What's up with used bike prices?

I've been looking around at used bikes (mostly on Craigslist) and I'm
amazed at what people are asking. This is winter, in 3 weeks we'll be
in a new year, and yet private parties are expecting to sell bikes that
have been dropped or have obvious problems, for prices higher than or
close to the kbb dealer values.

I know that prices tend to be higher in the bay area, but I'd probably
accept the price atleast if the bike was in good condition.

My advice to any newbie buying a bike here: don't be in a hurry to buy.
There's a lot of people who will lie to you about the condition of the
bike; they don't care if you die because your brakes don't work.

 

True. I once test-rode a bike that was for sale, which the owner
insisted had never been down. Yet the front end was bent enough to
make it hardly rideable.

 

There sure are some trippers on the Bay Area CL when it comes to prices. I
bought a bike off a guy in Danville years ago, he was pretty well off, took
a liking to me, he closed the deal by asking for a full grand less than the
ad stated. Or the bike I bought off the guy on the hilltop of an exclusive
area in Marin near Mill valley, we came to an agreement immediately after my
low-ball, and he kept chucking extras in my truck like he felt guilty or
something. So I would say, buy from the guys who are a bit older, mature,
who aren't gonna be sweating pennies. Another example from CL is RC planes
and trucks. Sold mostly by teens and young adults, they are asking for
80-90% of what new costs. ?!? Why not just buy new? When I sold all my RC
shit it was closer to 30% of new and we were all happy.

My two cents, learn how to use the net to look for bikes in the Bay Area,
Sacramento, greater LA, and San Diego. When I buy a bike, I always know
exactly what I want. So I hit all the classifieds on the papers in those
areas, and you would be surprised, if you make honest contact with people,
they are likely to call you back when they get really desperate/bored/sick
of the crazies, and are ready to talk realistic prices. So many great used
bike deals are coming out of LA right now I am cursing my rotten luck that
I'm a bit short on funds to pick up a certain highly modified
Superhawk......

Cast comes off mid-January: First stop, Lake Berryessa.
Later!

 

CL has been overrun by people using it as a cost free ebay listing service.
And it's full of people asking for over retail (new) for well used objects.

But it can be useful still. I sold my old boxer in a week with a fairly
set price and it made the transaction pretty effortless.

 

Buying a bike on CL was ... difficult. There were a lot of people
with unrealistic expectations and silly pricing.

Three suggestions: First - know the fair market price for what they are
selling. Second - be very upfront with them and let them know what you
believe is a fair price. Third - avoid CraigsList and find a bike
through friends, cycling newspapers, and word of mouth.

If someone is dumb enough to over pay - so be it. It should be clear
in the first few minutes if you are dealing with someone who is willing
to work with you or just living in a seller's fantasy land. I find the
question: "How did you arrive at that price?" to be a good way to see
if they did their homework or if they just pulled the price out of thin
air.

 

I've sold 2 bikes through CL. The first time I probably underpriced the
bike since it sold at asking in the first week.

The next time I intentionally priced the bike high, and it sold for more
than I actually thought it was worth. The buyer wasn't really interested
in bargining though, and I was OK with that.

If you see a bike that looks good, make an offer. The worst they can say
is no.

-B

 

I dunno about that...I got a brand new VTR for about 2000 less than the list
price...and I paid a sinfully low price for my BMW R1100RS...and then landed
my R1 for just about wholesale book...
if you get your money in order, know what you want, and are ready to pounce
at the right moment, then you are likely to find the right bike at a great
price.

--
Jim Stinnett
VTR1000 "Two grand off"
R1100RS " Way low"
YZF R1 " Screaming deal"
http://moto-rama.com

 

Indeed! If you've got cash in hand, it's easy to buy when you see what
you want. If you don't, it's harder. Save up a few bucks and keep
looking.

Al Moore
DoD 734

 

Actually, I do have an interesting update. At the time I posted my
rant, I had been looking around for 4 weeks, and had not found a single
reasonable deal, and pretty much decided to wait. Right now though I
see quite a few good deals. I don't know if its because the year is
almost up or what, but I now suddenly have really good choices
available.

I am glad I waited.

Thanks to all who replied.