Is there a best (or worst) time of year to sell "High Zoot" stuff?

[XXtwindad]

I'm thinking of selling one or two frames. It seems like all the commentary on the recent "Premium Bike" thread indicates this time of year is pretty crappy for selling. If that's true, is there generally accepted "best time of year" (or month) for selling?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Mods: If this thread is better suited for "GD," please move it...

[R3awak3n]

Well, right now a good time to sell a fat bike. I think spring the best time to sell a gravel or road bike. But the market is crap, last year was not a good year to sell bike stuff.

[ultraman6970]

A lot of people just ride during better weather... season starts in spring and people starts buying stuff to be ready for the summer.

Winter is slow because you cant ride but during the summer/spring gets better but you have to compete with a lot of other guys you know. Tough calls in this pricing/best time to sell situation, but IME because i had to give away stuff already a few times you have to be like ready to suck it up and bit the bullet like a champ in case you are hoping to get the money back.

The other thing you can do is just try ebay starting from zero and put a reserve, see how much your bike brings, or set offers and see what happens. Same here, guys in this season IMO arent looking too much stuff stuff because of x-mass.

The other season that gets better is when you get the tax returns, many guys are waiting for jan-feb season to buy the stuff with the tax return.

Swap meets is a good place to sell sometimes.

[mtechnica]

There was just a fat thread about this in the main forum

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by mtechnica

There was just a fat thread about this in the main forum

Yes, I read that. That was the impetus for this thread. But that had more to do with a particular bike (or type of bike) than the best time of year for selling. I'm trying to narrow it down to that topic.

[unterhausen]

watch the 10 day forecast starting in February. List it on the day before the first nice day. My LBS is always crowded on the first nice day of the year, even if that's in February. Once June comes around, I think the market softens

[ibis]

I’m sure there’s something to be said about spring and summer being better for most people, but I feel like a certain crowd will always be looking regardless of time of year. It’s just a matter of you happen to be selling something they already had in mind.

That said, this is property tax season in the Bay Area. Combined with all the Christmas spending most do, it’s hit and miss with finding the right person to match with your frame/complete bike.

You never know until you try though. Toss them up. If they don’t sell in a week or two just wait until after the holidays and try again.

[Hilltopperny]

First stretch of nice weather in the Northeast is usually the best time to sell road/gravel bikes. It gets people’s minds thinking about enjoying the outdoors and bikes are a great way to do so. I have found before Christmas and tax refund season are other times of year that can yield decent results.

As has been stated before the market is awful for most used bikes. I have done plenty of horse trading with various different things. Bikes if picked up at a reasonable price typically used to keep more value. Sometimes I get surprised by a frameset or bike exceeding my perceived value of it and lately I have been shocked at how low things are actually selling for. Trying to sell a high end bike that is lightly used will likely sit for a very long time if priced over 25-35% of its original cost.


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[jpritchet74]

Absolutely agree. I was selling stuff to fund a new project - but I am now going to wait until Springtime to sell anything else.

[54ny77]

FYI it's a terrible time all year long to sell a Vamoots SL in a 54. I can help you with that, just in case you need a reliable takeout.

[prototoast]

Sell when you want to be buying, buy when you want to be selling.

[kohagen]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Sell when you want to be buying, buy when you want to be selling.

There is wisdom in this post.

[FlashUNC]

Seasonality is nonsense. Good stuff gets okayish prices. Everything else is hit with the depreciation bat.

Such is life.

[marciero]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Sell when you want to be buying, buy when you want to be selling.

The underlying assumption being that paceliners are buying and selling as a herd? Dont think so.

Or maybe this is more like having a class of second graders pick your stocks. "Hey they outperformed Peter Lynch!"

Nor do I think of paceliners as fair-weather buyers.

Tax season and holiday spending? Maybe

[unterhausen]

from now until Christmas seems like a good time to sell things. People buy Christmas presents for themselves. At least I have noticed this on ebay. A couple of days after Christmas is the start of a real lull.