Focus: Dealer Expo 2004

If you’re looking to buy or sell powersports units to other dealers, or if you want to pick up some repossessed machines from a lender, you might want to stop buy Booth #8517 at the Dealer Expo and talk with Mark Taylor. Taylor is marketing director for a new dealers-only Web site created by Global Resources Network of Schenectady, N.Y. The Web site address is wholesaletrader.com.

“Auto dealers have been profiting from a nationwide wholesale network for more than a decade,” says Taylor. “We figured it was time for (powersports) dealers to have the same advantages.”

Taylor emphasizes that the site is protected and is available only to participating dealers who are buying or selling at the wholesale level.

Here’s how the process works, Taylor told Powersports Business. Dealers who join the new network will be able to search for specific used items from participating dealer-members nationwide. Dealers also can list their own excess items.

Member-dealers also can participate in auctions of repossessed machines. Some of the nation’s largest lenders are expected to participate in the repo auctions, Taylor said.

The Web site is scheduled to go live in April, Taylor said, and the first Repo Auction is planned for the same time. The auctions will be held several times each month, according to literature prepared by the company.

“It’ll be like attending the nation’s biggest wholesale repo auction, anytime you like, 24 hours a day, without leaving your office,” he says.

Participating dealers can list as many machines as they wish, says Taylor. And there can be up to six photos of each machine posted, too.

The description and specs for each machine must be entered by the dealer, says Taylor, who adds, “It’s very easy to enter data.”

Each listing expires after two weeks, says Taylor, in order to keep the inventory fresh. Dealers will receive an expiration notice prior to an item being de-listed. “The main reason why an item doesn’t sell,” says Taylor, “is that it’s not priced correctly.” The de-listing process helps dealers re-price items, he adds.

NO TRANSACTION FEES FOR DEALERS
Under the current pricing plan, participating dealers do not pay any transaction fees for machines that they buy or sell.

The only fees that dealers pay, says Taylor are an initial set-up fee of $99.00 and a $99/month participation fee that’s on a month-to-month schedule. Discounts are available for six-month and one-year contracts, he said.

WholesaleTrader.com also is offering a Dealer Expo show special for dealers of $49/mo with a six-month contract. And Taylor said that dealer membership in the new site will be free until the first repo auction. Lenders, who participate in the auctions, pay a transaction fee on units sold.

Taylor’s group also helps participating dealers with shipping costs. “We’ve negotiated big discounts on freight, too, up to 60%,” s ays Taylor. “With those cheaper shipping costs, dealers can feel free to buy inventory nationwide.”

In addition to the special Expo pricing, Taylor is hoping to create awareness among dealer attendes at the show with a cash promotion.

Those wearing a WholesaleTrader.com sticker that can be picked up at the company’s booth are eligible to win cash prizes totalling $1,500 each day. Spotters will select sticker-wearing attendees at random on the Expo floor. Individual prizes will range from $100 to $500 each day.

Taylor’s group also is working on similar sites for the marine and RV industries. The group has been providing F&I services about seven years.

For details, call 800/858-6780, or e-mail info@wholesaletrader.com.