About Richard Longhurst
December 31st, 1969
I am one of the two founders of www.lovehoney.co.uk which has, since 2001, become one of the biggest online retailers of sex toys, lingerie, condoms, lubes, bondage gear and related paraphernalia in the UK.
Back in the day, I didn’t know a whole lot about sex toys, but since LoveHoney started I’ve learned fast - and am still learning.
But I’m not just learning about what’s the difference between a dong and a dildo (never really figured that one out, to be honest), I’m learning about how to run a business, how to keep our customers happy - ecstatic, even - and how to be better than the competition.
And on the SexToysInsider.com blog I hope to be able to give you a behind-the-scenes insight into the world of sex toys and online shopping, and, most of all, hear from you about your experiences with LoveHoney, with our rivals, with e-commerce and (ulp) with sex toys.
Should be fun 
Richard
November 26th, 2006 at 5:35 am
Hi Richard - I have really enjoyed your blog and want to say thanks. I have a question for you, why do some vibrators have smiley faces on them? I have search the web looking for an answer and I have read that it is due to a custom in the Orient that is was unlucky for a woman to make love to anything that didn’t have a face for it would ruin her for orgasm and deliver her infertile - but the source never referenced anything to support this. I wonder if this is true? Also why are there so many vibes and such in the shapes of animals or critters? I look forward to your response - maybe a post on your wonderful blog? Cheers, Rebecca
December 30th, 2006 at 11:47 pm
Hi Rich,
I have an amazing product idea that i think would change sex and be a great seller. I dont know how to get the idea out and get it started can you help me?
Tyler
January 2nd, 2007 at 9:08 am
Hi Tyler,
The best way to start is to draw your idea and describe it in as much detail as possible - what it does, how it works, what it’s made of, how much you’d expect it to sell for and why it’s different to anything else available.
Then you could approach (with caution) some retailers or manufacturers with a view to getting it made. Or you could book a flight to China and find yourself a factory.
The former would be cheaper, but you’d have the share the spoils. The latter would be riskier and more expensive but the ultimate reward would be higher.
Good luck!
Richard
March 4th, 2008 at 4:50 am
There are so many different looking vibrators on the market. Are they all made by the same few Chinese manufacturers? Who are they? If someone came up with a new sex toy idea, how many units would they have to make in order to deal with one of them. Do you have to worry about them stealing your ideas? Your iBuzz was (and still is) such a great idea. Aren’t all these copy cats costing you millions? Does the world really need another new vibrator? How many units could an inventor really hope to sell? Why don’t all these women just cum already! LOL Thanks for all the info. Your site just robbed me of several precious hours of sleep. Keep up the great work.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Hi Paul,
These, and so many other, questions to be answered soon. Or at least, one day!
Richard
May 26th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
hiya, just reading your response to Tyler’s question above which is the same sorta boat I’m in right now
do you think it’s ok to rush off to retailers showcasing designs or do you reckon a patent should come first?
I’ve the designs and all done, just no idea how to start approaching!!!
I really like this site by the way, been giving it a good read the past week or so, some categories are returning no results found though
May 27th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Hi Al,
Thank you for your comment and question - glad you like the blog… I really must get back into it and try to fix some of those errors.
I don’t think you need to rush off anywhere with your designs. Retailers aren’t necessarily the best place to start because they don’t all manufacture their own lines.
If you’ve got the capital to do it yourself, you could search for some Chinese manufacturers on http://www.alibaba.com and talk to them directly
Patents are expensive and difficult to get. And the protection that they give is only as strong as the budget you’ve got to back them up with lawyers should somebody transgress.
But if you think that you’ve got an patentable idea, you should at least have a meeting with a patent attorney to get a first opinion - and a firm idea of the costs involved.
You can’t patent a design. You can register a design so people can’t (in theory) copy it, but it’s not very strong protection.
I’d make contact with some companies on Ali Babi and then spend my money visiting them - at least you’d get a holiday out of it, which you won’t get if you spend all your money on lawyers!
May 27th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
wow that’s some pretty nice advice, thanks for being so prompt with it
yeah i was thinking retailers wouldn’t necessarily have their own manufacturing lines, which is why i found your own blog pretty interesting since you seemed to do that for yourself as well
the point about patents is pretty annoying really, how one is only really as powerful as the money you have to scare people away with, things have a habit of always coming down to capital i suppose..
the errors i just got by finding a URL for one of the blog posts off google then changing it in the address bar to find the following and preceeding posts in that category, a good blog such as your own is worth a bit of effort!
i like my idea but i doubt i’d have the capital to get it going this year, so maybe a quick patent might offer a bit of protection until i get some together to get it moving
May 28th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Hi Al,
There’s no such thing as a quick patent - or a cheap one. The US Patent Office hands out patents a lot more easily than international offices, which is nice but it leaves your patent open to challenges… which reduces its effectiveness.
Richard