http://www.ambmag.com.au 49HOW TO BUY A BIKEsee a bike that is exactly what you’re after. But
it’s in another state. The seller can box and ship
the bike if you pay for the courier. What do you
do? On a site like Rotorburn there is an option to
use the iTrader system where other users can
report good and bad sales. But really, this is about
going through some of the above tips to verify
the condition of the bike. Many people aren’t
certain a seller will ship the goods after a bank
transfer, and for that reason some people will
only use PayPal. The risks involved around item
condition, postage and even whether the price is
right for buyers and sellers has created a unique
opportunity, something that has allowed Rob
Williams to find a niche in the market.
Rob has set himself up as a Bike Broker. Got
something to sell? Rob will list it as a trusted
seller. Looking for something? Give Rob the
details and he can hunt it out for you. Rob is a
middle man but he has set processes in place to
make sure buyers and sellers feel secure.
THE BIKE BROKER
Rob Williams has a long history as a pro BMX
racer, roadie and mountain biker. After focusing
on martial arts instruction, he later ended up
injured and needed to find work. It turns out his
passion for bikes was about to help him out.
“Two friends called and asked me to help them
buy bikes - something I did often - but being
broke I suggested I charge $200 each and I’ll
ensure they get a great price and get the right
bike. That took just a few hours - and The Bike
Broker was born!”
Rob spent a couple of years seeing if being
a bike broker would be feasible. And given the
amount of good deals he saw on buy and sell
groups, he was pretty sure it would work. Of
course, it’s not a free service, and his $200 rate
still applies.
“Usually I don’t work with bikes under $2500.
My $200 just represents a greater proportion
of the budget they would be better off using
to get a better bike.” Rob deals with stores as
well, but has found that selling high end bikes is
where most of his work comes from. “I started
out sourcing bikes for people and getting deals
through shops - but quickly I realised people
really wanted help selling their bikes instead - so
probably 70% of my business is saving people
time, money and hassle by selling their bikes
for them.” Rob is the point of contact so if you’re
selling you don’t get the low-ballers. If you’re
buying, he doesn’t have the emotion attached to
letting a bike go. Buyers set the price, Rob assists
with getting good photos and he’ll get in contact
when he has someone ready to pay for the bike.
Rob is very aware of the pit falls of second handsales, but has found that everyone he has dealt
with has been top notch.
“Traditionally people use PayPal and get stung
with fees - through The Bike Broker it’s all above
board, there’s more trust and usually they just
deposit in each other’s bank accounts and save
the PayPal fees. I guess there’s just a degree of
professionalism with my process and in five years
I’m yet to encounter anyone dodgy.” He does
recommend a video of the bike, as it is harder to
hide anything that might be a concern.
“You can hide things in photos but it is much
harder in a video. Anything to help the buyer and
seller both get what they want and to have a great
experience is worth doing.”
“I always suggest when buying used bikes
to set aside 10% of your budget for immediate
repairs - sometimes it might be a new cable,
bleeding brakes or you might just dislike the seat
or cockpit.” Bike fit is important too, and as an
accredited coach Rob has a number of fitters he
works with to recommend to riders.
“I never saw this career coming but I love New
Bike Day,” says Rob. “I get to live vicariously
through all my clients and take as much pleasure
in the process of buying or selling as they do.
Of course it means that I come across too many
great deals - and I’ve personally had 16 bikes
in the last 4 years - 4 in the last 12 weeks - but
that’s the life of a Bike Broker.