New SIte to Sell your Glass!

[JScarfone]

We have just opened a brand new site just for glassblowers to sell bongs, pipes and accessories! Dont be stuck with glass anymore, sell it on bongazon! Unlike other marketplaces we want you to post your glass art! Dont be stuck with cancelled listing anymore, join bongazon.

Join Bongazon and get a FREE Storefront, unlimited product listing and even your own coupon system! All for one low fee of 10% per sale, and the transaction and paypal fees are included! Join today and take advantage of our incredible brand new service.

Bongazon (http://www.bongazon.com)

Because we are brand new, literally, we are giving the first 5 glassblowers to list on our site an article in our glassblowers spotlight featuring their work and their journey behind the torch.

Follow us: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bongazonglassmarketplace)| Twitter (https://twitter.com/Bongazon) | Instagram (http://instagram.com/bongazon_glass_marketplace)

[KLAW]

I like the layout a lot, but I do have to say that most of us sell water pipes...not bongs for legal reasons...and for that reason alone I think I will have to pass until things are up and going full bore and I'm not one of the firsts and get popped cuz of selling a piece under an "illegal" name. Operation Pipe Dreams scared a lot of the people who went through it, so sorry to say but I doubt I'm alone on this one... Otherwise I truly do like the layout/idea!!

[JScarfone]

We are glad you like the site and the idea behind it. I understand your hesitation. Operation pipe dreams was truly bogus, but it was also 11 years ago and before half of the country embraced MMJ prohibition reform, so we figured with the way things are headed it was about time someone created a site like this. But please do check back with us, it won't be long before the site is flooded with glass.

[LTD]

seems like a sketch name to me as well. Best of luck. Just because time has passed does not mean laws are different

[oG Glocc Coma]

I dont even see any glass on the site yet? Not the best name but i get what your going for amazon for "bongs"... not the best lingo if you are tryin to be legit about this, no one calls them bongs anymore unless you are getting them from alibabA. Im sure you dumped money in for site and logo design but I think you should change your approach drastically if you want support from actual glass artists. Have you ever seen bombdiggity.com? People here actually sell to their artist owned online store

[JScarfone]

Thats honestly not true, 90% of online shops call them bongs still, simply for the fact of SEO, because thats what people are searching on google. Look at aqualabs, the largest online glass shop, Right in their heading "Bongs". Plus they sell hash bags and other mmj supplies. And they have the top names blowers on their site! Glassblowers and shops call them water pipes instead of bongs to show the fact that they are created for tobacco use, so they are not considered paraphernalia. BUT 95% of all glassblowers create concentrate rigs...... Which are in no way shape or form for tobacco use, nor would you be able to prove so! So going by water pipe at this point in the industry is useless, to be honest.

Plus there is no category for bongs on my site, they are actually listed as water pipes. I do see where your coming from, and you are right people will be hesitant at first. And yes we have no glass because we literally just opened!

[JDNACEglass]

where did you get this idea? do you sell/make glass at all? what is your relationship to the industry? and 10% seems a lil high if you ask me, and thats only the grand opening promotion? what is it after you get on your feet? tell you what, looks like you need some glass on your glass site, or its just a site. i will sell you some glass, and ill knock 10% of my wholesale price just for your first order. you can make a profile or i can to sell it under, and we will see how good this site works

[JScarfone]

We honestly came up with the idea when thinking of purchasing glass to expand our other company The Dab Shack. We only sell vapes at the moment. So I began searching the net and just seeing tons and tons of forum posts of people asking where to sell glass and if its legal in theirs states and whatnot. Only finding wholesale for really chinese glass. I noticed then how suppressed the glass industry really is and how nobody can really find the really good artists unless you are on a forum like this or facebook/instagram, and even then there are so many artists across the US, you cant find 1 spot to view a huge selection.

So we thought to create a place where all the glass artists from around the world can showcase and sell their glass in a secure environment. People honestly only buy these pieces through facebook and instagram because they can get them cheaper than in the shops or they are under-aged(which is bad news), and this is because the artist is selling the piece themselves without a crazy markup and not on an actual site.

As for the 10% is this really that outrageous? the paypal fees are included as well. If you could actually sell on ebay etsy or amazon you would pay 10-15% plus paypal fees or amazon $0.99 listing fee. The promotion is just the 10% fee when we get on our feet depending on how big the site is and what kind of events we are getting into how much advertising are doing etc. we might lower or have to slightly raise the percentage or it might stick at 10. It just depends on what the future holds. Listings are always free, the storefront is always free. And if your glass doesn't sell, you can just leave it up or take it down at no cost.

As for your wholesale, we would love to take a look at what you got up for grabs and what prices you are doing. We actually need dabbers, nails and dishes for The Dab Shack as well if you have any floating around.

[LooseSeal Baller]

cops?

[JScarfone]

Haha, no not cops.

[RyanBaker]

We honestly came up with the idea when thinking of purchasing glass to expand our other company The Dab Shack. We only sell vapes at the moment. So I began searching the net and just seeing tons and tons of forum posts of people asking where to sell glass and if its legal in theirs states and whatnot. Only finding wholesale for really chinese glass. I noticed then how suppressed the glass industry really is and how nobody can really find the really good artists unless you are on a forum like this or facebook/instagram, and even then there are so many artists across the US, you cant find 1 spot to view a huge selection.

So we thought to create a place where all the glass artists from around the world can showcase and sell their glass in a secure environment. People honestly only buy these pieces through facebook and instagram because they can get them cheaper than in the shops or they are under-aged(which is bad news), and this is because the artist is selling the piece themselves without a crazy markup and not on an actual site.

As for the 10% is this really that outrageous? the paypal fees are included as well. If you could actually sell on ebay etsy or amazon you would pay 10-15% plus paypal fees or amazon $0.99 listing fee. The promotion is just the 10% fee when we get on our feet depending on how big the site is and what kind of events we are getting into how much advertising are doing etc. we might lower or have to slightly raise the percentage or it might stick at 10. It just depends on what the future holds. Listings are always free, the storefront is always free. And if your glass doesn't sell, you can just leave it up or take it down at no cost.

As for your wholesale, we would love to take a look at what you got up for grabs and what prices you are doing. We actually need dabbers, nails and dishes for The Dab Shack as well if you have any floating around.

Wait,so you're processing all the sales on a website called "bongazon" through paypal? I dont know man,people get their money/account frozen on paypal just for having the word "pipe" somewhere in the description of their sale. Can't imagine paypal is gonna let that fly.

[JScarfone]

Bongazon is just a DBA, all payments are processed through S&S Global, LLC. Vendors will get their payments through paypal masspay. The description will read "disbursement from S&S Global". We are protecting our vendors from this situation.

[KLAW]

Yeah there is no way PayPal will support your site...sorry just ain't going to happen...especially if out right supporting MJ. They are already closing artists accounts and preventing them from using it/accessing their money because they sell "water pipes" and "pipes" in general due to being even "able" to be used with cannabis. They might allow it for awhile but once they eventually see the MJ/Bong connection they will stop allowing your site to use PayPal and perhaps even lock up any artists' accounts that use it.

[Riley]

Are you people blind?!? This could be the very revolution we have all awaited.

[JScarfone]

No, No, No, well yes but no. These comments are great and are needed to build a perfect community, its like a focus group but with the perfect attendees. KLAW you honestly make a fantastic point. We have already been approved for mass pay through S&S Global which as long as the artists accounts are clean there shouldn't be a problem, but there might be a big problem with taking payments. We do have another gateway that we use that does not care, they actually have a division for high risk clients, us. I might have to activate it on the site and only use that. They already process our payments for thedabshack.

By the way thanks Riley, Im glad you see the potential.

[RyanBaker]

Its a great idea,no doubt, but you got yourself quite a few problems.

First off,inventory,you got none. With a 10% stake you're not going to attract any actual big name artists who sell on sites like aqualabs or BWG. So basically,that leaves us and locals, and as you can see no one wants to be the guinea pig and get nailed by paypal.

So either you have to majorly sweeten the pot to the point where its still worthwhile for the artist even if his account got shut out the second week.
Or have some kind of money back guarentee to artists,kind of like what the government has with banks. So if you(or the artist) got shut down you would pay them all the money they are owed out of pocket.Of course this requires you to have very deep pockets but hell look at what you're trying to do,you better have deep pockets.

But the main thing with all this is that you dont already have a community surrounding you.Add in the fact that paypal probably isnt going to allow this for very long and anyone would be better off creating their own website with a high risk account to process payments because at least you have full control and less a chance of getting boned.

A fellow forum member ApixDesign runs his own website and sells all kinds of custom pieces using a high risk account. Hes still kicking a year later and is very popular with the reddit scene. Might want to hit him up and see who he uses,could be a better option than paypal.

[JScarfone]

We have a high risk gateway in place that we have used for some time now to process sales, that honestly is not a problem, we just will not be able to use paypal for sales as we see now, the descriptions of the sales are what gets you guys they would get us too and then most likely the masspayment account. Masspayments on our site are done by S&S Global, LLC our shell corp. Vendors do not pay fee's for masspayments we do, they are sent to any email address used literally, and if no paypal is found at that email you can make one on the spot to accept the payment and the account is automatically verified at that point, so unless the account is in shambles already vendors will never have a problem getting paid by S&S Global, LLC. The disbursements descriptions read whatever we want them to, as of now they will read disbursement by S&S Global and the amount. So paypal will never see why we are paying you or what for.

We did have the idea of offering paper checks by mail, but that wont be trusted at all until we are completely established for at least a year or 2.

And yes we do need some glass. One person on here offered to sell some at wholesale, but he never replied back with anything. We need dabbers, nails and more for our other site as well, The Dab Shack. We would love to purchase some at decent prices.

*To add to some safety as well, if in the case a vendors paypal account was frozen, we can reverse the masspayment and cut a paper check or issue a bank transfer depending on the amount. The vendor themselves also have the option of denying the disbursement straight from their email frozen account or not.

[JScarfone]

Thinking back on your post, with paypal freezing accounts for sale of paraphernalia , all pipe blowers should be out right giddy a site like ours is opening up. We are literally the work around to your predicament.

[Riley]

I'm not sure about everyone else but I'm vigorously cleaning all the bongs from last nights sesh as we speak. Time to finally cash in on this money train. And 10% is cheap, I'm surprised they don't want like 35% for going through all the hassle of building a website to sell bongs.

[Jimi The Don]

Thinking back on your post, with paypal freezing accounts for sale of paraphernalia , all pipe blowers should be out right giddy a site like ours is opening up. We are literally the work around to your predicament.

Thinking back on this entire thread, the preceding decade and a half of this industry and some good ole American common sense, all pipe makers should be cautious of a situation like this. Especially because you're essentially unknown to a lot of us here. If you successfully sell your own work on this site for a while without issues then maybe it will appear to be a more approachable endeavor. The name turns me off. Calling it bongazon is immature in my opinion. Yes, the medicinal movement and legalization movement are certainly changing the landscape of the industry, but the dab movement is hurting the image of the counterculture and lingo such as this promotes the same misunderstanding and shows the same type of impudent attitude towards the balance that is trying to be struck by the two sides of this debate. Good luck with the site. If you establish a track record of success and build a network of connected glass artists that can attest to the validity of your proposed product, then I'm sure you'll garner more interest.

[Dan Kooper]

Fuck it. I'll try it.
My name is fake and there isn't any way to track me through it. Also I am medical card holder that creates glass art for religious beliefs.
If they wanna look for D.B. kooper in flint michigan. Feel free.

I signed up. But couldn't figure out how to post and my profile pic is turned sideways.

http://www.bongazon.com/vendor/bulletproof-glass/

[Dan Kooper]

Borozon would be a much better name though.
Bongazon sounds like a china website.

[oG Glocc Coma]

+1 for Borozon

[Riley]

My subtle sarcasm was lost. This idea isn't new and it may take hold eventually but I have a tough time believing this is it. The name is for sure cheese. Also the idea of giving money to people who other than selling vaporizers online, appear to have no connection to glassblowing is a turn off. Coming here to try and find connections on superfluous items like dabbers, domes and the likes, do you even trade show bro ? Answer might even be yes, but a lower overhead business model where you just run a website and payments was probably more appealing than building a rapport with artists and companies by proving your ability to buy and sell their glass effectively. (Which is actually the preferred middle man, if you are going to have one. You know, one who makes money off you but handles the actual liability and customer interaction, ships the glass etc.)

Established artists, and companies are already running through reputable and proven networks. So it's going to take more than a website and an introductory rate of 10%, to entice anything that will attract masses of talent or customers.

[KLAW]

My subtle sarcasm was lost.
I was hoping this^ was really the case Riley!

And Bullet... Huevos Grande My Friend!!! Good Luck, Hope All Works Out!!!

[JScarfone]

DB, You can post products from the admin dashboard. When you get to the dashboard there is an add products tab to the left of the screen. If you need additional help, please take a look at our tutorial videos and FAQ's. You can also go into media on the same sidebar and alter images you upload. Flip, rotate, crop and resize.

Riley, a company buying and selling your products straight out is not a middle-man, its wholesaling. And just like all wholesale you, the artist, are taking a 50% cut in profit. No rapport needed as long as the money is there. Established artist are well, established. There is no need for a site like this, but what about the other 50,000+ pipe makers in the US alone, that are just getting started or haven't been recognized? Plus these studios and known artist have licenses and pay taxes, which is why companies are more apt to purchase from them. Real business, real site, legal. Why do you think this chinese glass is in every headshop and gas station in America?, because there are actually legitimate wholesalers available to purchase from all over the net. We could go with that route but it defeats the purpose of the site.

[Riley]

I'm often wrong and I'm welcome to it. Keeps life interesting. I think on ventures like these it's important to be involved on many levels of the production, buying, and selling. I wish you luck but I reserve my opinion that it won't be easy and there is a chance it won't take off. Sites like boromarket have already had there surge and decline. With sites like big cartel it's never been easier to handle your own sales. I agree it's a good way for the lesser known to accomplish sales.

There's money in anything and I'm no measure of what success is. Keep pushing for it, and take the insight of the people you seek to vet in mind.

[piedpiper608]

Borozon would change alot of ppls minds about it im sure. X2 on Borozon.

[yinzer]

Sketch

[Dan Kooper]

If the cops show up I'll let ya know.

[loydb]

I don't think cops will be their problem. I think Amazon's lawyers will, once they see their site name combined with the fact they've really tried to duplicate their trade dress in the black and orange logo, have them ceased & desisted into oblivion.

edit: changed 'your' to 'their'

[Dan Kooper]

You talkin to me?

[Hung Low]

Pretty sure he is talking to the bongazon dude. There logo is made to look like amazon's.
on a side note a $5000 investment in amazon when they started would be worth $1mil today

[Dan Kooper]

I assumed that he was, but he starts with commenting about my post, then in the same paragraph, next sentence, spouts about legal issues. Like I'm affiliated with this site. I just wanted to make it clear I have nothing to do with the site.

[gomilobster]

+1 for name change to borozon. Also just curious as to peoples concerns about selling on this site, is it specifically the name that makes you worried about associations or why would this site be more sketchy than say etsy or artfire to use (should the people running it prove to have their shit together)?

[Mr.P0rn]

My personal concerns (these are just my own of course) are the name and logo for starters. I think that is just a bad idea all around. I mean, aside from the legal issues...couldn't someone come up with something better than a one off of a well known company? That sort of thing always ends abruptly. (Does anyone remember C-bay? lol....)

My other concerns are the obvious ones. I would imagine that someone taking the time to create a big marketplace like this would be someone already known to the industry (Granted, this person could be anyone, even just someone with capital who sees an opportunity) But in any case, I'm curious who it is that wants to take this kind of risk to create a marketplace. Then of course, there are the local law concerns. Some people live in states where creating paraphernalia is a felony. Yes, we can always call it "water-pipe" "tobacco pipe" "incense burner", but the law is determined by what a reasonable person would assume. Most reasonable people would call a bong a bong, and we know already from experience that even if the blower is completely within the confines of the law, even that won't stop them from doing anything that they like to the blower, legal precedent or not. Given all of this, I would hope that this website discourages information that would make it easy to track a blower to any illegal activity according to local laws. Granted, many people have their name and face up on FB with their location, but Facebook is not in and of itself a direct retail outlet, who's sole purpose is to sell mostly pariph (and openly calling stuff bongs? That's just asking for trouble, and to not be taken seriously. The initial post here concerning this strikes me as not being something that someone familiar with the industry would have written). Which also reminds me, the fact that whoever was seriously considering this business venture (if that is actually the case..) plans to use Paypal, that is asking for trouble. We all know the dangers of that, and if a site like "bongazon" were successful, you would see a LOT of capital tied up in paypal accounts at any given time. If Paypal suddenly got a report from someone about this website (because the person says it doesn't show as "Bongazon" in the transaction, all accounts would be locked and frozen, funds lost. Who knows where the chips would fall at that given time?

[Dan Kooper]

I think this thread is going to have more views and activity then a site called "Bongazon" honestly. I'm suprised people actually commented even.

[Mr.P0rn]

my first inclination when I saw it was to ban it based on advertising and stuff...I didn't realize it was a legit post. Now that i realize it is, I'm awfully skeptical, but they're welcome to all the constructive criticism they'd like.

[beaubandy]

pipeazon, borozo, or something completely different would be a better name. Keeping artist and transaction anonymous should be the most important. We don't make aliases for shits and giggles this is real and truly is degenerate art.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degenerate_art

Paypal is a no go, look into bitcoin payment methods.

https://bips.me/

The name of the site is openly inviting most of us to break the law no dice. If you only sold your inventory it would be different cuz its all on you but if your going to run an open marketplace you need to protect your sellers. In my area drug paraphernalia carries a fine of $500 per piece and that includes the word bong. Tobacco pipes are the only thing most people will deal with including myself.

[loydb]

Sorry Dan, that read like I was talking to you, and I wasn't. Fixed.

[LooseSeal Baller]

:mob::barney:

[chillrelaxglass]

Looks like an easy way to get into trouble. Id give it a go if I had 2,000 soft glass "bongs" to unload with drilled holes tho.

[Hung Low]

Hey got a killer idea! after the amazon lawyers shut you down you could call it.........

Bongle




:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[Chewie]

"90% of online shops call them bongs"
"If you could actually sell on ebay etsy or amazon you would pay 10-15% plus paypal fees"
"95% of all glassblowers create concentrate rigs"
"And just like all wholesale you, the artist, are taking a 50% cut in profit"

Making up bogus statistics and percentages doesn't help your cause.

[Chewie]

A good read all the same tho ;)

[RyanBaker]

So when do you think hes gonna launch Bongazon prime? :contempla

[Mattypo]

looking forward to a bongazon drone dropping off my bong

[oG Glocc Coma]

Hey got a killer idea! after the amazon lawyers shut you down you could call it.........

Bongle

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
"Just Bongle Image Search for the Bong you like, easy shipping! 95% of all glass made can be found on this site only!"

[Chewie]

haha I love you guys

[bowlpusher]

Best of luck. Interesting format. I wouldn't use pay pal.

[Jimi The Don]

So uh, there's obviously no glass on the sight and all the "hype" from social media has been silent since around the second of July. I love reading the facebook page then searching through the crickets at the actual website.