The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen partners annually with a nonprofit park booster group to set up a bike swap as a sort of dual fundraiser. They get us all set up in the park they support, we charge $10 to rent a 10x10 booth to sellers, and then split the proceeds.

We usually haul some of our nicer parts and bikes down, too, to make some sales ourselves, and we tend to make out like donation-based bandits at the end of the sale, when sellers are packing up and start wondering if it's really worth it to shlep all of their unsold crap home...

--Ryan


On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 4:03 PM, John Brown <johnsbrown@gmail.com> wrote:
At our co-op, we've typically just opened the sidewalk in front of our shop to the public and announced a Swap Meet on our website, and in the shop. Each person sells / manages their own stuff, so we don't have to get involved in the hassles of commissions, etc.

We don't charge for this, as we're fairly self-sufficient, but from our experience, if we were trying to do this as a fundraiser, it'd probably be best to either ask for a flat fee from the sellers ($5-$20), or ask for an "honor system" donation of 10-25% of the gross from each seller.

That way, there's no need for you to babysit anybody's merchandise, and you get paid. (You might also want to see if a Taco Truck / local food vendor would be interested in setting up shop in front of your store that day in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. If taco trucks aren't a thing in Helena, maybe have some of your volunteers make some coffee / hot chocolate / snacks for sale.)

Good luck!

On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 3:51 PM, Dave Ellis <enjoybikes@gmail.com> wrote:
I've recently taken on turning our local bike swap into a fundraiser here in Helena, MT.  Previously it's been a low turnout, low publicity affair.  I'm new to really any kind of organizing, but I like my ideas and hope to glean some info from some experienced voices here.  Here goes:

Commission/consignment:  what percentage of a sale have folks found to be a number that doesn't turn people away?  Also, a handling fee for those that don't sell their items, thinking about a per person charge, vs a per item charge i. e. bike, clothing, parts, etc.  Mostly interested in bringing people in since this first year is intended more for exposure.

Pickup time for unsold items:  Has anyone experienced difficulties with people not meeting a stated pickup time for items, then demanding their items back.  Is this an appropriate situation for a signed waiver or legal document of some kind since some of these items have some value?

Thanks much,

dave





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Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen
http://sacbikekitchen.org/
1915 I Street, Midtown Sacramento
Open Tu 6-9p, We 6-9p, Th 6-9p, Fr 10a-2p (kids 6-8p), Sa 12-4p