Selling Bikes on Ebay

[dcarver]

Thinking of posting my Ultra on Ebay. Never sold on ebay before.

What advice to ya'll have for me?

(regarding selling a bike on ebay that is )

 

[SkooterG]

Use ebay to your advantage. You can do more with ebay than compared to Cycletrader.

Take many high quality photos to put in your ad. Then be descriptive in your add. Don't add boring filler, like repeating a manufacturer's specs, but put some personality in it. Go look at other adds, and see what you like, and follow what they do.

I received top dollar when I sold my Harley on ebay. It was in pristine condition, and I used 9 high-res photos to show that. Also did a decent write-up.

Be realistic about what your are going to get for it. That can be hard to do. You can use ebay to see what other similar bikes to yours are selling for. Set a realistic reserve, or better yet do a no reserve auction. Also, start your auction at zero, not at $xxxxxxx.

 

[HIGHLANDER]

NONONONO you need to set a reserve!!! If there's not enough interest you may not get a enough money for the bike. Set a realistic reserve, if it does not sell then relist with a lower reserve.

No reserve is OK with lower cost items but big ticket items need a reserve.

No overseas buyers or cashier checks either !!

 

[FJRocket]

I disagree somewhat with Skooter. I sold my '03 CVO Road King on eBay. I set a fairly high reserve and started the auction at the low end of what used "normal" Road Kings were selling for. I didn't want to mess around with bottom feeders. I didn't get any stupid questions from turds who didn't know what they were buying.

Skoot is right about many high res pics and leave out the specs and the fluff. Try to make the ad POP. List all your chrome farkles and tell them if you are giving all the take offs with the bike, too.

My bike went all the way through the auction (no buy it now price) and I actually got retail back out of my RK. Not bad for a bike I rode for 1.5 years.

I hesitate to say that HD's are not the premium that they used to be, but they still seem to be selling well. I think the used bike market is very competitive. Even when I sold mine, the '03s were common. And there's lots of folks who want to get into the used HD market because new ones are pretty salty.

I think you have to decide whether you want to unload the Ultra or try to get a good price out of it. I wasn't unloading my RK, and I wanted top dollar for it. So I set the reserve for the minimum I was willing to take. After that, the rest was gravy. I made the guy pay me in cash. Everything went smooth as silk.

The "riding season" is pretty much over here in Indiana. But not for me. I ride all year round. In fact I'm buying a motorcycle myself today. Used Yamaha WR250F. I bought it through classifieds on a different board, but before I bought it, I was negotiating two bikes on eBay. The auction didn't go all the way through. Thank goodness. I found a better bike a couple days later. More money, but better bike. So there are buyers out there. If you live in a warm clime, you probably don't even have to worry. Wish I didn't. Thought it was going to snow here already.

BTW, be careful during and after the fact. If you get suspicious emails, don't reply to them, forward them to [email protected] . I had someone contact me on a "second chance" when the dirt bike didn't sell. The guy had hacked someone's account and tried to hook me. They got busted. I reported that actual eBay hack online through the security area of the website. Man, there are some real snakes out there!

 

[dcarver]

Thanks everyone..

Think I'll try one more time in a bigger market with the conventional paper rags then try ebay.

Another question - how did you ship the bikes once sold? How does that entire process work?

 

[FJRocket]

No shipping. As is, where is. Come get it, period. I didn't want to hassle. Plus, I wanted the person there with cash. Limits the market, but keeps the headaches and heartbreaks to a minimum.

When I peruse eBay for vehicles, I only search within about 250 miles of my home. That way, I can get it. I would expect most people do the same. Sure see a lot of nice vehicles for sale on the left coast, but alas, I'm in the corn belt and don't want to fetch or pay shipping. That's just me.

Let the buyer make their own pickup arrangements. Easier for all concerned, especially you.

 

[Fastfar]

I have purchased 2 motorcycles on eBay, including my FJR. Both auctions had a reserve, which did not bother me, I expect to pay a fair price and the reserves were reasonable.

Vett your buyers, check their feedback and how long they have been trading, any name changes on eBay, those kind of things.

Many pics and a good, honest description are mandatory; shipping should be entirely at the buyers expense tho you might offer to assst with pick up once the buyer chooses how to ship. Offer local pick up; accept Paypal for a deposit, but get a cashiers check for the balance.

 

[BBIII]

internetpaysafe.com website is a total scam. If someone tries to buy your bike through an escrow service and wants to wire you money from outside the U.S. you are being had. I would sell to U.S. residents only that pay with paypal or money order, which has cleared the bank and is in your account.