Holy crap!!
#1
Thread Starter
Rustbelt Rider
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 9,105
Likes: 388
From: Canton, OH
Bikes: 1990 Trek 1420 - 1978 Raleigh Professional - 1973 Schwinn Collegiate - 1974 Schwinn Suburban
Holy crap!!
It is not news to anyone that old bikes are trendy. I wanted to earn some money to paint another frame that I have, so I decided to sell a Schwinn Suburban that I have had for a few years. It was a nice bike, clean new grease, nice paint etc, so i decided to list it at $125.00 and wait for a while if I had to. 1 hour after I posted it...1 tiny hour I had 3 emails and 2 phone calls... holy crap! I knew they were trendy, but I am from Canton, OH and there are not many people on bicycles around here. The bike was gone in 1 hour and 20 minutes, wow. I think being a mens frame worked wonders, I have been trying to sell a womens Norman forever, and I personally think the Norman is cooler. Go figure, I feel shell shocked, but I guess in a good way.
#2
Ya, the few bikes I've sold it has sort of been like that. Although I might go 4 hours, but within a day I get people saying they are "very interested" in my bike.
I had two Ross Signatures which is pretty nice for a stock American made bike.
The people responding probably didn't know the difference between a lugged
frame and a tig welded one. I am in Boston which is pretty different then Canton OH.
I had two Ross Signatures which is pretty nice for a stock American made bike.
The people responding probably didn't know the difference between a lugged
frame and a tig welded one. I am in Boston which is pretty different then Canton OH.
#3
Forum Moderator
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 22,903
Likes: 10,327
From: Kalamazoo
#4
It is not news to anyone that old bikes are trendy. I wanted to earn some money to paint another frame that I have, so I decided to sell a Schwinn Suburban that I have had for a few years. It was a nice bike, clean new grease, nice paint etc, so i decided to list it at $125.00 and wait for a while if I had to. 1 hour after I posted it...1 tiny hour I had 3 emails and 2 phone calls... holy crap! I knew they were trendy, but I am from Canton, OH and there are not many people on bicycles around here. The bike was gone in 1 hour and 20 minutes, wow. I think being a mens frame worked wonders, I have been trying to sell a womens Norman forever, and I personally think the Norman is cooler. Go figure, I feel shell shocked, but I guess in a good way.
You might need to expand the net in trying to sell the Norman. Have you posted it on thecabe.com and the Schwinn forums? I just shipped a bike to someone in Florida (who saw my Huffy Aerowind on the Schwinn Forums) and discovered that getting the right bike box makes all the difference in trying to ship a bike. I was lucky enough to acquire a box from a mountain bike 29er -- a little shorter but a bit wider than a road bike box. With both wheels off, the handlebars out of the stem and zip tied to the top tube and the fork flipped around it was surprisingly easy to securely pack it. The shipping cost was also pretty darn reasonable
First time packing a shipping a bike did not feel like a pain in the @$$.
Even though men's bikes are more popular, there is a sub-set of folks who really like the step through frames. If may just be too late in the biking season for you to find the buyer for the Western Flyer.
#6
Thread Starter
Rustbelt Rider
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 9,105
Likes: 388
From: Canton, OH
Bikes: 1990 Trek 1420 - 1978 Raleigh Professional - 1973 Schwinn Collegiate - 1974 Schwinn Suburban
[QUOTE=sonatageek;7724641]There is an ebay seller in Canton who has been getting really top dollar for some older not so special bikes. He has them nicely cleaned up and all, but $200-300 for bikes that should be maybe $100-150.
QUOTE]
I have'nt seen any of his bikes yet, I usually check Cleveland and Columbus though. I have the Norman on thecabe.com, oldroads.com, and CL. I was afraid to post an english bike at Schwinn though. Thanks, for the comment on it, I wish it was my size, then I would keep it.
Matt
QUOTE]
I have'nt seen any of his bikes yet, I usually check Cleveland and Columbus though. I have the Norman on thecabe.com, oldroads.com, and CL. I was afraid to post an english bike at Schwinn though. Thanks, for the comment on it, I wish it was my size, then I would keep it.
Matt
#9
multimodal commuter
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 19,810
Likes: 597
From: NJ, NYC, LI
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
#11
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 622
Likes: 1
From: Boone NC USA
Bikes: Bianchi hybrid. Dunelt 3-sp. Raleigh basket case. Wanting a Roadster.
Not a bicycle, but my ebay record was 43 seconds.
I had a rather expensive old knife, I did a good write up, and posted with a reasonable starting price and a BIN of $50 above the highest price I could find in completed listings. As I said BIN 43 seconds after I listed it. I wish the people who told me I was stupid paying $250 for a knife had been around when I sold it for $649.
But bicycles are harder because the shipping is sooooo...... much more.
I had a rather expensive old knife, I did a good write up, and posted with a reasonable starting price and a BIN of $50 above the highest price I could find in completed listings. As I said BIN 43 seconds after I listed it. I wish the people who told me I was stupid paying $250 for a knife had been around when I sold it for $649.
But bicycles are harder because the shipping is sooooo...... much more.









