Evening star., 1897-01-09
BICYCLE CLEARANCE HOUSE.
Local Dealers settle General
Place for Second-Hand Wheels.

flace Tor SeCOnd-Hand W heels.
The local cycle board of trade recently
| organized, will introduce number of re-
forms in the business in the city for the
coming year, tending to protect their in
| terests. rs well the interests of the pur
chasers. The membership of the board
| takes in all but one or two dealers in the
city, and the acquisition of these into the
| ranks is expected in short order. In sign
| ing the constitution the members agree not
| to advertise ia any programs that are pub
lished, claiming that the returns do not
warrant the expenditure. New wheels can
only be bought certain terms, and any
dealer caught violating the agreement, or
fraudulently representing goods TO the pur-
chasers, is liable TO expulsion from the or
ganization, or subject to a heavy fine.
The most interesting departure projected
Is the establishment OF a bicycle clearance
house, after the manner of the cycle ba-
zaars in Europe, and more particularly in
Paris. AT these places a person can take
an old wheel and have il Sold the bazaar
charging certain commission for making
the sale. The custom has grown to such
an extent in foreign cities that if a person
Is anxious to purchase a secondhand ma
chine he goes direct to the bazaar and
makes his purchase there. getting a wheel
that he desires, with the knowledge that Il
is in good a state as its age and condi-
ton will permit.
The place in this city will be termed the
mouse, ana VIII handle nothing
but secondhand wheels of all makes. A
person desiring to trade an old wheel for
new one will take il to the dealer of
whom lie calculates purchasing the
wheel This dealer will refer him to the
clearance house. The bicyclist takes his
wheel there. and the manager of the house
will appraise its value. He will give the
rider a written statement of the value of
the machine. keeping a duplicate for him
self. Going back to the agent, he presents
the certificate of value, and will be allowed
that sum, and no more. In exchange Tn
der the plan proposed there will he no
eVading this value. If application is first
made to any dealer to exchange the old
wheel. the prospective purchaser must
visit the clearance house and get a ceriifi-
cate OF value before negotia tions can he
started If the plan works the would-be
buyer must accept the terms or else not De
able TO get wheel at ALL
If everything is satisfactory the old wheel
is taken in trade, and shipped by the dealer
back TO the clearance house. 1t is there
given some repairing and put in condition
and then offered for sale. when the ma
chine is sold the manager of the clearance
house @ill get certain comm ss,on for MS
part of the work, ard turns the balance of
the money over to the dealer who accepted
the machine in tra de. The ma na gers
profits come in through the commi ssioas
entirely, he receiving no salary at all and
actlng as a sub-ageut for all of the dealers
in the board of trade. The clearance ho;lgs
VIII be established in short time. before
the riding season fully opens and the
charSe of the place VIII be given to som.
Responsible man w.lo ii is expected will
be only too glad to take held of the matter.
How the scheme will work yet remains to
be seen. bet the board firmly baliey. that
II will work better than anticipatea. In
der thiS arrange III 1t none of the cyeie
dealers VIII handle secondhand wheels all
the trade in such Being thrown to the clear
ance house.