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Freddyfruitba... |
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Freddyfruitba... World Chat Champion
Joined: 20 May 2016 Karma :
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Posted: 11:15 - 05 Jul 2018 Post subject: Selling a bike - eBay strategy? |
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Have reluctantly decided to part ways with my VStrom, and think I'm going to put it on eBay. Would be interested to hear the thoughts of others who have had success with this as to the following:
Is it better to start off an auction with a 99p start and a reserve of, say, £xxx (to attract interest); or to have no reserve but a start price of the same £xxx? Or not use an auction listing at all, and to do a classified ad instead?
Secondly, if an ebay auction for a bike is 'won'- ie, by someone bidding according to the eBay rules, then providing the listing as been 100% honest about the bike's condition, do 'winners' usually cough up for the winning bid without quibbling, or do they try to use that as the basis for negotiation, as if it was an Autotrader ad or similar?
Or do BCFers think there are better ways of flogging bikes?
(I'm pretty experienced at flogging tat on eBay, just not motor vehicles!) ____________________ KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS |
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 11:26 - 05 Jul 2018 Post subject: |
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I wrote a guide for doing this years ago, but I can't seem to find it online.
Basically, you set the starting price as the absolute minimum you would accept for the bike. Be realistic.
You start the auction on a Thursday night, and make it a 10-dayer. This way you have two weekends for people to come and view the bike.
You put in the Auction that you won't accept western union bank transfers or foreign sales. You want a £200 deposit via paypal at auction end, and you want the rest in cash. You mention there are two weekends to come and look at the bike, so if they bid they buy. Mention that you will allow test rides if people give you the cash upfront and have the necessary insurance.
You put in the listing an honest description of the bike including any and all issues.
Put in large high quality photos from the 8 compass points around the bike. Photos of the clocks inc. mileage and photos of the paperwork but with the reg and addresses covered up. Blank out the reg other than the year on the pics. If you like you can also take a couple of pics to show the condition of the tyres etc.
Assuming you're realistic with the price, it should sell. ____________________ British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another. |
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DrDonnyBrago |
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DrDonnyBrago World Chat Champion
Joined: 03 Jan 2010 Karma :
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Tamsin |
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Tamsin World Chat Champion
Joined: 07 Mar 2014 Karma :
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Freddyfruitba... |
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Freddyfruitba... World Chat Champion
Joined: 20 May 2016 Karma :
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stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 12:09 - 05 Jul 2018 Post subject: |
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Yes, auction. Classifieds means you have to deal with idiots making derisory offers by email then taking the hump when you sell it to someone else. Make sure you unclick the offers button on the auction too then check it's remained unclicked when the auction goes live.
Lots of good quality photos, in good light, from every angle. You get 12 with the auction. Use them.
You can't be too detailed in the description. ____________________ “Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 12:15 - 05 Jul 2018 Post subject: |
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Freddyfruitbat wrote: |
If you do hide the plate, do you then give out the info to anyone who emails asking you for it, or is that the same deal? |
An old member of this very forum took a reg plate from a FZ750 on ebay, created a cloned plate, stuck it on his Dad's FZ750 and regularly took it for a spin. At 15 years old.
With regard to the 99p thing, it's too risky. You have to pay for reserve prices, and personally as a bidder I never ever ever bid on an auction with a reserve. I think it's a slightly disengenuous thing to do, when if you just start the flipping thing at the price you want, the people who can afford it will bid. If they can't, they won't. The bidding war thing has never worked for me in the number of occasions I've tried it.
[Edit] Bidding war might well draw in the idiots, but you don't want idiots bidding on your bike! idiots are the ones who complain about stupid faults, try to get money off etc. Be honest and transparent. That's the only way that ebay works in my experience. ____________________ British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another. |
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G |
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G The Voice of Reason
Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :
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WD Forte |
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WD Forte World Chat Champion
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G |
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G The Voice of Reason
Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :
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kgm |
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kgm World Chat Champion
Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Karma :
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Ste |
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Ste Not Work Safe
Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :
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Posted: 16:25 - 05 Jul 2018 Post subject: |
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No potential buyers are going to be phoning you as you can't put phone numbers in the description if it's an auction.
People are much more interested in what's wrong with something rather than what's right with it.
High resolution photos are very helpful so make sure to have lots of them, taken in good lighting, etc etc etc
From looking at sold listings, unless there's something very rare / special / unusual about your bike then you'll already know how much it's going to sell for. Whether to do 99p no reserve, to do starting the auction at the minimum price you'll accept or to list as a buy it now is a matter of opinion. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method. I'm another person who dislikes reserve prices.
Prevent foreign people from bidding on your auction by setting buyer requirements. https://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/buyer-requirements.html To block bidders from certain countries, go to My eBay > Account > Site Preferences > Site preferences, scroll to Postage & packaging preferences, click Show. Then next to "Exclude postage locations from your listings" there's an edit button and my advice is to exclude everywhere.
You can always add people to the exemption list should you be contacted by Johnny Foreigner who wants to buy your bike to take it to Eastern Europe.
You will get stupid questions and stupid offers to end the auction early but that's eBay for you.
Also advertise on BCF. |
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha |
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha World Chat Champion
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Polarbear |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :
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Freddyfruitba... |
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Freddyfruitba... World Chat Champion
Joined: 20 May 2016 Karma :
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G The Voice of Reason
Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :
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Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg nimbA
Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :
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Posted: 18:02 - 05 Jul 2018 Post subject: |
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Get it up on Gumtree as a freebie. Keep a copy of your advert in a text file along with pictures with numbered filenames, to make it easier to keep reposting it every couple of days. You can delete older versions of the ad, but Gumtree really doesn't give a stuff and never takes things down even when reported to them.
I'd only ever list on Ebay as a classified ad, and the bike would go to the first person who actually shows up with the money. No haggling over price by email, and beware "Would you take...?" fishing by folk trying to find out the maximum they'll have to pay.
Don't waste your time trying to put off time wasters. Just ignore them, and focus on attracting serious, careful, legitimate buyers by answering every conceivable question about the bike's history and condition in the advert.
If you do go with an auction, consider that all bidders are potential buyers, and feel free to offer the losing bidders a chance to buy it if the winner doesn't show up sharpish. ____________________ Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike |
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Ste |
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Ste Not Work Safe
Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :
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kgm |
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kgm World Chat Champion
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Kentol750 |
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Kentol750 World Chat Champion
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Freddyfruitba... |
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Freddyfruitba... World Chat Champion
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Ste |
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Ste Not Work Safe
Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :
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Posted: 19:57 - 05 Jul 2018 Post subject: |
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You don't. Well, you could meet them somewhere that isn't the address where you keep the bike but buyers will find that suspicious. If you do that then the thief could rob the bike from you then anyway.
Someone who wins the auction could rob you when they come to pay you and collect the vehicle.
Someone could follow you home and come back to rob your bike that night.
#bikelife could spray you with acid and steal your bike tomorrow morning.
The world is a big nasty place, even more so if you dare to venture out from your safe space. |
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Kentol750 |
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Kentol750 World Chat Champion
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WD Forte |
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WD Forte World Chat Champion
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stevo as b4 |
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stevo as b4 World Chat Champion
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 5 years, 296 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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