Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.
Issue link: https://idoi.epubxp.com/i/105596
DEALERS'CORNER (continued from page 52) Brian Besser checking in on his website, GarageDoorOverstock.com. The Arizona terrain and local flavor would seem to make Paulden an idyllic place for him. Shortly after moving there, he had a health scare and successfully underwent treatment. The experienced changed his perspective. "My attitude towards life changed," Brian said. "I wanted to do more than work myself to death. I wanted to enjoy things more, trail riding, viewing the beautiful Arizona scenery, spending time with family and friends and doing things around my own house." But, once a doorman, always a doorman. He began helping out a friend, Loren Vickers, an Overhead Door dealer in nearby Flagstaff, with the company's inventory. While in that process, Brian noted that a lot of the inventory in the warehouse had been there beyond its normal shelf life, and that his own company had similar items that spent years taking up space. By 2009, he began talking to many of his long-time industry acquaintances and determined that all dealers have that stuff, meaning all types of door components that had been taking up space for an extensive period. Brian spent about a year devising a plan, and launched GarageDoorOverstock.com in June of 2011. The purpose of the website is to serve as a clearinghouse for products dealers are storing, but not selling. It's not an auction site, nor is it intended to be a major source of consumer shopping in the door industry. Instead, its purpose is to help dealers generate some short term revenue while cleaning up their warehouses. "I didn't create the website to get rich," Brian admitted. "I'm not creating a market for bargain hunters. GarageDoorOverstock. com is primarily a dealer-to-dealer network. I wanted to put something together that would help dealers clean-up their warehouses, and sell some things that otherwise will eventually end up in a landfill, and also help dealers find a part or component that they can use but can't find anywhere else." 54 International Door & Operator Industryª The way the website works is that dealers pay a modest monthly fee in order to post 10 items, including photographs, of overstock items. The dealer retains full control over what is charged for the items. By placing these items on a single website, the odds are greatly increased that the dealer will find a buyer for the items. Brian explained: "An example of how this can really help a dealer is, let's say they ordered a high-end specialty door that for whatever reason didn't get installed, say it was the wrong size, but now the dealer owns it. It's going to be pretty difficult to find a customer in that market to sell that door to. But, if you put it on the website, the chances then become very good that someone out there will see it and either want it themselves or have a buyer for it. So, you get something out of the door that's worth more than using it to build an expensive shelf." He continued: "Every dealer has boxes of transmitters that have been collecting dust for years. Someone can use them. Oftentimes your buyer is going to be another dealer who can't get older replacement components, but if they have a customer who needs it, they can get on the site and probably find it." From a successful door dealer to a high tech cowboy… Brian seems to have found the best of all worlds. "I'm really enjoying life in this area," he said. "It's such a beautiful area, the people are friendly and the pace is a lot slower than where I came from in Southern California. This website lets me stay in touch with the industry and so many of the great friends I've made during the years. And, it gives me a reason to keep coming to the IDAExpo™." Information: www.GarageDoorOverstock.com Phone: 949-683-5442 E-mail: sales@GarageDoorOverstock.com