Thank you for catching this. I think it's a little sales-y but decidedly not spam. 

I have my own wholesale connections since working for numerous suppliers for the past 25 years. I've hooked up many non profits that are running a decent sized bike program though. 
The truth is, many suppliers won't deal with non-traditional bike shops (and that includes small frame builders and schools). This is less due to sales volume and more to do with the excessive amount of time it takes to process an order and deal with returns and order mistakes. Communicating these issues may or may not go through 4 or 5 different people at the non traditional bike shop. And bike nerds working in the bike biz are not always perfectly trained customer service agents who can become unnecessarily short and curt with altrusitic non profit org types. 

I mention all this as being on both sides--working at a wholesaler, a few non profit bike shop, two schools, and a co-op-- and cleaning up a lot of issues. 
Unsolicited advice: 
- I implore every shop that is working with a wholesaler to have one point of contact for technical parts ordering, and that person has to know what is needed and the ability to recommend substitutes if they crop up, with a cool head. If that person is separate from the credit card holder, that should be made clear to the AP/AR person at the wholesaler. 

- Pay with credit cards or at least a company check. If those are not yet a reality for your organization (whether due to size or political leanings) I would question the need for a wholesale account in the first place. 

- Don't ask for terms, especially at the beginning of the 'relationship'. Don't accept dating of invoices. It's a sure way to get in the hole and never come out, especially as a smaller non traditional bike shop, unless you know exactly how to play the game and understand the pitfalls. 

- Keep the purchasing in line with what the business needs. No 'hookups' for friends and family, no special deals for personal rides. At least don't make it habitual. You don't want to abuse the privilege of a wholesale account, especially if it will undermine the other bike shops in the area. We are all working in conjunction with them, even the posh Trecalized dealer who has nothing less than a $7,000 carbon road bike in the window.  

submitted with respect, 

Tom Martin
Bike Program Coordinator
Portland Community College- Cascade
Room SC-03
705 N Killingsworth St
Portland, OR 97217


On Wed, Feb 11, 2015 at 8:28 PM, Godwin ! <goodgodwin@hotmail.com> wrote:
Hey folks, I'm a little unclear on the validity of this company. The contents of this email sound potentially like awesomesauce but the tone sounds sort of spammy. If anyone can vouch for or against them or wants to do a little research I'm sure everyone here is interested in hearing more.

For now I've taken this person off the list and I'm going to send them an email explaining why.  Mostly I feel that they shouldn't be in the direct line of fire if there is any negative feedback (as always, keep in mind the archives are public).

Cheers,
godwin.

--- Original Message ---

From: info@midwaybike.com
Sent: February 11, 2015 7:18 PM
To: thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
Subject: [TheThinkTank] New Supplier For Non-Profits and Small Shops

Hi, I am Benita Warns, President of Midway Bicycle Supply. I, along with my spouse, started this company because most non-profit bike coops and small shops do not have access to wholesale distribution channels that are available to larger enterprises.  Most of the large distributors require their customers to purchase a minimum amount of merchandise with each order, and the amount is too high for many shops to afford.  Also, those large distributors focus on a lot of higher-end items rather than the basic repair parts needed to fix older, used bicycles.
 
If your community bike shop or collective is incorporated as a non-profit entity (i.e., 501( C ) 3), carries liability insurance, and operates a physical location, then most likely your group will qualify for an account with Midway Bicycle Supply.  We offer you a minimum order quantity of just $25 (plus shipping), no charge to open the account, our best price on every item (why should you have to buy 20 tires to get a price break?), and we give 10% of all income to charity.  We also seek out hard-to-find parts for the kind of older bicycles that you service.  We won’t close your account if you don’t spend enough money or order often enough.  Our business is set up specifically to meet your needs.
 
To apply for an account, all you need to do is to go to our web site at www.midwaybike.com and print out a copy of the application form, fill it out, and either scan it and attach it to an email message, or mail it the old fashioned way.  If your web site has photos of your location, just note that rather than taking new photos.  Also, be sure to include your preferred user name and password so we can set up online access.
 
If you want to know more before applying for an account, just call 651-955-1930 and you can talk to the boss (that’s me). I would be happy to answer your questions.
 
I invite you to apply for an account with our company, and look forward to serving you.
 
 
Benita Warns, President
Midway Bicycle Supply, Inc.
506 N. Prior Avenue
St. Paul, MN  55104
 

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