As advertised elsewhere on the forum, I'm selling my Supersport 939. I tried MOTORBIKE TRADER UK. A bunch of charlatans! They quoted me a valuation of £6390 for my Supersport which seemed reasonable although I expected to be knocked back a bit. So I went ahead and booked a collection.Their agent turned up a 8.00am and was a nice enough guy. He went over the bike and the service records very thoroughly and said he would have to knock £300 off because I didn't have a receipt for the cam belt change (it was done at the correct time/mileage). Fair enough, but he then offered me £4,900! Motorbike Trader had given him a value £5200. If they had quoted me that in the emails they sent me I would never have considered dealing with them. I reckon they only quoted me £6390 figure to draw me in, wasting both my time and their driver's. I should have known better.
In case anyone gets the wrong end of the stick. I wasn't surprised by the outcome but since I'd nothing to lose I thought I'd see what they came up with knowing I could always so NO.
When I want to sell something I find close comparables on eBay. Then I save them in a watch list and note what they actually sell for. After a week or so I know what the market is paying, so I price accordingly. I could wait six months with a higher price, maybe get a buyer and make a little more. Or price a little lower and sell straight away. Selling is fairly simple. You need to know what the market will pay, what the supply and demand is, and how much time you are prepared to wait to make a sale.
When selling cars/vans/4x4s I use Autotrader. It attracts dealers and if it's a clean saleable vehicle that they can turn over quickly with little effort you often get a decent price. Bikes are trickier at the moment. The used market is saturated. Dealers won't buy unless it's something special and private cash buyers are spoiled for choice. Newish low miles bikes are still getting decent trade-ins. I got a pretty good deal on my Rocket 3 when I traded it for the Diavel. The Diavel was at the upper end of dealer pricing but it was a very clean bike, so horses for courses. MCN is pretty good for finding private buyers because they're good at screening out scammers. And you can do worse than sticking on forums like this, especially of you're a long-standing member. Unfortunately, in the current economic climate for used bikes you may have to play the long game unless you're prepared to give it away. Now is the best time of year to sell though.
I still keep coming back to the point that why has life become like this now? I spent the last 8 years of my career investigating construction fraud and was constantly shocked at the levels of deceit that exists in the corporate world. Sadly, if you or I walked out of a shop without paying for a packet of sweets it would be theft (maybe not these days) but in the corporate world fraud and deceit is commonplace and mainly because the cost of litigation is the preserve of the super rich. It is a horrible world that we live in and there isn't aa day goes by when I don't regret not having had a "little tickle" for myself. You try to live an honest life but that is not the advice I would give to anyone these days - all very very sad.
Gonna see how the TT goes on my RSV4 - broke my wrist last year in two places...ive been out on it a couple of times and its a bit hard work on the wrist....if i have to sell it (longest ive ever owned a bike - 15years) it seems that literally everyone wants to fucking rob it off you... Edit - im hoping not to have to sell it....rode it last year up the motorway with the rear lowered right down which was an epiphany, this year ive added a throttle lock...hoping that those two changes will mean i can keep it for the foresable...
As Jez said, unfortunately a bike is only worth what the market is prepared to pay at the time. The we-buy-any sites are no guide as they punt them out at auction so they'll only offer you below the expected reserve to guarantee a profit. So unless the market's exploded like it did with cars immediately post-lockdown, they're going to offer you 20-25% below market value. Ebay isn't much better as a guide. They're either being auctioned or have a cheeky buy-it-now price tag. Again Autotrader and MCN are the best guide of where the market is at the moment.
You can filter search results for sold items and listings of those that were auctioned show the final price.
I thought the 'we buy any car/bike/ tractor' companies paid the guys that arrive on you doorstep their commission from the difference between what they told you and what the actual offer is on the day.
I don't know about that but the driver/agent made no attempt to persuade me and agreed that his time as well as mine was wasted.
They just assumed you would go for it and then regret that you had been had over. There is no science to this anymore, it is just theft wrapped up in a pretty package where the only loser is you and you can do NOTHING about it.
Can you educate me as to how to only get the normal, nice people to respond to my next advert pleez Jez? (asking for me).
I wish I could! Though one of the the great benefits of eBay is removing the seller from the crap phone calls & tyre kicking on the drive. People can message ridiculous nonsense questions, and as the seller I decide how to reply. The daft ones I just delete, the semi crazy dreamers get a one line answer & perhaps a pic. I find they get bored fast with minimal response. The serious ones make bids. The most serious one collects the bike/car/washing machine having paid in full. If they don't like their purchase I refund them -no problem- and relist in seconds.
You can't, they come with the territory. Make the listing as comprehensive as possible in a vain attempt to save yourself being asked those same questions. Currently selling a bike on eBay......thinking the best yet is a potential buyer asking me questions already answered in the listing arranging a viewing then telling me he can't come as his wife won't allow him. So at least put in any listing that they've sorted the permission of any grown up with responsibility for them.
