Classic & Vintage - wow, ebay does not work for me

Anyone else get not much more then a bowl of rice for the stuff they sell on ebay?

A very nice modern 2poundish aluminum/carbon guerciotti frame I just sold cause I found it too small for me.. only got a hundred bucks for it. Really sucks cause I sold it in hopes to buy something else more my size, but I'll never be able to afford anything with that.

Really boggles the mind when you see people selling crappy entry level Peugeot UO8s on ebay for twice that.

Guess it has to do with being in Canada.. Have a couple of half descent '80s road frames to sell, but I guess I shouldn't bother.. I'd be lucky to get $5 each for those.

Suck it up. If you know what it's worth price it with a buy it now. If not take what you get. The market speaks its mind.

Part of the issue could be that you are probably a victim of the time of year.

Although people should be looking for winter projects, my unscientific observation is that prices seem to dip this time of year.

Also, whether true or not, my impression is that while shipping for bikes and frames is expensive, it is even more so coming across the border.

I think right now is not a good time to sell stuff on ebay (says the guy with a frame/fork on there now). Many people are saving/preparing for the upcoming holidays so bike projects might not be the first priority. I have one maybe two nice frames/forks that I plan to ebay, but I will probably hold out until Feb/March to unload those. In the past month of Ebaying a few bike items I received way less than I thought I would on a couple items, but more than I expected on two that kind of made up for the other low prices.

Well, now that you've found out that it's not a good idea to sell bikes during winter. You should aim to buy bikestuff and sell snow sports gear. :D


I guess I'll have to hold onto my miele until spring comes...

What on arth has being in Canada got to do with it?

I have sold many frames on eBay and shipped them all over the world.

I have always got prices I am happy with.

It is all about describing your item properly and marketing it well.

You doomed yourself with your sale when you said you would only ship to Canada. There is a great big rest of the world out there.

Anyone else get not much more then a bowl of rice for the stuff they sell on ebay?

A very nice modern 2poundish aluminum/carbon guerciotti frame I just sold cause I found it too small for me.. only got a hundred bucks for it. Really sucks cause I sold it in hopes to buy something else more my size, but I'll never be able to afford anything with that.

Really boggles the mind when you see people selling crappy entry level Peugeot UO8s on ebay for twice that.

Guess it has to do with being in Canada.. Have a couple of half descent '80s road frames to sell, but I guess I shouldn't bother.. I'd be lucky to get $5 each for those.

I guess it has to do with what your selling not how much your selling it for. Consider that 90% of all the modern frames in the world are coming out of 2 or 3 factories in Taiwan. They differ only in the decals applied.

Vintage lugged steel frames are at a premium anytime of the year.


Tim

Thats funny, because I can never seem to find any good deals on Ebay, everything always seems to be so expensive.

You'll notice there are ALWAYS hundreds of perfectly decent modern aluminum-carbon frames and forks for sale on eBay, as well as complete bikes.

Just a year or two ago, a friend who has managed an East Coast bike shop for many years, bought a full Dura-Ace equipped Taiwanese Motobecane branded bike. He paid RETAIL price from a familiar internet bike vendor's website. He said that a complete D-A component gruppo for the WHOLESALE price which his shop would have paid through a big distributor would have cost more than simply buying the complete bike and then just throwing away the frameset.

MANY famous manufacturers bikes are now Asian manufactured, and most are indistinguishable from each other anyway. ... Unless someone really subscribes to a manufactures advertising hype, or simply MUST have a Trek or Cannondale or whatever decal underneath them, there seems little reason to pay premium prices when you can get 16 or 17 pound bike for $1,500

HERE ( http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/lechampteam07INSTOCK.htm) is a typical example. Carbon & Aluminum ... 16.5 pounds ... Full Dura-Ace 10-speed.

And, this company often has last year's remainder Close-outs of the same model - for around $1,200

Well, problem is I live in a small town, I can't ship anything out of Canada through the post office that is too big (they won't accept a frame), and the only other depot in town is rather expensive, so I only offered to Canada cause I don't think anyone is gonna pay 120$ to have a frame shipped.. thats what it cost me last time I shipped a frame to the united states anyways. (ended up paying about $55 bucks outta my own pocket cause I quoted to the seller it would only cost $60 or so which seemed plenty to me). Yeah Im gonna have to "suck it up" but wow its a pisser.

You would think if not many people are selling this time of year that your sale would get much more attention don't you think?

Well, problem is I live in a small town, I can't ship anything out of Canada through the post office that is too big (they won't accept a frame), and the only other depot in town is rather expensive, so I only offered to Canada cause I don't think anyone is gonna pay 120$ to have a frame shipped.. thats what it cost me last time I shipped a frame to the united states anyways. (ended up paying about $55 bucks outta my own pocket cause I quoted to the seller it would only cost $60 or so which seemed plenty to me). Yeah Im gonna have to "suck it up" but wow its a pisser.

You would think if not many people are selling this time of year that your sale would get much more attention don't you think?

Shipping a frame by CAnada Post is all about packing it properly. You can easily fit a frame and fork into the linear dimension allowance that Canada Post specifies, but you have to pack it properly.

A full size bike box is too big, you cut it down to just fit the frame.

I always ship frames by Canada Post, the most expensive one I have ever sent went to Ireland by Surface MAil, I believe that one was $150.

Frames mailed to either Canada or the US typically are around $65.

You can figure out the shipping cost up front by going to the canada post web site - a properly packed frame box that will protect the frame in transit weighs less than 14 pounds so you don't even hit a weight measure - you are charged strictly on a volume basis.

The corollory of not many people selling this time of year - is that not many are looking either.

I have 5 framesets that I have decided to sell, but I am going to wait until spring.

so I only offered to Canada cause I don't think anyone is gonna pay 120$ to have a frame shipped
It's too late now, but you should look for the widest market possible, and let potential buyers decide what is too much shipping. Huge market and getting screwed (I can't believe that passed the censor-bot) on shipping is what eBay is all about!

I actually do cut my boxes down, while it helps I dont see how you can cut one down small enough to ship outside of Canada (unless you're shipping a 50cm frame). Last frame I shipped inside Canada (And within my own province) just cleared the limit, which was a 55cm frame.

Hmm, so what are you selling? Im looking for a nice 54-55cm steel frame to replace this one I sold (;

I actually do have a couple of steel frames for sale - PM me.

The hot time to sell in the off season is just after xmas. All the bonuses are out, xmas gift money is in hand and people are anxious to spend. I have a seven year track record of selling on ebay to support my claim. :)

I sell whole bikes on ebay from March to October. I sell components & frames October to March. It has worked out pretty well overall. Sell to the riders when its is nice and sell to the "project folks" when the weather is not so great in a lot of the country. Classis/collectable items go all year. Listed with with many good, clear pics and looooong desrciptions. In many way ebay reminds me of my wife, who is a freelance write and is paid by the word!:D

I would have to agree with the comment on shipping. Folks like me factor-in cost of shipping with the item, and it's often a dealbreaker.

If anyone would actually develop an efficient, inexpensive way to ship - It would be a goldmine. Preaching to the choir - shipping is pretty much a rip-off. A centralized network of bike store to bike store shipping could mean additional side revenue to stores (assuming they have space). I am always surpised when folks pay $50-$75 to ship a $100-$200 item. To state the obvious, you have to get a real deal/value to ship any <$200 item.

Bottomline, in my opinion, craigslist is better - but you have to deal with flakes.

I routinely sell old/used equipment on Ebay and have always gotten decent value. Timing is very important and so is the description. I can't tell you how many bikes/parts I've seen go for cheap because the description is crummy and the pictures are crappy. Include at least a few good pictures and as detailed a description as possible. If you are selling a frame, give all measurements, frame material, bottom bracket specs, seat post size requirement etc. More details the better. Also, set your starting bid as low as possible. Many buyers don't even look at auctions where the starting price is anywhere near where the product should sell at. For example, a $1000 frame listed at $800 turns a lot of potential buyers off. If you start at $.99, you pull in people who only want to spend $500. Then they get excited about it and next thing you know, they've expanded their price limit! Seasonal impact is pretty big too.

I routinely sell old/used equipment on Ebay and have always gotten decent value. Timing is very important and so is the description. I can't tell you how many bikes/parts I've seen go for cheap because the description is crummy and the pictures are crappy. Include at least a few good pictures and as detailed a description as possible. If you are selling a frame, give all measurements, frame material, bottom bracket specs, seat post size requirement etc. More details the better. Also, set your starting bid as low as possible. Many buyers don't even look at auctions where the starting price is anywhere near where the product should sell at. For example, a $1000 frame listed at $800 turns a lot of potential buyers off. If you start at $.99, you pull in people who only want to spend $500. Then they get excited about it and next thing you know, they've expanded their price limit! Seasonal impact is pretty big too.

+1 to that!

I have gotten outstanding deals on bikes and parts that were poorly photographed and/or described. You can tell which items will pull a good price and which will not based on how well the listing is written and photographed.

Hey You guys! My online selling has a life span measured in months not years but I hear what you say about the flakes on craigslist.The detailed decription cannot be more emphasized it shows knowledge and patience.Now to go back to my ads and apply my own advice to Les List De Craige.Eh,Deucement!