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Where to sell my used bikes?

Old 12-03-18, 11:59 AM
  #1  
realperson
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Where to sell my used bikes?

Where do you sell bikes online and offline? I've tried Craigslist but I never get any people who take the ads seriously. My LBS owner had a good point that in our city there are about 20,000 bikes on Craigslist at any given time, so it's not a good place to sell. The bikes I'm selling, I think would sell quickly; they are decent bikes with what I would consider a desirable price point.
Where do you sell your bikes and what kind of success do you have?
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Old 12-03-18, 12:16 PM
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craigslist. take the right pics and price it right and it will sell. could also try ebay

the ads I see that have problems have bad or no pics (hint, lighting matters) and are priced wrong (too high)
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Old 12-03-18, 12:45 PM
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Internet bike forum classifieds?
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Old 12-03-18, 01:01 PM
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CliffordK
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Bike Forums has a few "For Sale" categories. The C&V tends to be quite active.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage-sales/
https://www.bikeforums.net/sale/

They require a paid membership.

I have to say, my experience with buying on Craigslist is that if a person has a desirable bike at a good price, then it will sell quickly.

A more mediocre bike at a high price, and it could be a long wait.

There is a subforum for vintage or older bikes:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...th-appraisals/

Free, but not for soliciting sales. But, members will give you their estimate of the value of your bikes.

Also look at https://www.bicyclebluebook.com I usually snag them with Google Searches.

What may look like a desirable bike to you may or may not be to others. The Classic/Vintage market is also going through a tumultuous time where parts may be significantly more valuable than complete bikes, especially for lesser known brands.
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Old 12-03-18, 01:51 PM
  #5  
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We do have people who are obviously local "flippers". Both good and bad. Most of them will put in some effort to tuning the bikes.

It does, however, mean that you may be able to undercut some of their prices. So if a flipper is selling a bike for a dreamer price of $500, you could put the same bike up for $300, or $200, or $100.
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Old 12-03-18, 03:11 PM
  #6  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
Problem for me is that regularly browsing CL is very tedious nowadays. I see the same bike at the top day after day. I have to comb thru dozens and dozens (maybe hundreds) of flipper bikes every morning to find new interesting bikes.
Portland had a thing a while ago where ads expired in 3 days, I think. But that meant everyone had to continually bump their ads. What a MESS!!!

Here in Eugene, I can read every ad (about a page of new and bumped ads per day).

Craigslist (and E-Bay) almost need a way to flag ads as NEVER interesting. So, you scan a page, then click a button and they're all hidden forever. Actually, I think there is a trash can you can click on that will hide ads (hopefully also hiding bumped ads), but unfortunately you can't simply hide everything on the page.
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Old 12-03-18, 04:52 PM
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Your front Yard?

My nearby LBS , does consignments, and buys some bikes outright..










...

Last edited by fietsbob; 12-05-18 at 05:18 PM.
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Old 12-03-18, 05:06 PM
  #8  
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Originally Posted by realperson
Where do you sell bikes online and offline? I've tried Craigslist but I never get any people who take the ads seriously. My LBS owner had a good point that in our city there are about 20,000 bikes on Craigslist at any given time, so it's not a good place to sell. The bikes I'm selling, I think would sell quickly; they are decent bikes with what I would consider a desirable price point.
Where do you sell your bikes and what kind of success do you have?
I sell all either on Craigslist, or part them out and sell the parts and frameset on eBay and on this site.

Craigslist may be full of repeat posts and junk, but that doesn't mean a good bike at a good price wont sell. From what ive found, its quite the opposite, actually.
a quality bike with well written and photographed ad at good price point will sell because it stands out.

in a metro lile Sacramento, there is a large demand for cycling and used bikes.
if you arent selling, its probably because the pics and info is poor, its priced too high, or the bike is unappealing in some way(broken, rare size, etc). But even the odd size issue can be overcome as i ride 63-65cm bikes and have sold everything ive ridden thst i dont want anymore.

I refurbish road bikes of all sizes from the 80s and 90s as a hobby and they all sell too. The pricepoint and presentation just have to work to drive interest.

link your ad(s) for us to see.

edited to add- try facebook marketplace too.
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Old 12-03-18, 06:02 PM
  #9  
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Keywords are important for those that search. Think of it this way. Craigslist has a few thousand items locally. E-Bay has millions of items. How do people find what they want?

So, make sure you spell Schwinn right. Some people scan for things like tubing types (Columbus SL, Reynolds 531, etc). Add as much info about parts as you can. Shimano Ultegra, 6500/6600/6700/6800/8000/R8000, etc. Classic? Vintage? Antique? Eroica? ROAD Bike? Mountain Bike? MTB? Hybrid? Aluminum Frame? 700c? 26"? 650B? Downtube Shifters? Brifters? Bar End Shifters? Add a year if you can figure it out.

Be Precise. The more info you include, the better for buyers, but also better to snag those doing keyword searches.

I do, however, find it extremely annoying when people use unrelated keywords...
My bike is LIKE A COLNAGO.

Oh, also make sure your bikes haven't shown up here:
The Wacky World of Craigslist and eBay Ads

Has anybody said DRIVE SIDE yet?
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Old 12-03-18, 06:41 PM
  #10  
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My LBS said they make 80% of their bike sales for the year during April-May and the month leading up to Christmas. April-May is probably a pretty good time to sell a used bike, too. You can't help but notice that beginning just after Christmas and continuing well into January, television and the 'net are inundated with ads for exercise equipment/gym memberships. The first of the year is when everybody thinks about self improvement and weight loss. Bike = more active lifestyle.
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Old 12-03-18, 08:46 PM
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In my large metropolitan area, I use Craigslist for bikes and other things. A good bike at an attractive price goes pretty quick; however, everyone has a different idea of what a "good" bike is and the ridiculous values promoted by Bicycle Blue Book have made getting decent prices more challenging. Bicycle Blue Book prices for used bikes seem calculated solely to support their business model of corporate bike flipping and supporting affiliated bike shops in lowballing trade-in prices. In my area, bike sharing fleets seem to have somewhat reduced the demand for bikes. Another factor that may be play is your location in your local metropolitan area. I have a friend who lives about 5 miles closer in than I do and is located very close to a subway station. He seems to have much better success moving bikes than I do. His location is easier for people without cars to access. I very rarely offer to meet people because showing bikes to tire-kickers is a poor use of my time and if someone is seriously interested, they'll make the effort to make it out to my location.
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Old 12-03-18, 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by tcs
My LBS said they make 80% of their bike sales for the year during April-May and the month leading up to Christmas. April-May is probably a pretty good time to sell a used bike, too. You can't help but notice that beginning just after Christmas and continuing well into January, television and the 'net are inundated with ads for exercise equipment/gym memberships. The first of the year is when everybody thinks about self improvement and weight loss. Bike = more active lifestyle.
It is less fun to ride a bike in January. Have skis for sale?

September and early October is usually a good time for the bike co-op, as college students appear out of nowhere. Perhaps spring too. That may depend on the local organization. Around here, the biggest college towns are only moderate sized cities.
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Old 12-03-18, 10:06 PM
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Craigslist.

Selling a bike not seen by the buyer and then having to ship it leaves you open to problems.

Price it right, most "used" bike are worth much less than you think.
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Old 12-03-18, 11:39 PM
  #14  
CliffordK
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Are any of the bikes over say 15 or 20 years old and "interesting"?

Post a description and some good photos of your best bike here:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...th-appraisals/

People will give you a frank estimate of the value.

Of course, a sale still needs a buyer and a seller to get together, agree on a price, and to make a sale.

So, a bike might theoretically be worth $500, but nobody is wanting to pay that much for it. However, drop the price to $250, and they'll lineup for it.
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Old 12-04-18, 01:49 AM
  #15  
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It does depend a lot on the brand, too. I was surprised when my lbs offered decent money for my Bianchi, given he’d just declined a bike in better condition but different marque. When I quizzed him about this, he shrugged his shoulders and replied Bianchi was a brand they could always sell.
Then again, this was Cannes.
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Old 12-04-18, 05:11 AM
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As I always say, we live in a great time to buy a used bike, not such a great time to sell one. I'd just cut my losses and donate the bikes to a co-op if no luck selling on CL. Ebay is a lot of work and risky due to the sight unseen aspect mentioned by another poster.
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Old 12-04-18, 05:18 AM
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Online Swap Meet
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Old 12-04-18, 05:49 AM
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I am not a fan of Facebook and their Messenger, but my wife sells stuff on there with phenomenal results.
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Old 12-04-18, 07:48 AM
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Too late for this advice to help the OP, but it's probably best to not sell bikes as the depreciation rate makes a new car look like a solid investment. Best to choose carefully and buy a bike that will serve you for the long-run.

My oldest bike is 15+ yrs old (young compared to some BFers bikes, I know) and I am currently doing some modest mods to turn it into a capable winter beater training bike.
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Old 12-04-18, 10:52 AM
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Pinkbike. I've good success there.
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Old 12-05-18, 02:36 PM
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you are probably pricing them too high, like everyone else on craigslist.
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Old 12-05-18, 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by oldnslow2
Craigslist.

Price it right, most "used" bike are worth much less than you think.
bang, right on, most people think their used bikes are worth WAY more than they are.

unless rare or highly sought after the value of most used bikes are only a fraction of what they sold new.
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Old 12-05-18, 03:30 PM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by REDMASTA
you are probably pricing them too high, like everyone else on craigslist.
That is one of the major flaws in Craigslist. Just like looking at "buy-it-now" on E-Bay. One really doesn't know the actual value based on solely looking at the the current asking prices.

And, unfortunately Craigslist doesn't track actual sale prices, and E-Bay only keeps a month or two of "sold" history for most auctions (for some reason, some auctions endure much longer, presumably due to being bumped by search engines).

This only displaying dreamer prices may well cause a slow creep up in prices. Perhaps good for sellers, but difficult for buyers.
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Old 12-05-18, 10:36 PM
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Originally Posted by realperson
Where do you sell bikes online and offline? I've tried Craigslist but I never get any people who take the ads seriously. My LBS owner had a good point that in our city there are about 20,000 bikes on Craigslist at any given time, so it's not a good place to sell. The bikes I'm selling, I think would sell quickly; they are decent bikes with what I would consider a desirable price point.
Where do you sell your bikes and what kind of success do you have?
We have a community bike repair and free bikes for local kids. Adults can buy a bike for $75. Experienced mechanics run it and teach kids whether or not they need a bike. So, repairs could take time for donated bikes. I bought a bike and donated a bike.


Our public universty sells donated used bikes and parts at an elementary school annually. Very popular, Ive been there.

There is an enthusiasm at these places that is inspiring.

Check with local elementary, middle and high schools to see how you can donate your bike, if you are so inclined.

You see, bikes give freedom of movement like a car. Here, bikes can be loaded on front bumpers of City buses. The bike repair teaches bike riding, maintenance, safety and laws.
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Old 12-07-18, 02:30 AM
  #25  
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Originally Posted by REDMASTA
you are probably pricing them too high, like everyone else on craigslist.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This - If something's not selling, irrespective of if it's a house, car or bike this is the reason ... everything will sell at "the right" price although you may marginally influence what people consider that to be by how it's presented.

I don't get why so many people seem to think because it's their stuff for sale it's worth a lot more than everybody else's 2nd hand stuff.
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