
many we need, whenever we need them, right "off the shelf" of the PYRAMID
Distributor. Again, just as I mentioned above, local supplier concept keeps
our cost of inventory low so we can pass the savings on to you.
We always have power supplies
ready to ship and can always keep our inventory to the level where it needs to be to meet
the needs of our customers. We can do all of that because we are able to purchase the
Power Supplies we need, in whatever quantity we need, from a LOCAL SUPPLIER whenever we
need them.
How can the local supplier be
able to provide the POWER SUPPLY for so little money?
The idea of "OFF THE
SHELF" simply means there are a large number of applications for the product. Many
businesses buy and use the various POWER SUPPLIES for all sorts of reasons. So, the
supplier has the item ON THE SHELF ready to ship.
Special ordered and or limited
sales items, cost more to produce, and more to inventory!
Specialized boxes converted for
power supplies, or modified tool boxes converted into enclosed power supplies or built
into rolling suitcases made up with an enclosed power supply, are made in far smaller
quantities than the number of POWER SUPPLIES made by the factory that makes the
assorted POWER SUPPLIES we buy and the Waterloo Tool Box company who makes the tool boxes we put the
assorted POWER SUPPLIES into.
In small quantities, the prices
of custom made containers and short run electronics makes the costs per item go UP. As
does the potential for problems. In addition to the cost increases, it is easier to charge
more for the special boxes holding a simple power supply, simply because the buyer does
not see what they are getting. Here the PROFIT MOTIVE comes up. It is hard to charge
$2,495 for a system with a $185 power supply if the buyer can see what they are actually
getting for a power supply. We want you to know what you are getting for your money.
In VOLUME ASSEMBLY such as the
type used by the power supply manufacturers, the cost is affordable because they make so many at one time. That
means the power supply manufacturers can purchase commonly used components for many power supplies in volume and
save there too. All of the savings add up.
Buying commonly available
"OFF THE SHELF" products simply means lower costs for everyone.
As to overall quality of the Power Supplies, the
Power Supplies do an excellent job.
A typical use of
the PYRAMID Power Supply is for a stereo radio display in a stereo shop where the
power supply runs all day long. Frequently 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, without
overheating and without any problems at all. The PYRAMID Power Supply does an excellent
job as a Gold Plating Power Supply in stationary operations where the 20
pound weight of the power supply is not a concern.
Both the 30 AMP Power Supply and the
PYRAMID PS36KX Power Supply are an extremely durable system which works with limited DOWN TIME, if any at all, and it
can take the USE and ABUSE that some owners may give it.
The Power Supplies
AUTOMATICALLY adjusts to amount of AMPS necessary during the different steps of the
plating process.
Dealing with "off the
shelf" supply items is a VERY AFFORDABLE way to run a business. As an example,
we sell the 30 AMP Power Supply for only $185. It is the right price! We can not get $2,495 for our
30 AMP
Gold Plating system with the 30 AMP Power Supply, but $895 is a fair price.
Again, dealing with the "off the
shelf" supply item concept, we sell the PYRAMID PS36KX Power Supply for only $185. It is the right price! We can not get $2,495 for our 35 Amp
Gold Plating system with the PYRAMID POWER SUPPLY, but $895 is a fair price.
Could we make our own power
supply?
After requests from others, I
checked into getting a SPECIAL BRAND made for us by Pyramid. PYRAMID would put our company
name on the FACE PLATE of their machine. They would do it if I would spend a lot of REAL
MONEY to buy a lot of their power supplies at one time. This would cost us a lot of money
as well as tie up a lot of our Warehouse Space. Even with all of the so-called custom
work, the result would still look like a PYRAMID Power Supply. That did not seem like a
good idea. Particularly when I believe you should know exactly what you are buying.
Showing you the POWER SUPPLY equals showing you a value you can judge, and a value you can
price on your own. Since we sell the HEART of the 35 AMP Gold Plating system for only
$155, it is a fair judgment of price and benefits. I do not like purchasing a mystery.
Then, because others asked, we
checked to see about the cost of removing the PYRAMID FACE PLATE, stripping the paint from
the surface and silk screening on our company name. We could do that. And, in the process,
we could switch the meters and some of the connections so it would not look exactly the
same, as the "off the shelf" Power Supply system from Pyramid. However, if we
did not produce a totally NEW FACE PLATE and BOX with different meters and so on, it would
still look like the PYRAMID Power Supply. Just switching meters was not enough to make
anyone I know of believe there was anything SPECIAL inside the box. With our name on the
box, it would still look like a PYRAMID. The PYRAMID box itself is an identifiable
container.
Also, any changes and or modification
means the UL (and Canadian CSA) listings for the manufacturers power supply
does not pass on to us. To get a gold plating system through the UL process
would cost a fortune. Why would we want to have to pay that and increase the
cost to you?
The logical question to ask was
simple enough.
If we did all of that changing
of the existing PYRAMID Power Supply, would people be willing to pay us twice as much as
the price of the PYRAMID?
After all, we would have a lot
of time and money tied up in the "conversion process" and it had to be worth
something.
I figured even if we did all of
that changing and so on, people would see it was a PYRAMID Power Supply anyway and not
want to pay us for the cost of putting our name on the PYRAMID Power Supply.
Apparently this was a problem
other companies faced. Many Gold Plating vendors initially started by offering a Gold
Plating System with the PYRAMID Power Supply.
After the systems came out in 1992
and buyers found out about the actual costs versus the "gold rush"
fever top BUY NOW, the companies
had a hard time charging $2,495 for the Gold Plating System with a reasonably priced power
supply.
On the $2,495 price, that was
the "street price" for a system. The mobile brush type gold plating systems
first showed up at the Automotive Aftermarket Show called SEMA, in 1992 and were selling
for $2,495 using a PYRAMID Power Supply. My partner purchased one and put another person
in business doing mobile Gold Plating in California.
Since then, the pricing scheme
popped all over. Or $2,495 but at a SHOW SPECIAL of $1,895. Plus the popular SPRING SALE
at $1,295. One ad had a close out of $995 in a publication in the Fall of 1999 but
the sales person was quoting $1,395 over the phone when they got a call. You name it
and it has impacted the Gold Plating business.
This may be referred to as the MUMBO-JUMBO of
the higher priced systems. That may mean the more the JUMBO of the price, the more MUMBO
it takes to justify it.
All of the conversations about
doing modifications to the PYRAMID Power Supply kept coming back to the same point. The
PYRAMID Power Supply was a TOP QUALITY unit. The PYRAMID did a GREAT JOB for our
customers, and we were not going to be able to camouflage it. So, why try?
The real question is simple. Was
it worth it to make attempts to camouflage the PYRAMID? We said NO.
Fortunately, common sense
prevailed. We believed then, and still believe now that giving our customers a good value
for their money is the smart move. The PYRAMID Power Supplies are a KNOWN VALUE.
Raising our costs, and the
customers costs makes sense, if it adds VALUE to the system. Cosmetics do not add VALUE,
particularly when the original looks presentable and does the job.
Any other idea on power supply
modification raised our costs which did not benefit our customers.
If we ordered in hundreds (or
thousands) of POWER SUPPLIES with our name on them from PYRAMID, we would have increased
our inventory expense without gaining anything of VALUE for us or our customers.
If we started to remove the
PYRAMID face plate, rework it and move stuff, that would create a concern over who has the
responsibility for the warranty.
Anything we looked at
increased LABOR and or INVENTORY expense without adding value.
Any modification we looked at
would still result in the power supply looking like a PYRAMID.
The last item of concern was,
we might increase our liability for the WARRANTY.
So, if it were your money, would
you spend THOUSANDS in inventory expense if you can meet your customers needs, as the
customers need occurs, dealing with a suitable "off the shelf" system?
I bet you will go with the
"OFF THE SHELF" concept. We did!
We ALWAYS stock PS36KX Power
Supplies. We are all glad we did not make any changes. We understand our customers are
glad we did not make any changes either.
The PYRAMID Power Supplies
covert the 110 Volt AC to 12 Volt DC.
The PYRAMID Power Supplies
AUTOMATICALLY adjust the AMPS to meet the needs in each of the plating steps.
We have a separate supplier to
provide the 240VAC to 12VDC system for our International customers who require a 240 volt
unit. This system has an substantial increase in cost over the PYRAMID. I figure $200 more
is a substantial increase in cost. Apparently, they do not make as many of these and that
increases the coat.
Speaking of WARRANTY.
If you read the small print on
some of the so called "lifetime warranty," the lifetime extends only as long as
you are buying the chemicals from the company providing the warranty. In the fine print, I
noticed the "lifetime warranty" drops to a one year warranty unless you are
buying supplies from the company providing the so-called "lifetime warranty."
Funny, we have fixed broken machines for $100...
PYRAMID offers a Manufacturers warranty on their POWER SUPPLY. As a service to our customers, we process the warranty for
our customers. This means that we understand you are using the PYRAMID as a BUSINESS TOOL
and you need to service your customers. So, if there is a warranty problem, we instruct
our customers to call us first. We immediately ship out a REPLACEMENT Power Supply so you
can keep on making money. Once you have the box the replacement came in, you repack your
unit and send it back to us. We take care of the Warranty. That sure seems like the way I
would want a company to treat me, so that is how we treat our customers.
As I drove through Lansing
Michigan in early June of 1999, I passed several locations who were once selling
computers. As of that day, both were "out of business." I recall stopping in to
check them out some time ago when they were in business. I recall they were offering a
LIFETIME Warranty on the computers they sold. They really pushed the LIFETIME WARRANTY.
That did not make a lot of sense to me since the major computer manufacturers did not
offer a LIFETIME Warranty on anything they sold.
Anyone who purchased a computer
from them and paid the premium price to get the LIFETIME WARRANTY found out exactly what
the LIFETIME Warranty really described.
It was the LIFETIME of the
company who was pushing the LIFETIME Warranty.
Buying PYRAMID POWER SUPPLIES is
just one example of how we can sell for the prices we do. Another example is the Waterloo
Tool Box Company who supplies Sears.
We provide the
Waterloo S-T-T (Sit - Stand - Tote) Tool Box which we buy direct from
Waterloo. We buy in enough volume on this item to get Free Freight.
We include one the "OFF THE
SHELF" Waterloo S-T-T (Sit - Stand - Tote) Tool Boxes in the Gold
Plating system for $50. It is apparently a great buy since we recently sold 4
to a Advertising firm who uses them for ON SITE equipment storage boxes when
they are in the field taking pictures for their clients. We were a bit
surprised over the order but a sale is a sale.
Every part we can benefit from
purchasing affordably, gives us the potential to save money which keeps our costs to you
low.
The REAL REASON for using the Waterloo S-T-T is that it provides our
you with a sturdy and durable container for the GOLD PLATING System in MOBILE operations,
as well as a security matter in assorted SHOP locations...
There is an accounting and
manufacturing term called "ECONOMIES OF SCALE" which I mentioned above. What
this says, in simple terms, is that it is cheaper to make 100,000 of an item than it is to
make one of the item, particularly when you consider the costs of the molds, jigs, and the
like..
Mass production has shown the
benefits of ECONOMIES OF SCALE.
In our experience, the benefits of the economies of scale can be used in reversed
depending on QUANTITY and item QUALITY, while using "off the shelf" components
that will make the technology work. This is actually simple and logical.
We let other supplier companies
build their products (which we can make use of in our application) with the
"economies of scale" and we get the economic benefit and much of the savings
without the expense of multiple production lines and large inventories.
If you can make use of an
existing product and the packaging of the existing product, which is exactly what we do,
you may buy the products at a quantity discount price on common items and save money
over making everything yourself. This is also known as buying an "off the shelf"
product at a low price.
The supplier company makes some
money on us, but their costs, and profits, are spread out over many different customers.
This means we can buy the power
supplies that do a great job, at a very affordable price.
It also means we can purchase
the Waterloo S-T-T (Sit - Stand - Tote) Tool Box "OFF THE
SHELF" and save money too.
I am sure our cost per piece
could be lowered if we were to manufacturer a large quantity of some specific item.
However, then the costs of production, raw materials and inventory expense start eating
away at the savings.
If our costs are low, your costs
should be low too. Go ahead, price our system by assembly of the components. You can do
that by going to the top of the page and finding the PRICE CHECK FORM. We also have a
packing list you can find and double check it against costs. Once you do, you will
understand how we operate.
We take an existing product that
does the job we need and we use the packaging of the existing product so our customers
know where to go to purchase replacements.
In any event, we could not build
the molds to make all of the individual plastic pieces of the Waterloo SST tool box, and the
molding equipment to make the tool boxes, as affordably as I can buy the individual tools
boxes on an as needed basis. And, even if we were willing to pay the money required,
Waterloo would sue us for a design infringement. It is CHEAPER FOR US TO BUY FROM
WATERLOO.
This actually lowers our costs, lets us sell for less, and we still make a profit.
Your local Drug / Discount Store
and ACE Hardware Store are a source of supply for replacement items. It is a reach to call
them a " JOB SHOP" but it is realistic to refer to them as suppliers.
The term "Supplier" or "JOB
SHOP" and "SUB JOB SHOP" are potentially used interchangeably, and in no
way intended to be a negative statement on all of the quality providers of products to us
or replacement supplies to you.
What you can begin to see is the application
of buying the right items "off the shelf" and keeping the costs low.
Clearly, the "economies of scale"
in manufacturing would benefit the Waterloo Tool Box Company. They must make THOUSANDS and
THOUSANDS of these Tool Boxes. I stumbled into this particular Waterloo SST tool box many
years ago. I purchased one myself for my personal use in 1993.
The "economies of scale" in
purchasing benefits Sears. Sears can, and probably does, buy THOUSANDS of the SST Tool
Boxes from the Waterloo Tool box Company.
We also produce our own STAINLESS STEEL
anodes and anode handles. We use stainless steel because it is extremely durable, will not
break, or break down while plating.
We also assemble our own RED and BLACK
colored lead wires. We purchase the wire and banana clips and do the assembly of the
wiring sets here. It is simple, and we can control the quality of the process.
We do the actual mixing of the chemicals that
require mixing right here in our Reading Michigan facility. This gives us the distinct
advantage of knowing exactly what goes into the Gold Plating Solution we sell. This also
saves us money.
By connecting the previous "economies of
scale," we are able to use the "off the shelf" concept and save a lot of
money. Money we save, keeps our costs low! Low costs and reasonable profit means we can
price the Complete Gold Plating System affordably!
What about our LOW OVERHEAD?
We live in Reading, Michigan.
In 1989 we purchased a 1,600 square foot,
cement block, Commercial / Industrial Building. We have used it for many years, at an
extremely affordable cost to us.
Because the building at 217 East Lincoln is
in a "residential area" and the previous owner did not use the building during
the transition period where Reading adopted ZONING, we had to get a reinstatement of the
Commercial / Industrial "grandfather status" for the property before we could,
or would buy it. As a part of getting the grandfather Commercial / Industrial status back,
we had to agree with the Zoning Board not to put any big SIGNS on the outside of the
building. We figured that was OK because we doubted anyone would ever come to see us. We
operate a WHOLESALE business, not a RETAIL STORE. From 1989 to 1996, we only had 6
visitors. For the first 7 years, all we had was the address 217 on the glass door on the
right side of the picture linked below. UPS found us!
The only notice there is of our business
today is on the glass door on the left hand side of the picture and that is basically
blocked by the van in the image linked below.
If you are going to be in the area, please
call us, we would be happy to see you. All roads lead to Reading.
Now, in 1999, we are in the ongoing stages of
REMODELING. Among other things, we need to fix the leak in the roof! It is a small leak
but while we are at it, we are going to go over the whole place. The place has needed a
coat of paint for a while, and this time we are going to get it all at one place.
-
It is amazing how WHITE PAINT from one company
can be a different color than WHITE PAINT from another company.
-
It may be a lot like different quantities of
actual gold in the gold plating solutions giving the gold plater different results.
To see an image of our building, CLICK HERE.
As another idea, check out our PRESIDENTS
page. We have more pictures and information there too.
We expect there is a potential to have AMISH
builders help us in several stages of the work on the building. This means we will have to
set up a place for them to tie up their Horses and Buggies. I wonder who will have to do
the CLEAN UP on that?
The first step in the REMODELING, was to move
our offices to our house (which is larger than the Commercial / Industrial Building) while
we do the work. Computers do not like a DUSTY ENVIRONMENT. The move was a challenge but it
took place without any service disruption to our customers. Service to our customers was,
is, and will remain, the most important thing we do.
The painting process took a long time because
of all of the work to remove the old paint with a pressure washer. There are images about
this on the Presidents Page. Then we had to paint the entire place in two coats of white
primer before we did the first white high gloss top coat. We expect to get the second top
coat of high gloss white on in Spring. Talk is we might use a "PEARL" powder in
the second top coat paint for a special LOOK. We will see how that turns out.
We suspended the work on the roof because of
the outside temperature. Just got to cold.
We hope to finish the remodeling in the
Spring of 2003. We are not in a hurry and are enjoying doing the work ourselves.
Our remodeling will bring us into the year 2003 and beyond! At least that is the plan!
This should give you a big picture of how we
are able to price our products COMPETITIVELY.
So what about the MUMBO-JUMBO over higher
priced systems? I guess the more the JUMBO of the price, the more MUMBO it takes to
justify it.
Either that or some JIVE TALKING that sounds
good.
Perhaps the most difficult task for a person
buying anything today is to make a fair and equal comparison. You want, and need, value
for the money you spend.
In the Spring of 1999 I knew I was going to
need to have a color ink jet printer. After doing a lot of comparison shopping I finally
decided on buying a specific model. I decided on the Hewlett Packard 722C. I suspect a
part of that is our long experience with Hewlett Packard Laser Jet laser printers. We have
3 in the office. I also had a HP DESK JET 500 PLUS and I carried a HP 310 Ink Jet on the
road with me for a number of years. After selecting the manufacturer and model that I
wanted, then I could look for price.
There were less expensive Ink Jet printers
available. I found some for as little as $100.
I also found color ink jet printers for more.
The one I decided on (HP 722C) was $299.99
all through Christmas of 1998 and finally dropped to $249.99 in February or March of 1999.
I got mine this Spring.
To help you with making a fair comparison on
Gold Plating Systems, we offer a MONEY BACK - SATISFACTION GUARANTEE. We explain that in
greater detail on another page in this Web Site. The point is that you can send it back if
it does not do what we say it will do! No one has returned one to us yet!
Next, you can check out our PACKING LIST for
the 30 AMP mobile Gold Plating system. This will give you an idea of individual prices for the separate items
on PACKING LIST that are shipped with the 30 AMP mobile Gold Plating system. CLICK
HERE. Or you can go to the Price Check Form linked at the top of every page.
Please note, the only difference between the
25 AMP and 35 AMP system is the amperage of the power supply itself. The 30
AMP mobile Gold Plating system is designed for mobile use and offers a large
number of amps for a power supply weight of under 5 pounds.
We hear a lot
of talk about people who want to know if we have Distributors and about the potential for
these people to be a distributor... This opens up a new area to explore. We want to be
responsive to inquires so we set up a special Web Page on being a distributor. Likewise,
we believe we have the ideal Start-up plan if you want to consider being a distributor of
Gold Plating Systems.
If you want
to be a Distributor > CLICK HERE <
To go to our
>
STARTING PAGE CLICK HERE
<
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