Hi, my name is Tony Bandalos.
When I was 13 years-old I worked my butt off delivering newspapers.
I hated working for pennies (literally). So, I started looking for new ways to make extra money on the side.
One day, my father says, why don't I show you how to buy and sell scooters?
I thought it was a great idea, and it was funny because at the time, my stepfather was actually planning to give me his scooter, so it worked out great as this was my first money making deal.
I repaired a couple little scratches and dents, gave it a quick rattle can spray paint job and then bought an ad in the local Pennysaver that read…
1994 Honda Elite Scooter: $2,500 New -
For Sale: $1,200.00
Call 888-111-2222
I paid about $35 for the ad. (this was when paper ads were big, no online classifieds at this time lol).
Two days later I got my first call.
The guy loved it and offered $900.00 BIG ONES!! On the spot… and I took it!
During those days, I didn’t know how to counter-offer…
I was a 13 year-old kid, what do you expect? ;)… If I did, I probably would have got $1,100 for it easily.
But, it was 100% profit for a few hours of work; fixing cracks and a can of spray paint from Home Depot… Not too shabby for a young kid.
From that point on I flipped mopeds like hot cakes…
making as much as $1,500.00 profit and more in a single month!
I was picking up small bikes and scooters left and right, doing light fixes and profiting big time!
Here's a 1989 Yamaha YSR 50 that I picked up when I was 13 just after I started my business.