Dropper post selling advice.

reaperactual

I have a brand new, unused Dropper post to sell that came fitted to my new hardtail. Reason for sale is its simply too high for me when fully inserted into seatpost. Had it stuck in a cupboard for close to a year and have been reluctant to sell it and it's a shame as would like someone to enjoy it. Worries are because it's branded as Kore and not seen any replacement parts listed for this brand.

Is it worth advertising it? Would this lack of available parts put a buyer off? How long should an average dropper usually work properly before needing attention or parts?

I'd be happy to take it back for a refund but what would be a reasonable warranty period for a fair compromise to me and possible new buyer?

Really don't know anything about service life or expected performance over the long term so any suggestions would be appreciated and help me decide whether to sell it or not.

steve_sordy

I don't know anything about the Kore droppers, but I have had quite a few Reverbs, a KS i7, another KS ( i30 this time). And my grandson had a Brand-X on his old bike and another one on his current bike.

What I would say is that you can expect to get two years out of them, either because they last two years or you get another one if they fail before the two years are up. I have had a few that failed a month or so after the two year period. They went from flawless to failure in the space of two weeks. One failed a week before the two years, the replacement lasted for another two before I sold the bike and it was still going strong two years after that before I lost touch with the guy. If you get more than two years it is a bonus!

I have seen it recommended to get them serviced after one year. But that can be £80-£90. It might be worth if for a Reverb, but not for a Brand -X that you bought on offer for £100.

I have experienced expensive droppers (Reverbs) and cheap ones too (Brand-X). My view would be to go cheap, do the minimum servicing and then when it fails throw it away and buy another. My ar$e cannot tell the difference, but my wallet can!

As for selling, I would see what the current prices are for a brand new one, including delivery, then advertise at half price with all the background you gave above. It should fly.

If you don't need the money, the alternative is to wait until you get a different bike with a shorter seat tube.

reaperactual

Thanks Steve. I'll take it as anyone who may buy the dropper will be aware of how long it would be expected to last.

Will be selling it in auction format and minimum bid plus p+p which will be half of a Brand X on sale price. The standard 90 day money back guarantee would be fair just in case of an unlikely scenario of a problem.

Happy to think that someone will appreciate it and feel they have got a bargain too. Not about the money but an extra £60ish quid in the bike kitty won't go a miss either.

Going to stick with a rigid post as I'm used to it but one day I'll have to admit how good droppers are and maybe even finally go tubeless too!🤔🙊

Thanks for the advice, as always, much appreciated Steve. 😎👍

steve_sordy

I used to sell in auction format on eBay. I once sold a bike frame, starting at 99p! I was lucky on that occasion, but you have to know the market. Try searching on eBay for what you are selling, not just a Kore dropper, but droppers in general and get a feel for what they are being sold for and how (auction, buy it now...).

If you start at a very low price to excite interest and only one person is interested, then you lose out! There has to be some demand for an auction format to work. What I was thinking of initially was to post a "Buy it Now" price and for the item to auto relist if unsold after 30 days.

Personally I would not offer a 90-day guarantee, but if you are comfy with that, it is worth adding on something to the price, as it is very generous for an eBay listing.

Whenever I auction, I always opt for a 10-day listing and provide loads of information and pictures, all the stuff that YOU would want to know. The usual caveats with people contacting you during the listing to see if the can short circuit the process as they are usually scams of one kind or another.

My favourite "be wary" story happened to a friend of mine who sold his top of the range Fox 36 fork. It was faultless and superbly maintained by him. The buyer returned it as faulty and was refunded. When my mate got the fork back it was indeed faulty, but only because some rusty old kn4ckered lowers had been substituted for his pristine originals! It's a bit like swapping the engine from a hire car with your kn4ckerd and tired old engine.

reaperactual

Not very experienced on selling, only sold some small items so far. I will put it at a low starting bid as it sounds exciting to do it that way.

I'll forget about any extra guarantee as confident dropper will work fine and most issues seem to be caused by poor fitting and/or set up.

No short cuts with the process and all above board so both parties are covered according to guidelines.

Going all out on descriptions, measurements and make it clear that about their responsibility to be sure it will fit, just like I would want to read if I was buying it.

Thanks for the 'be wary' story and I agree lots of scammers out there and will do my best not to be a victim. Thank you again Steve.👍👍

reaperactual

Quick update:

Thanks for the advice Steve.👍 Put my dropper post on an eBay auction for a starting bid of £35+£8 p&p for 7 days.

Sold in the end for £80 all in and received gratefull, positive feedback. Very happy with what I got and that all went well.😎