angus99

Hi, I’m new here and have a general question about how to sell a bike. My wife never bonded with the 2013 Ruby Compact Elite I bought her (she needs a more upright position) so we recently put it on Craigslist. It’s been ridden maybe 5 times and has perhaps 50 miles on it—absolutely pristine.

The selling options I know of include Craigslist, eBay and forums like this. I’d prefer local pickup vs breaking it down for shipping, so that would seem to limit the latter two. I’m guessing I’d never get full value on a trade-in. So are there other options to consider? Also, how real-world are the prices on bicyclebluebook?

Thanks in advance.

Flip Flop Rider

blue book is too low, price it $100 dollars higher than what you have to have for it, then negotiate

don't ship. put on craigslist and wait for contact. if people contact and ask if you'll ship, just say no. if they want it bad enough they will drive to get it

if you hear something right away, you might have priced it too low. if you hear nothing, maybe too high

and take/post good pictures. up close of the crank, the rear derail, and the stickers that show the model, size etc.

GailT

It might be worth taking it to the store where you bought it to see what they would offer on a trade - they might give you a good trade-in value and/or a good price on new bike for a repeat customer.

Bald Paul

eBay listings can state local pickup only - no shipping. Unfortunately, you'll still get a lot of responses from people who don't bother to read that part, or will just ask you to ship anyway.

If you're putting it on Craigslist, always ask for more than you are willing to take for the bike. EVERYBODY that responds will ask you to accept less. Some will ask for a LOT less. Try to negotiate and hopefully you'll end up at the price you originally wanted.

The value of any item is determined by how much someone wants it, and is willing to pay for it. When the right buyer comes along, you'll be able to sell easily. Good luck!

kingston 

I sell a lot of stuff on CL. When I list a bike (or anything really), I list it for what I think it's worth and don't negotiate on price. I am very patient and will re-list it for a lower price if it doesn't move. You'll get a lot of email from low-ballers. I just ignore them. You can tell pretty easily if someone is a serious buyer or not. If that were my bike I would start with somewhere between 55 & 60% of MSRP.

ussprinceton

try eBay and CraigsList

bogydave

I listed a bike airline box on CL.
Got 2 “Scam” texts right away.
Be aware
One offer $50 more, he said he’d
mail a Me a check, when it clears my account , he’d send friend to pick up.
I texted back cash only. Send friend the check to cash, friend bring cash.

Similar response couple days later.

Never heard back from either.

Iride01 

Despite what the bluebook value, appraised value or opinions of others. If no one buys it, it's not worth anything.

If you are in an area where used bikes are hard to sell, then you need to use every method that is available to you. If the one person willing to pay your price for that bike doesn't see an add, then you are stuck with the ones offering less.

Then you have to consider if keeping it longer will get you your price vs half what you wanted.

If I held out for my price, I'd still have unused bikes taking up space in my garage.

Homebrew01

Doesn't hurt to try Ebay also.

fietsbob

Long internet, email conversations, back and forth with the buyer..

I bought my Koga WTR , from someone on the opposite coast , that way ..

Skipjacks

To piggy back on this idea...

If the local bike shop doesn't want to buy it, ask them where they suggest selling it.

I'm sure that the guys at the local bike shop know all the best places to sell used bikes specific to your area.

There might be another local bike shop you don't know about that doesn't advertise well. Some local mom and pop businesses thrive on word of mouth and don't have fancy websites that make them easy for you to find as a new customer.

There might also be some local bike swap meet you'd never find out about doing a google search that the local bike shop guys can direct you to.

Even if you don't buy anything from their store they should do whatever they can to be helpful to you, hoping that you'll remember them in the future when you actually do want to spend money on bike stuff.

jefnvk

If you have Facebook, you can try Facebook Marketplace as well.

No, you won't get near original pricing back. What I tend to do is find similar bikes to the one I'm selling, and price it somewhere in that range. Price can vary considerably by location and size, the Blue Books may or may not reflect an appropriate value.

Also, as others have mentioned, most of my stuff is priced 10-15% high, expecting nearly everyone will try to bargain. Pleasant surprise when someone pays full asking price, though!

burnthesheep

Grab a "slowtwitch" forum account and post enough to get classifieds access. Those tri forums list all sorts of bike stuff. I've gotten some deals there, and they police sellers pretty well for fear of getting "outted" on the forum.

Local Facebook cycling groups with classifieds.

CL is OK, just take the normal precautions in your post and meeting people or exchanging money. I usually only do cash or on-the-spot Paypal. And I don't do Paypal "gift".

travbikeman

I've sold a few bikes on Craigslist. I suggest stating cash only to prevent others from offering checks or payment plans (yes it was asked). You will have low ballers, I even had one low ****** whom tried to buy all three bikes I had on Craigslist all together for half of what I wanted individually.

Look at other bikes similar on Craigslist and price similar maybe a bit less to be competitive priced. I did this and sold quickly. While the other bikes sat and most likely were talked down.

bmthom.gis

One other thought is if you have a bike co op, you could list it there. I've sold a bike or two that way. Mostly I sell on CL. I know what the lowest $$ I want before I list it, and tend to go 50-100 higher in the ad, depending on the bike. Usually it comes down to just funding another bike/parts and making some garage space.

Do some basic stuff though to make it more attractive - inflate the tires, wash it, spray some bike wax on it to make is shiny, put some oil on the chain, make sure it shifts and brakes properly - basically anything that a potential buyer might look at and try and haggle on during a test ride.

Estacado

Excellent advice! I am the opposite of you. I looked on craigslist/facebook/ebay for months for the bike I wanted. It surprised me the amount of people that posted pictures of filthy bikes and asking retail price! I think they just throw stuff out there to see if it will stick. My pet peeve had to be that 90% of the people do not list size. I bet it will save you a ton of emails if you do. Best of luck.

J.Higgins 

This. Clean, well-maintained bikes sell and stay sold. I buy and sell a lot. Full disclosure, clean bike, well-maintained and congenial dealings is the best way to sell any bike.

Viich

Try Pinkbike.com buy and sell as well. Pinkbike is mostly mountain bike, but there is all kinds of road stuff as well. Depends on the area, but here the ratio of serious buyers is higher on Pinkbike, and the average price and value are both higher.

Garfield Cat

Local Bike Clubs, get on their contacts.

Retro Grouch 

The bottom line is you have to find a potential buyer who values the bike about the same as you. It doesn't matter what the Bicycle Blue Book says or what anybody else says, you still have to find a buyer.

Two questions:

What kind of bike are you trying to sell? The more common the bike, the more local your potential market. If you are trying to sell something uncommon, like a recumbent tandem, I'd suggest posting on a specialty internet site.

How flexible are you on price? The first offer you get may be the best, or only one that you receive. Holding out for the last dollar, if you lose your buyer, may simply net you an expensive clothes rack for another year vs. money in your pocket that you can spend. FWIW, it's generally best to be the first to suggest a selling price because that establishes the basis for any negotiation that ensues.

angus99

Great feedback on this forum!!! In response to questions about what bike/condition, it’s a 2013 Specialized Ruby Elite Compact, 51 cm, in /flawless, pristine condition (as in maybe 50-60 miles). New it sold for $2,750. I’ve already had offers for trades, but short of the bluebook value. I’ll try to post some pix.

deephate

I second the Facebook response. I rarely go there (until I recently found some vintage and steel bike groups) but my son buys and sells tons of things on there. Many people seem to use it.

angus99

Well, the photos won’t upload. I thought a minimum number of 10 posts were necessary before pictures would upload.

angus99

Thanks to all for the good suggestions. For those asking to see the Ruby I’m selling, it’s now on Pinkbike; I can’t post photos here yet.

https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2324873/

jitteringjr

I was going to just suggest buying a shorter stem or one with more rise, but after seeing the bike's pictures, never mind. If she needs more upright than that then no road bike is going to work.