Best way to thin stable?
 

I’d greatly appreciate serious responses from those of you who have firsthand experience in selling your bikes. Up until this point in my second stint with cycling, I’ve passed on bikes to family and friends, or used them as trade-ins, or stripped them down and reused parts in various other projects. Today’s situation is different. After an honest assessment, I’ve come to admit that I probably need to reduce the number of bikes by three. I’m simply not going to be able to ride them all, and realistically I have all my “kinds” of riding covered. My assessment also reveals that family and riding friends are adequately taken care of. So, here’s what I’m wondering. What worked best for you in selling bikes and why?

eBay has worked well for me; but the bike I just sold was on the local CL. Two serious buyers within a day of posting. Timing is everything. People are starting to look right now in the Pac. NW.

If you are a member of a local bike club, that may be a good avenue.
Our local bike club has an e-mail distribution list, and there are often members posting either want-ads or for-sale ads through that venue.

I would prefer CL to Ebay since E-bay probably means that you will have to ship the bike, and that can be a pain.

I've sold several on CL fairly quickly but they were all fairly low-value (none over $100). I would suggest starting that way as it is free and easy. You can probably maximize value by using eBay but you have to factor in the hassles of shipping.

What kind of bikes?

Last fall I sold my Screamer recumbent tandem and I expect to sell Mrs. Grouch's Greenspeed trike this week end. In both cases the bikes were listed on a specialty website to buyers who lived 150 to 200 miles away. I think the more specialized the bike the more specialized the listing site.

Right now I have my fixed gear conversion listed on St Louis Craigslist. I got one response almost immediately but he doesn't want a conversion. This is my first venture into the murky world of Craigslist. We'll see how it goes.

I have sold two bikes in the past year. One a Specialized Roubaix Expert and a Trek XO1 cyclo-cross bike. For both I established a resale value by looking at completed EBay sales for the same model/year bikes. My plan was to get at least 85% of what the bikes sold for on EBay. I first put out an email to my teammates and riding buddies saying that I am selling a bike and listed a description of it and what my asking price was. I also posted to the group each time what I was going to ask for the bike if I listed on CL and EBay. For instance the Roubaix was for sale to my local group for $1,000, CL would have been $1,100 and EBay $1,200. I figured that going the CL way would draw some who might like to negotiate the price down and that EBay was going to take a share of the final purchase price.

This method worked out well for me. I sold one to a friend and one on CL.

There's usually a Bike Swap Meet in my town once or twice a year. The bike clubs/vendors pay a fee to have a couple of tables to put sale items on. Individuals can also sell items but may need to do so in the parking lot to avoid paying a fee.
No entrance fee to buyers/browsers.
I sold my beloved vintage 10-speed with a too-large frame at a negotiated price.
I swapped out the nice saddle before selling the bike, using a cheap saddle I bought at the previous swap meet.
I've also bought like-new bike shoes and have sold jerseys/jackets that I decided I didn't like.

Another bike club member got a $$$$ almost-new road bike for a great price. I believe the seller was known to the cycling community and his ownership of the bike and reason for selling was trusted.

The local bike stores also use these as an opportunity to clear out their bargain bins with deeply-discounted merchandise.

The last swap meet has been at a local brewery in a central location. It was a nice social event for lots of cyclists.
Previously the meet was held in conjunction with some bike races. I think it also brought some first-timers into crit racing.

I have a great friendship with the owner of my LBS so I let him know what I plan on getting rid of and he sends potential buyers. Outside of that, Pinkbike and Kijiji in Canada for local sales.

NOS,
The CL ideas are probably the most local coverage you can get, I like the idea about local clubs and individuals, though. What about the sell section forum here?

Bill

I've sold a few in the past few years. One 70's Peugeot road bike on ebay. The biggest problem was the shipping. Had to find a bike box, take apart and pay too much to ship. The other Peugeot I sold on CL. The buyer showed up to the house and picked up. A little less money on the front end but when you figure ebay and paypal fees the CL deal was better for me. My LBS took my in my old hybrids on consignment I made a little $$ and did basically nothing on my end.

Good luck with thinning the herd.

Thanks, folks. Lots of good ideas. I'll be making my plans this weekend.

I was pleased to see this thread tonight. I have been contemplating the best way to sell one of my bikes. I am not doing it to cull the herd; I only have two. I want to replace one road bike with a different type of bike. There are some good options here.

I've sold a few bikes and parts by listing them in my signature here on BF. I'd probably get more interest if I posted more in the road forum than here in 50+. I've also sold a few through my LBS on consignment. I try to avoid ebay as much as possible.

CL worked for me last time because it was an older bike that I was selling cheap. Most of the stuff I've sold, though, have been higher-end downhill bikes or frames, which is beyond the range of the usual CL bargain-hunter. For that, eBay was much better to catch a wider audience in that demographic. I've never found getting a bike box to be that much of a problem (plus, I always save my frame boxes so I'll have them for later) and I take a lot of care to pack, pad and zip-tie contents scrupulously. As far as costs, Fed-Ex Ground beats the hell out of Brown almost every time and they handle parcels with more care IMO.

I've sold one bike, a modern titanium road bike, by eBay. I was disappointed by how much money was lost to fees and shipping costs. I now budget $125 for shipping costs alone, that does not include materials or labor. PayPal and listing fees are a real cut into the sales price, also.

I live in Chicago, so CL works well. I provide a very complete narrative with pictures. I also insist that cell phone numbers be included with any incoming emails. Finally, I state that low-ball offers will be ignored and further follow-up requests from low-ball bidders will go unanswered.

However, CL might not be the best solution in a smaller bike market with few buyers. eBay does reach a huge market.

get a big grey peice of material and take 1 god picture of each. post an ad showing all three.

Every time I have tried to use CL, I've been spammed by a ton of phishing scams. So much so, I've given up on CL all together. Others have had better experiences, but I usually sell high quality bike parts so the money values are higher and perhaps that attracts all the idiots.

I only use CL for finding bikes, as I live in an area that seems to attract a lot of scammers. Even church sale ads attract them. I sell through my bike clubs sale board or through work, where I know I can get top $ for anything good. If less so, I put it in a garage sale or sell it to my local pawnshop or a reseller I know and trust. Usually trade comes into the picture there. He has a lot of great stuff. I haven't had to worry about thinning the herd too much lately. Commuters and other cyclists don't seem as open to a used bike now that the economy is improving. And I have 3 great bikes. That seems to be the limit my resources can support with tires and accessories and attention. So, accent on the sale boards for your bike club, and in the workplace if that's feasible.

I've sold 4 bikes on CL. I like it because the buyer comes to my house and sees and rides the bike and is satisfied with the purchase. I always specify in the CL ad that I want cash, or a local check with local ID if the amount is fairly high. That way you don't get the scams and only serious buyers will reply.

Good luck and let us know how things work out.

Unless I know a buyer I don't invite them to my house for anything. A typical ploy around here is for a "buyer" to come see what you have and for it to go missing a short time later.

If you don't really need the money, you might look into whether there are any charitable organizations which could provide the bikes to people who really need them. I have refurbished probably 40 bikes that I got at the "swap shop" at the local recycling center and donated them to a local organization that has helped resettle refugees from Kosovo, and later Somalia, in this area. I know that at least 5 of them went to people who used them to get to work or school which they otherwise would have had long bus rides (or in one case would not have been able to take the job). I am sure there are some non-refugee people who could really use a bike as well.