[phaques]

What about:
Specialty (porsche) salvage? is that a good business?

Attempting to consolidate all the used part classifieds for porsche/bmw/etc. into one bigger used parts auction house: ebay for this particular niche?

fire away...

[edevinney]

Originally Posted by Lupin..the..3rd

I think the number of people willing to pay for a delivery service to pickup/retrieve their car is a very small number.

Yep, market sizing is the biggest unknown and may be unknowable since there aren't really comparable business to work against.

[wludavid]

Originally Posted by edevinney

there aren't really comparable business to work against.

Exactly. No competition. It doesn't even seem that risky. Sign a 6-month lease on a warehouse, do minimal improvements, and start signing people up. If you underestimate, you lick your wounds and move on.

Here's 10,000 sq ft in NW DC for $8500 a month. That's 43 cars to cover rent, and I'm sure you could fit a lot more than 43 cars in there if you had the demand. http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/d...298968713.html

[Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by phaques

What about:
Specialty (porsche) salvage? is that a good business?

Attempting to consolidate all the used part classifieds for porsche/bmw/etc. into one bigger used parts auction house: ebay for this particular niche?

fire away...

Salvage as in own a junk yard or "virtual" salvage?

If virtual, what could you offer that eBay doesn't already? They've damn sure got the size and the market. Are you going to develop some custom software to run the site?

If you're thinking "for sale" classified, how would you make money when Craigslist, Pelican Parts, Rennlist, and even here allow you to post for free?

[Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by Lupin..the..3rd

Even if you do come up with that must-have killer-part that nobody else makes, is the profit going to be enough to make a living from? Remember that you're selling into a niche market with a limited audience.

Werd. Repeat that over and over. IMO, if you're going to try to do something for real (i.e. not a night/weekend thing) you have to have enough market for it.

[phaques]

Good points...but it seems like when I go to post for stuff I've got for sale, I never have one dominant obvious choice...I post to pelican, dorkiphus, and a couple of others. Sometimes ebay, but not often cause I don't want to pay.

Salvage - thinking of junk yard. do i really want to own a junk yard....?

[Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by phaques

Good points...but it seems like when I go to post for stuff I've got for sale, I never have one dominant obvious choice...I post to pelican, dorkiphus, and a couple of others. Sometimes ebay, but not often cause I don't want to pay.

Salvage - thinking of junk yard. do i really want to own a junk yard....?

No. Go find out the EPA wants you to do to own a junkyard.

[phaques]

Right, but if you can buy an existing one, then you have huge barriers to entry because nobody else can get a permit. course, you might also just buy yourself a super-fund sight......

[Andy Clements]

Originally Posted by Lupin..the..3rd

Even if you do come up with that must-have killer-part that nobody else makes, is the profit going to be enough to make a living from? Remember that you're selling into a niche market with a limited audience.
...
He intended that to become his full-time job but it just isn't paying enough.

I guess the moral of the story is that you're not going to get rich selling a $50 product into a niche market.

That is all very true, but I wasn't exactly talking about a one-man operation making a living off a unique $50 part. Check back issues of Excellence and Pano and you will see many various such attempts over the years, few of which will actually last more than a few years. It is possible to make a "profit", but doubtful you'll make a good living at it. In referring to Rennline I was really talking about a professional organization designing, mfg., and retailing a sizable catalog of unique, quality, and blingy parts that tend to attract Porsche guys with bulging wallets. I don't even know that much about the company, but I've seen some of their stuff and it fills a very interesting market segment IMO. They are hardly a "guy with an idea" sorta operation, however, and I'm sure they (like any business) have considerable overhead and expenses involved in design, mfg., and sales of their products. They clearly have a premium markup for their stuff that is sold in this very specialized niche market, but they seem to make enough variety to fill a void and do it profitably (I'd assume). There are other operations that fill similar niches in the Porsche world, but I think few of them are quick nor easy ways to turning a profit with a car hobby.

My $0.02

[VaSteve]

I think Noah knows the guys that run Rennline (Noah knows everyone) and probably could ring in with some insight.... Look at a company like Brey Krause...I'm pretty sure that is a hobby business on the side of the real business of making industrial fire equipment. Look at all the small time operators on Rennlist: FRWilk (made 944 chips...computer was stolen, out of business) Bruce Arnn (made 944 timing belt tools which sold for ~$200...how many of those do you need?)... Travis at Rennbay (Gator knows him) makes little odo gears ($27) and timing belt tools ($85).... I think he's a college student.

If you want to make a living, you need something more widely demanded and then run your Porsche hobby business on the side.... many of the Porsche shops around here do a little work on other marques in the slow times.