Passing repair onto buyer vs fixing?
 

I pulled my mountain bike out of storage to get it ready for sale. It’s been there for 6 months.

Other than the tires being low, it seemed perfect how I left it, except the rear brake is completely failed.

I think the hydraulic fluid leaked out or seals cracked. Either way, there is absolutely no compression.

So it’s probably a $30-60 repair. Depending on what went kaput. So what are the economics of this?

Sell it at a discount with the assumption that the next buyer will fix it?

Get it fixed and sell it for my original price?

Im not looking to make money, just free up garage space and take a little sting out of my new bike’s price tag.

For time, I’m considering selling it without fixing it. I’ve never sold a broken bike before and it bothers me though.

Ideas?

Whatever you decide to do, just make sure to be honest and upfront with the buyer on what the bike needs or doesn't need.

if you disclose the assumed repairs needed, it wouldn't be a concern to me if I were the potential buyer.

Seeing that you're just making space & not looking to make a quick buck, the aforementioned logic makes it the sensible way for going about it.

The rear brake goes to the handlebar and the piston doesn’t move. I can’t fib about that.

I'd be taking a substantial discount if I was purchasing it. More than the $30-60.

You'll also cut down some potential buyers who can't or won't want to screw around with repair, not to mention the wait if they have to take it to a shop.

Although I'm a decent mechanic and don't mind fixing stuff like that, i believe that most bike buyers would want brakes that work. Plus, even though you think you know what needs fixed and estimate a fairly low cost, probably most buyers would have no idea what really needs to be done, how long it would take to get it done, or if what you estimate is accurate.

I'd sell the bike with fully functioning brakes, but then again, I clean and tune up bikes I want to sell because I assume most buyers want to test everything before they buy it.

I've sold bikes that needed work, but I'd label them as project and fully disclose the issues. However, these have all been vintage bikes where people buying often want to restore them their own way.

For a modern bike, I'd fix before selling or take 2x the repair cost off the sale price.

It is up to you. And, perhaps who you think the buyers will be.

If it is a $1000 bike, then most buyers will go ahead and get the bike tuned up.

If it is a $200 bike, then there will be individuals that want a bike they can ride away on. And, I don't think I would sell a bike in that category with a critical safety issue unless I was expecting it to get a full tuneup anyway.

Anyway, my vote would be to fix it. Perhaps bleed the breaks, and inspect for leakage.

You can try selling "as is" with the problems clearly stated. If no buyers, consider repairing before selling

When I see an ad that notes an unaddressed repair, I assume the seller is lazy, so the bike probably has other problems. Fix it if you want to sell it in a reasonable amount of time at a decent price. Otherwise, brace yourself for an onslaught of lowballers.

Somewhere between those two numbers.

Its a dilemma for sure. Under normal circumstances, I’d fix it and sell it. Now, living this crazy gypsy lifestyle and only seeing my garage a few times a year, I’d rather move it than park it until I can get it fixed.

I’ll try for a mechanic’s special and see what happens. I’m not opposed to letting the local co-op sell it at 50% since they are such a great business.

Plus maybe they can do the brakes and sell it for you at a price that reflects that repair and gives them a bump Sounds like a good plan

The more problems I see on a bike that I am inspecting to potentially buy, the more I lowball the seller bigtime.

Being in a bike-friendly city, it's not running out of busted bikes that need work. For every deal I walk away from, 3 more turn up on my phone for me to visit next.

Just like the OP, majority of folks have no idea how to DIY repairs (properly). They just want to get rid of it to get more valuable space back.

It would have made a little mess. If there’s no oil drips on the bike then it’s still in there and it only needs a bleed. Or maybe just a few more pumps.

I've found that it's easier to sell a bike that's ready to ride than it is to sell a project bike that needs even minor repairs. If I do sell a bike that needs work, I disclose fully what needs to be done and roughly how much the repair job might be at a shop.

I'm pretty much echoing the above sentiment; List it "as-is" with enough of a chunk off of the asking price to cover the cost of the repair. I'll disclose any major issue the bike might have, but I'm not going to hold the buyer's hand through the repair process.
If it's someone like me; I'll take on a project that needs a little work, if it's a really good deal. But then, I don't pay for someone else to turn wrenches.

I guess the calculus is whether the difference in $$ you could get for it in "as-is" and what it would fetch at 100% is worth the time (and parts) to get it there.

Why are you slinging insults? I clearly stated that I’d fix it if I had time. I found this problem yesterday and am leaving town today. I take my ability to fix bikes quite personally, and my 5 bikes all run perfectly except for this damage I just discovered.

DIY repair has become a bit cloudy lately since my hourly wage is so much higher than shop time, still, I do enjoy the process.

For the last 6 months and continuing for the next year or two, my family and I are bouncing from one spot to the next. It’s quite an adventure and it’s a ton of fun.

On my few stops at “home” to repack the adventure goodies, I don’t really have time to fix bikes. Especially one that I won’t be riding.

A friend is putting it up for sale. If no bites, I’ll let the co-op have at it.

There’s no problem selling it “as is” as long as you’re not being dishonest or deceptive. But the two thoughts I have are: 1) I think that listing it with repairs needed just generally brings down the potential value. In other words…yeah it may be a $30 repair. But the potential selling price might be less than just subtracting that $30. And 2) you’re likely limiting your potential buyer base because those folks who aren’t mechanically inclined enough to make the repair themselves will avoid this purchase.

Dan

Sell as is. Or better yet, give it away and show the person what they need to do to make it a good bike again. Do you need the money?

One question.
Is the bike hanging by a wheel?

It is possible that odd angles could cause fluids to flow where they aren't supposed to go.

I don't have any hydro brakes in use, but think that was mentioned somewhere.

Certainly, be upfront with the buyer. As far as fixing it, it might be better to let the buyer do that. He could consider it a chance to upgrade, or change to a type, style, that he prefers. also, if you search around here, you can probably find posters on some thread who will confidently assert that what ever type and manufacturer brake you have, it is junk, and probably dangerous as well.

Best answer here.

Gotta love free sections for ads :D

Fun thought inspired by your title (and totally goofy; don't take it seriously). If you "fix" the bike, ie turn it into a fix gear, you can simply remove the rear brake entirely. No longer needed. (Of course, the market for fix gear MTBs might be smaller.)

As with anything being sold, full disclosure of issues is the right path. With that said, it is almost always better to sell an item in ready to use condition. It is not always better from a cost to value perspective TO fix any deficiencies with the sale item.
Best to take account of the cost repair and whether you are able to do so for parts only, or if professional help would be needed for completion. Balance than vs. the lost sale value. Even if you come out a little worse for the wear, in some cases an item might sit and end up selling WAY below value because of the broken part(s).

Me, personally, I would be fine buying a bike knowing it needed some repair. But If I were selling, I would think that a bike ready to ride would sell more quick - especially if you disclused that you spent $xxx on this repair so that it was ready to ride when sold, may make the buyer less likely to haggle as much.