Best way to sell a bike asap?

lawman · January 2015

Due to a need for some cash pretty quick, I need to sell one of my MTBs, and it's looking likely my Ibis is facing the axe. I do need the cash and given its age and "retro" 26er wheels I think it's time to move it on before its value plumets even further. My dilemma is how would be best to sell it? Do I sell it complete at a decent price below the value of the sum of its parts to move it as a whole and hope it goes quick, or would it be best to split it down and sell frame/components separately? Think I'd get more cash splitting it but it's more hassle and potentially could take longer? What do you folks think?

Antm81 · January 2015

I spent an long time trying to sell my old trance for a decent amount and had no joy. Stripped it and sold all the major components within a week and got a lot more than I was asking for the bike whole, let alone what I got offered.

The Rookie · January 2015

Stick it on ebay and gumtree...

Or break it and sell as components as suggested.

Dick Scruttock · January 2015

Put it on eBay, pinkbike and Singletrackworld.

oxocube1 · January 2015

I had a similar situation recently with selling my HT. I could not really be bothered to split it down and sell the parts separately as you have to keep track of a numbers of different sales at once and there will always be those 1 or 2 parts that don't sell. With a bike like yours I'd imagine you would get a lot of interest fairly quickly.

I personally avoided eBay due to losing out 10% (plus the 3-5% if you go through Paypal) of the sale. Like Rick said, PB, STW, and BikeRadar.

lawman · January 2015

Thanks for the imput chaps, will list the bike as complete for a great price and hope it shifts quick, if not I'll go down the splitting route

iwilldoit · January 2015

How much you asking for it and what frame size is it ?

Be a lot of people on here that might be interested

The Rookie · January 2015

There is also the 'MTB trader' group of facebook and you may have a local group as well.

lawman · January 2015

iwilldoit wrote:

How much you asking for it and what frame size is it ?

Be a lot of people on here that might be interested

It's a medium and ideally I'm after £1500 for it, which tbh I think is a steal!

lawman · January 2015

The Rookie wrote:

There is also the 'MTB trader' group of facebook and you may have a local group as well.

Cheers for the heads up, I'm on a few groups but I'll have a look around and see if I can find any more local-ish ones

ilovedirt · January 2015

I've sold a few bikes recently, advertised at what I considered to be fair prices, and nobody bit (with the exception of the saracen), I ended up having to break them and sell as parts. Much more faff, but I got the money I was after, and most stuff went fairly quickly.

Cody · January 2015

I sold my Carrera Fury 2011 Model in pristine condition. Owned it almost 2 years and rode it I'd say around 200-250 miles. I gave it a thorough clean one day in March 2013, I cleaned every nook and cranny where I could see dirt etc then had it advertised on Gumtree and eBay and also on here for about 2 weeks. I was getting offers on here from people all around the country but I just could not be bothered to package it and organise a courier.

So I had a buyer turn up from Baildon, some keen cycle enthusiasts who offered me £30 less than what I was asking for. I then had another buyer come a week later who said he had been watching it and it was the bike he was looking for and read a lot of reviews. I made a deal with him, sold it for £330 making a loss of £80 even though I only paid £410 for it in the sale down from £640, I still think I lost a lot of money, but then again I rode it in all weather and made good use out of it. But I would have rather have given it to the enthusiasts as they seemed to know what they were talking about and would have looked aftered it.

I'd recommend eBay if it's a bike that's in demand or what people might want. Be prepared for silly offers way below the asking price and it's usually people who have loaded bank accounts and are looking to save a pound or two and think they can get lucky, or it could be some youngsters who like the look but, can't afford it. Try to organise a courier for someone whose genuinely interested and get it packaged, get a box from Halfords and get packing. Arrange payment through PayPal via the 'Friends & Family' option, this saves you on PayPal fees and transfer costs leaving you with 100% capital.

It's not the best way, but it's one way. Try it, it could be worthwhile your time and effort.

cooldad · January 2015

Cody wrote:

Owned it almost 2 years and rode it I'd say around 200-250 miles...

...but then again I rode it in all weather and made good use out of it.

No, you didn't. In a week or two, yes. In two years, seriously?

Cody · January 2015

cooldad wrote:

Cody wrote:

Owned it almost 2 years and rode it I'd say around 200-250 miles...

...but then again I rode it in all weather and made good use out of it.

No, you didn't. In a week or two, yes. In two years, seriously?

Honestly I did own it for just or almost 2 years. Because it was kept in pristine condition, it maximised the sale value. I didn't mention to the buyer that I had the cog replaced and had an innertube replaced due to puncture. But that's all I rode in 2 years, I told you I ended up in hospital after I stopped riding cos I lost a lot of weight.

welshkev · January 2015

yeah cos changing a tube brings the value down hugely

Best way to sell a bike asap?

Comments

Categories