I completely forgot to mention this... I have a business!
Several weeks after Pat and I returned to Melbourne, Maxime
and I bought used bikes. We got em from a bike rental shop that was trying to get rid of
its old generation bicycles to make room for its new shipment. The owner,
Murray, was selling for an incredible $80 each... an outrageous deal considering the good
quality of the bike and that the price included a lock and helmet. (This is important as it is illegal to ride
without a helmet in Oz.)
Meanwhile... reality kicks in. As I only have a tourist visa, it is illegal for me to work while
I’m here. I was (achem… am) running
considerably low on cash and was looking for any way to make a couple bucks so
I wouldn’t have to tap into my New Zealand stash. Patrick casually mentioned that I should try
to profit from Murray’s situation and after sitting on it for a few days, I worked
out a plan...
I approached Murray and made him a business deal: I’ll work
to sell off his bikes if he sells them to me at a reduced price, say $60
each, including a lock and helmet. I guess
he must have been up to his neck in bikes because we had a deal! The next day I designed and printed out
flyers, and rode my bike around to 14 hostels and community boards in and around
the city. A few days later, the calls
started coming in and business was booming!
Here's how it works: when I have an inquiry, I tell Murray a day before I need to pick up the bike. He gets everything together and I pick it up and pay him $60. (A bargain!) Then I ride it to meet whomever to make the
sale. So far I’ve sold six or so bikes
at roughly $100 a pop. (Pat bought one and
I only charged him $60, and one bike was in great condition so I sold her for
$120 to a very happy customer.) And I
still have four or so to sell off. Yep, business
is good. Since I have some cash in my
pocket now, I can once again pay for public transportation and go out to
dinner! It’s a great feeling. Plus, the major perk, I get to ride around the city making easy money, and I get to keep the best bike!
