FTT Store inventory

[FmGrowit]

Before too long, FTT wil carry a full line of almost everything needed to grow and process tobacco. I really don't want this thread to become a discussion about what's best, but I would like to begin compiling a list from your suggestions of what you use to grow and process tobacco.

Please enter the product and brand you use of any or all of the product you use.

Some items such as fertilizers and insecticides will need a lot of special packaging so I don't know if I'll be able to make everything available. but I'll try. Home growers don't need some items in quantities available, so I'm going to look into dividing products into much more reasonable quantities (for home growers.

Please feel free to make suggestions.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I'm only 3 weeks into it but so far I really like the 72 cell float tray system I am using. Add soil, add seeds, add water and you're done! I'll have a better opinion in about 6 weeks.

Randy B

 

[BigBonner]

I'm only 3 weeks into it but so far I really like the 72 cell float tray system I am using. Add soil, add seeds, add water and you're done! I'll have a better opinion in about 6 weeks.

Randy B

I already have all those Items , But you need to furnish your own water .

 

[johnlee1933]

I already have all those Items , But you need to furnish your own water .

Yeah Randy but you can the the dehydrated stuff cheap !

John

 

[johnlee1933]

Don,

If you need chevettas I'm pretty happy with the one I made and it was cheap and easy.

John

 

[deluxestogie]

For starters, I would look into offering

• standard 1020 trays (without holes, with holes, web), and 48-cell and 72-cell inserts.
• Perhaps 2-1/2" and 3-1/2" thin plastic pots.
• Small (9-1/2" x 19-1/2") seedling heat mats.
• Plastic or wood pot labels (sticks). The plastic ones last longer, but are a lot more expensive. Wood sticks (Popsicle sticks) are available for about $6 / 1000. The wider "tongue depressor" sticks are about $6 / 500.
• Agribon-AG15. This is very cheap when bought in large quantities, but most home growers would only need much smaller quantities.
• Perhaps sewn Agribon-AG15 bud bags.
• Plastic sieves for cleaning seed (400 micron and 600 micron) offered as a set of two.
• Small plastic jars for storing cleaned seed.
• Small paper envelopes for seed packets.
• Smaller 2 mil Ziplock bags for seed packets.
• Detailed plans for building several types of kilns.
• Perhaps a cabinet maker could offer pre-cut, ready to assemble kiln kits.
• Kuhn Rikon 6" Kulu (in addition to custom made real chavetas).
• Cigar Molds in several sizes - Can be ordered in bulk from the manufacturer.
• If you can find a source for custom-ordered cigar bands, that might spark a bit of interest.

Bob

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Dehydrated water, just add water? You know it sounds crazy but I bet with fancy packaging it would sell.

Yeah Randy but you can the the dehydrated stuff cheap !

John

 

[Jitterbugdude]

The way I figure it there will probably be several "layers" of inventory. You will probably be selling stuff to newbies through advanced growers. I would think, for instance that you'd want to sell giberrilic acid but probably in much smaller quantities than maybe blossom bags.

Randy B

 

[BarG]

Ready made seed starter kits for small variety cig. or cigar growers with seeds, soil, and cells for x number of plants. Throw in a few of those popsickle sticks and a can of that dehydrated water. One stop shop. Sounds like someone would be busy purchassing, processing and putting orders together. I would be interested in taking a look into your kiln fabrication, if you have an approved plan for proto-type.

 

[FmGrowit]

Anything that you guys want to make available can be put in the store...even honey as far as that goes. There's no reason to have a competing post in another forum with the same product.

I know it's not very American, but if someone like Daniel offers bud bags, I really don't see a need to allow someone else to offer the same thing. Of course the market will dictate the price so it's still going to be tough to sell above market value.

If a member takes on supplying a product and is either too high in price (no product sells) or for what ever reason, develops a history of not delivering the described product in a timely manner...will be asked to withdraw his product from the store and another member given the opportunity to supply that product. (how many sentences is that really?)

It's been a long day and it's only 8:00

 

[BigBonner]

I would be interested in selling pelleted seeds , float trays , water fertilizer , wicking soil , bed Plastics , agribon , knives and spears , and maybe fertilizers.

I have over 300 - 72 cell float trays now . It just hard to find boxes big enough for shipping .

 

[FmGrowit]

Guy's,

For real...this is your forum. I want you guys to fill the store with your products. I don't care if you by wholesale and sell retail, you're not going to be expected to manufacture everything that is offered.

Even the tobacco department is wide open. I don't see a need for more than one member selling any single variety, but I'd like to see multiple varieties for all types of tobacco made available. I'll fill in some of the slots that aren't covered by someone else. The whole leaf site will not offer any of the varieties offered here either.

The number of visitors to the site grows almost daily. Once the tax is put on RYO "pipe" tobacco, the forum will explode with new members. I'm going to try to make it so visitors can buy from the store without being a member also, so that will increase your sales as well.

 

[deluxestogie]

Don,
Have you worked how the transactions will be implemented? Specifically, if each vendor directly accepts payment from a retail customer, and ships a product, then each vendor will need to obtain a retail sales tax ID and perhaps a business license for their state and locale. If each vendor is supplying wholesale product to the FTT retail outlet (even if it is drop-shipped from the vendor) then the collecting and reporting of sales tax would not fall on the individual vendors.

I think it comes down to a question of whether the FTT store is to be a store in fact, or just a classified listing site.

Bob

 

[FmGrowit]

larger items like Grow kits can be drop shipped, but smaller items should be warehoused in a central location so an order containing multiple vendor's products will be shipped at the same time.

Of course there are exceptions to every rule and I expect to work with everyone with special circumstances.

Even if a vendor ships their entire product line for distribution to a FTT warehouse, they will likely still need a vendor's license and appropriete permits within their home State.

 

[Chicken]

im thinking of in the future buying a pasta shredder,,,,

i think items specifically designed for processing would be helpfull,,,

because you'd have had to grown and cured it correctly to reach the stage to use a shredder,,,

 

[Daniel]

Rack, preferably light weight can be torn down for storage and will fit a certain number of 1020 trays. My rack is not cheap or necessarily light weight and comes a bit short of holding a 10 20 tray depth wise. IT holds four trays per shelf side by side perfectly. It can be dismantled.
Lights to fit rack.
1020 trays and a reasonable range of insert sizes. Stogie has it covered above.
72 cell float ray for those with that bent.
maybe a single 72 float tray system complete with tub. They still supply the water.
Seed starting and growing soil.
Fertilizer. I like Rainbow but would be very happy to be able to buy fertilizer of any kind that is suggested specifically for tobacco. Broken down into per lb or per 5 lb quantities.
Thermometer and Humidity gauge. reliable but hopefully not to expensive.
Lumine meter so people can start figuring out if that sunny window is really sunny enough.
moisture meter to test if plants really need water or you just haven't figured out what is really wrong with them.
Plant tabs both small (popsicle sticks) to larger. lots of variations on that issue. I was marking individual plants with color coded zip ties last year.
heat mats for those that need them. I woudl love one for starting seed.
larger pots for when sprouts out grow the 40, 48. 72 or ??? cell trays. I like 6 inch pots and find that plants can only stay in them for about 2 weeks after they graduate from the smaller cells anyway. You would need to go to 1 gallon pots from their and still only for a couple of weeks.
Small Kiln set up. keep in mind they make egg incubators from Styrofoam. a kiln could be the same. that or plastic. For those that wonder, I have used Styrofoam with no problems.
again plans for home made kiln. sell the little parts. bottle lamp sets for the eat source and a good reliable yet cost effective temp controller. lets graduate from the hot water heater thermostat.

Curing racks, hooks lines rods or whatever. for both stalk and prime harvested tobacco. I know this sounds stupid to the mass growers that just spear them on a stick. but to the home grower on a small scale convenience is priceless. Just like to the small scale grower a tractor seems ridiculous. to the large scale grower a pre made rack sounds ridiculous.

Don't even get me started on the de ribbing and shredding. but that stuff really needs some good answers.

I really like this idea. Not that every offering the store has is a best answer. it is just an answer. Sort of like the base line That this group can use as a common starting point. It really does help when people are using common methods and systems also.

I also like the seed processing suggestion. sieves, bags, labels, and even envelopes.
On the seed envelop issue. I received seed from don and from chicken. one package had been wrapped in a paper towel and managed to make the trip much better. the other had just been placed in an envelop and most of the seed had been crushed to dust. cushion that seed folks. the post office machinery is harsh on it.

I also like those scoops someone posted about previously. the skosh, tad, etc ones.

Magnifier of one type or another for transplanting those sprouts.

 

[Daniel]

Larry what are the dimensions of the 72 cell tray?

Just taking a guess but look at item s3396 here.
http://www.uline.com/BL_1304/Jumbo-Kraft-Easy-Fold-Mailers
price per box in quantities of 200 is 2.72. you can bundle boxed trays and simply tape them together to ship as one bundle. but one box for every tray may be the way to go. You can work out two tray boxes, 4 tray boxes etc. later. in this case the box may be adjustable enough to hold or or two trays.

This page looks like a better depth selection and better prices.
http://www.uline.com/BL_407/Multi-Depth-Boxes

 

[BigBonner]

Larry what are the dimensions of the 72 cell tray?

Just taking a guess but look at item s3396 here.
http://www.uline.com/BL_1304/Jumbo-Kraft-Easy-Fold-Mailers
price per box in quantities of 200 is 2.72. you can bundle boxed trays and simply tape them together to ship as one bundle. but one box for every tray may be the way to go. You can work out two tray boxes, 4 tray boxes etc. later. in this case the box may be adjustable enough to hold or or two trays.

This page looks like a better depth selection and better prices.
http://www.uline.com/BL_407/Multi-Depth-Boxes

Daniel the trays are 13.5 X 26.5 X 2.5 deep

Most people seem to want from 6 to 10 trays . Then I have to add soil in a bag to fill the trays .

 

[BarG]

I would be interested in selling pelleted seeds , float trays , water fertilizer , wicking soil , bed Plastics , agribon , knives and spears , and maybe fertilizers.

I have over 300 - 72 cell float trays now . It just hard to find boxes big enough for shipping .

I'm a day late and a dollar short BB, I'll check those out next season.
BarG

 

[deluxestogie]

Daniel the trays are 13.5 X 26.5 X 2.5 deep

Most people seem to want from 6 to 10 trays . Then I have to add soil in a bag to fill the trays .

Larry,
Have a look at these ULine boxes:

http://www.uline.com/product/BoxListing7.htm

Bob