Re: [CR]Wanted: Cash paid for large piles of NOS Campy NR/SR Cinelli

(Example: Framebuilders:Jack Taylor)

To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR]Wanted: Cash paid for large piles of NOS Campy NR/SR Cinelli
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:07:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: donald gillies <gillies@ece.ubc.ca>

Disclaimer: The only NOS campy components that I have bought and sold are cable clip hardware. I prefer to 'groom' used components.

Probably nobody knows how to get top dollar better than Mike Kone & Greg Parker, both purveyors of 'Bicycle Classics' at one point or another. And, when I was a young collector, there was a feeling of security and comfort knowing i could always get a part from Bicycle Classics if I couldn't find it anywhere else.

I think the apt comparison, however, is with Renaissance Cycles. Baron and Cecil Corpuz invest a lot of time and effort in driving through foreign countries, finding old shops, and buying out their entire stock of 'ancient inventory'. They go on the road for a month at a time, in fact. When I buy a part from RC, I feel like I'm getting very good value-for-money because I know there is risk and effort involved in digging up the parts and negotiating a deal with the shop owner, and delivering it tens of thousands of miles to my house.

The problem comes when an expert reseller shows up on classicrendezvous during a time when cash is tight, and offers to buy NOS stuff with the idea that it's for immediate resale. And, this offer is made when there is no obvious cashflow problem among the 1200+ members on this mailing list.

Maybe the intent was to stock components for vintage reproduction Rene' Herse build-ups. If that is the purpose, then I think the reseller should have stated that purpose.

Another example of a worthy value-added service is to sell NOS parts on consignment through Mike Kone's shop. I would seriously consider this because Mike is an expert at extracting top dollar from the market, and he is building an online brand, and his assistance is worth more than Ebay's (which extracts an 5-10% profit from most sales.)

Another worthy pursuit is to buy NOS bikes for disassembly, as many of the people on the CR list are not comfortable making such large investments ($2000+) all at once, and there is risk and value added in disassembling, cleaning, packaging, pricing, and mailing the components.

The thought that someone just wants to buy now, because the economy is low, and take large lots of parts off the market until money flows like water again later, smacks of opportunism. The offer to buy large lots benefits the buyer at least as much as the seller. Where is the value-added ?? I think that's what the list would like to hear more about.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA