Brandon, Those are all good points... I was relentless and luckily didn't have to explain much to my wife-She is unusual in that respect *but* I make life wonderful for her and the children so there you have it. I haven't been in the attack mode for 4 or 5 years...I rarely if ever go to swaps just to buy anymore. I have purchased the inventories or lots from many individuals and shops in the last few years but have slowed down that as well. I'm building out the garage in my newly remodeled house and can only fit so much so now I will be in sell off/give away mode. It's nice to have an awesome Vintage Bicycle Shop and be it's only customer. I have sponsored/underwritten countless vintage rides with the proceeds from this passion so I suppose the circle is complete.
Matt Gorski Anaheim (until quitting time)
-----Original Message----- From: Brandon Ives [mailto:brandon@ivycycles.com] Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 10:51 AM To: Matthew Gorski Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Deal seeking (Re: [CR]What was your best deal ever?)
On Friday, Nov 4, 2005, at 10:23 US/Pacific, Matthew Gorski wrote:
> I used to stop at EVERY shop and thrift store no matter what-I would
> hit 3-5 shops
> daily and go to every swap meet. I always figured out a way to get in
> early...but even still found lots of stuff later in the day passed
> over because it
> was at the bottom of the box/still in the car or truck of simply out
of
> the ordinary that most bike guys didn't see for what it was.
Matt lays down some good ideas for finding stuff in this passage, but I can add some more. Let's just say I've never paid more than $100 for a frame and fork, and never more than $300 for a full bike. I've owned some real nice pieces over the last 15ish years that have kept the rent paid in lean times between student load checks. If you want to make money in the hobby, or at least make it self sustaining here are some rules.
1. Never call it a collection, it's always an "investment." 2. As my wife told me many years back, "It's not an investment unless you plan on selling it." 3. With these two things in mind you can now look for bikes. a. Become good friends with ALL the local shops and wrenches. b. Hit all the swaps in the parking lot while folks are unpacking. c. Hit the swaps again as people are packing up. d. Thrift stores are still OK, but the local recycling center is even better. e. Keep your eye on estate sales and auctions. f. Be willing to buy lots and closing shops. 4. Using these tips you might not get the best bits, but you'll get the best deals. 5. Stay away from Ebay in general. Sure there are some good deals on Ebay, but they are very few and far between. 6. Last but not least go to the races. There are always folks selling off old stuff to get new stuff.
I hope this helps some folks keep out of divorce court and a roof over their "investment." best, Brandon"monkeyman"Ives Vancouver, B.C.