‘Before becoming one myself, I was wary of dealers’
’ve bought and sold things all my life and it doesn’t get any easier. When I was a kid it, was motorcycles for fun. Then I worked selling motorcycle clothing and accessories. And, for the last 14 years it’s been motorcycles again; seriously this time although I don’t feel the pressure of most professional sales jobs. I like to take the view that classic motorcycles find their new homes with very little input from me.
Some of the lessons learned buying and selling over so many years might be worth sharing with those readers who might be wary of dealers, although the internet has turned most of us into dealers now. Before becoming one myself, I was wary of dealers. Why would I buy a bike from someone who had bought it cheap and added a profit at my expense? I was never afraid of buying privately and I took the odd bad buys on the chin. I learnt to be resourceful – and I soon got to know people who could fix things better than me.
What I now know is that dealers can add genuine value, take a reasonable profit and provide a service which satisfies even the most sceptical of customers. Dealers have to work hard at it, though – trust is everything, as in most relationships. A good
Ireputation is hard to build, but easily lost. Reputable dealers will use their experience to buy the best bikes and avoid the problem machines, paying a little more if necessary to avoid the time and expense of fixing those problems later. Some dealers will buy low and sell high, without putting any effort into evaluating the quality of the machine or taking responsibility for fixing problems.
The difference between these two approaches is important and can only be truly learned by experience, which is why good dealers enjoy repeat business from regular customers. Regular customers offer good bikes, honestly described at fair prices; appreciating that it works both ways.
Over time, the quality of a dealer’s stock reflects this. It shocked me to learn in the start-up phase of Classic Super Bikes that dealers are considered by others as ‘fair game’ to pass on sub-standard part-exes. Some offers to buy from me were actually no more than an attempt to unload the worst of part-exchange machines to a keen and unsuspecting dealer.
There’s always something new to learn... Classic Super Bikes is highly respected in the classic bike trade. Owner Chris Bunce is a passionate, lifelong motorcyclist. classicsuperbikes.co.uk