NEVADA INVENTORS ASSOCIATION

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"Education, Assistance, and

Networking for the Inventor"

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Dear Chip,

I recently saw some information about a company looking for new products that are in your area of interest. (Office products?) I think it was called "Staples" and I think it was one of the alerts on e-mail by UIA/USA. Sorry, but it's been deleted. I just checked their website http://www.uiausa.com but didn't find it there. But you might inquire about it. It might have even been from Inventors' Digest magazine. http://www.inventorsdigest.com for reasons unknown to me the effort was completely dropped. Yes, that happens, and they will never give you an answer. I don't know why. Too much trouble I guess. Not fair, but it happens. But anyway, what you might try doing is not to go to the company's purchasing department with the offer to sell a new product, but to ask the purchasing department for contact information for the "sales rep" who sells them that type of product. Then when you contact the sales rep, he is the guy who will know which manufacturer might be willing to take a shot at manufacturing your product for the distributor. (Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, etc.) That sales rep from the manufacturer will charge you a commission, but you don't mind, because he doesn't collect until he sells the product for you. And he can scout his customers for the potential of your product.

If they say they will buy it, then he can get the manufacturer to produce it on the strength of that purchase order. That way it is no cost to to the inventor up front, but he will have to pay percentages to all the middle men. It's worth a shot. And it doesn't cost anything to talk to the sales reps. I'm no marketing expert, but I've heard others talk, and they say it worked for them.
Best of luck,
Don Costar,
Founder, Nevada Inventors Association

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