GIO Bikes in BC

[crhunter]

What's the deal? Here is a bold statement, I'll just put it out there. There are dealers bidding on www.giobikes.com. i know it's shocking but if you read Gio's wholesale policy (mind you it's well written). Here is some of their policy

The wholesale program is open to anyone however you have to be motivated, preferably have experience in sales, and have certified mechanic on duty or a contract with a mechanic. You should have a retail storefront to sell our products. Your area must still be available. Only one dealer per city and 3-5 per large urban areas.

They have also instituted a membership fee at a measley $250.00US dollars per year for a business, not bad. Between my membership fees at Otter Co-op and Costco is on par, so not a bad deal for a small business operator. Yes i could re-sale their products like a can of pop to kids with a 100% mark up. What's my point here you ask? Well, the average joe can't compete with these bidders not mention mentioning names, I'm sure you know who they are. They are on there everyday. I know it's an free market and they have every right to bid on auctions just like you and me but the difference is they are making a profit by re-selling it on Craigs List, Kijiji and the like. So really I think GIO needs to at least look at their auction portion of their business. No not their policy but their buyers. Is this way the auction was meant to be operate, probably because a company like GIO is still making money regardless who their buyers are. Don't get me wrong here I think they are a great company and John and his customer service are excellent. I'm just throwing this out there for a healthy debate.

Cheers!

[Reveeen]

I'm just throwing this out there for a healthy debate.

I'm not sure what your point is?

An "auction" is supposed to be the ultimate "fair sale", where goods, and/or services, reach the price level of what the prevailing market is.

If you attend auctions regularly, there are safeguards built into the process, to protect the seller (ie: reserve bid).

Now "house auctions" are a bit different. A "house auction" is an auction where the auctioneer actually owns/has an interest in the goods being sold.

This is where the term "selling to the wall" comes into play. "Selling to the wall" is a "ghost" (or phony) bid(s), taken by the auctioneer, to make sure the goods/services he is selling reach a certain level, so that he/she makes a predetermined profit on the sale of those goods/services. Again, a protection for the seller (because I don't care who you are, you can't give your stuff away, pretty soon you will have no "stuff", and no money, if you do).

There is a multitude of things, some honest, some not, that an auctioneer (or his team) can, and do, to control the auction environment. As a buyer (and a seller) it is up to you to educate yourself.

Not all you see/hear at an auction "is the real deal".

I have no idea why we are going here. If you choose to buy "at auction" it is up to you to determine an items value to you, and bid accordingly, along with the self education you give yourself, you will get good value for your money, or walk.

*not a GIO dealer, not an auctioneer, just an old poop*

[waynev]

Hey, i'm an average joe and the price i paid thru the auctions for the 2 quads i bought was pretty darn fair in my opinion, $149.95 for a 50cc quad, $446.95 for a 110cc semi automatic?, how much lower can you possibly go?.Oh yeah, those prices are including the $49.95 auction fee.
Basically what i did was watch what the high low selling prices were and i tried to get it for somewhere in the middle, sometimes you have to wait to get the price you want to pay.

As for reselling, here in london i have seen 110cc mini hummers for $650 on kijji, i got the 110cc T1 semi auto for $446.95 and most mini hummers go for $200 plus auction and shipping, so i could still get a 110cc mini hummer to my door for $250 less than what i see them trying to resell on kijji.

[Reveeen]

It simply would not make sense for a dealer to buy at auction and pay more than his/her wholesale price would it?

waynev:
From what I have seen the best buying days are Wed-Thurs.

And yes: How low can you go? (or I gotta scratch my head and wonder how much per unit in China)

[TurboT]

I wonder what goes on with the Gio site sometimes, but I also understand there is always a seller cost that needs to be protected. I am very respectful of what Gio has done, starting with an ebay seller to building a site like that from the ground up takes a lot of committment and resources. Being in the IT sector, I know what a site like that would take to build, and it's not cheap if done right.

I do however watch the prices myself, and find it amazing how they don't seem to deviate much in the closing price. There always seems to be 'someone' bidding the units to an almost set closing price. For example the 110cc automatic quads never seem to sell for much less, or much more, than 200 at auction fee. (Give or take a few bucks one way or the other) One would 'think' on a true auction, some would sell for 250, some for 150, depending on the timing of the end.

This is just my thoughts, but I do know if I had a site like that where I was protecting my wallet via selling price I'd be taking measures to ensure the final bid price was in my favour.

With all that, I'm happy with what I paid for my Gio products and for the fun the family has with them, despite the nagging little 'repairs' they occasionally require.

I do know, that dealer prices are not that much lower than the auction price on the units, but the shipping is better. So if you're a dealer you may be bidding on the auction to a certain point to get a better deal on 1 overall. You will notice a lot of the same names pump the bids to a certain point, then drop off near the end. It's a good way to keep the bids up, and allows them the opportunity to try to buy for less. I think this works well for Giobikes both ways.

[crhunter]

I have no idea why we are going here.

I think the point that I was originally trying to make (and yes I understand how auctions work) was that why have a wholesale program when you you can bid on the open market? In fact, there was questionable post that stated, Here is why you do not want to become a GIOVANNI DEALER.. THESE RATES SUCK... STICK TO THE AUCTION Although lacking in detail it lead me wonder what was the real pont of this statement. If you considered being a dealer, vendor, curber or the like why state this? Are auction prices better than wholesale price? As for the case if dealers are biding and winning, I think they are. At this moment there are 13 decent market bids on a eletric scooters right. How many electric scooters can you purchase for yourself? Am I complaining? No. I know that if I purchase one from CL http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/mcy/1361874866.html for more than auction price plus shipping etc. If I want to but a GIO 250 cc dirt bike on e-bay with $699 shipping and administrative costs :roll: cough cough then I haven't done my homework. But let's say an individual purchases a good share of those scooters from GIO and sells them privately w/o being an affiliate or dealer. They have every right to and yes I have to bid with them to (that's how auctions work). But for the individual who buys that bike, that scooter, from CL or e-bay http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370250866056&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:CA:1123 the purchaser (not the auction winner) has no protection.
GIObikes offers standard 6 (six) months limited warranty on all its products such as ATVs, dirt bikes, UTVs, dune buggies, gas scooters, electric product and power products. GIOBikes does not offer warranty on its parts and accessories unless stated otherwise. Note that standard warranty cannot be transferred to next owner. How would this reflect on that company's image if their were problems? Come on now we all know there are never glitches with Chinese imports :)

[Reveeen]

was that why have a wholesale program when you you can bid on the open market?

One can only assume, that "wholesale price" is better than "auction price", otherwise why would you bother? How much "better"? I don't know, but it wouldn't make sense if it wasn't, would it? The fellow that was posting about "bad" wholesale prices, either had a "problem", or wasn't buying in "wholesale lots", these guys aren't dumb, they have got "the picture".

At this moment there are 13 decent market bids on a electric scooters right. How many electric scooters can you purchase for yourself?

@ this moment 4:20 AM Sept7 2009 I see scooters being sold "to the wall" (or waiting for bids that get them over the pre-determined threshold where in fact a sale takes place).

You then go into warranty concerns. Even buying directly from Gio I consider the bike(s) to have "tail light warranty" and would hope to be covered for major component failure, but that is about it. Shipping a "dirt type" motorcycle with a "dry" K+N type filter is a recipe for disaster, in fact, locally there are probably 10-15 bikes for sale- "engine smokes".

Again I say "things are not always what they seem".

[TurboT]

The fellow who posted the not become a gio dealer followed that up with a list of 'supposed' gio wholesale prices.. they were removed by 'the boss' for good reason.

While I saw the prices and wasn't 'impressed' I also know there are opening and closing points in any negotiation, and through volume (the reason for wholesale) you get better deals. I for one would not bother being a dealer, simply for the fact I have nowhere to store a container load of quads, which is where anyone should start as an MOQ on a wholesale buy. Signing up and saying I want 5 quads to sell isn't going to get me a much better price than auction/retail.

I had thoughts of buying some quads on auction and selling them for a minor profit, however using the fact I was assembling them out of the box for similar money that what you could buy from gio direct. I've since had second thoughts though, namely because the one I did buy for a 'profit' sale is still here, and anyone who can't put their own quad together probably has no business owning a chinese quad, and that person would haunt me with 'warranty' problems to make the minor profit I earned pointless.

[Reveeen]

because the one I did buy for a 'profit' sale is still here

If you haven't noticed, the economy is in the toilet, though I have had some minor success here, there is nothing going on to build retirement money out of. Locally, I see the same stuff for sale, listed over, and over, some of it at decent prices, but not "exceptional" prices.

anyone who can't put their own quad together probably has no business owning a chinese quad

Here you go:

http://moncton.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-motorcycles-scooters-pocket-bikes-Electric-Scooter-XTREME-XB-500-NEEDS-REPAIR-W0QQAdIdZ153787359

This one started out as looking for a mechanic, now that it is not locally repairable, it is looking for a new home. What is it worth? (not a whole lot)

[TurboT]

http://moncton.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-motorcycles-scooters-pocket-bikes-Electric-Scooter-XTREME-XB-500-NEEDS-REPAIR-W0QQAdIdZ153787359

This one started out as looking for a mechanic, now that it is not locally repairable, it is looking for a new home. What is it worth? (not a whole lot)

I wouldn't even attempt to try to fix an electric scooter, I'd have no idea where to look.

Considering our previously mentioned auction prices, I'd bet that thing isn't worth more than a couple hundred bucks max, and I'm sure the guy who bought it is going to balk at that.

[Reveeen]

I wouldn't even attempt to try to fix an electric scooter

They aren't so hard............

In this case:
Determine how it was stored, outside storage really messes with these things.
1) connections
2) check throttle handle (2 types: rheostat, or Hall effect sensor) ohmmeter, or substitution (respectively, the Hall effect ones are almost impossible to check)
3) controller (another hard one to check, because they have stirred everything but the kitchen sink in there, remove cover looking for overheated wires/components paying specific attention to the high speed shunt (in this case)
4) batteries (load test, 2-3 batteries in series with 1 internal bad connection will fubar the lot)
5) motor (test the current draw, there should be an overdraw protector in the system somewhere)
6) chassis (make sure the drive system is not binding, or brakes dragging, either will overdraw the system)

Major "problem": there are virtually no parts to fix these things in Canada.

I would not even attempt to put a value on one of these things. There is no parts migrate into anything else but another electric scooter. (and once "fixed" what have you "really" got?)

[crhunter]

pre-determined threshold where in fact a sale takes place

I believe this is called "shill bidding"... Who determines the threshold? It's the same people bidding all the time????

[crhunter]

I have no idea why we are going here. Ahhh because it is an open forum and people can express their opinions freely without being offensive, degrading or slanderous. Not saying my opinion is right or wrong just discussing thoughts.

You then go into warranty concerns. I'm not concerned, if you read my post I think GIO should be concerned considering people selling after an auction purchase claim GIO will cover defects despite what their on-line policy states.

[Reveeen]

I believe this is called "shill bidding"... Who determines the threshold? It's the same people bidding all the time????

Go back and read my first post.