Andrew R Stewart 

I'm a retailer. I do understand it. I just wanted to offer the flip side (sorry, bad pun). Just as in retail there are good players and not so honest ones. From the bikes I see coming into our shop for service after used purchases I see far too many that have had little or no added value by the seller. If the OP does do good for both the seller and the buyer my helmet's off to him.

We get the "do you take trade ins" all the time. We've learned that to do professional improvements on the bike usually requires us to not pay (and a trade in is buying, unlike what many think) the market value. I freely explain this and suggest the seller works directly with the their privet buyer. I ask them do they want to make the money or let the shop do so. I can count on my fingers the number of bikes the shops I worked at bought the bike, well I might need a toe or two too. Andy