[JustPlaneNuttz]

Originally Posted by flaps

Not too many dealers in this hobby will have toll free #. From what I can tell many have a hard time making a profit to begin with. I had a friend in this business, he got out after he added all the different cost up trying to make money was almost impossible. Many of the dealers are home based in this biz also.

I find your insight most interesting for a couple of reasons.

One, I have always thought it would be a nice biz to do when I hit the semi-retirement stage, operating as a home-based biz, and am a bit surprised at, what appears to be, a high failure rate.

Two, I have a Brother who runs a 'basement' shop online that retails very high end road (only) cycling components (stuff made from carbon fibre, titanium, etc) from various high-end manufacturers in Europe. He has been doing this, in conjunction with his day job, since 1995. We set him up with a solid web site, he has his 1-800 (USA & Canada) toll free line, separate fax line and biz phone for local. About a year later (1996) he got his Visa connection. The web site doesn't have shopping buggy functionality (PayPal is available and popular), nor does he carry the expense of a store front location. He is the only 'staff'. So far, he is still quite profitable -- especially considering that most cyclists always seem to be crying poor mouth when investigating a $225 titanium saddle that is lighter than a postage stamp(!) then cracking out the plastic to pay for it. True, it isn't all 'beer and skittles', but he is still doing it, and not just for the modest income. He does it because he wants to be able to provide one-stop access to enthusists who are seeking this merchandise. Oh yes, he also did a business plan.

I know that Dave at Aiken's operates somewhat like my Brother's biz and I have to say I am very envious of what Dave and Sally are doing, as they seem to do it so well.

In closing, I am extremely thankful for the solid shops I have to draw from and always look for excuses to continue to support them.

[TopHat]

Originally Posted by timbo

Yes it once took Pete's 2 weeks to proces an order of mine. I'd completely forgotten about it when it arrived.

Then it was like getting a surprise! And I'll bet he didn't even charge extra for that....