Geez......I am just happy to have someone who is willing to supply the hard-to-get parts for my car....The Fiero Store has been great every time I have dealt with them...Knowledgeable, friendly and helpful....I hope they are managing well and making a decent profit......Their prices are generally very good!
What a strange topic. It is nobody else's concern what the owners of TFS make or don't make at the end of the day.
They are providing a unique service for hard to find parts, at reasonable prices, for a dwindling and notoriously cheap client base. Like Cliff and Rodney, they deserve our financial support so that years from now they can justify to stick around and keep helping to make sure these cars can stay on the road. How much or how little money they make is absolutely nobody's business, unless they bring it up and wish to discuss it with strangers.
I agree that $4 million number sounds way off. First on the average spend, I have owned a Fiero for 8 years (multiple Fieros most of that time) and probably only bought stuff from the Fiero Store 3 of those years. Why, because I don't by stuff when I don't need it. In the years I did buy stuff from the Fiero Store, it was probably a few hundred dollars per year.
I love the Fiero Store but I am not going to buy stuff I do not need. There are many costs you are not taking into account, employers have to pay payroll tax and benefits so a 50k employee costs an employer a lot more then 50k. Did you know TFS apparel is actually licensed by GM? That costs money. That is why I don't buy any of the crap counterfeit stuff that people are making in their garages, its unfair to the Fiero Store.
I agree with your initial assessment that the Fiero Store is likely making enough to cover salaries and expenses and maybe a few hundred thousand on top.
I can see the 4,000,000.00 figure as the gross sales for a year but not profit for a year. And the markup on a lot of their products probably runs anywhere up to 40%. So I think they are doing OK and hope they continue to do so. I have spent about 5,000.00 on TFS products but that is spread over 12 years or so.
I've got old receipts from my car's previous owner from 2001 and 2002 and they say Leader Industries on them, so I don't think their diversification is a new thing. I thought they had stuff for some imports also? Hondas, etc? Maybe I am mis-remembering though.
I've had my Fiero for fifteen years and I'd guess for maybe 8 or 9 of those years I didn't buy anything from the Fiero Store. It all depends on my needs.... I don't need Fiero specific items all the time, and most common non-Fiero parts are available locally (in other words, I'm not paying for expensive shipping on heavy or bulky items like brake rotors or starters or a radiator if I can buy them here instead). But for the Fiero-specific stuff I've needed - trunk carpeting, switches and emblems, various fasteners, door sill fascia, fastback taillights, stainless-steel brake and transmission tubing, emergency-brake cables, etc, etc (too many to list on short notice) I don't know where I'd get that stuff if not for the Fiero Store. But I'm certain it doesn't average to $4000 or even $400 per year over fifteen years.
I remember that they used to run the Accord shop or something similar for the Honda Accord. I believe that has shut down a while back. You occasionally still see Accord parts through their ebay auctions. They seem to have added a El-Camino, chevelle, Malubu and Monte Carlo store which probably brings them a lot of money.
I'm always worried for the Fiero Store, They really do a lot for us and not many would reproduce the parts that they take the time to do. Granted they don't always have the best parts on generic parts but for the Fiero specific stuff they are pretty good in my books.
The original company was incorporated in 1983. name was changed in 1987 to Leader Industries according to secretary of State. zoom info reports $4.2 million in sales and 21 employees. owners tend to get irritated with sites trying to show how much business they do and how many employees so sometimes they just throw out meaningless numbers. and hard to know if the number of employees includes other people in unrelated businesses that Mr. Hartzog owns. he is supposedly 41. anyone want to see a picture of their building? lol.
I'm just very glad they are there, customer service has been excellent, shipping very fast. They do it right by me. Just like Rodney. If they are reading this thread maybe they want to provide some history and who makes it all happen.
I missed the thread and I don't have a dog in this fight. I've owned at least 10 Fieros over 17 years. My mother and father each owned one. I have only bought one $13 item from them. The "FIERO" 3rd brake light. My parents never bought a thing from them. Fiero owners are crazy cheap. I doubt they make crap on the site and it is just passive income at this point. Your figures are nuts to me. You can buy a whole Fiero for $2000. You can buy swapped Fieros for $2000 regularly.
The cheapness of Fieros is actually a big reason why I won't own another. I understand not getting your money back, but too many people half ass things then you end up with it when you buy it.