Part it forward

RRAL

RRAL

Been Around the Block
I had an idea earlier tonight... Want to run it by y'all see what you think, get some feed back to see how to make it work for everyone and make sense.

"Part it Forward" , the idea would be if your like me, you got parts laying around with no plans or interest in, also like me a lot of people are on budgets when it comes to builds... If see similar thing where people just exchange parts on line or what ever... But I was thinking about setting up a web site o list parts, if you got something you want to get out of the garage and would love to see some one get some use out of, "you" send it to me +$3.00 (postage) , I'll send you back a "Part it Forward" - tshirt, list the part on the website... If "you / anyone" needs something they go on the web site and grab it... For the cost of packaging and shipping. If I can get a few other small businesses to support the effort, I'd like to beable to put together some "care packages" to send to the donators and recipients as well. Maybe, have some kind of tracking & verbal / gentalmans agreement so the recipient can let the donator see the progress of the build and how their parts went to helping out a build kind of thing.

Good idea, bad idea, problems, etc?
 
I think its a pretty cool idea. I have parts that I won't be using and I honestly would rather give them to someone who needs them than sell them just in the spirit of the brotherhood of builders.

I can however see issues with people being dishonest, or selfish and abusing the spirit of project.
 
I though about that too... Kind of the idea of having a commitment to show what they did with the parts. Any suggestions to prevent that? My other thought where to would people really be willing to basically donate parts to the cause? Even for a t-shirt and if so would it be anything other than junk like buck horn Handel bars, ha ha. I though about having a small "receiver fee" like $20 but A. I don't want it to look like or actuall have a profit type program... Plus for good part some would pay the $20 and then sell them for much more. I though about just having people who need part just know they are getting something in general... Like request a master cylinder but have no previous knowledge of what it came off or pictures, but for less adventurous builders that might not work.
 
Solution in search of a problem, isn't it? This is pretty regularly done here already. The forks on my XV have spent time in at least four members' shops. :)
 
Rich Ard said:
Solution in search of a problem, isn't it? This is pretty regularly done here already. The forks on my XV have spent time in at least four members' shops. :)
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Yeah. It's a great idea, but it's also seriously overcomplicating a process that already occurs regularly.
 
That's why I wanted to put it out there... To see if it was a good idea and worth the effort to put together, or just seemed like a good idea at 3 am (or when ever).

The advantages over what is already being done would be...
1. As rich add pointed out, donators would get something out of it ( a t-shirt at this point)
2. Donators wouldn't have to wait to find someone that needed the parts they want to get rid of.
3. People in need can look and see what's available, and not need to go to 10 different sites looking for help.
4. It would be open to more people than just members of any one forum or online community.

I'd see it more like some kind of online library/moto junk yard... Co-op donation center with a "builder brotherhood spirit" behind it.

Starting to sound a little hippy for me, I don't have any real ideas or plans beyond getting it functioning... But could see potential for it developing into more with more perks for the "donators and receivers" if other businesses started sponsoring the program. For example, maybe parts company xyz donats a bunch of tanks, and RRAL company donates some products, and John doe leather worker makes and donates some saddle bags... And then we put all the donators from the years name in a hat and pull out winners. Just thinking out loud / as I type now.

Or everyone likes stickers, maybe I can get others to give stickers to the cause and every donator and receiver would get a pack of random stickers or various goodies... With there packages. Heck I have a bunch of dr.martin sample wax and key chain flash lights I can throw in.

Honestly, I just want to see what others think, if they see problems or solutions to problems. Maybe no one would be interested in donating, etc. So this is not so much a proposal as it is a brain storming session too.

Knowing me and what not, being busy... Even if it was the best idea ever and we could find a way to make it work flawlessly, it could take a year just to get it together and off the ground.
 
I can only speak for myself, but I wouldn't opt in to this one. I keep spares around in case I need them; if somebody needs something, I often send it for the cost of shipping, but I'm keeping stuff around that I might use in the future rather than because I'm a philanthropist.
 
Being in the chop shop biz I can foresee your biggest problem being the cost of shipping and a good percentage of the parts donated will be parts the person couldn't otherwise sell. You will end up with a ton of undesirable crap I think. My thought at least.
 
Shipping things twice is going to double the cost of the item you could already get on here anyway.
 
I like the way we all do it right now. No fuss, just people spreading word to people and parts go to who they need to go to. Its simple, really
 
There you go. Let me know if you want my address to send a shirt ;)
 
VonYinzer said:
Yeah. It's a great idea, but it's also seriously overcomplicating a process that already occurs regularly.
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Dammit mike! I'm crushed that you got rid of the dog avatar. I may never finish my bike now.
 
I'm with the others here that see it as kind of a redundancy. I frequently check through the "Wanted" section of the classifieds, and if somebody needs something I have lying around, I'll gladly pass it along for little to (most often) nothing at all. Hell, in most cases I eat the shipping ('cause it ain't worth the hassle to paypal me $5), and in almost all cases the "buyer" can eat the packing material I use :p

I see what you're trying to do. And it's a noble gesture ;)
But I agree with Reeshard... It's a Solution in search of a Problem. Atleast here anyway.

And Mike had a Dog avatar? I haven't noticed any of Mikes avatars since he stopped using Chicas in them ::)
In fact, I used to have a boring, unchanging avatar until one day, I wanted to be like Mike, and rotate the avatar Hotties ;)
 
this is the benefit of getting others opinions before investing time, effort, and money. Thanks. I figured a lot of crap parts would come, and can see the system being easily abused. Certainly wouldn't want it to end up as a full time job, because I wouldn't want it to be something that I would profit from in any way either. So I guess its best to tuck that idea away for at least a while any how.
 
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