Hello everyone. I am a trained welder/fabricator, and I have been
doing the bike thing for some time. I don't have a website up yet,
but it's comeing real soon. :)

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone has any advice for me. I am
looking to start my own business building and selling recumbent
bicycles (not ones based on the bentech design, thouh I do build
them for myself and freinds), and am unfortunately unfamiliar with
the legal aspects of the thing.

This is what I was thinking: I could get myself licensed as a
seller of sporting goods, then buy the bikes from myself and slap my
company name on them. (This to avoid any possible problems that may
come from being licensed as a manufacturer.) Or, if I have to,
getting licensed as a manufacturer.

I don't know if I have to get any type of liability insurance, what
type of facilities I would be required to have (as a manufacturer
with no employees other than myself), if the law would require me to
have warrantees for periods beyond 30 days(or any warrantees at all
for that matter). Also, I have no knowledge of what regulations
regarding the manufacture of bicycles require. (Must each bike be
stamped with a unique identifying number? Must that number have a
certain amount of digits? Must it be registered with any government
agencies prior to sale? Must the frame meet other requirements?
That sort of thing.)

This post is very much off topic, and for that I apologize. I have
searched the internet daily for hours at a time for answers to these
questions, but it appears to be a snipe hunt. I have limited
resources, so I would like to gather as much information as possible
regarding this matter before I make any decisions and consult with
an attorney.

Does anyone have any advice? Any references to reading materials,
websites, etc? All responses will be appreciated much.

Thanks.


paxtonquigley@...