BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Going Going Bike, the recently launched dedicated bike auction site, has pledged to be a legitimate forum for trading second hand bikes.
The site’s creators – James Johnson and Andrew Nethercot – have also promised that the site – which includes social and bike events elements – isn’t intended as a competitor to independent bike dealers.
Site co-creator Andrew Nethercot told BikeBiz: “We’re going after a slightly different market, targeting people who sell online more in the consumer to consumer market. It’s hard for them to do that to a wider market. There may be some overlap, but we’re not a physical store and we can’t compete on services.
"It’s early days but we’ve had a great reaction since launch. I think the cycling community has really identified with the integrity of Going Going Bike due to our dedication to cycling, free-to-list policy and aim to be a legitimate market place for bicycles.”
Clamping down on illegal bike trading is a key element of the site, which has teamed up with frame labelling and registration firm Bike Revolution: “The added benefit of the site is that the purchaser will know he is not buying stolen bike goods – an unfortunate practice that blights the cycling community.”
Some members of the cycle trade have even begun to use the site to pedal their gear. Nethercot explained: “To date we’ve got some great niche bike manufacturers selling through our site, like Racer Rosa, and we aim to sign up more brands that can provide very special cycling products to our users and provide such brands with an alternate route to market.
“However, our main focus is on cyclists selling to other cyclists. We want Going Going Bike to become the first place cyclists think about visiting if they want to buy some second hand kit or sell some bikey stuff."
“We think we are the only bike auction site at the moment, but that’s not all the site is for – there is a big community element too. There’s buying and selling and we’ve bike events listed there, plus elements like the ‘bike love’ section where visitors can vote on how sexy a bike looks.”
Nethercot and Johnson are inviting feedback on Going Going Bike via the site.
