Posts
459
Joined
9/23/2014
Location
Katy, TX
US
Edited Date/Time
12/14/2015 6:15pm
Well, I got everything set up to start selling moto parts, accessories, etc and frankly getting business my way is beyond difficult. I've reached out to everyone I know and they'll buy from me but they don't drop thousands monthly on parts. I need more people. I can beat most places on pricing from what I've seen but I still need to broaden my audience.
Anyone any good at website development?
Anyone any good at website development?
You can have a webstore up and running in a day.
Whatever you do, stay far far away from godaddy for hosting. They are horrible for support. I have always used dreamhost and have never had an issue with them. In 7 years, dreamhost has been spotless with hosting.
Concrete5 itself is free, the add ons cost. Ecommerce is like $130 i think. Maybe less, but it is well worth it. Very, very easy to set up. Even for novice page builders. Its truly a plug and play style.
Cover it all. Side by sides, bikes, PWC has gone soft, even here in Florida. The only ones buying PWC stuff in any quantities are the rental outfits.
If you are in a fairly populated suburban area, get into services as well.
Tire changes, fork seals, chain and sprockets, make runs, along with the net biz, will tie it together a bit more, financially.
The Shop
Have purchased at least 25 bikes over the last few years in this manner. Some were very simple fixes. Usually paid the dealers estimate fee for them, sometimes less.
Way better opportunity of making a buck on these than scouring hours of Creepslist ads or other classifieds.
The only problem is, there is a finite amount of these bikes out there. I have completely depleted one of my most reasonable dealerships of everything possible, as far as these types of bikes.
Also , if you are in good with a dealer, leave your contact info with the sales manager. Many times people will be looking to sell a bike, parts , etc, that the dealer is just not interested in. If you happen to stop in the dealer, or get a call on something from them, check it out.
Recently followed up on a lead from my dealer friend. Bought a disassembled 91 RM250, about $300 in new, aftermarket Kawasaki MX parts, a set of oxy / acetylene torches, parts washer, a few KX take off pipes, tons of good used plastic.
Gave the guy a $100 for all of it. It was a full truckload of shit. I put it on Creepslist, and made about $400 off a $100 investment in about 3-4 days.
If you are set up with T/R , Parts Unlimited, WPS, your parts investment tab on a fixer upper, used bike will be much less. I paid cost plus 10% on all my parts . Did your P/U rep treat you right, or stick you with the 5 or 10K minimum start up order ?
Bought this for $120 . Tank was split. Dealer had installed a new stator, and it was never picked up. Carb clean, used tank, and a little freshen up. Had about $250 in it. Sold it for $575.
Not a ton of money made, but you do a handful or so of them a month, and you can pocket an easy grand.
Just try to develop an eye for things, so you don't bring home a money pit, loser. Like this one. Barely broke even on it after all was said and done. Motor was toast, and KTM parts are pricey, even for the 50.
Harley tire changes pay well also. Ever rolled into an HD shop and got a quote for a tire change and balance ?
Not too hard, and it pays well, if you are into doing it. Although a tire machine and balancer will take a few changes to pay for them selves. Again, look for good ,used equipment for the shop.
Motorcycle business is a tough lick these days. I mainly just do it for fun, and a little extra cash ,to keep my hands off the weekly paycheck.
In talking with my favorite dealer friend, he will always ask if I made any money off the last bike I had bought from him. Sometimes, he looks surprised at what I could get from this one or that one.
Never forget him saying, " Hell, these days if you break even on something, you are doing good".
Not real encouraging, I know.
Gave $100 for this one. Had about $175 in it. It brought $400. Check out the custom super knob tire.
A successful business is one that isn't afraid to evolve and change to meet the specific needs of its clients or profit centers.
At the franchise dealership level service is a necessary evil. You have to pay great money to hire quality technicians and then you have customers complain when the labor rate is 80-120 per hour. The flip side is they will also complain if you charge 40 per hour and they have issues with their service visit.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/29884
He says that the shop area is what helped him survive the bad times.
the buying power isnt there
Im not riding at the moment but ill make you a deal...let me help you with yourr reporting/data analysis needs and cut me a 10% discount on everything for a year or two.
im good with excel/access and am familiar with marketing, statistics,etc
I know a guy, makes enough selling used parts off Junkers and fixing dirt bikes, to buy a new, modest house
in the Baltimore area.
His model, every guy that buys anything spends at least 50 bucks.
He takes off Tuesday.
Saturday, Sunday, he's open, fixing flats, selling spark plugs.
Dirt bikes, street bikes, 4wheelers, whatever brings the coin.
After 15 years of it, he hates it.
But, he answers to no man, and lives in a house paid for directly from his craft.
Here in WV, Outlaw Motorsports, in Morgantown is killing it.
Guy subs all his service work out to backyard mechanics, sits behind a counter and sells the hell out of
4 wheelers and dirt bike parts all day long.
Sponsors a few events, actually mixes with the masses, he's making it.
To make it purely off a phone, computer and the Fed Ex man, tough deal.
Seems to me, those guys, Rocky Mountain Motorsports, Dennis Kirk and the like, takes years of advertising ,
selling for just about nothing, watching the pennies...........I dunno, would drive one to drink.
Yeah, a web site would help, but that takes time and money also, plus, going that route you need to get the word out, to the masses. This is where the annoying banners on the side of tracks come in, the ads that flash in your face
when you're just looking for results, the stickers on a guys bike at a National.
Sounds easy...........
Pit Row
MC Industry is doing very well this year. I have shops telling me they have not been this busy since the 70's!
A MC shop has several pieces to the pie. Service, sales, parts.
I was factory trained by Kawasaki and a service dep should be able to pay all of the other departments expenses including wages.
Shane
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