[TheThinkTank] Random Thought: Creating a bicycle parts/tools distributor for Community Bike Shops.

[Jonathan Morrison]

Distributors (
http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Distributors) are just
the middle men separating manufacturers from retailers.  Just like food
cooperatives that buy in bulk and disseminate food at bulk rates, we could
do that with bike parts.  For those of us that buy using distributors it
would save an roughly 25% off of wholesale, and for those community bike
shops that aren't established enough to get a distributor account -- we
would be providing an option that is 75% off of MSRP.

Ideally we would get accounts with tool manufacturers like park tool,
pedros, hozan, etc.,... as well as wearable items like grease, bearing,
chain lube, patch manufacturers, and then lower-end (but quality) parts
manufacturers for things that we don't get enough of donated, or that aren't
worth re-using.  This will be different for each shop, but as an example in
SLC we don't re-use bearings, spokes, cables or housing -- they get recycled
and we put new ones on bikes.  We also buy new road tires (27" & 700c)
because we don't have enough decent ones donated, either they are too worn
or dried out.

I can think of 2 conclusions:

1) It isn't worth doing.  The 25% cut a distributor gets is worth paying
given the hassle and it is just another random thought that might result in
spending $5 to save $3.
2) It is worth doing.

-- 
Sincerely,

Jonathan Morrison
Executive Director
Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
2312 S. West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
w: 801-328-2453
c: 801-688-0183
f: 801-466-3856
www.slcbikecollective.org

Get Addicted to Crank!
http://www.slcbikecollective.org/crank/
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