Pro's Closet Trade-up Program at NAHBS

exapkib · #1 01-20-2017, 07:07 PM

Looking at the NAHBS site tonight, the Pro's Closet "Trade Up" program caught my eye. I love the idea (from a business perspective)--I've always wondered how they get such nice merchandise to sell.

Anyone tempted to submit photos of their bikes for a 'real world' estimate? Could give a person a pretty good idea of what the Pro's Closet thinks they could sell your frame for (depending on how you guestimate their markup).

Anyone taking advantage of this service? I can see that for some the convenience would outweigh the higher price one could likely secure on the open market.

ultraman6970 · #2 01-20-2017, 07:21 PM

Good idea !

Schmed · #3 01-20-2017, 07:54 PM

They are local to me, and have a really great business operation. They take a significant cut of the $, but they also get more $ than an individual, since they have a great ebay reputation. It probably all works out in the wash when compared to selling yourself.

So, it's kind of a no-brainer to bring your parts to them for a hassle-free transaction.

zmudshark · #4 01-20-2017, 08:01 PM

When you run a bike shop, it's amazing what you will do for a sawbuck or two.

I don't know the guys at Pro's Closet, but I do know some good guys who work way too hard for the money they make. It must be love.

FlashUNC · #5 01-20-2017, 08:12 PM

They're "getting by" enough to fund a pretty impressive collection of who's who pro bikes from the past. And produce video shorts about them.

Bruce K · #6 01-21-2017, 02:56 AM

I am actually planning to see what they offer for an older TT bike that is no longer being ridden.

I'll let you all know what happens....

BK

oldpotatoe · #7 01-21-2017, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schmed

They are local to me, and have a really great business operation. They take a significant cut of the $, but they also get more $ than an individual, since they have a great ebay reputation. It probably all works out in the wash when compared to selling yourself.

So, it's kind of a no-brainer to bring your parts to them for a hassle-free transaction.

When I took over the shop, I took a lot of 'dead' inventory to them. They are professional, knowledgable of current 'stuff', organized. Nick and formerly Pete, created a great organization. We had a few 'trade-in' examples. Pro's estimates what it's worth, they give that in $ to the customer to use as 'trade-in' on a new bike purchased from me. Everybody wins.

BTW-a LOT of the bikes in their museum were donated or on loan.

mgm777 · #8 01-21-2017, 09:43 AM

ProsCloset is local to me, as well. I have used their service several times to sell product and occasionally buy a few items. They are an excellent service to use, as a seller, mostly for the "convenience" factor. They charge a fair price. As a result, the owners are doing just fine...a little better than "just getting by".

bocobiking · #9 01-21-2017, 10:29 AM

Local to me, too. I've sold 3 frames, a Campy Nuovo Record group, and various small parts to them in the last year. They have given me about 60% of what they (and I) think these items will bring on eBay. If, like me, you would rather ride and work on bike projects than babysit auctions and deal with shipping, the price is fair.

roguedog · #10 01-21-2017, 10:34 AM

i saw this in an article a few weeks back. how does this work for us out of towners or even out of staters?

obviously, we'd have to ship the bike out to them. i guess we take pix and then they price and we either agree or not. then i ship it out them and we're done, yeah?

bocobiking · #11 01-21-2017, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roguedog

i saw this in an article a few weeks back. how does this work for us out of towners or even out of staters?

obviously, we'd have to ship the bike out to them. i guess we take pix and then they price and we either agree or not. then i ship it out them and we're done, yeah?

Here's a link to their website https://theproscloset.com

There's a tab for "How It Works" and tabs to get you started.