Monday, January 16, 2012

Style Share: An Assessment

It was just over a year ago that I came up with the idea for Style Share on a whim after going to an estate sale and finding an abundance of treasures, many of which I didn't end up purchasing (and somewhat regretted later). I had lots of different reasons for starting the project, some of which I'll discuss below, as I reflect a bit on the past year of giving stuff away.

My first reason for starting the project was a philanthropic one; I wanted to spread the joy a bit. At the time I came up with the idea, it seemed like I was stumbling upon trove after trove of great stuff, and while there have been months where I've had a hard time coming up with items to give away, most of the time I've found enough great stuff to both add to my own collection and hopefully add interesting items to the collections of others at the same time.

The numbers break down as such:

  • Number of Style Shares: 11
  • Number of items given away: 34 (30 ties, 2 shirts, and 2 hats)
  • Number of returns: 19

Despite an initial desire to open a shop with some of my extra items, I eventually settled on the free idea for a couple reasons. One is simply because nobody else was doing it. A good portion of style blogs on the internet have associated shops (which is nothing against them, as I still may do one), but I wanted to see what the act of giving something away would prompt.

At the same time, for somewhat selfish reasons, I knew that it would be a lot harder for me to generate content on a regular basis with having a child come into my life this past year. In that regard, Style Share was my way of bringing in some crowd-sourced original content for the site when I didn't have my own time to keep it updated regularly. I figured it was sort of a win-win situation. I got content (and in the case of a couple gents who run their own style blogs, so did they), and the recipient got something small out of the deal.

So, what have I learned from it all?

When I first started, I figured that the return percentage (which is at roughly 56% right now) would be a little bit higher, but I guess I can't argue too much with over 50%. People get busy and I know as well as anyone that sometimes it's just kind of hard to stop for a moment to get a decent picture. Frankly, it's not much out of my pocket, and I'm not going to sweat it. All told, the 11 giveaways have probably cost me a couple hundred dollars or so, which . Then again, I've found things like this couch for probably 1/20th (or less) their actual value, so I can't really get too mad.

As always, thanks to everyone who has played along so far. Look for another entry to hit the streets in the next couple days or so...

11 comments:

  1. Your generosity is something special. I imagine that even factoring in those who have not responded with a picture, the warm fuzzies generated by Style Share are enough to keep you going with it.

    And yes, it makes you a unique presence among the men's style blogs.

    Long may you Share!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks again for your incredible generosity and your unique approach to blogging.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have to agree, it's wonderful that you're willing to share your goodies. Quite a few blogs of this vein, like YWP's and AAW show off all of their wonderful finds for readers to be jealous of. For someone who has no easy access to treasure troves of consignment stores, Style Share is just wonderful.
    Your most recent approach of only offering the Shares to frequent commenters is definitely one I agree with. I personally do not enough experience with the topic to add insightful comments, but think that those people who do should definitely be rewarded!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very clear and interesting explanations on the how and why of the style share ; knowing you are expected is a strong help to keep on the good job, whatever the job is.
      Regards.

      Delete
    2. Sorry, I wasn't replying to Nat, but I can see no button to post a comment on my screen. Maybe because of my browser.

      Delete
  4. It definitely builds a community. I certainly appreciated my chance.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks you for Style Share and for a bit of data surrounding how it's worked out so far.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I also apreciate your generosity and will shoot you a picture ASAP.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great to see some results and numbers regarding your style share :)
    A unique project and I hope you have the chance to continue it long!

    By the way sir, I hve JUST received your package... the hat is a beauty and I will annoy my girlfriend as long as she takes a good picture of me rocking it!
    all the best
    Marco

    ReplyDelete
  8. Marco: I look forward to the return picture. That hat has to be one of the most unique ones I've run across in some time. I hope your girlfriend realizes how awesome it is. :)

    ReplyDelete