Pete M Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 looking for ideas on how to do all this craziness. this isn't going to be a drop-off-a-bed-to-pay-for-my-already-planned-trip-north like before, I need to rent a uhaul trailer (one I've never rented before) and haul/sell as much as I can in one fell swing to prove this is a profitable thing in order to justify another trip in the future. If I can't make money to buy more beds, this for sure isn't happening again. the trip is still a month away and I'm looking for pointers or ideas from y'all. I'm trying to limit it to around 40 hours of driving in 5 days. I feel that for a trip this complicated I should be asking for downpayments of some kind? and do I prioritize first come first served, or do I prioritize my route and then pick who gets lucky? I have other things to sell that would be rough to ship and I was thinking I'd have a minimum price per visit (unless you were seriously right on the way). I'm not keen on adding hours to my drive to sell a 50 buck part. what else am I missing? I want to help my fellow rustbucket owners, I need to make money, but I really need to cover my butt. I'm thinking on renting the trailer for a day, just to see how well a bed fits and how many tiedown locations it has. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
89 MJ Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I would say have them put down 20% on the part, otherwise it doesn't get loaded. I would plan your route and have people meet you at rest areas if you can't/won't make it to their house. If sure plenty of people would drive up to 2 hours to get a rust free bed up here in the rust belt. What are you thinking for your route? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dzimm Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Yeah definitely take a down payment. I'd say get an idea for a route and see if anyone along the way wants one and then adjust from there. If you happen to have a tailgate to sell and are planning on coming through Iowa again I may be interested. I'm looking to get a gate to make a patio bench so cheap and beat up is fine with me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MiNi Beast Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 charge a delivery charge. i have no problem bring parts to someone. i however would rather you bring bed to my house vs unloading and reloading at a rest stop. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pete M Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 my route has gone through several iterations because my own goals have changed. I was going up the east coast, but now I appear to need to hit Indianapolis and St Louis on the return trip to pick up things that require a trailer. so maybe the spring trip is to the west of I-75 and then I make an east trip around the All Breeds show? but honestly, the only real must-do is getting to my dentist in Michigan to re-fix my tooth. but I still need to pull out all my beds and snap good photos etc before I can even think about prices. and I'm out of town next week doing family stuff so it'll be after that until I can make progress on that front. so essentially I'm a bit ahead of myself, but figured sooner is better than later for getting ideas of what this sort of "business model" should look like. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MiNi Beast Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 atleast $1 a mile per sale and delivery surcharge, gas expenses, or hook up with someone to turn those beds into camp trailers and invest a bit or partner with, and create your own market to sell at a profitable price. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rokinn Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Off the top of my head..... it seems like posting photos of what you have and then finding out who is interested in purchasing one or another of them at a given price. Then making a route after determining who is interested, perhaps involving a rendezvous at a given time and place or possibly a surcharge for route alterations outside a given distance from an acceptable route of your choice. Definitely a down payment. I don't think 50% is unreasonable. Minds tend to focus a bit better that way. Good luck. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
watchamakalit Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I would say plan your basic route and usual stops, food, fuel, and such. The farther you need to deviate from that route to connect with someone the greater the surcharge. If they are willing to come to you along the route and possibly meet at an already scheduled stop the surcharge could be adjusted accordingly. And I wouldn't expect anyone to take such a trip without at least 50% down. Thats just to much work to risk a flaky buyer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Strokermjcomanche Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I'd be interested in another SWB bed depending on condition and price. That's if I'm anywhere near your trip route , Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mossmj13 Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 I would be interested in a lwb depending on condition an if I’m anywhere near your route Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JMO413 Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 I would definitely be interested in a SWB if I was near your travels. I would have no issue posting half or all up front. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
500 MJ Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 BIG interest here in a SWB! I’d be happy to completely prepay for it, but need to know price first Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saveevryjp1998 Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 You know I'm after 1 long box for sure. I'd probably take 2. I also have 1 short box I could trade instead if it helps another member out and you kill two birds that way or bring more money. I'm trying to avoid selling anything not local pickup anymore. I completely understand your pain. It gets old fast and consumes all your time eventually. I'm still trying to understand how c.c. isn't already a full time job in itself for you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pete M Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 "Fulltime"? could be considered that. "Job"? no. Jobs earn money. This a passion/hobby. I give my energy when I find some. But I can't hand out free beds. The parts side of the hobby has to at least break even. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pete M Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 well, I'm glad I took the time to wash them as I've found some previously unseen flaws. a bit of bondo on one, a bit of rust in another, and a wren's nest in a third. fantastic. and I've been crunching the numbers and I don't think beds alone will make this fly. gas alone could easily top a grand if I do a longer route (for example wisconsin and pennsylvania). so I'll start digging through the barn for other items I'll never want to ship: seats, rockers, carpet, headliners, etc. but I might need to limit myself to 4 beds in order to have space for other items (stacking them horizontal gives cargo space, transporting them vertically does not). but of course that cuts into the bottom line. and I still haven't figured out how to do any of this in a fair manner. I have a feeling some guys are going to be upset with me no matter what I do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
derf Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 1 hour ago, Pete M said: and I still haven't figured out how to do any of this in a fair manner. I have a feeling some guys are going to be upset with me no matter what I do. Unfortunately, there's probably no good way to avoid that. Best thing to do is to be 100% open up front. Most people should be reasonable if you're honest with them. I think if I was wanting a bed I'd be fine chipping in more gas money to make it happen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
watchamakalit Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 I have some interest in a swb. And would be willing to help with fuel cost if it means a southern bed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
500 MJ Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 5 hours ago, derf said: I think if I was wanting a bed I'd be fine chipping in more gas money to make it happen. Agreed! 3 hours ago, watchamakalit said: I have some interest in a swb. And would be willing to help with fuel cost if it means a southern bed. Seconded! Depending how the trip works out, I’d be happy to venture south with my trailer to the flatland and save a few hours and miles of northerly driving for the big cargo load too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
watchamakalit Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 10 hours ago, 500 MJ said: Agreed! Seconded! Depending how the trip works out, I’d be happy to venture south with my trailer to the flatland and save a few hours and miles of northerly driving for the big cargo load too. Thats a good idea. Maybe we should organize a caravan to meet up with pete and help him out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pete M Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 the thought has previously occurred to me that if a member volunteered to provide room, I could drop off items at a semi-centralized location that could later be picked up at the buyer's leisure. problem with that is I strongly prefer to be there when the buyer takes possession. these are all used parts after all. there are reasons I don't sell on ebay. 4 beds down. 3 to go (I have to wait a couple days since I need a hand moving them out into the open). I really need to invent a roller device so I can move them around by myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pete M Posted 17 hours ago Author Share Posted 17 hours ago how does this look for an ad? I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something important... me and my silly overly complicated plans... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ blue longbed. little beat up, but rot free. found some evidence of old bondo work to the back drivers lower corner (I do believe the little globs are weld blobs left over from whatever was doing the pulling). the front wall shows evidence of something in the bed hitting it pretty hard. always tie down your cargo! all you're buying is the bed and the fuel door. everything that unbolts has been removed by either me or the junkyard it came from. (specifically for this bed, the tail light and wires shown have since been removed). $$$ delivered to your driveway IF your driveway is on my route this trip. I cannot guarantee that the first to post "I want it" will be the one that actually gets it. the crazy miles I gotta drive to get north and the fact that I can only carry 4 beds at a time means I simply cannot go by the rule "first come, first served". first come has first dibs. the window of opportunity for this drive is around the weekend of May 21st. I do not necessarily need you to be home to make delivery (I can unload and I can move it on flat ground with a dolly), but I cannot manhandle it very far so you must make arrangements to either meet me when I can be there or apologize profusely to your HOA that there's a bed in the front lawn for a few hours. delivery time/day will be given as soon as I have 4 beds sold with a reasonable route planned. this will involve 40-50 hours of driving, so I cannot make promises of times or even specific days if anything goes wrong along the way. I will of course be in contact via phone, so it's not like I'll surprise you with a bed one afternoon. ETAs will be announced as I get them. once I have a route and buyers, a $$$ deposit is required via paypal as soon as possible. $$$ of this is NOT refundable should you back out for any reason. all will be refunded if I have to back out for any reason. if you have any questions or need pics of anything more, let me know in this thread. once I have a route picked, I will list the bed as sold and then communicate via private messages with the buyer. wheelwells. looks like an aftermarket bar was in there at one point. the lower edge is where the bondo is this is the inside of the lower drivers corner my attempts at showing up inside the bedsides to show they are rustfree. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jdog Posted 16 hours ago Share Posted 16 hours ago Price and location per forum rules lol, only other thing I would think would be a approx route or state where your headed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pete M Posted 15 hours ago Author Share Posted 15 hours ago see that's the problem, I don't have a route until I know where the buyers will be. I'll head wherever in the salt-belt there are 4 people willing to give me money. but I can't hit all of the salt-belt in one trip. once I have a route for beds I'll also add another ad that contains all the other smaller items. it's complicated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
89 MJ Posted 14 hours ago Share Posted 14 hours ago I’d be sure to include that these are 30 year old used parts. None of them are going to be perfect, but you described them to the best of your knowledge. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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