How to sell a bike

londonlivvy

This isn't a sales post, but a question about how you go about selling a bike. I've had a few people express an interest in an old bike of mine and it seems only fair that they'd want to ride it, to see what it's like. But (and I could be being a bit London paranoid here), do you just let someone ride off with your bike? Or do you ask for a deposit of some description? Or what?

Clearly if it's a friend / acquaintance there's no problem, but when it's a random stranger and you want to be a fair seller but equally don't want to get stung, what do people recommend?


Thanks.

tailwindhome

If they've driven to your place you could ask for their car keys as deposit. Failing that it wouldn't be inappropriate to ask for the full cash as a deposit.

A geniune buyer won't be put off by this.

Don't be embarassed into "letting go of both ends of the string"

You may also (and I don't mean to be sexist or paranoid) but if you live alone you may want to think about having a mate there when buyers come rouind.

Fireblade96

As well as asking for their car keys / current bike / driving licence / passport / ... as deposit, take a photo of them with your phone / digital camera before allowing a test ride.
No honest buyer will complain about this.

(this is what I've done when selling motorbikes in the past. I've never sold a bicycle, which explains the somewhat cluttered state of my shed)

jeremyrundle

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

rolf_f

jeremyrundle wrote:

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

Good point. The only solution is to fit a rack and sit on it while the prospective purchaser test rides the bike.

waddlie

Rolf F wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

Good point. The only solution is to fit a rack and sit on it while the prospective purchaser test rides the bike.

walkingbootweather

I bought an expensive second hand bike last year. Since I visited the sellers home I volunteered my car keys as security. I wouldn't have done that if we'd had met elsewhere or I may never have seen my car again.
You could ride out together on seperate bikes.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Accept a wallet/keys/something as security. In truth, though, 99% of people who can be bothered to come to your house to view/test ride a bike are probably interested in the bike, and only be bike. If* you're going to end up thieved out of house and home/down one ski sock/chained in a cellar forever I'd say it's more likely to happen some other way**


*Always read the small print
**This is not and should not to taken as a guarantee.

itboffin

Greg66 wrote:

Accept a wallet/keys/something as security. In truth, though, 99% of people who can be bothered to come to your house to view/test ride a bike are probably interested in the bike, and only be bike. If* you're going to end up thieved out of house and home/down one ski sock/chained in a cellar forever I'd say it's more likely to happen some other way**


*Always read the small print
**This is not and should not to taken as a guarantee.

Psssst did you see the 54cm S1 Alu for sale in classifieds?

jeremyrundle

Rolf F wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

Good point. The only solution is to fit a rack and sit on it while the prospective purchaser test rides the bike.

No the solution is that you ask for payment up front and fefund it when he/she returns it in as good a condition if they don't want it! :!: rather than a silly idea of sitting on it with him.

rolf_f

Oh dear

dhope

Rolf F wrote:

Oh dear

Whoosh :roll:

rjsterry

jeremyrundle wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

Good point. The only solution is to fit a rack and sit on it while the prospective purchaser test rides the bike.

No the solution is that you ask for payment up front and fefund it when he/she returns it in as good a condition if they don't want it! :!: rather than a silly idea of sitting on it with him.

Just to look at it from the other point of view, you don't want to scare potential buyers off. Whilst the above sounds great for the vendor, I'd be seriously wary of handing over a few hundred quid to a stranger then taking an unknown bike for a test ride - one might return to find the 'owner' had disappeared, especially of the bike is actually a crock. Ditto with leaving a credit card. Something that is obviously valuable to you, but not necessarily to the vendor (house keys if he/she doesn't have your address perhaps) would be better.

notsoblue

jeremyrundle wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

Good point. The only solution is to fit a rack and sit on it while the prospective purchaser test rides the bike.

No the solution is that you ask for payment up front and fefund it when he/she returns it in as good a condition if they don't want it! :!: rather than a silly idea of sitting on it with him.

What if you're selling a tandem? Not silly then, is it?

hatbeard

I'd say the best way to go about this is to eschew all talk of money which is frankly just not done in civilised circles and instead allow a test ride on the condition that the rider is tethered to you by a long length of rope.

for a decent test ride I would allow for roughly 300m of rope.

obviously the cost of purchasing said rope could be factored into the overall sale amount but really everyone should have at least one test-ride tether (patent pending) in their home anyways so it's a necessary purchase imo.

SimonAH

Or....I think you may have just inspired a new sport - bungee sprinting!

Bungee cord attached to immovable object and to rider's waist. At the blow of the whistle see how far you can get before bike and rider are ripped from the ground and fly back horizontally in the direction from which they came!

It would be the first known use for full suss 120lb BSOs

hatbeard

SimonAH wrote:

Or....I think you may have just inspired a new sport - bungee sprinting!

Bungee cord attached to immovable object and to rider's waist. At the blow of the whistle see how far you can get before bike and rider are ripped from the ground and fly back horizontally in the direction from which they came!

It would be the first known use for full suss 120lb BSOs

are you referring to the test-ride tether sport (patent pending) coming q3 2011

notsoblue

hatbeard wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Or....I think you may have just inspired a new sport - bungee sprinting!

Bungee cord attached to immovable object and to rider's waist. At the blow of the whistle see how far you can get before bike and rider are ripped from the ground and fly back horizontally in the direction from which they came!

It would be the first known use for full suss 120lb BSOs

are you referring to the test-ride tether sport (patent pending) coming q3 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLeBHI3L ... r_embedded

--The Buddy Hitch
--The Bicyclebungee
--The Wheelsucker's Helper
--The Umbilidork Cord

(Courtesy of Bikesnob: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2010/12 ... thing.html)

jeremyrundle

notsoblue wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

Good point. The only solution is to fit a rack and sit on it while the prospective purchaser test rides the bike.

No the solution is that you ask for payment up front and fefund it when he/she returns it in as good a condition if they don't want it! :!: rather than a silly idea of sitting on it with him.

What if you're selling a tandem? Not silly then, is it?

But then you wouldn't be "fitting a rack" as was stated..................

jeremyrundle

notsoblue wrote:

hatbeard wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Or....I think you may have just inspired a new sport - bungee sprinting!

Bungee cord attached to immovable object and to rider's waist. At the blow of the whistle see how far you can get before bike and rider are ripped from the ground and fly back horizontally in the direction from which they came!

It would be the first known use for full suss 120lb BSOs

are you referring to the test-ride tether sport (patent pending) coming q3 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLeBHI3L ... r_embedded

--The Buddy Hitch

Just like a woman to need the help :twisted:

CyclingBantam

rjsterry wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

Good point. The only solution is to fit a rack and sit on it while the prospective purchaser test rides the bike.

No the solution is that you ask for payment up front and fefund it when he/she returns it in as good a condition if they don't want it! :!: rather than a silly idea of sitting on it with him.

Just to look at it from the other point of view, you don't want to scare potential buyers off. Whilst the above sounds great for the vendor, I'd be seriously wary of handing over a few hundred quid to a stranger then taking an unknown bike for a test ride - one might return to find the 'owner' had disappeared, especially of the bike is actually a crock. Ditto with leaving a credit card. Something that is obviously valuable to you, but not necessarily to the vendor (house keys if he/she doesn't have your address perhaps) would be better.

This is something to be very aware of. I handed over cash and my car keys and I never saw the guy again. I was absolutely gutted.

He didn't even bring the bike back.

tailwindhome

BenBlyth wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

Good point. The only solution is to fit a rack and sit on it while the prospective purchaser test rides the bike.

No the solution is that you ask for payment up front and fefund it when he/she returns it in as good a condition if they don't want it! :!: rather than a silly idea of sitting on it with him.

Just to look at it from the other point of view, you don't want to scare potential buyers off. Whilst the above sounds great for the vendor, I'd be seriously wary of handing over a few hundred quid to a stranger then taking an unknown bike for a test ride - one might return to find the 'owner' had disappeared, especially of the bike is actually a crock. Ditto with leaving a credit card. Something that is obviously valuable to you, but not necessarily to the vendor (house keys if he/she doesn't have your address perhaps) would be better.

This is something to be very aware of. I handed over cash and my car keys and I never saw the guy again. I was absolutely gutted.

He didn't even bring the bike back.

I'm confused


How did he end up with the cash, your car keys and the bike

rjsterry

TailWindHome wrote:

BenBlyth wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Would you let someone test drive your car without you!

Good point. The only solution is to fit a rack and sit on it while the prospective purchaser test rides the bike.

No the solution is that you ask for payment up front and fefund it when he/she returns it in as good a condition if they don't want it! :!: rather than a silly idea of sitting on it with him.

Just to look at it from the other point of view, you don't want to scare potential buyers off. Whilst the above sounds great for the vendor, I'd be seriously wary of handing over a few hundred quid to a stranger then taking an unknown bike for a test ride - one might return to find the 'owner' had disappeared, especially of the bike is actually a crock. Ditto with leaving a credit card. Something that is obviously valuable to you, but not necessarily to the vendor (house keys if he/she doesn't have your address perhaps) would be better.

This is something to be very aware of. I handed over cash and my car keys and I never saw the guy again. I was absolutely gutted.

He didn't even bring the bike back.

I'm confused


How did he end up with the cash, your car keys and the bike

"Right, I'll just go and get the bike out of the car. I'll only be a minute" <sound of car starting and pulling off>.

A hard way to learn that lesson for sure. Maybe 'bring a mate' should apply to the prospective buyer as well.

CyclingBantam

Woosh...

rolf_f

rjsterry wrote:

Something that is obviously valuable to you, but not necessarily to the vendor (house keys if he/she doesn't have your address perhaps) would be better.

Or your liver. Saves worrying about getting locked out if you give him your keys.