Is the $100 really projected to be a revenue source?
Because it's terrible.
More specifically, it's poorly implemented and too high. It's "hidden" until after you finish filling out the 'submit idea' page with a big button on the home page, and it's poorly phrased... "Also, your payment information is required to complete your submission." Oh yeah, like you almost forgot you were gonna do that. Be more up front about the fee (change the layout so it doesn't hide below 'the fold'), and make the fee smaller. You want to avoid people filling out their idea submission, getting pissed that it costs $100, and then refusing to come back.
You should charge something (rudimentary spam-filter), but $100 is too high. The tinkerer has already identified a problem, come up with a solution, drawn their idea on a napkin or even Google Sketchup, is also going to have to weigh that $100 against material costs. As an example - cream cheese that comes in bagel-shaped slices. I could gamble $100 on it at Quirky, or spend $50 in cream cheese and some shop-time to build a prototype. If I'm really convinced that my shelf-shaped cereal-bowls-so-your-cereal-doesn't-get-soggy idea is going to take over the world, I would have a rough idea of the costs involved to fully bring it to market (shapeways.com + etsy.com + reddit/digg/etc, and if it really pans out - use proceeds to pay for injection molding).
If I'm looking to spend $100 at once on an idea, well... it costs $100 for a provisional patent, and tinkerers are well aware of that.
(And that half-baked idea that I'm too lazy to implement? Not worth $100.)
How about sliding scale - pay $20 to submit your idea, but you get less of the revenue?
I hope you guys succeed, if only so I'll have somewhere to buy my dustpan-with-fingers.
Because it's terrible.
More specifically, it's poorly implemented and too high. It's "hidden" until after you finish filling out the 'submit idea' page with a big button on the home page, and it's poorly phrased... "Also, your payment information is required to complete your submission." Oh yeah, like you almost forgot you were gonna do that. Be more up front about the fee (change the layout so it doesn't hide below 'the fold'), and make the fee smaller. You want to avoid people filling out their idea submission, getting pissed that it costs $100, and then refusing to come back.
You should charge something (rudimentary spam-filter), but $100 is too high. The tinkerer has already identified a problem, come up with a solution, drawn their idea on a napkin or even Google Sketchup, is also going to have to weigh that $100 against material costs. As an example - cream cheese that comes in bagel-shaped slices. I could gamble $100 on it at Quirky, or spend $50 in cream cheese and some shop-time to build a prototype. If I'm really convinced that my shelf-shaped cereal-bowls-so-your-cereal-doesn't-get-soggy idea is going to take over the world, I would have a rough idea of the costs involved to fully bring it to market (shapeways.com + etsy.com + reddit/digg/etc, and if it really pans out - use proceeds to pay for injection molding).
If I'm looking to spend $100 at once on an idea, well... it costs $100 for a provisional patent, and tinkerers are well aware of that.
(And that half-baked idea that I'm too lazy to implement? Not worth $100.)
How about sliding scale - pay $20 to submit your idea, but you get less of the revenue?
I hope you guys succeed, if only so I'll have somewhere to buy my dustpan-with-fingers.