Hey,
I have a question about reselling bikes and what to charge people. We're located in Spokane, WA and the bike "boom" is just starting to hit us. Those great deals on craiglsist and at Goodwill don't exist any more.
We accept some quality bike donations from people, mostly older mtn bikes, and we sell some as-is and some refurbished. We sell these bike for around $75-100. A friend of ours who works at a bike shop in town said that with our low prices, we were diluting the market.
Do you all think this is right? In our defense, we feel these bikes are donated and we want to pass on a good deal. We don't want to squeeze people for every penny.
thanks, Liza
Does the bike shop your friend works at sell bikes for $75-100? If so, then you may be competing with their sales.
If, like most bike shops, they sell bikes for $300 and up, then you're not really competing. People looking to spend $100 on a bicycle aren't in general going to spend $300 or more on one. Does your friend's shop sell used/refurbished bikes? If so, then you may be competing...
The few bike shop owners I've spoken with regarding this (Community Cycles sells bikes, from $100-$200 on average) encourage us to do so, for the simple reason that it creates customers for the LBS's. When someone new to biking, or recently back into biking, they'll come to us, buy an inexpensive used bike, and start riding it. Once they've got a few miles behind them, they realize the need for better equipment, or more personalized things like a saddle. For this, they'll go to the LBS and buy new. Us selling cheap bikes also creates a market for consumable items such as tubes, tires, cables, etc.
We've talked about this at length within our organization, and we truly feel that if we're competing with any local business, it's the big box stores who sell truly cheap (not just inexpensive) bikes. And we're ok with that.
josh Community Cycles, Boulder
On Sun, May 10, 2009 at 9:13 AM, Liza Mattana pedals2people@gmail.comwrote:
Hey,
I have a question about reselling bikes and what to charge people. We're located in Spokane, WA and the bike "boom" is just starting to hit us. Those great deals on craiglsist and at Goodwill don't exist any more.
We accept some quality bike donations from people, mostly older mtn bikes, and we sell some as-is and some refurbished. We sell these bike for around $75-100. A friend of ours who works at a bike shop in town said that with our low prices, we were diluting the market.
Do you all think this is right? In our defense, we feel these bikes are donated and we want to pass on a good deal. We don't want to squeeze people for every penny.
thanks, Liza -- Liza Mattana president www.pedals2people.org Spokane, WA
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hahaha, i guess josh and i work with the same bike shops ;)
Wanda Pelegrina Caldas Proud to be on Community Cycles Board! Sponsor an Earn-A-Biker for $100
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Date: Sun, 10 May 2009 09:21:39 -0600 From: veganboyjosh@gmail.com To: thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] diluting the market
Does the bike shop your friend works at sell bikes for $75-100? If so, then you may be competing with their sales.
If, like most bike shops, they sell bikes for $300 and up, then you're not really competing. People looking to spend $100 on a bicycle aren't in general going to spend $300 or more on one. Does your friend's shop sell used/refurbished bikes? If so, then you may be competing...
The few bike shop owners I've spoken with regarding this (Community Cycles sells bikes, from $100-$200 on average) encourage us to do so, for the simple reason that it creates customers for the LBS's. When someone new to biking, or recently back into biking, they'll come to us, buy an inexpensive used bike, and start riding it. Once they've got a few miles behind them, they realize the need for better equipment, or more personalized things like a saddle. For this, they'll go to the LBS and buy new. Us selling cheap bikes also creates a market for consumable items such as tubes, tires, cables, etc.
We've talked about this at length within our organization, and we truly feel that if we're competing with any local business, it's the big box stores who sell truly cheap (not just inexpensive) bikes. And we're ok with that.
josh Community Cycles, Boulder
On Sun, May 10, 2009 at 9:13 AM, Liza Mattana pedals2people@gmail.com wrote:
Hey,
I have a question about reselling bikes and what to charge people. We're located in Spokane, WA and the bike "boom" is just starting to hit us. Those great deals on craiglsist and at Goodwill don't exist any more.
We accept some quality bike donations from people, mostly older mtn bikes, and we sell some as-is and some refurbished. We sell these bike for around $75-100. A friend of ours who works at a bike shop in town said that with our low prices, we were diluting the market.
Do you all think this is right? In our defense, we feel these bikes are donated and we want to pass on a good deal. We don't want to squeeze people for every penny. thanks, Liza
I think that's a misconception. I don't know of any bike shops that are selling bikes for $75 - $100 even $200.
The "cheap" bikes at our local bike shops are more in the neighborhood of $300 and their high end bikes upwards of $3K.
Someone looking for that kinda bike is not gonna go get it at your (or our shop)...nor will they suddenly decide that they want a $150 used bike instead of high end bike they originally drooled over.
Many of the people that come into our shop will never be able to afford a brand spankin new bike shop bike. For those who can afford it, I see it more as they're buying a used/refurbished bike, but will eventually go to a bike shop to buy a new bike or they're looking for a beater bike or a project bike.
Unless business is going really bad for your local bike shops or really super great for yours, I'd be really surprised if you're taking business away from them.
We've been really lucky at Community Cycles that our local shops are super supportive. They are happy to send business (and random extra parts to us) especially when someone comes in with a "dinosaur" bike that they don't wanna work on. As far as tune-ups, etc on really high end bikes, i can only think of once when someone actually brought one to us for a tune-up over a "regular" bike shop.
1da
Wanda Pelegrina Caldas Proud to be on Community Cycles Board! Sponsor an Earn-A-Biker for $100
EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me
Date: Sun, 10 May 2009 08:13:54 -0700 From: pedals2people@gmail.com To: thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Subject: [TheThinkTank] diluting the market
Hey,
I have a question about reselling bikes and what to charge people. We're located in Spokane, WA and the bike "boom" is just starting to hit us. Those great deals on craiglsist and at Goodwill don't exist any more.
We accept some quality bike donations from people, mostly older mtn bikes, and we sell some as-is and some refurbished. We sell these bike for around $75-100. A friend of ours who works at a bike shop in town said that with our low prices, we were diluting the market.
Do you all think this is right? In our defense, we feel these bikes are donated and we want to pass on a good deal. We don't want to squeeze people for every penny. thanks, Liza
Part of my own motivation to work with a community bike shop is to create a contradiction to capitalism. Every day we see hundreds of usable bikes that get thrown away or recycles to make room for more 'new' bike that become old bikes. We don't need capitalism, we need transportation and utility which bicycles provide. Think about it, if you had to, could you ride a Schwinn Continental every day? Instead, we cut these up for the scrap that we sell that goes to China to make the metal parts for inflatable lawn ornaments we buy each season and throw away.
'Diluting' the market is a capitalist concept that has nothing to do with providing bikes for people. If you want to subscribe to this camp of thinking, all activity at your community bike shop dilutes the 'free market'.
Perhaps it's time to start questioning these ideas?
Wilbur Ince Sibley Bike Depot Saint Paul, MN
On Sun, May 10, 2009 at 10:26 AM, Wanda Pelegrina wpelegrina@hotmail.comwrote:
I think that's a misconception. I don't know of any bike shops that are selling bikes for $75 - $100 even $200.
The "cheap" bikes at our local bike shops are more in the neighborhood of $300 and their high end bikes upwards of $3K.
Someone looking for that kinda bike is not gonna go get it at your (or our shop)...nor will they suddenly decide that they want a $150 used bike instead of high end bike they originally drooled over.
Many of the people that come into our shop will never be able to afford a brand spankin new bike shop bike. For those who can afford it, I see it more as they're buying a used/refurbished bike, but will eventually go to a bike shop to buy a new bike or they're looking for a beater bike or a project bike.
Unless business is going really bad for your local bike shops or really super great for yours, I'd be really surprised if you're taking business away from them.
We've been really lucky at Community Cycles that our local shops are super supportive. They are happy to send business (and random extra parts to us) especially when someone comes in with a "dinosaur" bike that they don't wanna work on. As far as tune-ups, etc on really high end bikes, i can only think of once when someone actually brought one to us for a tune-up over a "regular" bike shop.
1da
Wanda Pelegrina Caldas Proud to be on Community Cycles http://communitycycles.org/Board! Sponsor an Earn-A-Biker for $100
[image: i'm] EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join mehttp://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/?source=EML_WLHM_GreaterGood
Date: Sun, 10 May 2009 08:13:54 -0700 From: pedals2people@gmail.com To: thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Subject: [TheThinkTank] diluting the market
Hey,
I have a question about reselling bikes and what to charge people. We're located in Spokane, WA and the bike "boom" is just starting to hit us. Those great deals on craiglsist and at Goodwill don't exist any more.
We accept some quality bike donations from people, mostly older mtn bikes, and we sell some as-is and some refurbished. We sell these bike for around $75-100. A friend of ours who works at a bike shop in town said that with our low prices, we were diluting the market.
Do you all think this is right? In our defense, we feel these bikes are donated and we want to pass on a good deal. We don't want to squeeze people for every penny.
thanks, Liza -- Liza Mattana president www.pedals2people.org Spokane, WA
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit:
http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
I think that's a misconception. I don't know of any bike shops that are selling bikes for $75 - $100 even $200.
The "cheap" bikes at our local bike shops are more in the neighborhood of $300 and their high end bikes upwards of $3K.
Someone looking for that kinda bike is not gonna go get it at your (or our shop)...nor will they suddenly decide that they want a $150 used bike instead of high end bike they originally drooled over.
Many of the people that come into our shop will never be able to afford a brand spankin new bike shop bike. For those who can afford it, I see it more as they're buying a used/refurbished bike, but will eventually go to a bike shop to buy a new bike or they're looking for a beater bike or a project bike.
Unless business is going really bad for your local bike shops or really super great for yours, I'd be really surprised if you're taking business away from them.
We've been really lucky at Community Cycles that our local shops are super supportive. They are happy to send business (and random extra parts to us) especially when someone comes in with a "dinosaur" bike that they don't wanna work on. As far as tune-ups, etc on really high end bikes, i can only think of once when someone actually brought one to us for a tune-up over a "regular" bike shop.
1da
Wanda Pelegrina Caldas Proud to be on Community Cycles Board! Sponsor an Earn-A-Biker for $100
EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me
Date: Sun, 10 May 2009 08:13:54 -0700 From: pedals2people@gmail.com To: thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Subject: [TheThinkTank] diluting the market
Hey,
I have a question about reselling bikes and what to charge people. We're located in Spokane, WA and the bike "boom" is just starting to hit us. Those great deals on craiglsist and at Goodwill don't exist any more.
We accept some quality bike donations from people, mostly older mtn bikes, and we sell some as-is and some refurbished. We sell these bike for around $75-100. A friend of ours who works at a bike shop in town said that with our low prices, we were diluting the market.
Do you all think this is right? In our defense, we feel these bikes are donated and we want to pass on a good deal. We don't want to squeeze people for every penny. thanks, Liza
thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
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Wanda Pelegrina -
Wilbur Ince