Finding Good Electric Scooter Retailers in Australia

Choosing an electric scooter retailer in Australia can be hard. By the time you’ve weighed up what you want, cross-referenced that with what you need, read the reviews & watched the videos, found where you can buy your e-scooter, and found the best price and the fastest shipping, you’re exhausted. Factor in complicated, shifting, legislation that changes depending on where you live, and you’ll find buying the right electric scooter can be quite hard. 

What makes it even harder is deciding on the best retailer from whom to buy the e-scooter. There are a lot of options out there, and with places to choose from, it’s getting hard to separate out the good from the bad, the excelling from the under-performers, and the genuine good value from the good face-value.

To help out, we at Rider Guide have done our research on the situation in Australia and decided to partner with Electric Kicks for this Australian guide on how to choose the best electric scooter retailer. We’ll focus on how to evaluate a good retailer first, then let you know about Electric Kicks at the end, at which point the facts and track record can speak for themselves.

Let’s jump in.

Today’s retail market is tough to get right. With more and more e-scooter retailers joining the fray, the competition is fierce, and the likelihood of new retailers succeeding in an increasingly competitive market is diminishing. 

As such, it’s generally best to avoid new companies and websites. While they are still trying to establish themselves, you’ll likely find their policies & processes have kinks they are trying to iron out. You might feel like they’re using you as the proverbial guinea pig. Despite having the best of intentions, they may struggle to break into the market, and if they fail, you’ll find it difficult to claim warranty issues or get your ride serviced. This could leave you seriously out-of-pocket, meaning you have to buy a new e-scooter altogether.

A large number of the world’s most popular brands of e-scooter are already available from well-established Australian shops, so when you’re coming to choose your new electric scooter, go for a retailer that has been around for a while. They know what they are doing, have established pre- and post-purchase support, and have better knowledge of the industry.

Some of us love reading reviews, while others prefer to watch them. Whatever your preference, look for the amount of content your chosen retailer produces. 

Ideally, you want to find more than just sales content. Top 10 lists, scooter tips, maintenance advice, video reviews, and product comparisons all indicate a company that knows its stuff. 

A large amount of content shows that your retailer cares about the product. Conversely, a low amount of content shows a company focused on the sale, not about the overall customer journey.

This one is straightforward – always read the reviews. While reviews can be a double-edged sword for businesses, they give potential customers a great deal of information about who they will be dealing with. 

Look for consistencies, good or bad, in the reviews:

• Customer Service
• Shipping Times
• Product Quality
• Pricing
• After Sales Support
• Ease of Interaction

Reviews on Google are notoriously hard to remove, so if you’re looking at a business with a consistent 4.5 – 5 stars, that’s probably accurate. 

Also look for how the business responds to reviews, whether positive or negative. A healthy rate of responding to reviews is indicative of a company that cares what customers think. Because they care, they are more likely to take extra steps to ensure your e-scooter buying journey is as smooth as possible.

Reviews of the business are great, but also take a look at how they manage product reviews. You should expect to see more than just 5-star ratings. A good retailer should display reviews of all star ratings to help you get a better idea of what your ideal product will be like to own. On that note, however, if a product only has four or five star reviews, it doesn’t mean the company is hiding something from you. Some electric scooters are genuinely fantastic, and their reviews simply confirm that. 

A hot tip for the day – look for product reviews that reference both the product itself and the company from whom you’re thinking of buying. This helps make sure that the company hasn’t just copied reviews from other sites. Comparing the number of reviews the retailer says they have for a product to the actual number of reviews that you can read will help you figure out if a retailer has inflated their review numbers.

Stocking well-known brands is quite hard for retailers to manage. E-scooter brands don’t just partner with anyone. They are very careful who they allow to sell their product, only choosing to go with retailers who will support the manufacturer’s brand presence, deliver consistent sales growth, and delight customers both before and after the sale. 

So, if your retailer stocks some of the biggest e-scooter brands in the world (Segway, Apollo, Kaabo etc.) then your retailer has the seal of approval from the manufacturers. They’ve done the maths, researched the retailer themselves, and have decided that retailer offers the best overall experience in delivering their product to you.

This may be harder to spot if you’re not sure what you’re looking for, but if you see one e-scooter with a reputable brand, and then see the exact same scooter for half the price with another brand logo on it, you’re probably looking at an imitation. It’s more common than you’d think as some factories use the same e-scooter moulds for different brands, but that’s where the similarities end. Imitations generally cheap out wherever they can, whether that be on materials, technology, functionality, or safety. While you’ll save in the short term, you’ll get less power, slower speeds, and all round reduced performance. Plus, as the e-scooter is generally a cheaper build, you may find you have become the proud owner of a dud e-scooter.

Selling a brand is one thing, but being the exclusive retailer of a brand is another. Look for a store that has one or two exclusive brands that aren’t available anywhere else. Brand exclusivity is a gold-star of approval from a manufacturer, and a sign that the retailer knows what it’s doing. 

Some may know this saying: Jack of All Trades, Master of None. What you may not know is that the full phrase goes Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Still Better than a Master of One. 

So how does that apply to choosing an e-scooter retailer? A company that only sells one or two products may be experts in those products, but know comparatively little about anything else. If their products aren’t suitable for you, they can’t really help you choose something else. 

That’s why you should look for a company that has a large inventory across multiple categories. While you may only be interested in buying an electric scooter for commuting, a retailer that sells multiple models in that category will be able to go further into what would best suit your needs, and help you choose the perfect ride, rather than hoodwinking you into buying the only thing they have to sell you. 

Similarly, stores that have models ranging from kids’ scooters to ludicrous-level rockets cater to more customers, generally meaning they’ll be able to help you, your friends, and your family choose the perfect e-scooter regardless of their needs.

Some of us hate the idea of talking to people. That’s one of the reasons online stores have become so popular. However, some of us love a good chat, particularly when we’re buying something about which we don’t know much. 

With a growth in online-only businesses, phone support is an increasing rarity, and while you may not decide to use it, it’s always good to know help is only a phone call away if you need it.

Brick & Mortar stores sometimes have trouble pivoting to online sales. With significantly larger overheads and generally more staff to pay, they struggle to compete with online-first retailers in terms of price. This may lead to them overcharging, sneaking in costs such as shipping, or minimising value-adds such as phone support. 

Online businesses generally are built with digital in mind, and have smaller teams. That doesn’t mean you get less support -- online businesses with phone support can offer you the exact same level of service and a great deal. While you may have to wait a little longer to have your e-scooter delivered, you’ll generally find a combination of a great deal & better service makes up for it.

When buying an electric scooter, look at the retailer’s specialty. Are electric scooters their focus, or are they only part of that store’s product offering? Generally, major retailers and department stores may sell electric scooters, but their staff know comparatively little about them. That’s not ideal in the first place because you won’t get the expert advice you need to make a qualified decision. It’s also not helpful if you ever need support, as your customer service representative won’t be able to diagnose the issue.

When buying an electric scooter, look for businesses that specialise in that. It will get you a better e-scooter, and you’ll have a lot more support both before & after the sale.

Just like any other form of transport, from time to time electric scooters break down. If this happens to you, it’s important to know if you can get your e-scooter fixed. Before you purchase, take a look to make sure your retailer offers servicing, and has a way of getting replacement parts should you need them. Some bigger retailer outlets that sell e-scooters among other forms of technology, such as TVs, computers, phones, & other electronics, may not have the capability to do this, and if your ride breaks down, you could be left stranded with a broken e-scooter for the long term. 

Shipping electric scooters can be expensive, and so you may find that fast shipping isn’t free, and free shipping isn’t fast. 

However, it is possible to find a few retailers, particularly online, that offer both fast & free shipping in one. If you see this, jump on it, as sometimes this can save you up to $500 on your total order.

Generally, every e-scooter sold in Australia is covered by some sort of warranty. Warranties entitle customers to a replacement or repair in the event that something goes wrong, but specifics apply, and those specifics are generally decided upon by the retailer. 

When choosing a retailer based on a warranty policy, consider whether the retailer actually has the ability to deliver on that warranty. While most should be able to replace a product, you may find you have to wait for this to happen, particularly if that product is end-of-line, not stocked anymore, or out-of-stock. If this is the case, your only option is to attempt to repair the item, but as mentioned above, some retailers may not be able to offer servicing or replacement parts. This leaves you with a dud e-scooter, which isn’t particularly helpful. 

A warranty policy is great, but the ability to deliver on that policy is even better.

While this is quite an extensive list, and you may be thinking “How am I meant to find someone who offers all that?” It's actually surprisingly easy. You don’t have to pick and choose from the above list or compromise on what’s most important to you. 

Electric Kicks Founder Chris Gryg found a different kind of love story while on holiday with partner Cassie in Paris. After jumping on e-scooters to see the sights, the thing that ended up impressing them the most were the scooters themselves. 

After returning to Melbourne, Chris bought his first e-scooter, a Segway Ninebot ES2. Immediately, he found getting to work less of a hassle. His commute was shorter, he had more freedom to pop out for odd jobs and short trips, and he was able to leave the car at home. 

It wasn’t long before friends and family wanted their own scooters, so Chris began to import electric scooters in bulk, selling them from his home. More and more people noticed, and Chris realised there was a genuine gap in the market. It was then, back in 2018, that Electric Kicks was founded. 

Chris vowed Electric Kicks would be different, and set about building a business that put customer service first every time. After building a team that supported his vision, helped him cement pre- and post-sale customer support, and marched towards being the best of the best, the positive reviews came rolling in. Electric Kicks embarked on a rapid trajectory of growth.

Jumping forward to 2023, Electric Kicks has grown into the biggest and highest-rated online retailer of electric scooters. Alongside that, they also sell electric bikes, e-dirt bikes, gokarts, & more. Exclusive partnerships with exciting brands such as Apollo, Kaabo, & Aventon have helped them cut out a firm corner in the market. 

Today, Electric Kicks offers some of the most popular electric scooter brands in Australia, from Segway to Apollo to Kaabo to EMOVE and more. Their approach of putting the customer first has earned them over 300 five-star reviews, and a dedicated phone support team ensures that customers of all types can get the help they need when they need it. 

The phone support and willingness to hop on a call and provide highly customised advice is one of the things that has most impressed us at ESG. You can give them a call by clicking this link! 

Electric Kicks focuses heavily on content production, including high-quality video reviews & extensive buying guides. Their knowledge of their product and their industry shines through, and it is one of the main reasons Rider Guide has chosen to partner with them. 

Electric Kicks offers all of the above. From a large product range & exclusive brands to full warranty & servicing, there’s a reason why Electric Kicks has become the number one online destination for electric scooters in Australia. 

Experience the Electric Kicks difference today by visiting electrickicks.com.au and Get Your Kicks!