NEW
PIONEERS
MX Locker Founder, Ryan Amoils
MX Locker Founder, Ryan Amoils
by Rick Doughty
This series aims to highlight the various entrepreneurs in the motorcycle space who have achieved success despite taking unconventional approaches to their ventures. One such individual is Ryan Amoils. While his name is not widely known, his company is. MX Locker is still a relatively new undertaking, but it is growing rapidly, which is exactly why I reached out to him for this series debut.
If you are not familiar with MX Locker, it is a marketplace hub to buy and sell gear, parts, and more. What started with a motorcycle focus has expanded into ATV and UTV machines as well. MX Locker is also expanding beyond the US. The natural assumption might be that MX Locker is a spin-off concept, funded by a venture capital group, housed in a skyscraper in NYC. That, as they say, couldn’t be farther from the truth. Turns out that the brains behind the business is a twenty-something young man from South Africa. Seems as though South Africa is fertile ground for overachievers like Grant Langston, Greg Albertyn, and, oh yeah, Elon Musk.
Ryan Amoils graciously made time in his day to discuss all things MX Locker, past, present, and future.
Motobilia– So Ryan how did MX Locker get started?
Ryan– When I was in high school, I wanted to own expensive sneakers without paying the high prices. I created an online platform to buy, sell and trade collectible sneakers. It wasn’t a business, really, as much as it was a means for me to have access to cool, otherwise unaffordable sneakers. It was fun to create something and I found the process interesting.
Motobilia– So how did you go from sneakers to motocross gear?
Ryan– I have always liked to ride and love high-end gear. During Covid I was in Gainesville, Florida, going to the university. I had some time on my hands, so I put together a similar platform that was moto-oriented. I didn’t know if it would work, but I wanted to give it a try. It was slow at first, and I had my doubters telling me that it would never work because I was competing with eBay. My father gave me a year to reach a certain goal, and if I couldn’t do that, I had to go back to pursuing college.
Motobilia– You obviously achieved the goal.
Ryan– I did. That is when things started to roll. I was able to meet some great industry folks like Hylton Beattie from Parts Unlimited (another South African transplant). He was very encouraging. Through him, I was able to meet Jeff Emig, who has given us a great deal of credibility. We have been growing ever since.
Motobilia– When you mention growth, do you mean with staff or warehouse space?
Ryan– Actually, we keep both staff and warehousing to a minimum. Our business model is based on the least amount of product handling we can do. We prefer that the transactions happen between the buyer and seller.
Motobilia– I understand that, but I have seen you promote a boot trade-in program where folks can trade in their used boots to MX Locker and get a credit towards a new pair.
Ryan– That is true, but it is an exception to the basic model. We are always trying new things to see what works best. That has worked pretty well.
Motobilia– So where do you see MX Locker in five years?
Ryan– I would like to develop our ATV and UTV markets more fully and expand our global footprint. We have proven the concept works; we just have to stay focused on making the user experience as good as it can be. We really study our data to chart our path forward.
Motobilia– You are an amazing young man, Ryan, and we wish you and MX Locker all the best. Give our regards to Elon!
