cod.peace

I am currently shopping for a used recumbent. I have started to wonder about fair prices for used bikes, aside from "charge whatever the market will bear".

For example, a bike ($2500 retail) with lots of nice upgrades I was eyeing just sold for $1200 on ebay. I've found a Craig's List ad for a 4-year old used bike for $1200 that sells for $1350 new. The former went really cheap, the latter is really overpriced.

Here's the main question: how should one value a bike? What's the depreciation purely on age, if the bike hasn't been ridden much? Are upgraded components worth anything like what they cost in the resale (I'd suspect not)? I think these things are a little tougher to judge in recumbent-land since the sales volume is so low it's hard to make comparisons.

JustChuck

It is, "What the market will bear"
There is a perceived value of the used bike. It has nothing to do with the purchase price or the price of the components or even the condition of the bike.
I sell used bikes on CL, they have been gone thru, adjusted, and had any damaged or worn parts replaced or repaired. The price I charge is about the same as a steaming piece from some guy that knows just how to polish a turd. The shop I work at offers a CL check just to keep people from over paying for junk.
You do need to confirm the sale of the high priced CL bike. Just because one asks the sky does not mean they receive it.

Kommisar89

That's pretty much an impossible question. Kind of like asking what's a fair price for used car. Too many variables. Some brands, types, models hold their value better than others. Different parts of the country have different markets. About the only thing you could say for sure is that upgraded parts are not going to be worth the original purchase price.