Preparing a bike for selling

[damz]

since im moving abroad (as i have posted elsewhere) i am selling my rvf400 after barely 9 months of owning it. i was wondering what i should do to the bike to get the most value out of it without spending a fortune.

so far its had
its exhaust system replaced
fixed up fairings (wee paints and chips)
replaced loads of furry bolts
doing an oil change soon
new air filter.
new tyres

the bike runs perfectly and hasnt even had a chance to be thrashed since this summer has been awful and working nearly non stop.

anything else i should do to make the bike sell better for more? apart from a good cleaning

also got a few extra's such as paddock stand, security chain etc
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Current Bikes RVF400 - 94
Cars: RX7 FD, Eunos Roadster
Former Bikes: FZR 250R 89, ZX7R 98

[Fnatic]

Do a detailed eBay auction and use a high resolution camera

[damz]

[D O G]

Sell the paddock stands and the other shit separately. You will likely get more money in total for it. People buying a bike want a bike, not all the gubbins.

[B_A_B]

[stinkwheel]

[Zenarchy]

Like others have said, write a big description and try to describe everything in as much detail as possible. The last bike I listed on ebay turned into a massive essay pages long which you'd think would put people off but when people are planning to spend a big wad of cash they will generally appreciate it and go to the trouble of reading all of your text. I made back more or less what I paid for it a year earlier and had offers for well over what I paid for it if I was prepared to deliver. I would have probably made a bit more if I'd let the auction run its course but I ended the auction early by setting a buy now for someone for a quick sale (no bids at that point as it'd only been up for a day).

I'd also be tempted to try to take close up photos of every blemish or mark on it you can find, and try not to hide anything.

Although you might think this will put people off, in my (admittedly fairly limited) experience that seems to help.

I did that because I wanted to be honest and didn't want any hastle with unhappy buyers so wanted to make sure people knew exactly what they were getting, but looking at it from the buyers point of view, particularly if they're not local and can't come to see the bike in person (which is often the case on ebay - both bikes I've sold went to guys in wales and I'm in the north east), they seem more likely to go for the bike with known faults or blemishes that they're happy to live with and a full description rather than one that's not described or photographed so well, unless they can come to see it in person.

This seems to be particularly true if the bike is in good condition as by pointing out the tiniest blemish and mark it lets them know that the rest of the bike is going to be in great condition (as you've gone to the trouble to photograph the details) and you're trying your best to be as open and honest as possible about it.

I wouldn't rule out the auction format either as you may find you get more for it than you expect (this has happened a few times with things I sold on ebay). You could always set a reserve on it and encourage people to make you offers to set a buy now before there are any bids. Then if it doesn't sell for the exact price you want you have the option of giving the highest bidder a second chance offer too.