So, you’re ready to elevate your commute and your life with a high-powered electric scooter. You’re excited to carve city streets and race down canyon roads with the speed of a cheetah and the grace of a swan, right? But first, you need to get your hands (and feet) on an electric scooter worth riding.
Not to worry—these heavy-duty vehicles are well within your reach, whether online or in-store.
This guide will cover where to buy electric scooters for adults, including your best options for the highest-quality ride. So strap on your helmet and plant those feet—we’re about to take off.
#1 Shopping Online: Easy Access from Anywhere In The World
In the age of the internet, you can find just about anything online. And unlike the early days of browsing and buying, the world wide web is now a highly reliable platform for big-ticket purchases like vehicle-grade scooters. Unfortunately, not every online store is as legitimate as they claim to be, so you have to be careful about where you put your money.
As far as buying an electric scooter online goes, you’ll want to shop from:
- First-party retailers – This will give you a direct line of communication to the supplier in case anything goes wrong with your purchase. First-party sellers can’t hide behind phony details and scam operations because they’d instantly tarnish their reputation and lose much-needed business. This is why they have an added layer of accountability and trustworthiness that third-party platforms don’t always have.
- Well-reviewed businesses – A site with a slew of bad reviews is an obvious red flag. However, a site with no reviews (and no place to leave reviews as a disgruntled customer) may be even worse. If a company doesn’t allow for reviews, they usually have something to hide. On the other hand, reviews with attached photos and even a few minor complaints were likely left by real people, not bots or phonies. Positive off-site reviews are another clear indication of a legit operation worth buying from.
- Qualified, available customer service reps – With less-than-legitimate sites, you might send a hundred emails to the “customer service” account regarding your lost package and never hear a peep in response. That’s because they have no intention of helping you (or recovering your “lost package” that likely never existed in the first place). A business with quick response times and live-chat assistance is ready and willing to come through for you as a customer.
Adhering to the highest standards of safety and quality is especially important with electronic goods like vehicles and battery packs. Lithium-ion batteries can become dangerous explosives that result in bodily injuries and property fires if they’re not made according to safety standards and regulations.
All this to say, the risk of fraudulent eCommerce sites is relatively low, especially if you’re aware of the red flags, and online shopping is still one of the most popular ways to make purchases. In 2020, online sales brought in more than $4.2 trillion across the world.
Clearly, there’s good reason for that; although, as with everything, there are a few minor drawbacks as well. Let’s take a look.
Pros of Buying Scooters Online
Who doesn’t love shopping from the comfort of their home? That’s one of the major benefits of online shopping across all industries.
But for electric scooters specifically, e-retailers offer newfound advantages:
- There are practically endless options available for purchase—far more than are available in the average brick and mortar store.
- You’re not limited by your geographic location. That means you can buy the best of the best, not just the best of what’s in front of you.
- You can read endless reviews without even switching tabs to get a real sense of how the scooter rides and handles, not some salesperson’s practiced pitch to you.
- You can easily and immediately compare specs like speed, weight, range, price, and more across your top options.
- Brands that are exclusively or almost exclusively sold online can sell at more affordable prices because they don’t have the same overhead costs as a physical location.
Cons of Buying Scooters Online
The one thing that online shopping doesn’t provide is the in-person, hands-on experience of touching, feeling, and riding your potential scooter in real-time. However, in an attempt to mitigate the impacts of this drawback, e-scooter retailers provide more than enough details about their scooters and will speak with you directly to help you make the right choice.
#2 Shopping At Stores: In-Person Test Drives on Fewer Top Options
eCommerce sales climb steadily year over year, but that doesn’t mean brick and mortar locations are crumbling right in front of our eyes. However, there are only so many in-person retailers that sell the type of high-quality scooters you’re looking for—and the number is pretty small.
With the explosion of online retailers and the massive growth in eCommerce sales, these highly specialized stores have a hard time staying afloat. Still, there are a few pros and cons to keep in mind before you discount in-person shopping right away.
Pros of Buying Scooters In-Store
Naturally, the major drawback of online shopping is the most significant benefit of visiting a store in person: you can take it for a test drive to get the full experience firsthand. That is, if you’re allowed. Some locations likely have test models available but some may not let you leave the store with them. In that case, you can still get a good sense of the look and feel of the scooter, but this pro becomes more of a neutral point.
The other benefits of in-store scooter shopping are similar to those of online shopping:
- You can speak to a qualified expert who should know all about the scooter’s specs and how it stacks up against other brands. However, at a store with so many varied products on the floor, the salesperson might not retain the same level of expertise as with a specialized shop (in-person or online) for one dedicated scooter brand.
- You can usually browse more than one brand and compare your options across top sellers.
Cons of Buying Scooters In-Store
The biggest difference between buying in-store and online is that brick and mortar locations don’t have that whole “worldwide” aspect to draw from:
- You’re limited to the scooters available for sale in your city. Most brick and mortar stores can’t possibly stock every single scooter option out there, meaning they limit your choices right out of the gate.
- It’s hard to get an unbiased opinion from a salesperson with an agenda. On the internet, on the other hand, the opinions are crowdsourced from a range of people, leading to a more honest rating.
- You may find yourself driving all across the state or province to test out different models at different stores. That’s a lot more effort than just switching between open tabs on your computer browser.
As for what stores have electric scooters to begin with, they’re few and far between.
#3 Shopping Third-Party: Wide Variety but Limited Expertise or Accountability
When it comes to third-party sellers, there are two distinct categories to keep in mind with very different reputations:
Even for the types of third-party retailers we know and love, there are still arguments to be made both for and against shopping this way.
Pros of Buying Scooters from Third-Party Sellers
Most notably, third-party platforms usually have the kind of variety that you would find in the average brick-and-mortar retailer. You’ll be able to browse several—though not all—high-end options and compare specs rather easily. Additionally, you may luck out with seasonal sales and discounts that only larger corporations tend to offer.
Cons of Buying Scooters from Third-Party Sellers
With third-party sellers, you won’t have access to the first-party pros that the scooter company offers directly. Beyond that, the downsides include:
- The third-party retailers you’re buying from tend to have little to no expertise on the various brands you’re browsing through. In fact, they may not offer any type of customer service at all on products that aren’t directly under their brand’s umbrella.
- You may have a harder time getting assistance or service on your purchased product because the manufacturer warranty may only apply if you buy directly from the source. Some third-party sellers will offer the same warranty or their own slightly altered version, but some may not—be aware of this when shopping online.
#4 Shopping Pop-Ups: In-Person Access but Only for a Limited Time
Who doesn’t love a little exclusivity? Limited-time pop-up stores are a great way for brands to boost buzz around their product launches and offer the best of both worlds: an in-person test drive with all the expertise that comes directly from first-party sellers.
If you want to know where to buy electric scooters in Canada, specifically, you’ll be excited to hear about Apollo’s cross-country pop-up locations in Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto.
So how do these stack up against other ways of shopping? Let’s find out.
Pros of Buying Scooters at Pop-Up Events
Pop-up stores and temporary test drive locations are fun, exciting ways to try out a scooter for yourself. Here’s what you’ll love about them:
- You get an up-close and personal view of the scooters you’re interested in as well as an accurate understanding of how it handles. You can make an informed choice after reading the specs and experiencing them firsthand.
- You can speak with brand experts to compare products and learn the ins and outs of each option. Unlike in-person stores that feature several different brands, these exclusive events are for one scooter company only.
- You can enjoy a sense of camaraderie within the e-scooter community that can be hard to come by online. You can compare experiences and products with other riders.
Cons of Buying Scooters at Pop-Up Events
Aside from the fact that these events are few and far between—both on the calendar and on the map—pop-up shops can add a layer of stress to the buying experience. With all the excitement and pressure to purchase, you may not have the time and space to fully mull over your decision. However, you can always test it out in person then make your purchase online after thinking it through.
Where Can I Buy Electric Scooters from Apollo?
For an electric scooter worth riding, you’ll want to buy from Apollo. But how?
In line with our goal of making high-quality, high-powered scooters more accessible, we’ve made them available to you from a number of platforms and places:
- The Apollo Scooters website – Ride the wave of the future and shop online at apolloscooters.co. Compare options, chat with our scooter specialists, and access free shipping across Canada and the U.S.
- Our test drive locations or pop-up events – Canadians and travelers can book a test ride at one of our exclusive locations, including Vancouver, Montreal, or Toronto to feel the power of an Apollo for themselves.
- Our partner distributors – Shop the Apollo Explore and Apollo Phantom exclusively from our partners, fluidfreeride—either online or at their showroom in Miami, Florida. You can also find our best-selling scooters in distribution locations across the continent.
Now that you know where to get electric scooters, it’s time to put your passion into practice and get behind the handlebars of a truly phenomenal vehicle. Shop Apollo for high-quality products and higher-powered scooters, no matter where you get them from.
Sources:
Electrical Safety First. Over 7 Million Brits Set To Purchase An E-Bike Or E-Scooter This Year As Charity Warns Consumers To Shop Safely. https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2020/07/over-7-million-brits-set-to-purchase-an-e-bike-or-e-scooter-this-year-as-charity-warns-consumers-to-shop-safely/
Statista. E-commerce worldwide – Statistics & Facts. https://www.statista.com/topics/871/online-shopping/
U.S. Department of Commerce. Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales: 1st Quarter 2021. https://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf
