Which Brand(s)

[mxracer]

My brother and I are planning on opening a R/C shop! But the big Question is which brands to sell?? I was thinking Traxxas in a must, AE, HPI. LOSI, and some others but may be missing some really bid ones!! I plan to make a mini track inside and have some other shops do the same so we can have a little series going on!! What do y'all think???? Am I missing something IMPORTANT or not important!! ANYTHING WOULD BE HELPFULL!!

 

[RC Addict]

I would suggest checking with your distribution channel in Canada to see what you can and can't get reasonably and go from there. I would say, however, that you have the top four covered with the ones you listed. If there is interest in crawlers in your area I would think about carrying Axial as well. Good luck in your venture!

 

[Amoeba]

Good luck!

One thing to consider is the up-front costs you'll be looking at. Most manufacturers require an initial minimum lot order size of $10k+ to get the wholesale dealer rates. While this is worthwhile for the bigger names (Traxxas/Losi/HPI) it can really cut down on the brands you will end up carrying just due to the up-front costs. The brands you carry also depends a lot on your local market. For example, if you've got a healthy on-road scene in your area HPI is a given but Yokohama is another one to consider. Same with Crawlers and Axial etc.

I'd suggest contacting some of the lesser known brands and see if you might be able to become a distributor for a cheaper up-front buy in. You might consider Redcat Racing as I know Darin is actively looking for LHS to carry them and the buy in commitment is minimal.

Either way, good luck and hope it gets going!

 

[mxracer]

My brother has 3 bycical shops one kayak shop and one "Rack"shop on the go Right now so I don't think getting 10k would be that hard!! Are those chinese brands you talking about(I think there chinese) durable or are they preety weak???

 

[RC Addict]

Redcat isn't Chinese. They are domestic and are just getting some exposure. They have some pretty nice rigs. They are at www.redcatracing.com. Check 'em out...

 

[hvymetalalchmst]

not quiet manufacturers, but try stocking some batteries. i hate it when the hobby shop doesn't carry batteries then you ahve to go travel another 20min to somehwere else which stocks some decent nimhs. i was looking round for cheap batteries and noticed varta, i think it was, was looking for distributers around the world. I've heard vartas are good and reliable.

you might also like to consider stocking some necessesary tools, such as hexs, screwdrivers, etc.

good luck.