Selling Used Skis
As Đạo and Đán were becoming teenagers, they were talking about getting part time jobs at fast-food places or shopping centers to make money. I encouraged them to become ski and snowboard instructors, but they refused. They seemed to be lacking confidence in themselves.
Last summer, they spent most of their time glued to their screens. I decided to give them a job. I experimented with selling used skis as a side business. I acquired used skis that were still in good condition. They were just neglected or abused. I cleaned them, tuned them up, and gave them a good wax. I also tested the bindings, tightened the screws, and checked all the DIN settings to make sure they still worked properly. A pair of skis could take me an hour or two to complete. I enlisted Đạo and Đán for help. Đạo did one pair and didn’t do it again. Đán didn’t even want to touch anything.
Why did I do all the tunings instead of just selling them as they were? When people bought used skis off Facebook Marketplace, the products were abandoned and weren’t being cared for properly. When I bought my first pair of skis for $40, they weren’t tuned up either. I had to spend $65 to get them tuned. I ended up paying a whole lot more for a bargain. Then again they took me from the bunny to the double black diamond slopes. If people could afford a set of brand new skis, they should. If they couldn’t or just wanted to try out, used skis are a good alternative.
Even though I used Facebook Marketplace to sell used skis, I wanted to differentiate my business. Any pair of skis I sold were ready to go on the terrains. Buyers will get a good experience on the slopes without realizing that I had put work into those skis. All of the boots that I sold were cleaned and sanitized from inside to outside.
My prices ranged from $80 to $150 for a pair of skis depending on the quality. As of today, I sold out everything I listed last summer. I had about 30 pairs of skis, 2 snowboards, and about 6 pairs of boots. If Ðạo and Đán were doing it, they could have pocketed at least $1,500 each. More importantly, they could have learned the entire business process. They had to go out to buy the equipment. They had to learn the technical skills of servicing them. They had to learn the essence of marketing, which included filming videos, taking photos, and writing about each product.
Ðạo helped me with filming videos and taking photos. I wished he and his brother were more involved, but their digital devices took up their time. I used the money I earned to buy a used upright piano so they can practice. As of today, it has been sitting in our living room collecting dust. How do they improve if they don’t practice? I was expecting it, but I bought it anyway just so I didn’t have to hear them make excuses.